“Yeah. Some high school kid was looking for contributions for school uniforms or something. She said it sounded suspicious, so she ran him off.”
“With a baseball bat?”
“I’m just glad Massachusetts has tough gun laws. Otherwise, the kid would probably be full of buckshot.”
Gabe felt slightly better about her situation, despite her landlord sounding somewhat unhinged. Maybe she just had something against guys. That might keep Misty single.
As soon as both coats had been put away in the closet, Misty gestured to the living room. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back with our wine.”
A comfortable grouping of furniture surrounded a giant ottoman. He wondered how she had gotten something that big up those stairs. Oh, right. Parker could have carried that thing. There was a wood-burning fireplace between two small chairs. Even though snow hadn’t fallen yet, a nice roaring fire sounded comforting.
“Hey, Misty,” Gabe called out. “Would you like me to build a fire?”
A moment later, she returned with two glasses and a bottle of red wine on a tray. “You don’t get enough fire on the job?”
He rolled his eyes. “I know some guys who don’t allow fires in their homes unless it’s for cooking and want it watched constantly. But I grew up differently. Maybe because we always had plenty of people around to keep an eye on things, a nice crackling fire limited to a safe chimney wasn’t something to be afraid of.”
“I’ll bet you had a fire extinguisher handy, though.”
“Of course. Several of them.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” She took a deep breath and sighed. “I’d love to build a nice warm fire sometime, but I’m afraid the dragon lady doesn’t allow it.” She poured a glass of wine and handed it to him.
The termdragon ladystartled him at first. She couldn’t know about his sisters-in-law.Nah, it’s just an expression.The no-fire rule was probably a good idea, considering the landlord couldn’t keep an eye on what a tenant did.
“Okay.” He extended an arm. “I’ll just have to keep you warm myself.”Holy shit. Where did that come from?
She smiled as she poured some wine for herself and then snuggled into the space beside him. “Mmmm… Thisisnice and warm.”
He took a sip and wondered how to approach the subject of her safety without coming off like a bossy boyfriend or big brother. “So, do you have a fire extinguisher?”
“Yes. There’s one in the closet. And she put sprinklers in. See?”
Gabe had already noticed the devices in the ceiling, but they might not be operable. People had been known to install the apparatus without hooking it up to any plumbing. It looked good enough to pass inspection, and that was all they wanted. Without making a hole in her ceiling or starting a fire, he couldn’t gauge their effectiveness. It was time to move on to the next part of her safety assessment.
Her working in a bank.
“Have you thought about trying some other type of job?”
“I have to admit, I was kind of wishing I worked somewhere else a few hours ago.”
“I think that’s an excellent idea.” He took a sip of his wine. It was rich, without a hint of bitterness. Unlike himself.
She leaned away from him and studied his face. “I didn’t mean I was actually going to quit. It took about six months to get comfortable doing this teller thing. I can’t imagine starting all over again in some other job that requires training. Besides, I could be held up anywhere. Stores are robbed all the time.”
“You could waitress.”
She made a sound of disgust.
“What?” He set down his wine glass on the ottoman. With the tray on top, he figured it could function as a coffee table, which is where he assumed a glass should go.
“Is that all you think I’m good for? Waitressing?”
“Not at all. I was just thinking…” After a brief hesitation, he realized he’d insulted her but didn’t know how or why. “There’s nothing wrong with serving the public. I do it myself, every day.”
She snorted. “It’s hardly the same thing. I like to get dressed up and feel like a professional, not come home smelling like French fries.”
“I wasn’t talking about fast food. There are some high-end…”
