Page 102 of Scatter the Bones

I blow out a long breath. “Yes. And yet here you are tonight.”

“I missed you.” His voice softens. “It ended up being a good day.” He stares at me with such a serious expression, I almost doubt his claim. He taps the side of his head. “I had your voice in here, reminding me to give Cain a chance.”

“You did?”

He nods quickly. “And after I left his place, there was no one else I wanted to talk to about how things went.”

“Really?”

“Well, yeah.” He lifts one shoulder. “You did it.”

“What did I do?” I tilt my head, watching him carefully.

“You pushed me to go see him. I would’ve waited… dragged it out longer if you hadn’t.” His arms tighten around me, pulling me closer. “So, thank you,” he murmurs, his breath warm against my ear.

“You’re welcome.” I rest my hands on his sides, fingers curling into his T-shirt. “I don’t mean to be so pushy.”

“Sometimes I need a push.”

“I think we all do.”

For a long moment, we just breathe together in the quiet.

Jigsaw

Demons give me strength.

I can’t believe I said all that mushy shit that’s been swirling around in my head out loud.

And she listened to all of it. And she still wants me here.

“Have you eaten?” she asks.

“I can always eat. You know this.”

She lightly taps her fist against my stomach. “So unfair. Come on. I’ll make you a grilled cheese.”

“Won’t say no to that.” I follow her out of her bedroom. “You mind if I change too?”

She glances over at me. “Not at all. I want you to be comfortable here.”

I head down to her laundry room, searching for the black sweats she likes and slip those on. Then grab a T-shirt.

“You know,” she calls out, “you can start leaving your stuff in the bedroom instead of the laundry room.”

I laugh, tugging the shirt over my head as I make my way back into the kitchen.

She’s already at the stove, so I drop onto one of the stools at the counter and rest my elbows on the edge, watching her work. She slaps a thick slice of buttered bread onto the sizzling griddle, layers it with rounds of creamy cheese, and crowns it with another slice.

“Forgot I’d been officially upgraded to closet space,” I tease.

Without glancing away from the stove, she smiles. “So, how’d it go?”

While the sandwich sizzles on the griddle, she goes to the fridge and pulls out a bottle of sparkling water.

“It was kinda awkward at first.Heh.I discovered he was squatting at the hotel. I guess he stayed one night, then he was like, sleeping in the bathroom after dark, popping out in the morning to nab some food from the breakfast buffet, staying out for the day, then sneaking back in at night.”

Margot sets the bottle in front of me and leans against the counter, crossing her arms tight over her chest. “He was squatting at the hotel?” she repeats, her voice soft but edged with disbelief. “Sleeping in a bathroom? That’s awful.”

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