Page 25 of More Than Nothing
With her measured smiles and watchful eyes, she was so different from Thea and Flo and their casual confidence—from anyone else Roman knew. Frank and Athena Dax didn’t give out nurturing vibes. He wondered what it was like to go home to that house at the edge of the town. And suspected he might now know the answer.
Hours passed and Roman didn’t move. He sat by the side of the bed while Elenie slept, flooded with a wash of emotions that rampaged like a bull leaving a bucking chute.
As the afternoon faded to evening, Thea called him downstairs, dishing up a huge plate of pasta, topped with chicken and red peppers. She brought another helping to the table for herself.
“That smells amazing. Thanks.” He added a couple of twists of black pepper and dug in.
When she picked up her fork, Thea’s eyes were stormy. “What happened, Ro?”
He shook his head, mouth full. “I don’t know, but I’ll find out. D’you know her?”
Thea shook her head. “I’ve spoken to her a couple of times in the diner but nothing personal. She’s Frank Dax’s daughter?”
“Stepdaughter,” said Roman, in between forkfuls.
“She must keep a really low profile—I’ve never seen her out. Although the Dax boys are always in the Rusty Barrel and they’re pretty hard to miss. Usually right in the middle of it if anything kicks off.” She poked at a piece of chicken but didn’t start to eat. “Did she tell you anything?”
“Nothing at all.” Roman blew out a breath of frustration. He itched to get back upstairs to check on Elenie. “I saw her at the town fair and she was fine. When I went into Diner 43 today, she was working—God knows how—and she looked like that.” He gestured toward the stairs. “She wasn’t up to saying anything and I couldn’t take her to my house. Sorry to bring this here, T.”
“Not a problem. You did the right thing. She doesn’t deserve that. Even if the Daxes are a nightmare.”
“Elenie’s not a nightmare,” he grunted. His sister flashed him a surprised glance. “From what I can make out, she stays out of trouble and works hard. She’s smart, too. And she helped Dougie when he got shot in the leg.” He ate the last piece of pasta. “Haven’t you talked to Caitlyn recently? She was out with Summer in the Barrel last Friday. They asked Elenie to join them as a kind of thank you. Seems they got on well.”
Thea shook her head. “I’ve been snowed under with work. Luke and I were planning to catch up with her and Milo this week.” Without asking, Thea dished out a second helping of food for him. “I’ll make some soup. She might be hungry when she wakes up.”
He spent a restless night dozing in a chair and jerking awake each time Elenie whimpered. Fury was a vicious, winged creature, clawing at his chest, and it kept him company during the long hours of darkness.
His heart ached when silent, pained tears leaked through her hair and onto the pillow.
Roman dropped the lid of the sugar canister on the countertop and swore at the noise. He grabbed for it, fumbled and dropped it again, glancing toward the stairs with a wince.
Elenie stood in the doorway, still dressed in her uniform, her face worse than yesterday, the bruising darker and the swelling more pronounced.
“I’m awake,” she said, unnecessarily.
Roman assessed her and knew he’d have no luck in talking her out of working. “How are you feeling?”
She gave him an empty half-smile. “It’s amazing what fourteen hours of sleep can do for a person.”
He smiled back. “And yet you still feel like shit, don’t you?”
Elenie shrugged, avoiding the question. She wrapped her arms around her body and he realized suddenly that she’d woken to find herself in a house she didn’t know. “This is my sister Thea’s place—we’re twins. She lives with her husband, Luke. He’s away overnight visiting his dad and she isn’t up yet. She’s not an early morning person.” Keeping his tone light, Roman reached for two mugs. “Coffee and toast before work? Or would you prefer tea?”
“Coffee would be lovely, thank you. And a piece of toast. If that’s OK.”
Moving smoothly around the kitchen, aware of her eyes on him, Roman forced himself not to badger her with questions.
“I worked alongside a Brit in Detroit. He was a great guy, older than me by quite a bit. Moved over here in his twenties but still mainlined tea like a junkie. Since the coffee at the station was almost always disgusting, I picked up the habit and it’s stayed with me.” He laid a plate on the table in front of her, added a slice of hot toast, and passed her a knife. Elenie slid carefully onto a chair. “Peanut butter, if you want it,” he pointed.
They ate in silence for a couple of minutes. Roman’s nostrils flared as Elenie tore off tiny pieces of bread to pop into the less damaged side of her mouth.
“I want you to take my number,” he said.
“I don’t have a phone anymore. It... went missing. I haven’t gotten around to buying another one.”
He nodded. It wasn’t a surprise. “We will be talking about this.” Roman made a small, sweeping gesture which took in her face and body. Elenie flushed and looked away. “I’ll give you a ride to work on my way to the station.”
His fingers settled near hers on the tabletop and she withdrew her hand, letting it fall onto her lap.
