Page 36 of Mayhem and Minnie

She sighs.

I narrow my eyes at her.

“Please tell me you didn’t eat rats to survive,” I add before I can help myself.

This is too much information that I do not need to know. So why the hell am I mentioning it?

Her lips flatten.

“You know what, don’t. Don’t tell me. I don’t need to know,” I quickly say, scrubbing a hand over my face.

Based on her expression, I’ll wager a guess that she did, and having a vocal confirmation of the fact will give me nightmares for weeks on end.

“You’re an odd man, Marlow,” she mentions with a shake of her head.

“I think you’re even odder, Minnie the dumpster diver,” I quip back.

She stares at me.

I stare at her.

It’s almost like a battle of the wills to ascertain who is the oddest among the two.

And I. Do. Not. Give. Up.

The staring contest lasts minutes on end, and just as I knew it would happen, she cracks first when a light giggle escapes her.

The tension seeps out of my body, and I reluctantly smile.

“Enough talk about rats. Let’s go.”

I continue up the stairs and she follows closely.

When we reach the second floor, I take her down the hallway to the right where the guest bedrooms are.

Yet another great thing about this house. The master bedroom is housed in the left wing with a room I converted into my office, while the other three bedrooms are in the right one. Even if by some odious chance my family found out my address and came to visit, I could dump them far away from me so they don’t disturb my carefully crafted routine.

Which, glancing at my watch and seeing that another half an hour has passed, this little heathen is about to do.

Deep breath, Marlowe. You’re just being a Good Samaritan—paying it forward and the like.

Two bedrooms are moderate in size, but the third one is almost the size of a master. It has its own private bathroom and terrace attached to it.

I stop in front of the door and unlock it. Stepping inside, I invite Minnie to do the same.

Her eyes widen in shock as she takes in the room.

I smile to myself.

These bedrooms might not be occupied, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have them fully renovated when I moved in. I don’t like things half-done.

There’s a king-sized bed in the middle of the room, with a bedside table on each side. Against the external wall, there’s a study and a chair, and next to it is the door that leads to the terrace. The bathroom, too, is fully functional, with a tub and a shower.

“I take it that you like it?”

She nods, her lips trembling.

She takes a step farther into the room as she peeks at the terrace. Then she goes to inspect the bathroom.

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