Page 7 of Starts With a Bang

I threw up my hands. Fatigue was moving in, and I needed sleep. “It doesn’t matter because I won’t be using it, anyway.”

The light went off on my phone, pitching the van back into darkness. I heard Sven move before I clocked his proximity. His lush lips landed on mine, and I sucked in a breath. Luckily, I didn’t start coughing again. I searched for the fortitude to pull back, but my chivalry wasn’t required. Sven kept the kiss brief, but his fingers lingered on my bristly jaw.

“So long, Dom.”

“Goodbye,” I replied.

Sven fumbled for the handle and slid the door open. Then he stepped into the night and closed me in the van. I climbed over the front seats and dropped behind the steering wheel but didn’t start the engine until Sven made it to his car. My PI brain noted the year, make, model, and his license plate when he drove by. I had no intention of memorizing the information or using it to learn more about the mesmerizing man.

I was also determined not to search my phone for the contact he’d buried in there, but my resolve there only lasted a few weeks. I blamed my weakness on my melancholy mood. The trip to my parents’ house in Arizona for Thanksgiving was supposed to boost my spirits, and it had, but the dopamine hit hadn’t lasted.

When I found the name Sven had chosen for his contact, I broke into one of my laughing-coughing-wheezing fits and was mostly glad Sven wasn’t there to witness my humiliation.

Sven

My phone vibrated against my stomach, rousing me from a post-feast coma. Expecting the interruption to be another Happy Thanksgiving text message from a friend, I chose laziness over politeness and ignored it. When the phone buzzed again immediately afterward, I figured the situation was a bit more dire. I cracked one eye open and lifted the device to read the display, but my carbo-loaded-sluggish brain didn’t immediately connect the name to an identity.Marlowe?

Staring at the phone with both eyes didn’t help. Damn my addiction to potatoes, bread, and cheese. My text preview feature was turned off, so the name was my only clue.Marlowe.There was a tickle in my brain as it tried to engage its gears. Atleast smoke wasn’t coming out of my ears…yet. A third message arrived, and I squinted with purpose, but that got me no closer to solving the mystery.

Mystery!My eyes widened in recognition at the same time my brother snatched the phone from my hand.

“Who the hell is Marlowe?” Kerry asked.

Marlowe was the code name I’d given Dom when I created a contact for him in my phone. I’d wanted a PI name, and Philip Marlowe seemed to be the most Dom-like of all the famous fictional investigators I knew. I’d have been much faster to recognize the name if I hadn’t indulged in a second helping of my favorite side dishes. But I was on high alert now. I jackknifed out of my reclined position on the couch and leaped to my feet.

“Give me that.” Big brothers were the worst, especially when they were lumberjack-sized like mine.

Kerry held the device out of my reach. “Is this another sad-sack loser who’s going to break your heart?”

“No, it’s not.” My reply came too fast and was too furious to be sincere.

My brother shook his head sadly. “When will you learn?”

“At least I try, Ker.” Though my voice lacked animosity or accusation, the words were verbal darts, and the aim was true.

Kerry lowered his arm and extended my phone to me. “I don’t have to try. I’m happy with my life.”

The grim set of his mouth said otherwise, but I wanted to read the messages sooner rather than later. Arguing with Kerry wouldn’t accomplish that. I retrieved my phone and held up my free hand in surrender. “Hart’s Creek Rescue is a thriving business. You have wonderful friends and an adoring family. Your life is as rich as you want it to be right now.”

“Damn right it is.” Kerry sounded mollified, but his expression was still bullish as he eyed my phone like he mightsnatch it again. My brother outweighed me by seventy pounds of muscle, but my leaner stature made me more agile.

I darted out of reach and tucked my phone away. Making a French exit when Lucinda had gone to such lengths to prepare a feast would’ve been rude, but I avoided falling into the Southern so-long that required at least three rounds of goodbyes. I hugged Lucinda, the best bonus mom and employer on the planet, and thanked her for the most amazing dinner. Then I shouted a goodbye at the remaining stragglers before ducking outside to leave. I wanted to read Dom’s messages as soon as I reached my vehicle, but I didn’t want to chance anything. The drive to my apartment only took fifteen minutes, but it stretched on for what seemed like days. I didn’t even bother stripping off my outerwear when I got inside. I locked the door, flopped on my sofa, and pulled up Dom’s messages on my phone.

Thur, Nov 24, 2022 at 6:00 pm

Dom:Casanova?

Dom:Really?

Dom:and Happy Thanksgiving!

The smile pulling at my lips actually hurt. I relaxed my jaw and did some facial stretches, but my lips went right back to the Joker position when I reread Dom’s messages. A hundred responses flooded my mind. I parsed through the chaos and found the one that was guaranteed to provoke a reaction. He’d taken the time to search through his phone for my contact, and I wanted to keep him chatting.

Me:Happy Thanksgiving!

I included adorable emojis to make it look more festive and carefree. He didn’t know that I’d been prepared to take Kerry down to the living room floor to retrieve my phone if necessary,or that I’d driven down the mountain road like a maniac, or that I ran into my apartment like the hounds of hell were chasing me. Dom didn’t need to know my heart was in my throat as I typed those simple words and symbols. He just needed to react. My phone buzzed almost immediately.Eureka!

Dom:Casanova?

---