Page 34 of Detective Daddy Next Door

"Well, I'm still praying and hoping it’s all a mistake, that maybe they've got the wrong firm. It's possible, right?”

She nods. "It is. It might be that they’ve got the wrong firm. These things happen. So, you didn't get another email after that?"

I shake my head. "Nope. Just that one," I say and wince inwardly.

"I feel so guilty. I feel like a bad person."

"You're not a bad person. Stop saying that," Ava says from the kitchen.

I'm seated in the living room, my head on a headrest. I raise my head up. "Myles has been trying to find out what's wrong. He's been calling and texting, but I've been telling him I'm busy."

"It's not your fault that he has a crazy ex. She's not even his ex yet. They're practically still married. I know how toxic some exes can be. Trust me, you don’t want that. I told you about my ex's ex who got me fired from my old job, right? They can be nuts."

I nod slowly. "She looks like someone who's nuts. I'm not really worried about her, though. The person I'm worried about is Myles. I don't want him outed. I don't want his cover blown."

"Are you still working with him, then?"

"Yes. That was our agreement. It gives me immunity. I mean, we only started fake dating to aid the investigation. I think I've done enough already in that respect. I got him into Micha's house. And I got copies of her files for him. If I stop working with him completely then he could go back on his word and withdraw immunity."

Ava comes to me with two bowls in her hands. She puts a bowl of prawn crackers in front of me and sits beside me on the sofa, taking off her slippers and tucking her legs under her.

She tosses two prawn crackers into her mouth, and I wonder how they manage to fit into her small mouth. "I still think you should get out of the deal completely. They really need to look for another way to investigate Micha,” she says muffled, holding her hand to her lips.

"Then my immunity will be pulled."

"That's why I'm saying you need to tell him. Tell him his crazy ex is threatening you."

"I can't. What if he confronts her and she gets angry and sabotages his cover?"

She narrows her eyes at me. "Are you in love, like,in lovewith him?"

I nod.

"Oh," she says and throws another cracker in her mouth. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I'll just not spend the night at his place anymore. And I won't invite him to any more functions until the investigation is over."

She smiles and nods.

"And why the hell are you smiling? This isn't exactly a smiling matter."

"It's just so funny how easy it is for you to find love. You’re the lucky one. While I'm here struggling to find one person to treat me right."

"How about the guy you met the other day? The one you said bought you flowers. What's his name again?"

"North?"

"Yeah, North."

She snorts, crackers spilling out of her mouth. "I haven't seen him since the last night he spent here. He probably has a girlfriend or a wife. I'm not lucky in love and that's fine. I find them quite alright, but I just never seem to figure out how to keep them."

"Don't say that. You just haven't found the right one yet," I say, covering her hand with my palm.

"Look at you, cheering me up when you've got problems of your own."

I smile. "And no, I don’t think I’m lucky. I mean, I have a man’s crazy ex chasing me around. Does that sound like luck to you? It's bad luck, if you ask me. Why can't I just get a guy without baggage? His ex is probably creeping outside my window as we speak."

We both burst into loud, snorty laughs.

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