“Shit Nina, you’re tryin’ the case in this room,” Mick mumbled.

“You wanted her to lawyer up, Mick, she’s lawyered up. You don’t want her to leave town, okay, where’s she going to go? But she isn’t leaving this room thinking this nightmare isn’t over for her. She’s got a life to live, Curtis Dodd meant something to her, his death is already taking its toll and she doesn’t need this hanging over her head.”

“I’m just askin’ her not to leave town,” Mick noted.

“Okay, she won’t leave town,” I assured him. “But I’ll remind you, on top of all that, there’s a good possibility that she’s just found out her friend took advantage of her so she’s dealing with enough. You need to question her, you call me and I’ll set it up. Yes?”

Mick turned beleaguered eyes to Max but he was barking up the wrong tree. I looked to Max and saw he was leaning with his shoulders against the wall, arms crossed on his chest, eyes on me and a huge grin on his face.

“Remind me never to do any more favors even if it’s for one of our own,” Mick muttered to no one.

“Are we done here?” I asked, standing and grabbing my coat.

“You movin’ to town?” Mick asked back and my head tilted with confusion at the somewhat nosy change of subject.

Even so, I answered, “More than likely, yes.”

“You gonna practice?” Mick went on.

“Of course,” I replied.

“Great,” Mick muttered, sounding aggrieved and I understood so I smiled.

“Don’t worry, Mick, if it isn’t a member of Max’s family or a friend, I’m a pussycat,” I assured him.

“Why don’t I believe you?” Mick queried.

“Don’t, she’s on one, she’s a tiger,” Max put in. He had pushed from the wall and had his hand on Linda’s arm, helping her from her seat.

“Yeah,” Mick mumbled.

I headed toward the door. “By the way, it’d be nice, anyone asks, you tell them Kami was assisting with the investigation and you might want to mention how cooperative she was.”

Mick looked at me, clearly shocked. “Now you’re askin’ a favor?”

“I did you one, I’m calling my marker. Anyway, it might be good, me moving to town and putting out a shingle, you start collecting them,” I advised as I grabbed my purse and Mick’s eyes again went to Max.

And again he was barking up the wrong tree. Max had opened the door for his mother and sister and he burst into laughter when he caught Mick’s eyes. Then he slung an arm around my shoulders and guided me out the door.

As we neared the outer door, not taking his arm from around me, Max leaned down to put his mouth to my ear.

“Just in case I didn’t mention it, Duchess, not so sure about the truth comin’ out, what I am sure of is that I can trust you to take care of my sister.” I pulled my head back as I twisted my neck to look at him but I had no chance to speak because he stopped me and he finished with, “Thank you, baby.”

Then again before I could respond, he kissed me deep, with some tongue action but, although deep, the kiss was not long.

“Max!” Kami snapped when his head came up. “I need a drink.”

I looked in their direction to see Linda’s eyes were on me. “I think pasta bake is out. Can I treat you and your folks to a buffalo burger at The Mark?”

I glanced at Max then back to Linda.

Then I said, “They’d love that.”

***

I sat at on a stool at a high, round table at The Dog with a drunken Mom, Linda, Kami, Arlene and Jenna. Becca was our waitress.

At Arlene’s edict with Mom and Linda backing her up, Max had been quarantined across the room in what had been decreed (again, by Arlene) as the Guys’ Night Out Section of The Dog. He was playing pool with Brody and Steve and he was not to approach under threat of Arlene’s wrath.

Regardless of my roller coaster day and my current enforced separation from Max, seeing as I, too, was slightly inebriated; I’d been adventurous at The Mark, demanded to see a menu and ordered the chicken fried steak which was made with an actual steak and therefore was amazing; I followed that with a Mile Hi Mud Pie which was five layers of chocolate cake, separated by dreamy chocolate mousse and covered with chocolate ganache; Becca had reported that not only had Mindy seen the rape center’s counselor yesterday, she’d gone down there to visit her again that day, asking Bitsy to go with her (and Bitsy did, even with the funeral, she’d carved out time); and I was finding out that Kami was a lot more fun when she was fed a buffalo burger and was also drunk, therefore, I was feeling quite happy.

“You. Cannot. Be. Serious!” Arlene shouted and I looked at her, having been thinking about my evening, I hadn’t been paying attention and I didn’t know what she was shouting about. Then again Arlene, Mom and Linda had been shouting everything they said for about half an hour, mostly while Kami, Jenna and I giggled, unable to get a word in edgewise, so it wasn’t the first time I lost track.

“I. Am. Not!” Mom shouted back and I felt something, something warm and sweet and instinctively I looked to the pool tables and saw Max, Brody and Steve all looking at us.

Seeing Max looking so handsome standing across the room from me, holding a pool cue, its handle to the ground, I had an overwhelming urge and I didn’t try to fight it.

“Be back,” I muttered to Linda who was sitting beside me, I slipped off my stool and weaved my way through the bar to Max.

When I got to him, I wrapped both my arms around his middle, pressed my front to his side and tipped my head back to look at him as his arm slid around my shoulders.

“Hi,” I said softly.

He grinned down at me and remarked, “Babe, you’re breaking the invisible boundary between girls’ night out and guys’ night out.”

“I think Mom, Arlene and Linda are beyond enforcing the rules.”

I looked across the room to see Mom hanging by her fingers from the table, her torso and head thrown back, laughing. Arlene was slapping the table with the palm of her hand, laughing. Linda was leaned all the way over, her forehead to the table, laughing. And Kami and Jenna were staring at each other, also laughing.

I looked back at Max and pointed out the obvious, “I don’t think they even know I’m gone.”

Max glanced at the girls then his eyes came to me. “Doesn’t look like it.”

“You play pool?” Brody asked, coming up on my side and I looked at him without letting Max go.

“No,” I answered.

“Wanna learn?” Brody enquired on a smile.

“I’m beyond retaining new skills,” I told him and Max’s arm around my shoulders gave me a squeeze so I looked back to him.

“You smashed?”

“No,” and it wasn’t a lie therefore I explained while pressing closer, “just having a good night.”

“You’re up, Brody,” Steve called then his eyes came to me. “Since the seal’s been broken, gonna check on Nellie, make certain she doesn’t fall off her stool.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” I advised and heard Max chuckle as I saw Steve smile and move away.

“You wanna get us another round?” Brody suggested, eyeing the pool table to line up his next shot.

“Yeah,” Max answered and then moved.

I was forced to drop an arm to move with him and we walked with our arms around each other to the heaving bar. Max pushed in, taking me with him then lifted his chin to the bartender and it was then I saw Harry sitting alone at the opposite end of the bar looking more than a little unhappy and staring into an amber beverage that appeared to have been poured neat.

“Harry drinks bourbon when he’s nursin’ a bad mood,” Max muttered, likely reading my expression.

The bartender came to us and Max ordered four beers.

I studied Harry then turned into Max’s body and wrapped my other arm around him too. “I’ll go and keep him company.”

Max looked down at me. “I thought you were keepin’ me company.”

“You have company,” I tipped my head to Brody at the pool table, “Harry doesn’t.”

Max bent his neck so his face was closer to mine before he told me, “Brody’s been my best friend for a long time, honey, and it’s good havin’ him home. Still, prefer your company.”

This made me feel nice, very nice and, again, I pressed closer but I pointed out, “I can’t do locker room talk.”

“Not that I ever do locker room talk but if I did, I wouldn’t do it with your Stepdad.”

I nodded my indication that I thought this was wise. “Then it’s probably not good that I’m around, seeing as you won’t be able to complain about my foibles and neither can Steve about Mom’s.”

“Foibles?”

“Faults, bad habits.”

“Tellin’ you a man secret, babe, but men aren’t like women. We get together, we don’t bitch. We just drink and, if we talk at all, we talk about the game.” I smiled at him and he went on, “We did bitch though, again, not sure I’d share my thoughts on your faults with Steve.”

My happy mood evaporated, my body got tense and my eyes narrowed. “So you think I have them?”

He grinned. “Baby, you set yourself up for that one.”

“Okay, what are they then?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Your ass looks too good in those cords.”

I blinked for this was not what I expected as a response.

My “attitude”, yes. My habit of trying to stop a discussion when I was losing an argument, definitely. My inability to say no to dessert, probably.

My bottom in my cords, no.

So I asked, “Sorry?”

“You walked across the room and practically every guy you passed looked at your ass. Hell, you’re standin’ here pressed up to me and still every guy who passes is lookin’ at your ass.”

I glanced over my shoulder to see if this claim was true. Max’s body started shaking with laughter then he pulled slightly away to get out his wallet.

“You’re lying,” I accused.

“Nope,” he said, flipping his wallet open and taking his arm from my shoulders to pull out some bills so I dropped my arms.

“Well, if that’s true, it’s not my fault.”

“Gotta put some meat on you, Duchess. No one’s lookin’ at Kami’s ass,” Max lifted his chin to the bartender to keep the change, flipped his wallet closed and shoved it in his pocket.

“She’s sitting down.”

“They were checkin’ you out when you were sittin’ down too.”

“My behind?”

He looked at me and stated, “Nope, your hair, face and, sometimes, tits.”

I gasped then breathed, “They were not.”

He grinned. “Babe, they were.”

“You’re full of it.”

He shook his head and his eyes went over my shoulder then he grabbed two of the beer bottles from the bar and handed them to a passing Steve who was making his way back to the pool table. Steve smiled at me but said no more before he moved off to join Brody.

Max handed me a beer and took the other one. Then his arm slid around my waist and he pulled me to his front.

“Why d’you find that hard to believe?”

I explained it to him, “They’re just looking at me because they’re curious because I’m with you.”

“Maybe that’s why some of the women are lookin’ at you. The men are lookin’ at you because you got a pretty face, great hair and nice tits.”

“Max!” I snapped.

“It’s true.”

“You just like me.”

He shook his head and his arm got tighter. “Shockin’, Nina Sheridan fishin’ for compliments.”

His comment annoyed me for it was patently untrue therefore I pulled back from his arm but it just got tighter so I gave up and snapped, “I’m not doing that.”

He was grinning again before he remarked, “Christ, you go from sweet to pissed faster ‘n lightnin’.”

“Only because five minutes ago I was in the mood to be sweet then you were annoying.”

His brows went up. “Tellin’ you you’re hot is annoying?”

“Telling me all the guys are checking me out when they aren’t is annoying.”

“Babe.”

“Max.”

We seemed to be at a stalemate then he sighed.

Then he said, “I’ll tell you somethin’, whether you believe they’re lookin’ or not, you gotta know, I don’t care they look. They can only guess what that ass, tits and hair promises but I know.”

I rolled my eyes even though my stomach pitched in a good way. Max started laughing and I hoped, since I knew now that he could read my face, that what my stomach did wasn’t written there.

“I’m going to go talk to Harry now,” I informed him when he’d controlled his amusement.

“Yeah, you can do that after you kiss me.”