Page 12 of Skin Deep

“Come up,” I said. “I’ll leave Newman then walk you home.”

“No—”

“I’ll just take Newman.” I shrugged.

She smiled. “All right. You win! Only because I can see Newman is freezing his feathers off.”

Even though my apartment had a draft, it wasn’t nearly as cold as hers. And our mam had bought Lachlan and me a space heater. We rarely used it because we never really got that cold, but when the winters were brutal, sometimes we did.

Newman flew to his perch in the corner. Mari followed, stroking his head, telling him bye.

“Give me a second,” I said, plugging the small heater in for her. Her jeans were darker in the spots that had gotten wet. “I’m going to use the bathroom really quick.”

She waved me off. “Take your time. I’m in no rush.”

When I came back out, Mari had taken a seat on the sofa. She was sleeping hard. Hard enough that I could hear her breathing. She looked so peaceful. Like she felt safe.

The warmth that ran through my veins for her only got warmer as time went on.

As quietly as I could, I slipped my boots off, then went to the closet to get the extra blankets we kept there. Lachlan and I took turns sleeping on the couch since we only had one bedroom. I couldn’t take her shoes off because she’d wake up, so I hoped she’d stay asleep when I put the blanket on her.

She did.

I stopped at the door to the bedroom, hoping she’d stay the entire night. I hoped she’d stay with me forever.

Newman rustled his feathers. We made eye contact. “Pussy,” he said, then fell asleep.

Seconds ticked the night away until the sun came up, and I heard her in the kitchen trying to be quiet. She was cleaning up and talking to Newman. She was repaying me, in her own way, and it always seemed to bring us back ten steps after we’d gone five ahead.

Why couldn’t she let me be the only one to do things for her without feeling the need to repay me?

One day, she would, especially after my plans were in motion.

I finally fell asleep, planning on getting up in an hour or so, ready to look for the job that would set me free.

An hour or two later, I woke up with my heart in my throat. I hadn’t been sleeping long, but it was still time wasted. I needed to move my ass and look for some prospects before I had to go to work. I pulled on a pair of old gray sweatpants, looking through my clothes for a clean shirt.

A knock came at the front door while I was rummaging around.

Newman squawked. “Knock. Knock. Yo’ sweet mama’s home.”

I started toward the living room but stopped short when Mari opened the door. I thought she’d gone. She had a dirty rag in one hand and a spray bottle in the other. She was still cleaning.

“Hi,” Bernice said, peeking in the apartment. She lifted a few bags. “I came to bring Newman his fresh fruits and vegetables. Is Lach or—oh, hi, Harrison.”

Mari turned to look at me when I stepped up behind her. Her eyes roamed over my bare chest, then she stepped to the side, letting me deal with Bernice. I had no idea what kind of deal Lachlan had with her, but she brought over fresh fruits and vegetables from her garden in Long Island three times a week for Newman.

“Bernice,” I said. “Lachlan isn’t home. I’m not sure when he’s getting back.”

She nodded. “He told me you’d take them if he wasn’t here.” She batted her lashes at me. “I can come back if you have company.”

Mari went to slip past, but I grabbed her by the back of the shirt and refused to let her leave me alone with Bernice. “Nah,” I said, keeping my hand on the back of Mari’s shirt and at the same time moving to the side. “Now’s as good a time as any. If you want to come in you can, but I can take those, if you just want to drop them off.” There was no way I was trading whatever she had in mind for the asshole to eat organic. That was Lachlan’s deal, not mine.

She stood there for a minute, biting her lip. She held out the bags. “I do have a hair appointment. Tell Lachlan I’ll see him whenever he gets home.” She sighed.

“I’ll do that.”

She stared at us for another few seconds, then turned and left. I took the bags to the counter while Mari shut the door. After I unpacked them and filled his bowls, I turned to find her standing in the doorway, a grin on her face.

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