Page 3 of Reading Between the Lines
“Oh, fine. Just tired.” Squinting, her dry lips formed a moue, and she reached a shaking hand to my cheek. “Come here, darling. I can’t see you.”
I leaned in instead of offering her the silver-framed glasses on the nightstand. Cold fingers traced the prominent scar under my eye, and I waited for her to blame the war.
Shetsked and sighed. “He didn’t deserve you. I told Boone. I said, we have to do something. But no. He said to leave it alone. Oh, Diem. My sweet boy. You’re still a handsome man.”
Her touch on my scar made me squirm. Sensing my unsteadiness, Echo nudged my leg and licked the fingers sticking out of my cast.
I scratched her ear, reassuring her I was okay, then gently removed Nana’s hand from my face, warming it in my own. “Are you cold, Nana? Do you need another blanket?”
“That would be nice. I’m chilly.”
“I’ll get a nurse,” Tallus said from the doorway.
Nana followed Tallus’s exit with her rheumy, squinty eyes. “Who’s that young man?”
“That’s Tallus. You met him yesterday, remember?”
“Tallus?” But I could tell by her expression that the memory, like so many others, had slipped into the void.
“He’s my… boyfriend. He, um… works with me, remember? We… moved in together two weeks ago. I told you about the apartment we rented.”
Nana seemed to roll that information around, but whether she remembered the conversation or not, I couldn’t tell.
“You’re an investigator like Boone was after the war.”
“Yes.” I searched Nana’s face. Her eyes, although hazy, were about as clear as I’d seen them in months. She wasn’t confused or mixing up facts. “It’s called Shadowy Solutions. We have a new office space downtown now too. A better one. We’re stillrenovating. Tallus is painting and decorating. I’m not good at stuff like that.”
“I remember your snake. What’s her name again?”
“Baby.”
“That’s right.” She examined my face and glanced at the white cast covering the lower half of my right arm, ending halfway down my fingers. “Oh dear. Did Leroy get at you again?”
I huffed. “Not this time, Nana. He wouldn’t dare. Had a rough job last month. Everything got a little out of hand. It was an accident. The cast comes off next week.”
She traced the tips of my exposed fingers. “You didn’t get in a fight again, did you?”
“No. I swear.”
“Tell me what happened.”
I huffed. “You don’t want to hear about my work.”
“Yes, I do. Boone used to tell me about his job. He did some sneaky stuff for the police department, and I didn’t always approve, but that was a long time ago. You can tell me about your job too. You’re a lot like your grandfather Boone.”
“I know.”
“He was in the war.”
“A long time ago.”
“Yes… A long time ago. He was a stunning man in uniform.”
“He was.”
“Go on, now. Tell Nana what happened on this job and why you have a cast.”
Maybe it was her sudden clarity, or maybe I was desperate for a distraction because of the trials of the past week. The fear of losing Nana had been frightening. She would likely forget everything the instant I finished speaking, but it didn’t matter. I loved her, and when you loved someone, you’d do anything for them.
