Christ. You need therapy so bad, dude. You honestly believe that if you admit you love Grace, that she’s gonna die? You know how fucked up that sounds, right?
“Gideon?”
“Sorry, what?” He stopped stirring the zucchini and shut off the burner.
“I asked if you wanted a beer with supper?”
“No, just water is good.”
She poured them both glasses of water before joining him at the counter. “What else can I do?”
“You can put the rice and the zucchini in serving bowls while I carve up the chicken.”
“Sure.” She dished out the food as he carved the chicken.
“How was work?” she asked.
“Good. Busy with a few calls.” He didn’t elaborate and she didn’t ask him to. It was one of the things he appreciated about Grace. She knew he didn’t like to go into detail about calls he went on and never pressed him for more information. A sheriff who couldn’t keep his constituents’ private lives private didn’t stay a sheriff for very long. He might spend every morning listening to others gossip, but he never participated.
“Grant texted me and told me to take Friday off as well,” Grace said.
“That was nice of him,” Gideon said.
“It was. Mario phoned just before I napped this afternoon.”
“Your landlord?”
Grace sighed. “Yeah. He owns Edgar’s unit too. He’s super pissed. Insurance will cover the damage, but he won’t be able to start repairs and do the clean up until the insurance money comes in and he has no idea when that will be. He’s releasing me from my lease, said he’d return my cheques for the rest of the year. So, I’m homeless.”
“You can stay with me,” he said.
She laughed, but a tinge of bitterness coated it. “Yeah, thanks, but we both know that isn’t a good idea.”
He moved the chicken onto the platter and set it on the table. “Tank, to your bed.”
The big dog whined and leaned against Grace.
“Your bed, Tank,” Gideon said.
Tank woofed under his breath, a clear ‘you suck, human’ woof, before walking out of the kitchen. They both heard him flop down on his bed in the living room and Grace smiled a little. “He’s mad at you.”
“Yeah, well, he wouldn’t be banned from the kitchen during mealtime if he didn’t try and steal food right off my plate,” Gideon said. “Sit down, Grace.”
They sat down, and he handed her the chicken before dishing out some rice and some zucchini onto his plate. “Do you know when you can go in and get your clothes and stuff?”
“Not sure, yet. I’ll text Jesse tomorrow and ask him if he knows.”
He scowled, stabbing a piece of chicken from the platter. “He barely looks old enough to be a firefighter.”
“He’s my age,” Grace said.
“How do you know that?” he asked. “Have you gone out with him?”
“What if I have?” she said.
He glared at his plate. He would be doing a background check on this Jesse kid first thing in the goddamn morning. If he found anything, anything at all that –
“Don’t you dare do a background check on Jesse,” Grace said.
He dropped his fork onto his plate and then immediately picked it up. “I wasn’t going to do a background check on him.”
Did he sound casual enough? Shit, did he sound too casual?
She laughed. “Bullshit. Save your time and your effort, I haven’t gone out with Jesse.”
He hid the relief that was pouring through him like an overzealous fountain. “How do you know how old he is?”
“Because I listen when people talk?” she said. “What does it matter if I know personal stuff about Jesse?”
He forced himself to relax. Grace’s romantic life wasn’t any of his business. If he kept grilling her about it, it would only piss her off and they’d get into a fight. He didn’t want to fight with her. Not tonight. Not when the memory of how terrified he’d been that she was dead was still fresh in his mind.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Once you know when you can get your stuff, let me know and I’ll go with you.”
She poked at the rice on her plate. “Jesse said last night that most of my stuff is probably too damaged to salvage. He said clothes would be fine, they could be washed, but that my furniture and stuff like that will probably have to go straight to the dumpster. It’s hard to get the smoke smell out, plus a bunch of it will probably be water damaged.”
She ate a bite of chicken before drinking some water. “I don’t care about the furniture, it’s just second-hand stuff I picked up, but I hope my pictures and my computer aren’t too damaged.”
She put her fork down and rubbed at her forehead. “It’s overwhelming to think about it. I keep wanting to just sit down and cry like a baby.”
“Nothing wrong with doing that,” he said.
She shook her head. “I hate crying and it really isn’t going to solve the problem. Anyway, I’ll let you know what Jesse says about going back into my place.”
“Don’t go alone. Okay?” he said.
“I won’t. Trust me, I have no desire to go back in there without some type of emotional support.”
They ate silently for a few minutes before Grace said, “Thank you, Gideon. It was… well, it was nice to wake up this morning and have everything taken care of. I really appreciate it. A lot.”
“You’re welcome, Princess.”
Her nickname slipped out before he could stop it. She smiled a little. “I used to hate it when you called me that.”
“And now?” he said.
Fleeting sorrow crossed her face. “Now I miss it.”
He wanted to tell her how much he missed her. How there was a void in his life that only she could fill, but it sounded cheesy and stupid even in his head. Besides, what good would it do to confess? It wouldn’t change anything. Better to talk about other things. Safer things.
“So, how long until you think Connor moves in with my sister?”
“What do you mean?” Grace said.
He groaned. “Has he already moved in?”
“I – what – I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Your poker face sucks, Grace.”
“My poker face is amazing,” she said. “Your sister and Connor aren’t living together… officially.”
He laughed. “When does he move in officially?”
“His lease is up at his apartment next month.”
“Good for them,” he said.
“Seriously?”
“Yes, why?”
“Kira didn’t think you’d approve of your baby sister living in sin, and, honestly, I didn’t think you would either,” she said.
“Jesus, I’m not seventy years old. Besides, Kira is an adult. If she wants to live with Connor, she should live with him.”
He froze when Grace pressed her hand against his forehead. “Huh, you’re not burning up with fever, but you’re obviously delirious.”
“Ha, ha,” he said.
She grinned at him before popping the last of her food into her mouth.