Chapter 4 #2
“It’s my brain,” she muttered. “Did you know chess players need about fifteen thousand calories a game because of the brainpower they’re burning through?”
“Why do you know that statistic? Did you have a case with a chess player or do research for a book or something?”
“No, but that’s not a bad idea. If I ever decided to change my job, I should probably write books.” He stared at her in shock, and she laughed. “I’m kidding.”
“Just the thought of you even changing jobs boggles the mind, and I know it won’t happen.”
“It won’t ever happen because that’s not who I am. What I’m doing is what I need to be doing.”
“And, if you ever needed to change that,” he shared, “I would completely and fully support whatever decision you made.”
She smiled at him. “And that’s the real reason we’re together.” She flopped back down on the couch beside him, shifting to look at him sideways, one knee up on the couch as she reached for her wineglass.
“And what’s that?” he asked.
She looked over at him and, with a shrug, she said, “Acceptance.”
*
Simon nodded slowly. Trust Kate to put it in a very succinct, no-nonsense way. He chuckled. “I can’t say I considered it in that way, but you’re right. That would be us.”
She smiled. “Now we need food. Are you ordering it, or am I?”
He burst out laughing and asked, “What do you want to eat?”
“I don’t know,” she muttered, “but, if it doesn’t come soon, I’ll just go to bed without dinner.”
At the ringing sound, Simon reached for his phone. It was Edgar downstairs.
“Are you doing okay up there, sir?”
“I’m doing fine, but the cupboards are bare, and we’re hungry.”
Edgar burst out laughing. “Good because a great big delivery is coming up to you,” he announced. “I took the liberty.”
Simon took a moment before answering.
“If you don’t want it, I can take it home to the family, but you appeared to be pretty done. And you haven’t had Greek in a few weeks—or a few days at least.”
“Where did you get it from?”
“Delaney’s.” Then Edgar added, “I know it’s your money, but I also gave them a decent tip.”
Simon smiled. “And we thank you for that. Is it here?”
“On its way up to you right now because I’m in the elevator with it.”
At that, Simon got up and walked to the elevator door, the special penthouse-only elevator, Kate on his heels.
She asked him, “Did he really just order that on his own?”
The penthouse elevator doors opened, revealing Edgar, holding out a big bag. He looked over at Kate and nodded. “You looked as if you could use some food too.” And, with that, he smiled at the two of them and left via the same elevator.
She frowned over at Simon. “Does the whole world think we don’t eat?”
“I don’t know,” Simon admitted, “but I think the world may be afraid that, if we don’t eat, we don’t work.”
She snorted. “That is quite possible.” She carried the bag into the kitchen and quickly served up some food. “You know, there was a time when all I did was eat because I needed energy. You’ve spoiled me.”
He looked as if he were about to burst into laughter.
She added, “Every time I eat now, it’s a new food experience. Something I’ve never really had before.”
“That’s good because food should always be an experience you enjoy, something you absolutely love.”
“Easier said than done,” she noted.
“I understand, but that’s part of our relationship too, togetherness and food,” he stated. They sat down at the table, and she had barely finished eating when he looked over at her and asked, “What did you find out on the case?”
“Nothing really,” she grumbled. “At least nothing that’s putting any answers in my head.
” She quickly filled him in on the little bits she’d learned.
“Oh, and he worked from home, and they didn’t see him very often.
He was a holdover from the COVID era and pretty much stuck to his work from home routine. ”
“How did the company feel about that?”
“Apparently they’ve been trying to get him to return to the office with everybody else, but he was very resistant to the idea.”
Simon nodded. “A lot of people made some pretty physical moves in order to work from home and to get out of the crazy city rat race. The COVID era got everybody to re-evaluate their priorities.”
“And yet still the back to work movement continues, as more and more companies insist on that,” she noted, slowly rotating her neck, wishing she had stopped by the dojo after work because she now needed to head over there tomorrow.
“Your neck sore?” he asked.
She smiled. “Not so much sore as stiff. I should have stopped for my workout today because now I’ll have to do it tomorrow. And you know how I hate have-tos. It changes the whole vibe for me.”
He smiled. “Like the rest of us, it becomes work. And, when it’s work, it’s a chore. And, when it’s a chore, we don’t want to do it,” he noted, with a smile. “You should work out here,” he suggested, and she rolled her eyes at that. “I mean, a gym is right downstairs.”
“I know, but not exactly the place I think of.”
“You want something more private?”
“Yeah, I probably do,” she admitted, “but I don’t have it, so that’s all good. And I’m too tired tonight anyway.” She yawned at that. She got up from the table, helped Simon to clean up and to put away the food. “Are you likely to dream about this tonight?”
He turned to her. “I can’t tell you when my visions come. They just do.”
She nodded.
“Does that mean you don’t want to stay here tonight?” he asked.
Surprised, she turned to him and frowned.
“It never stopped me before, so I don’t know why it would now.
” He hesitated, but she waved her hand. “I’m fine, Simon.
I guess I was just wondering if you felt that most-recent vision meant something personal to you.
Or was it—sounds ridiculous but—was it just electrons floating around in the universe that didn’t have a major connection to you? ”
He stared at her, and his lips twitched.
She glared at him irritably. “I know. It sounded stupid to me too, but I couldn’t figure out how to put it together. I’m just tired.”
“And I get that,” he shared, still smirking at her. “As for an answer to your question, I have no idea. It’s not exactly what I was expecting in any way.” He shrugged. “If it happens again, let’s hope I get more than just her praying.”
“And does that vision, with its mention of the word believe, have anything to do with my case?” she asked, as she walked back to the couch before turning to him. “That’s the real question.”
“Of course,” he replied. “And the answer is, … I have no idea.”