Page 50 of The Fantastic Fluke

“I’ve had worse weeks,” I hedged. It felt wrong to admit that my life was looking up when I’d both lost my father and watched a man die in the last two weeks.

He nodded sympathetically. “You look a little tired. Not sleeping well?”

Behind him, Gideon scowled, arms crossed over his chest and shoulders looking broader than ever. He looked like a bouncer at a bar who was preparing to kick someone out.

I must have stared at him a second too long, because David turned to glance over his shoulder, self-consciously. “Sage?”

“Yeah, sorry, no, I haven’t been sleeping the best.” I shook my head as though that would clear the fog, but found my eyes drawn almost immediately back to Gideon, so I slammed them shut and rubbed them with my palms.

Fluke came over and leaned on my leg, whining in concern.

“Ah, your friend’s still here.” David’s tone was flat, and it set my teeth on edge. Anyone who didn’t understand that Fluke was with me, and for keeps, needed to just stop.

I reached down one hand to pet Fluke consolingly and put the other over my heart. “I promise, David, I have not stolen someone’s familiar.”

“Sage! I would never think you had. I’m just concerned. He does seem to beafamiliar, but he came out of nowhere.” He knelt down next to Fluke and looked him over.

I tried to keep from overreacting. It wasn’t as though David put his hands on Fluke, but it made my stomach twist to have him invade my familiar’s space like that. Gideon, on the other hand, put his hand to his gun. I glared at him, but Fluke took it as a cue. He gave a tiny growl and turned his back to David, tail swishing, and then hid behind my legs.

I would never admit that it was kinda cute.

David chuckled self-deprecatingly and stood, dusting his knees off. “Well, he knows which side of his bread is buttered.”

“Peanut buttered,” I corrected, but didn’t explain when he looked confused. Instead, I turned to the new release rack. “Let me guess what monstrosity of anti-literature you’re looking for today...” I grabbed a page turner that wasn’t exactly his usual fare, but it was simple and addictive enough that I knew he’d like it. “Here we go. This author is the next Dan Brown.”

He looked the book over with interest. “Not what I came for, but it looks good. Do you really hate the others so much?”

I snorted. “Are you kidding? I read more than half the new books we get in. How would I know they’re unevenly written if I didn’t read them all?” I wouldn’t buy them, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t see their value as a distraction.

At that, the million-watt smile was back. He pulled another book off the rack, and then after a moment’s thought, a third.

“Lots of free time this week?”

He rolled his eyes. “Stakeouts. Boring as hell.”

“You’ll forgive me, but isn’t the purpose of a stakeout to, you know, watch for things? Hard to do if your nose is in a book.” Oh boy, now I sounded like I was the one judging him. Apparently this morning wasn’t a good morning for David and me. Might have something to do with the annoyed gunslinger still glaring at his back and the bristling fox curling around my legs.

David gave a “what can you do” shrug. “I don’t even know the guy we’re looking for, I’m just the muscle. Sitting around waiting to take down the bad guy when the higher ups spot him, you know?”

“That sounds seriously boring.” I turned toward the end of the counter and Fluke was in my way, so I sighed, stepped over him, and rounded the counter to ring David up. “Sorry you don’t have something more mentally stimulating to do.”

He slid his hands into his pockets, and instead of a leather-jacketed Aureum agent, he looked like a nervous teenage boy. “Maybe you could fix it. I know you’re working a lot more lately, but maybe you want to get coffee sometime?”

The first of his books fell from my numb hands and my whole body froze as I stared at him in shock, mouth hanging open. He’d been coming to the store for years, and always acted the same to me. I’d thought maybe it was flirting at first, but when he didn’t do anything about it, my mind changed. Some people were just naturally flirty, and it didn’t always mean anything deeper than that.

And now he wanted to ask me out.

My reaction had been too dramatic, though, apparent in the way his eyes dropped from mine to the books and his shoulders slumped. Then, he actually cringed. “Oh gods. Coffee. Right after you—never mind. Ignore me. I’ll try again when I’m not being completely insensitive to what you’ve been through.”

“You... will?” I wasn’t sure if I was pleased or confused.

No, I was sure. I was definitely confused. David asking me out only complicated my life. I wasn’t attracted to him, and that was important to me. I’d have loved to be attracted to him. Finding someone nice and uncomplicated like David attractive would make my life infinitely easier. Not at all like finding the dead angry gunslinger attractive, which managed to be both dangerous and fruitless. I always fell for the impossible ones, though.

He gave me a much smaller smile and brushed his fingers against mine while handing me his credit card. “Yeah. I mean, I’m always around, right? I’ll do better next time. Maybe French. Or, I don’t know, pizza.”

“Probably better for you than coffee,” I answered without really thinking about it. I should have been shutting him down. Just saythanks but no thanks, David, I’m the one gay man alive who doesn’t find Captain America attractive. But I didn’t.

He took the card back, then the stack of books, and headed out, still smiling.

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