I was glad I didn’t smoosh Robbie’s head.”
Sage blinked, then he caught on, and he hooted, laughing hard. “Lord, lord, man. Ain’t no one told you it’s bad to get blown while you’re driving?”
“Shit, if someone had told me that then, I wouldn’t have believed it. Getting blown was all I thought about.” Adam started laughing too, and before he knew it, they were cackling together, slapping their thighs with it.
Idiots. They were both idiots.
He guessed that was okay. It was good to be able to let loose with someone, and Adam was easier to be with than anyone he’d met in a long time.
Adam beat him on the first game, he took the second, and he looked over. “You want to play again? There’s the pie.”
“I’d love to, but we can break for dessert.” Waving him back down, Adam grinned. “Mind your knees. I’ll get it.”
“You sure?” Sage nodded in thanks. “Appreciate it.”
“No worries. I know where stuff is now.”
Like there was a lot of space. Or stuff. But his kitchen had what he needed. Adam found a couple of plates and brought back pie and forks, along with the coffeepot for refills.
“Thanks. I feel lazy.” Oh man. Look at that pie. Creamy and sweet, the scent of coconut making his mouth water. It looked like heaven, and he missed Wilma and Bulldog sharply.
“You should come back to the cafe. I can follow you home.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“You don’t have to. I’m offering. I mean I can’t do it every night, but I’d be happy to.”
“Maybe. We’ll see how it goes. I might stop in tomorrow.”
“Well, let me know.” Adam reached across the table and touched Sage’s wrist. “You should be able to go and do.”
“I know, but that’s it, isn’t it? You pay and pay. I’ll always be an ex-con.” He knew that. He got it. He would never get to be more than that. It was how it worked, and, he figured, why it was so hard to stay out. Shit, if you had to work this hard, at least in the joint there were understandable rules.
Adam’s mouth flattened into an unhappy line. “Doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck.”
“You know it. Shuffle the cards. Let’s play.”
Adam nodded, his tanned fingers working the cards. He shuffled, and they played, and that was that. Looked like he had himself a friend.
Weird.
He’d take it, though. Friends were important, no matter where you got hold of them.
C HAPTER N INE
W IN HEADED into the office, whistling under his breath. It had been a good night with Sage, playing games and eating pizza and cream pie. Hell, he’d gotten along with Sage as well as he had anyone in years. Sage Redding was funny, surprisingly smart, and incredibly quick and charming. It fascinated him. Oh, he knew he ought to back the hell off, but he couldn’t. God knew, Sage needed a friend.
Grace made a face at him as he came in. “Sheriff is gunning for you.”
“What now, for god’s sake?”
She rolled her eyes. “Someone said you took pizza to the Redding place.”
Win wanted to snarl, but this was Grace. “What I do in my off time is my business.”
“You think I don’t know that?” She dropped her voice. “Shit, Win, Ellen Redding is my sister June’s best friend.”
“I know.” He sighed. “Sorry, lady. I know this whole thing is weird.” Win gave her a smile, weak as it probably was.
“It’s not my problem. Not yours, if you don’t let it be.” Grace winked, eyes crinkling around the edges. “Just watch your butt.”
“I will.” Maybe he’d let someone else watch it for him. Oh, now. That was a new thought. He hadn’t been thinking those sorts of thoughts in a long time. Sighing, he headed in for his daily meeting with the boss.
The sheriff sat at his desk, face gone all thundercloud and lightning.
“What’s up, Jim?”
“What are you doing, boy? Spending the evening at that murdering fag’s trailer?”
Win counted to ten, not letting anything show on his face. He hoped. “You got
Sage blinked, then he caught on, and he hooted, laughing hard. “Lord, lord, man. Ain’t no one told you it’s bad to get blown while you’re driving?”
“Shit, if someone had told me that then, I wouldn’t have believed it. Getting blown was all I thought about.” Adam started laughing too, and before he knew it, they were cackling together, slapping their thighs with it.
Idiots. They were both idiots.
He guessed that was okay. It was good to be able to let loose with someone, and Adam was easier to be with than anyone he’d met in a long time.
Adam beat him on the first game, he took the second, and he looked over. “You want to play again? There’s the pie.”
“I’d love to, but we can break for dessert.” Waving him back down, Adam grinned. “Mind your knees. I’ll get it.”
“You sure?” Sage nodded in thanks. “Appreciate it.”
“No worries. I know where stuff is now.”
Like there was a lot of space. Or stuff. But his kitchen had what he needed. Adam found a couple of plates and brought back pie and forks, along with the coffeepot for refills.
“Thanks. I feel lazy.” Oh man. Look at that pie. Creamy and sweet, the scent of coconut making his mouth water. It looked like heaven, and he missed Wilma and Bulldog sharply.
“You should come back to the cafe. I can follow you home.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“You don’t have to. I’m offering. I mean I can’t do it every night, but I’d be happy to.”
“Maybe. We’ll see how it goes. I might stop in tomorrow.”
“Well, let me know.” Adam reached across the table and touched Sage’s wrist. “You should be able to go and do.”
“I know, but that’s it, isn’t it? You pay and pay. I’ll always be an ex-con.” He knew that. He got it. He would never get to be more than that. It was how it worked, and, he figured, why it was so hard to stay out. Shit, if you had to work this hard, at least in the joint there were understandable rules.
Adam’s mouth flattened into an unhappy line. “Doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck.”
“You know it. Shuffle the cards. Let’s play.”
Adam nodded, his tanned fingers working the cards. He shuffled, and they played, and that was that. Looked like he had himself a friend.
Weird.
He’d take it, though. Friends were important, no matter where you got hold of them.
C HAPTER N INE
W IN HEADED into the office, whistling under his breath. It had been a good night with Sage, playing games and eating pizza and cream pie. Hell, he’d gotten along with Sage as well as he had anyone in years. Sage Redding was funny, surprisingly smart, and incredibly quick and charming. It fascinated him. Oh, he knew he ought to back the hell off, but he couldn’t. God knew, Sage needed a friend.
Grace made a face at him as he came in. “Sheriff is gunning for you.”
“What now, for god’s sake?”
She rolled her eyes. “Someone said you took pizza to the Redding place.”
Win wanted to snarl, but this was Grace. “What I do in my off time is my business.”
“You think I don’t know that?” She dropped her voice. “Shit, Win, Ellen Redding is my sister June’s best friend.”
“I know.” He sighed. “Sorry, lady. I know this whole thing is weird.” Win gave her a smile, weak as it probably was.
“It’s not my problem. Not yours, if you don’t let it be.” Grace winked, eyes crinkling around the edges. “Just watch your butt.”
“I will.” Maybe he’d let someone else watch it for him. Oh, now. That was a new thought. He hadn’t been thinking those sorts of thoughts in a long time. Sighing, he headed in for his daily meeting with the boss.
The sheriff sat at his desk, face gone all thundercloud and lightning.
“What’s up, Jim?”
“What are you doing, boy? Spending the evening at that murdering fag’s trailer?”
Win counted to ten, not letting anything show on his face. He hoped. “You got
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