Page 37 of The Little Shop of Curiosities, The Music Box Part 2

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.” He huffs out a quiet laugh. “Pops surprised Dad for their anniversary.” He sighs and sandwiches my hand between his, absently measuring the size difference between us, and I kinda like it. Even though there’s a sexual undercurrent, it feels like he’s drawing comfort just from my presence and the closeness between us. It’s a balm to my soul that I didn’t know I needed. “How’s work going? I can’t imagine you’ve had a lot of time for other cases with Vivienne’s murder.”

“It’s been a bit slow,” I admit, tracing the droplets of water against his pale skin distractedly. “But that’s to be expected. I’ve got a couple of new leads to chase up, and from the sounds of it, these cases might turn out to be supernatural too.”

“Another two cases?” he looks up over his shoulder at me, his brow furrowing. “That’s not just a coincidence, that’s⁠—”

“Becoming a pattern?” I sigh. “That’s what I’m afraid of. I spoke to Danny about it.”

“And what did he say?”

“That he’ll speak to Tristan. In other words, he’ll ask Dusty via his intermediary. If anyone might have an idea why all of a sudden people are developing preternatural abilities in London, it’ll be her, and if not, maybe she can ask some of the higher-ups.”

“Seems sensible,” he replies thoughtfully. “Maybe Chan could ask Death?”

“I’ll message Chan and ask,” I murmur, tracing the back of Harrison’s hand as I hold it between mine. “I’m going to ask Danny if he wants to come and work with me.”

Once again Harrison looks up at me. “You are? I thought you liked working alone, a lone wolf and all that.”

I huff out a quiet laugh. “No, I was always a social person. It was just after…”

“After the attack?”

“I needed time on my own after that, and not just because of what happened. It was also how quickly the people who were supposed to be my friends and colleagues turned their backs on me. I never thought me being gay would be that much of a problem, or that so many of them would secretly think I deserved what happened.”

“Did they say that?” he replies sharply. It warms me how indignant he is on my behalf.

“Not directly to my face, but there was a lot of whispering behind my back, things getting back to me, and the way they looked at me.” I shake my head, not wanting to dwell on that time in my life. “Anyway, I figured it might be nice to have a partner again, one who not only knows about and gets the weirdness factor but also lives it on a daily basis.”

He snorts. “That’s an understatement. It’s one thing having a fiancé who can see dead people, but having him permanently attached to a dead drag queen spirit guide in training? I can only imagine the daily drama.”

“You and me both. I adore Dusty, but sometimes I just need some quiet time.”

Harrison lifts our joined hands and drops an absent kiss against my fingers, and my damn heart almost stops. “What do you think Danny will say?”

“Danny?” I say stupidly as my brain glitches, causing me to lose the thread of our conversation.

“About working with you? Do you think he will?”

“I honestly don’t know. I know how happy he was to get a position at Scotland Yard and I don’t think he’ll want to leave Maddie, but given the way things have been lately… I know he doesn’t get on with his DCI and hates all this crap with Detective Byrnes,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to his damp hair. “Besides, I need to build the PI agency back up before bringing someone else in. I’ll plant the idea so he has the option, but I don’t think now is the right time for either of us. Who knows, though, maybe at some point.”

Harrison looks up and smiles. “The Whitechapel Psychic Detective Agency?”

“I like that.” I chuckle. “It has a nice ring to it. Anyway, I need to find a place to live first.”

“What happened to your flat?” He frowns.

“Gave it up while I was up north.”

“You never said.”

I shrug. “Wasn’t important at the time.”

“Where are you living right now?” he asks in concern.

“I slept at the office for a while, but not having a bathroom was an issue, so I got a good deal from a little independent hotel not too far away. I’m renting their attic room for a while until I figure out something more permanent.”

His frown deepens as he stares at me.