Back in Black (McGinnis Investigations #1) - Rhys Ford Page 0,83
say she was happy when she heard me come up the walk, but considering I’d spotted her through the window, crashed out on the couch more than a few times when I got through the front door, I politely and respectfully called my husband a liar.
Two seconds later even the cat abandoned us, mewling her way in a gentle trot toward the man she loved the most.
“If she’s telling you she hasn’t been fed, she’s lying,” I called out to Jae. “She got a whole can of seafood pâté and then ate some of the dog’s food too.”
“Why did you give the dog a grilled cheese sandwich?” Jae asked, hidden from my view by the wall separating the foyer and the living room. “She’s got a whole sandwich here. And don’t tell me you made her an end piece in the microwave, because this is a full sandwich. And it looks like you cooked it with a black crayon, so I know it’s yours.”
“Didn’t we eat all of them?” I muttered at O’Byrne.
“I might have given her half of mine when we were in the kitchen, but I figured she was a dog, she would just eat it,” O’Byrne hissed back. “Why does your dog have a food Nazi? And why is your husband a food Nazi?”
“Because if I let him feed her human food, she’s going to look like one of those giant rocks on Costa Rica,” Jae said, padding into the living room while cradling Neko to his shoulder. He leaned over, taking a kiss from my mouth, then frowned at the collection of beer bottles, water glasses, and plates on the apothecary chest. “Tell me you had something besides bread and cheese and beer tonight for dinner.”
“O’Byrne and I both had a package of Raspberry Zingers.” I snatched one of the wrappers nearly hidden by one of the plates, then wrinkled it at him. “So a little bit of coconut and maybe some raspberry jam. Does that count?”
“Would it kill you to eat a salad once in a while?” Jae shook his head, smiling at O’Byrne. “Hi, Dell. Tell me he talked to you about something besides shop.”
“Well, since it’s my policy never to lie to people I like, I think it’s time for me to go home.” O’Byrne stood up, making a grab for the dishes, but Jae fended her off. “I can at least help clean up.”
“I’ll do it. The food at the showing was horrible, so I’m going to throw together something for Ichi and me to eat.” Jae gave me an assessing look. “Should I just make enough for the two of us? Or are you going to pick through my dinner and eat half of it, so I should make more?”
I returned his look, taking in the pleasant view of his muscular body encased in black jeans and a tight T-shirt. “I don’t know. What are you going to make?”
“Probably some bulgogi from the freezer and rice.” Shaking his head, Jae put Neko down on the couch. “Never mind. I already know the answer. I’ll make enough for the three of us. Dell, I’ll walk you out, because it looks like my husband is way too comfortable to move.”
“I can move.” I sat up but didn’t go farther than scooting forward on the couch cushion. O’Byrne waved me off, chuckling.
“I’ll let you know about the warrant if we need it. I’ll see about a storage space. We’ve still got the house on lockdown. Maybe want to swing by there again and just take another look. I don’t think we missed anything, but you never know. There could be a piece of paper somewhere in there that didn’t seem important at the time.” Dell nodded a hello to Ichi, passing my baby brother by with a quick pat on his shoulder. “Good to see you, Tokugawa. I still need to stop by your place to get that ink we talked about. I just need a good four to five hours of time at one stretch to get that first sitting in.”
“My table will always be empty for you, Dell,” Ichi reassured her, Honey hot on his heels as he headed toward the other couch. “Just let me know when.”
He stepped over my legs, not making eye contact with me as he went by. I waited for him to get settled, then followed Dell out, ignoring Jae shooing me back into the living room. My husband was playing peacekeeper, and while I appreciated it,