the pain in them. “I’ve tried not to let myself think about it since I heard.”
Thus the incredible meal. It had to have kept him busy.
“When did you hear?”
“Lunchtime. A couple of my co-workers live here, too, and they got the news.”
“I’m sorry.” She remembered Jack’s theories, and the way Del had watched Andrea down at the swimming pool. “Did you know Andrea well?”
“No, not really. I would’ve liked to know her better.” He ducked his head, then got up to clear the table.
So Jack was right.
This time Casey did help with the dishes. “Do you know Krystal?”
Del rinsed a plate in the sink. “No. Lots of other guys do, at least as much as they want to, if you know what I mean. Andrea was harder to figure out.”
“I can see that. Krystal’s pretty much an open book.”
“That’s one way to put it.” He grimaced. “Sorry. Women like her just aren’t my type.”
“But Andrea was?”
“I wasn’t sure. But she seemed like it.” He stacked the dishes and turned around, drying his hands on a towel. “I had her up for a meal one time, soon after she moved in at the beginning of the year. She said she enjoyed it, but it didn’t seem to make her want to do anything more. I mean, on later days. When I asked her out again she said she was busy, and I never got up the nerve to try a third time. I think she must’ve found someone else.” He was a full red now, and he wouldn’t make eye contact with Casey.
“I liked her, too,” Casey said, “from the little I saw of her. She seemed smart, and nice.”
They fell silent, until Del snapped his head up. “Ready for dessert?”
“Dessert?” Casey considered it. “Of course. I’ve got a place reserved right here—” she pointed to the top left portion of her stomach “—for dessert.”
“Great. Why don’t you have a seat again, and I’ll bring it out.”
Casey could hear him washing the plates, and after a few minutes he carried in a beautiful round cake.
“Coffee Tortoni,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if you were a coffee drinker or not, so I figured I’d just make the dessert itself the coffee.”
“Perfect.”
It was perfect. Light and cold and delicious.
Del just picked at his, and Casey didn’t want to ask if he was full, or if his appetite had disappeared once they’d begun talking about Andrea. From the look on his face, she figured it was grief holding him back.
When they were finished, they washed up the dishes together, and re-packed his basket.
“Would it be offensive to your cooking if I offered you some hot tea?” Casey asked.
“Not at all. I’d enjoy that.”
Casey heated up two mugs of water in the microwave, and they took their tea onto the balcony, where they sat and looked over the courtyard.
“Did you see the petition?” Casey asked, after a while.
“The one about getting you kicked out?”
“That would be the one.”
“I didn’t see it, but I heard about it. Stupid.”
“You don’t think I hurt Andrea? I’m new. No one knows me. Sissy’s made bad choices in the past.”
Del took a sip of his tea. “I think if you’d done it, you’d be long gone. You’d change your name, and we’d never see or hear from you again. No, you’re the one person who I completely believe didn’t do it.”
“Other than yourself.”
He looked at her in surprise. “Well, obviously.”
“So there are two of us.”
They sat there a few minutes longer, and when they’d finished their tea, they set the cups on the little table. Del reached over, his hand open. Casey looked at him for a moment, then put her hand in his.
And they sat together and watched the sun go down.
Chapter Fifteen
Del stayed until the sun had completely set and he was nodding off. Casey woke him and saw him out, then stood in the middle of her living room, not even remotely sleepy. The napping she’d done during the day had completely screwed her up, and now she had no idea what to do. She turned on the television, but didn’t really care about dancing with washed-up stars, or wiping out on a large wet obstacle course, or the next crime on whichever version of Law & Order it was, so she turned it off. She sat down with her new yoga book, but wasn’t really in the mood. She paced. She cleaned. She sorted laundry.
“So I hope your dinner was good. You know, that scrumptious food