His Old Lady - Debra Kayn Page 0,24

worked a job he wasn't privy to, and there were secrets kept from him.

She'd made him the outsider, and he didn't like it.

He had no right to claim her or her life, but damn, she belonged to him.

Walking inside, he locked the door. "Want to explain why that guy thought it was okay to visit you in the middle of the night?"

"No."

"Is this the first time, or do you always have men coming over?"

"Stop." She shook her head. "I know what you're thinking, and no, he's never come over here before."

He had a hard time believing that was true. The guy was lucky he hadn't blown his head off.

Without thinking, he said, "I'm spending the night."

"Oh, my God." Faye thrust both hands in her hair and gawked at him. "You. Are. Unbelievable."

"What?"

She shook her head and let her hands fall to her sides. "You know what? Do whatever you want. You will, anyway. I'm going to bed. Please leave before I get up in the morning. I have enough going on in my life than to deal with you on top of everything else."

She walked out of the room, hugging her middle. Once she was out of sight, he looked around the room. He hadn't planned on staying.

Keyed up, he could make the hour trip home with no problem. The cool night air would probably help clear his head.

But he wouldn't take a chance at her old boss making another visit. Faye wasn't going to fuck around on him when he was around.

Besides, she'd quit her job. It was obvious that her ex-boss wanted her back to work for him. It would be a damn better job than working at Kingston Bar. At least at the lounge, she kept her clothes on.

He walked down the hallway. The light was on in Faye's old bedroom, and he could hear the shower running in the hall bathroom.

He turned the knob for Grandma June's old bedroom, and the door opened ten inches before stopping. Reaching in, he flipped on the light.

"What the hell?" he muttered, shoving his shoulder against the door to open the barrier a few more inches.

He couldn't even get inside. There were boxes packed from floor to ceiling. If there was a bed inside, he couldn't see it.

Shutting the door, he walked back to the living room. The only other places to stretch out was the couch or the floor. He eyed the sofa. It was going to be a long, uncomfortable night.

He sat and bent over to remove his boots. No stranger to sleeping in odd places, knowing Faye was under the same roof, made him edgy.

Shutting off the light, he stretched out and put his hand behind his head. Staring up into the darkness, he let his eyes adjust. There was a faint light coming from outside. Probably one of the street lights lining the residential street.

Muffling came from the other end of the house. He lifted his head, straining to hear. He couldn't make out what Faye was doing, but she wasn't going to bed after her shower.

Several minutes passed, and more noise floated into the living room. Getting back up, he walked down the hallway.

Her bedroom door was open, the light on. Faye passed back and forth in front of the dresser, holding her hand over her mouth.

His balls tightened at the thin material covering her upper body, leaving her legs bare. Her breasts quivered with each step, and he strained to see underneath the blue covering.

A sob broke the silence, and Faye stomped her barefoot. He jerked his gaze to her face. She'd squeezed her eyes shut as her body shook.

She was crying.

He approached Faye. Showing up at the bar and coming to her house wasn't supposed to upset her. He was looking out for her safety. She had no idea what kind of place she was working for or how much danger prancing around half-naked in front of strangers could bring her.

Removing her hand from her mouth, he said, "What's wrong?"

Her chin trembled. "He died."

The hair on his arms prickled. "Who?"

She pointed, refusing to look in the same direction.

He went over to the window. On the ledge sat a small fishbowl. Bending over, he peered into the water. Sure enough, a goldfish lay at the bottom on the rocks.

Squinting, he took in the small castle that allowed a fish to swim through the opening. His chest tightened, and he glanced at Faye.

Nah, it wasn't possible. "Is this the same fish?"

She nodded sniffling.

"Jesus," he mumbled,