Chapter Fifteen
Greyson
Who would have thought just watching television could be so great.
My late wife had not been into true crime, so we didn’t watch it together.
When I’d asked Mya her guilty pleasure, I’d expected her to say a Hallmark romance or maybe a rom-com in general.
Not sure why I thought that. Jeanine had loved action adventure.
We’d never been big on screen time, anyway. Jeanine believed in doing non-screen things and only watching one or two movies a week as a family. True crime was not exactly family time material.
But it sure was fun to share with another adult fan. Sitting side by side, I was aware of her as more than a true-crime fan. We talked about Benji, about the stupid criminals who actually thought they’d get away with their felonies, and other things.
“Did you really want oatmeal in the morning?” she asked. “Because I have some other ideas.”
“You really like cooking?”
“I do if it’s for people who enjoy the food.” A hint of bitterness in her tone had me wondering if the person who hurt her had also not appreciated her efforts in the kitchen. “You and Benji are an inspiration. “Do you mind having omelets again?”
“I don’t. Benji probably would if it was made with…”
“Cheese cheese cheese?” she finished for me.
“Yes. You’re catching on quickly.”
We turned our attention back to the streaming show where the murderer, who’d been living with his crime and no repercussions for over twenty years, was being brought to justice by a detective who’d never been willing to let the case go completely cold.
Advances in DNA and the detective’s tenacity put him away for the rest of his life.
“This is why I love these shows,” Mya said, thrusting a fist in the air. “I like to see justice happen. Even if it took a long time, they got him.”
“It doesn’t always work out that way in life, though,” I said. “Sometimes people cause great harm to others and they don’t pay for it.”
“I suppose.” She let her hand drop. “Life isn’t always perfect.”
“No, it’s not. But it’s good to know that if someone does hurt a person, there are those who will stand behind them. Like that detective.”
She brightened. “He was amazing, wasn’t he? The victim’s mother hugged him so hard.”
“It won’t bring her daughter back, but it was the most that could be done.”
“Maybe a little vigilante justice would have been even more satisfying.”
“If you ever want to talk—”
She hopped up and I instantly missed her warmth at my side. “I guess it’s bedtime.”
“All right.” I was going to have to try not to push. It was hard, though. My bear was demanding to take care of whoever hurt her. And he was getting louder about it.
Mya reached for my beer and her water glass. “I’ll take these to the dishwasher.”
“No, I will.” I picked them up before she could. “You’re way off the clock now.”
“I don’t think this really qualifies as work, but it’s okay.” She stretched. “So, I’ll see you in the morning, then.”
“Right. Wait.”
“What for? Did you need to discuss anything else? Watch another show?”
“No. I think I should take a look at your injuries before we go to bed. That is, before you go to bed. And I go to bed. In our own beds…” I really was out of practice even talking to a woman. If she didn’t run screaming into the night, I’d be lucky. “Please ignore me.”
“I will.”
“Not about the injuries. Come into the downstairs powder room, and I’ll make sure they are healing properly.”
She didn’t reply, just followed me when I picked up the first aid kit and walked into the bathroom under the stairs. It was a very small room, with just a toilet and sink, but it had good lighting, so I thought it would be the best place.
Just being close to Mya was heady. She smelled like flowers and herbs and put off a lot of heat for a woman. So the powder room lighting might be great, but no sooner did we enter the space than I saw the error of my ways.
An error that tented the front of my pants. Maybe she wouldn’t notice. But it was awfully hard to miss.
Still, I tried to pretend I wasn’t sporting a stiffy, having her sit on the closed toilet seat and tipping her face up.
The bruising was settling in, still purple and blue, and her eyebrow looked swollen.
“There you go. Does it hurt?” I needed to get my mind out of my pants and onto this female who deserved only the best and had been treated so badly.
The last thing she needed was me drooling all over her.
“No, not so much. I’m fine.”
Yes, she was, but not in the way she meant.