Page 145 of Penny For Your Thoughts
Plugging it into the laptop again, I feigned surprise when the file miraculously appeared. “What the heck?”
“Weird.” Aaron touched my shoulder, lingering. “At least we got it working.”
Step one. Complete.
Step two was trickier and required returning to Aaron’s office.
We spent the next fifteen minutes running through the slideshow and making adjustments to speed and size while ensuring the projector worked properly for the party the following weekend. Diem hadn’t seen all the pictures I’d collected—not since he tossed the album across the room in disgust. I hoped he wouldn’t be bothered that I’d included a few with his parents and him as a child.
My heart broke for the boy in the pictures, knowing all he’d gone through. Child Diem was a mini version of my burly, self-conscious boyfriend in so many ways. He was a stocky kid, unsmiling, reserved, and watchful. Browsing the images was like opening a door to his past.
I couldn’t exclude pictures because he or his dad was in them. Diem was part of Hazel’s life. A significant part. Leroy was her son.
Once the projector was set, Aaron and I wandered back to his office, a quiet tension building in the space between us.
My phone buzzed, so I stopped to check it. Diem.Got it. Nice work. Going through it now. Looks like it’s mostly work shit.
I was afraid of that.
Purposefully frowning, acting troubled by what I’d read—for Aaron’s sake—I typed a response.Didn’t see anyone suspicious when I arrived. Luke probably decided that getting away is more important. Gonna try to get on Aaron’s phone.
I sighed and tucked my phone away, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry. Drama.”
“Everything okay?”
“It will be. Bump in the road. It’s… normal.”
We kept walking. Aaron moved closer so our shoulders brushed on occasion. “Do you like the PI gig?”
“It’s okay.”
“Ever considered real police work?”
I bit back a snappy retort. “No. PI work is less… restricting.”
“Isn’t it dangerous?”
I huffed a laugh. “What part? I sit at a computer all day. Unless you consider the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome dangerous, then no. It’s not.”
Aaron bumped his shoulder with mine. “You’re funny, Tallus.”
I wasn’t, but Aaron was buttering me up. It felt like he had questions he didn’t know how to ask, and I wasn’t making it easy for him.
At his office, I lingered in the hallway as though planning to head out but also hoping to give the impression that I might not want to just yet. Our gazes held for a long time, an unspoken conversation playing out between us.
I had figuratively cast a baited hook in his direction and waited to see if he would bite.
When I caught my bottom lip between my teeth and flashed my attention momentarily to his mouth, he broke.
“Want to sit for a few?” He motioned to his office.
I feigned hesitation, glancing into his office as though weighing my options. Then, I purposefully gave Aaron a once-over, openly checking him out that time.
“I shouldn’t.”
A hint of a smile touched his lips, and as I hoped, Aaron suspected I could be led astray. “Come on. No big deal, right?” It was no longer a question. He reached out and brushed a knuckle down the front of my shirt. “Just for a few minutes.”
I nodded and followed him into the office.
