Page 74 of Through the Water

Right.

I was getting ahead of myself again.

First things first, get rid of the unwanted guest.

“Yep.” I swallowed and sat the leather chair up before retrieving my crutches from the wall. “I’ll take care of it.”

The woman at the door gave a small wave before gesturing to a little wagon beside her. “I was wondering if you might be—”

“Absolutely. Come in.”

I couldn’t help the small pang of jealousy as I watched Ari’s confusion give way to pure, unadulterated happiness. I wanted to be the reason her smile lit up the whole damn room.

Baby steps, Killian.

I didn’t want to rush this, but my days at True North were numbered. Rocky had confirmed it this morning. And, as much as I wanted full use of my legs and therapy in the comfort of my own gym, I’d imagined us leaving together.

One of the puppies yipped out an excited bark when the woman placed it on the bed, before scurrying up to frantically lick Ari on the nose.

“Now the golden retriever here is Kyrie. She’s still in training and needs a bit of correcting.” She grabbed another one. “And the little black lab is Milo.”

The puppies were introduced one by one before joining Ari on the bed. They scrambled over each other, as eager to be near her as I was.

I just hadn’t resorted to licking her nose… yet.

“I’ll give y’all a few minutes to get acquainted. Pups, settle.”

At the stern warning, they immediately flopped down, as still as could be. Only Kyrie checked to see if the woman was watching before playfully tugging at Ari’s cat shirt with her teeth.

Once we were alone again, Ari looked up with a wide grin. “Come pet them, Killian. They’re so happy.”

Yes. Yes, I was.

I shifted two of the puppies over and joined her on the bed. “Hey, I have a question—it’s not about Helen, I swear—but I was wondering, why don’t you talk more?”

She stroked Milo under the chin. “I’m talking now, aren’t I?”

One of the puppies got too close to the edge. I snaked out a hand, returning it to Ari’s lap. “No, I mean, with anyone but me. Well, and I guess Tsega.”

Ari cleared her throat again, choosing to focus on the puppies again. “I don’t know.”

I softened my voice, resisting the urge to touch her skin. “Hey, you don’t have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable, I was just curious. If someone said or did something, you give me a name. I’ll take care of it.”

“It’s not that. I—I just…” She was silent for a few moments, before admitting, “Before my car accident, I had a stutter, so I got used to being quiet, I guess. Now, I have the memories, but seem to have lost my stammer.”

I scratched one of the puppies behind the ear, earning his undying devotion in the form of licks. “So, Mrs. Peacock, did you attack Helen in the library with a candlestick?”

Her brow furrowed. “Is that—did you just reference the game of Clue?”

“Answer the question, madam.”

She released an exaggerated sigh and extended her wrists toward me. “You got me, and here I thought I was so clever.”

Unable to resist temptation, I latched onto her wrists, tugging her body closer to mine. “I knew it. Only an amateur would have chosen the candlestick over the revolver.”

The grin returned. “And who attacks someone in the library when there’s a perfectly good cellar nearby?”

I held my grip, running my thumb over her skin before teasing, “Rookie mistake, slugger.”

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