Page 57 of Heart and Soul
“No, what? Why?”
“She says he holds you back, he’s just in the way, but I’m like, ‘Charlotte, he’s notinher way. Heisher way.”
I slap the table. “Yes, thank you! You really said that to her?”
“She rolled her eyes, of course, but look, you can’t take her attitude personally. She’s just…actually, if anything, she’s being protective of you, because she sees you guys being a lot like us, and look how that turned out.”
“Oh, so it’s actually just a tough-love act? No, thank you. Got enough of that growing up.”
“From your mom, I know.”
I throw my hands out. “You guys talk about my mom issues?!”
“I sit all day and watch people through Charlotte’s eyes. What else would we talk about? Shayne, you have no idea how surreal it is to be actually talking out loud to you.”
“So we’ve never spoken before? I mean, before last night?”
“No. I told you, I respect her ownership. I don’t take joy rides.” He shifts uncomfortably. “In fact, I’ve never spoken to anybody. I shouldn’t be talking to you now. If Charlotte knew…” He chokes down thick emotion. “But it’s time. And it has to be you.”
“What? No, no, no. That sounds ominous, and whatever it’s time for, I promise you, if it involves Special Agent Hillerman, then I’m not the one it has to be, no matter what ‘it’ is. Have you really been in there all this time, watching? Because I feel like you should know this already. Oh, here’s an idea. How about you stay in command forever? Because me and Charlotte could never talk like this.”
“You’re wrong. She could.”
“She could if you worked her mouth like a puppet.”
“Now you’re just rambling to avoid the subject.”
“Is Charlotte back in control? Because that sounds like her.”
“Fine, let’s change the subject. Tell me this—what was your ‘one more thing?’”
“Huh?”
“Your ‘one more thing.’ Last night, we were talking, and you said I could ask my ‘one more thing’ if I let you ask yours. But you never did.”
“Oh, that. Forget it.”
He goes quiet, just looking at me expectantly.
I pull the blanket around my shoulders again. “Okay. I was going to ask…” I clear my throat. Matt waits patiently. I stall some more. “Maybe put on your sunglasses, so I can pretend your eyes are open.” He obliges, and it helps, so I plunge in: “I was going to ask…well, thinking I was talking to Charlotte, of course, because she’s been all over the country, working all kinds of cases, and probably been to every underworld agency. But I guess that means you have, too, so…I was just wondering if you guys had ever seen other relationships like mine?”
“Meaning? What kind of relationship?”
“Meaning, an underworlder and a human who knows about the underworld.”
He sits up straight and folds his arms. “I have an answer for you, but it’s not the answer you’re looking for.”
“Okay, that sounds like you’re trying to Jedi mind-trick me.”
“No, but I’ll take note that you just made aStar Warsreference, which I always encourage.”
“Are you funnyanda geek? I’m sorry, but I’m just having a hard time seeing you and her together. Does not compute.”
“Charlotte was different before. Do you remember when Henry Stadther compelled Brenner to forget his memories of the underworld?”
“Yes, but it’s weird now to think that you were there, too, watching all that play out.”
“Remember how he was? Laughing. Joking. Clueless.”
