grief seemed to permeate every aspect of my life, so it only made sense that my thoughts weren’t immune.
“I apologize if you feel I was out of line. I had no way of avoiding it.” Sincerity poured off him, and I believed him but it still stung. Besides, I couldn’t argue as I’d just thought the same thing.
“No problem,” I said softly. “Just do me a favor and don’t make a big deal out of it, please.”
“Done.” He shifted in his chair, trying to get comfortable. I must have really done some direct damage to make him so uncomfortable.
“I, ah, apologize for…well, smacking you in the…” I stumbled across the apology, and he smiled, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth. Or maybe that was my imagination.
“In the…?” he prompted, making me blush. “So that part was true, then.” He seemed thrilled.
“What part?” I asked, hoping we had skipped over the apology. No such luck.
“Apologies first, sweetheart. You’re sorry for smacking me in the what, Maddy?” he prompted, undeterred. He seemed to be getting his kicks out of this.
“The burgeoning manliness that your nether regions represent,” I said, affecting a strong southern accent.
He laughed out loud, a full, rich sound that made me shiver. “I thought you said you didn’t read romance novels.”
“I had one forgettable adventure with that type of novel, and it was so generally bad that I had to put it down. Now I stick to the darker stuff. Or I did…” I fumbled the end of the speech, lost, and Bahlin looked almost sad at that little revelation.
I thought about what he’d told me so far and I wondered, What would my life be like now? Who would I be now that I had all this information? I fervently hoped bad romance novels wouldn’t figure in anywhere. At the same time, I had read some Holmes novels and I was worried at the potential for violence and death as more than fiction. I didn’t truly know what I wanted in that moment, so I tucked it away to examine later, in private.
“Now,” I said, getting back to the conversation, “what part of what you saw are you glad is true and why did it make you so happy?” I’m nothing if not indefatigable.
“Did you expect me to follow that?” he asked incredulously.
“Come on, it’s not that bad. Now give.”
“It should be noted that it disturbs me that I understand you,” he muttered. “Fine. The part of your mind that told me you’re inexperienced with men, though not quite a virgin.”
I blushed so hard I felt light-headed, and he laughed.
“Charming,” he said softly, looking at me with hooded eyes.
“Get that idea right out of your head, Bahlin. I’ve had a couple of wholly forgettable experiences that…wait. Why in the world am I telling you this?” I threw my hands in the air and dropped them on top of my head, eyes closed as I regrouped. “Forget it. I want to talk about my great-granddad and this curse.”
He sat up straight in his chair. “It’s not a curse, Maddy.” If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was indignant. “It’s an honor as well as an obligation.”
My mind pinged all over the place. I couldn’t seem to stick to any one topic, mentally or out loud, for any length of time. I was suddenly back to the statement he’d made about the obligation being a ten-year minimum commitment. How was I going to be able to keep up with my Visa payment if I couldn’t get a job outside of this detective work? I had my inheritance, but that was my nest egg and it wouldn’t last forever or, realistically, even ten years. And how was I going to be a detective, by default a fact-finder, when half the time I couldn’t find my own car keys? A little voice in my head reminded me about my earlier use of modus ponens and the impressive fact that I had had any idea what that was. Twenty-four hours ago I probably wouldn’t have been able to give you the definition much less put it into general practice. But now? It was something I’d have to live by if I wanted to make this work. And did I? Want to make this work, that is? I didn’t know. I didn’t even know if there was a choice to be made. But after my little mind swap with Bahlin, I somehow believed him.