Page 19 of Call Back

Relief washed through me, but I found myself saying, “Ava says she’s replacing the door tomorrow.”

“And the floor? She can’t get that fixed in a day. I suspect that stain won’t come out. It will either need to be refinished or replaced.”

“I can throw a rug over it in the meantime.”

“Why?” he asked. “You can stay with me, Maggie. This is working out, don’t you think?”

“But why would you want me to stay?” I asked in genuine surprise. “I’m more like a roommate than anything else, and I’m not even paying rent.”

“I like knowing that you’re here—safe.”

“But Geraldo Lopez is dead, so the threat has been eliminated,” I said, even though I knew that wasn’t true. As far as the police were concerned, the case was closed.

“I still like having you here.”

I smiled and answered truthfully, “I like being here.” And I did, but the time I’d spent with him hadn’t been realistic. He’d taken two days’ personal leave to stay with me, and we’d done nothing but watch movies and play board games. That wasn’t real life. Besides, staying with him didn’t necessarily make me safe.

“So stay,” he said.

I stared into his warm brown eyes and wondered why I was holding back. Was I getting in my own way again?

He lifted his hand to cup my cheek, and I closed my eyes as his lips brushed mine. When I didn’t pull away, he grew bolder. His tongue swept across my bottom lip, and I wrapped my hands around the back of his neck, opening myself to him. I let myself forget about the bad things in my life and focused on the good that was right here in front of me.

Brady lifted his head and grinned. “I’ve been wanting to do that since I saw you again last week.”

“Standing over Walter Frey’s dead body?” I asked. My mind was scrambling to catch up with what I’d just done. Kissing Brady complicated everything.

He cringed slightly. “Okay, not at that exact moment, but soon after. When I saw you singing with Colt.”

It surprised me that he’d so casually mentioned Colt. He’d acted jealous before, and no wonder—Colt had helped me cover up a slip about the text messages I’d been getting from my stalker by pretending to be my mystery texter. He’d sent a message falsely insinuating that we were sleeping together; Brady had seen it, believed it.

“Did you get home early?” I glanced at my phone to check the time and was surprised to see it was close to six. “I was going to make dinner.”

“You must have lost track of time. You looked involved in whatever you were working on.”

I smiled but offered no explanation.

After several seconds of silence, he said, “I have a present for you.”

“Really?” I couldn’t help getting excited.

He pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket. “Now, I know how this looks, but I promise it’s not a big deal. I just saw it and thought of you.”

He handed it to me and I lifted the lid, nervous over what I’d find, but I was pleased to see a metal magnolia blossom pendant attached to a simple chain. “Oh, Brady. It’s beautiful.”

“You really like it?”

“I love it.” I pulled it out of the box and undid the clasp.

In a silent choreography that made me smile, Brady took the necklace from me, I held up my hair, and he fastened the chain around my neck. He turned me around to face him, fingering the pendant and then lifting his gaze to mine.

We stared into each other’s eyes for several seconds. Was this what a normal relationship was like? Was this what marriage and love felt like?

I was still smiling, and Brady grinned back at me. “How about we go out to dinner? If you’re not too exhausted from today.”

“I worked a five-hour shift. That seems far from taxing.”

“You were beaten pretty badly, Maggie. You’re still healing.”