His lips twisted in a hint of a bitter grimace but he nodded his thanks for the beer, as I took the second, rinsed it thoroughly, then wiped both of our sets of fingerprints from it before putting it in the recycling. She had no trash pickup here. Instead, we deposited bags in different bins in town, always separated, food in one of its own, glass in one bag, plastic in another—always wiped down.
Fletcher peered at me and let out a little belch that seemed to surprise him. “Excuse me,” he said almost automatically. “Did you just clean the bottle before you put it in the—” He motioned to the recycling.
“Yes,” I told him simply as if it were the most natural thing in the world. In this house, it was. “Speaking of this house, after dinner, I’m going to show you how to clean the shower each time after you use it.”
That earned me an owlish blink. “Come again?”
“You heard me. Not sure what you’re used to, but here you’ll pull your own weight.” I almost said her name—almost. But Vienna hadn’t shared it with him and I preferred to keep that treasure to myself for now. “She prefers a clean house. So, I’ll teach you how to wipe it down and you’ll do it every day. Same for the sink and counter in your bathroom.”
“You’re one of those OCD types, aren’t you?” He seemed almost horrified. “Please tell me it’s you and not—”
“And not me?” Vienna asked, having approached with a cat-like stealth. I didn’t jump, but I did turn to hide a smile because Fletcher looked like a scalded cat, and it was probably one of the funniest things I’d seen in a while. “Now, Fletcher,” Vienna continued, not waiting for him to answer. She pulled herself up onto the bar seat next to his. “We don’t like labels or name calling in this house, either. Routines are good and Rick is the absolute best, so if he tells you to do it, you should.”
My smile grew. “Would you like wine or coffee?”
“Oh, coffee sounds good,” she said. “No wine for me. It’s going to be a late night.”
My heart sank. She had a job. I nodded and moved to get the coffee going. “Let me know what you need. Food will be ready within the hour.”
“That sounds great, then we can get Fletcher set up. Do you mind keeping an eye on things here this evening?”
Did I mind…? Well, I minded because she would be out there on her own. At the same time, she didn’t want to leave Fletcher alone in our space. I got that.
“Of course,” I said. “Whatever you need.”
Her smile warmed me as we locked gazes.
“Damn,” Fletcher said with a low whistle. “What do I have to do to get you to smile at me like that?”
My own smile vanished and a little growl came out.
“Not you, big guy, I meant her.”
I knew exactly who he meant.
Vienna laughed though, and I wasn’t the only one drawn by the sweet sound to stare at her. “Do your job, Fletcher. Listen to Rick, try to behave, and you’ll give me a reason to smile.”
I really didn’t want him making her smile. Listen to me, though? Yes, he should listen to me. “He should start training with me,” I said. “I think it’ll be good for both of us.”
Vienna raised her brows but she only nodded. “Definitely, when the time is right. Also, I’ll give you a day to settle in, Fletcher, maybe two.” She paused as I slid her freshly brewed coffee over to her. Her fingers brushed mine as she took the cup. “Then you’re going to tell me what you’re running from. I don’t want any surprises.”
He blinked and I turned away to hide my grin. Maybe this would be fun after all. He was where I could keep an eye on him and she was going to let me train him. I didn’t crack my knuckles aloud, but mentally, I was already counting down to our first sparring match.
Thatwas going to be so fun.
21
Vienna
That was a waste of a night.
I parked the car in the garage, and Rick was already waiting inside the door to the house. If I’d had any doubts about him waiting up for me, they would have disintegrated as soon as the garage door started to roll up.
Not that I hadn’t expected it with Fletcher in the house. Earlier before I’d left, he’d seemed uneasy having Fletcher here. I understood that more than he probably realized. All my life, it had only been Daddy and me.
Maybe the rare visit from Uncle David, but we never stayed in that house for long. And that was a person Daddy trusted most outside of me. Oddly enough, with Rick, I hadn’t felt that strange knot in my chest because he’d invaded my space. I enjoyed having him with me. He just fit in so well.
As for Fletcher, I had to leave before I really interacted with him in my house, but at the moment, the only upset I had felt wasn’t really my own. It was knowing that Rick wasn’t that happy with having him here. The thing that Rick understood though, was that there were things I needed done and Fletcher was the only one I trusted to do them.