Page 16 of A Breath of Life
I narrowed my eyes. “Ambitious much?”
“What? It could happen.”
“Which part? The stinkingly huge reward or my desire to buy you something,” I glanced at the hand in question, “symbolic?”
“Both. It doesn’t have to be…symbolic, per se. I wouldn’t say no to a bracelet or a watch. A nice chain would look amazing with an openshirt, but alas, a ring would be my first choice.” He stared longingly at his empty fingers.
I frowned, trying to figure out if he was teasing or serious. He wanted a ring? A specific kind of ring, by the sound of it. It waswaytoo soon for proposals, wasn’t it? I wasn’t exactly the marrying type. Tallus knew that. Didn’t he? Good grief, I could barely express my feelings on a good day, and he wanted me to fucking propose?
No, I was reading him wrong. It was a joke.
Tallus chuckled. “Wow. Don’t look so panicked, Guns. I’m a decent catch. Any man would be lucky to snag me.”
I arched a brow. “Anyman?”
He dragged his finger down my chest. “I’m just saying. Don’t drag your feet. I’d help you pick it out.”
“I’m… What are you… Can we talk about the card again?”
Tallus patted my cheek. “You poor thing. It’s too easy to rock your world off-balance. Come on. Let’s do this. We’ll let the commitment train leave the station for now, but you should know this conversation isn’t over. I’m not getting any younger.”
He turned and sashayed into the building, leaving me struggling to catch up both physically and mentally. I hated when he talked in code, but if the subtext meant what I thought it meant, I was content pretending I didn’t know what the fuck was going on. Stupid was a shield I could get behind.
Echo had joined us that morning and bounded up the stairs beside me as I followed after Tallus. The instant we entered the classy establishment, a snooty woman behind a glass display case gasped and pointed at my furry companion. “Oh, no. We don’t allow dogs in here.”
“She’s a service dog,” I mumbled, not for the first time and with an edge of annoyance. It happened everywhere we went. Despite Echo’s vest, I was continually forced to explain her position.
Usually, announcing Echo’s role shut people up, but some, like the posh woman behind the counter with the fancy glasses and too much perfume, felt themselves in a position to pose questions like they were the authority on service animals and entitled to my personal tragic backstory.
“And why doyouneed a service dog?” She huffed. “You’re clearly not blind or maimed.”
“No, but I’m a diagnosed sociopath with a tendency to fly into fits of rage when people ask me stupid questions. Echo reminds me not to kill them.” Then I stared at the woman without blinking, the dead-eyed look enough to emphasize my claim and drop the temperature in the room by ten degrees.
The woman stammered and flapped a hand near her chest, clearly at a loss for words and likely contemplating how quickly she could get to the nearest phone and if she had time to call the police before I scaled the counter and went after her.
“Oh, good god.” Tallus grabbed my arm and drew me against his side, singsonging sotto voce from behind a tight, fake smile. “You have to stop telling people that.”
“When people stop harassing me about Echo, I will.” I continued to glare at the woman, letting her sweat and think the worst of me.
“You aren’t a sociopath. He’s not a sociopath,” he told the woman.
“The rest of it’s true,” I informed her.
“Diem.”
“What? It is. I’m prone to fits of rage. Echo helps.” I held up my right hand, flexing and fisting my fingers. “Broke my hand punching a car in the spring. True story. See this scar? Tore the skin open.”
The woman’s eyes widened as she shifted her attention from me to Tallus and back.
“Tell her,” I nudged Tallus. “Go on.”
“Are you trying to get us kicked out? I don’t know any other appraiser in the city who might do us a favor on short notice, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to go crawling back to Memphis to ask if he knows anyone else. He was agreeable enough the first time, but round two might take… convincing.” Tallus smirked.
The bear, whom Tallus was convinced lived inside my chest, awoke with a growl.
“That’s what I thought. Now behave.”
Echo bumped her face against my leg, and I reached down to scratch her ear. “I’m fine, girl.” To the distraught woman, I added, “Calm as a cucumber. Echo here is doing her job, and my blood pressure is about as normal as it gets. Not a threat.” To Tallus, I said, “Who’s the guy we’re meeting?”
