I cross to the bookshelf and wedge it between some novels I've never read and probably never will. Interior decorators love filling up space with crap.
If Karl asks for the rest of the golden-spined series, I'll drop it off, but I'm in no rush until then. He didn't spend quality time with asphalt obtaining it.
I turn around and spot Syd's ring on the coffee table. She must have taken it off when she stripped down. My eyes hadn't been exactly on her hands at that moment.
I shower and dress, then text her to tell her I found the ring.
She replies, I'm with Coleen at a cafe. Wanna swing by?
My last encounter with Coleen didn't end so well. Maybe Karl will hold off on the summonings long enough for me not to look like a donkey hole this time.
Sure, where is it?
She sends me the address.
Be there in twenty, I reply, then grab her ring and head out.
When I pull into the cafe parking lot, Syd and Coleen are sitting together at a table outside. Syd waves as I approach.
I lean over the rail to hand her the ring and kiss her forehead.
“Gonna grab some coffee,” I say.
She kisses me on the cheek. “I was going to get a refill. What do you want?”
“Whatever you're having is fine.” I hop over the railing and take the third seat at the table.
Coleen is busy poking away on a tablet. Syd scoots out her chair, and Coleen glances up like she had forgotten other people exist.
“Oh, hey, Dimitri.” She smiles and goes back to her digital world.
Syd trails her hand across my shoulders as she heads inside the cafe.
Coleen takes a sip of her coffee, then locks the tablet screen and leans back. “How's the personal security business going?”
“Secure,” I say with a grin.
She nods, and her serious expression doesn't break even the slightest. “So, you've been working out of town?”
I shrug. “Same ol', same ol'.”
Life as a normal person must be boring. There would be nothing worth hiding.
“Yeah, I guess.” She glances through the tall cafe windows.
I turn to see Syd standing in line. She is texting in rapid fire with a scowl creasing her forehead.
I turn back to Coleen. “She okay?”
Coleen takes another sip of her iced coffee before replying. “Not really. She's been having a hard time with her family.”
I glance at Syd again. She doesn't see me watching, her eyes fixed on the phone in her hand. The unabashed anger and sadness on her face leaves me grappling for a reaction.
“It's out of my jurisdiction to talk about,” Coleen says, “but Syd is my best friend. She's stubborn, but I'll just say, you make her happy.” She pauses, like I'm supposed to comment, but I can't figure out what. So she adds, “Please don't let her down.”
I look away to nothing. How am I supposed to answer that? At the rate I'm going, being with me is a series of disappointments waiting to happen.
Syd returns with our drinks, her usual mild expression plastered back on her face. My insides cringe. Coleen knows what Syd is hiding, so this facade is for my benefit.
I have no idea how to approach the situation. If I ask what's wrong, she might tell me the truth. I can't help her. My time belongs to Karl.
But Coleen thinks I make Syd happy, and maybe I do. I like the thought. So Syd can continue to pretend nothing is wrong, and I can continue to pretend I don't know any different. For now.
Syd looks at me as she takes her seat. “What are your plans for today?”
I shrug. “Hope work leaves me alone. That's about it.”
“Don't you ever get a day off?”
I scoff, but manage to keep my thoughts on the matter to myself. Instead, I drink my coffee.
“We should get going.” Coleen glances up from her tablet. “We have ten minutes to get to Larry's house. Where does he live?”
Syd nods, sipping on her straw. “He's just right around the corner. Like, right around. As soon as you exit the parking lot, take a left and just follow the street. It's like four houses down.”
Coleen locks her tablet and places it in the bag at her feet.
Syd turns to me and gives an exaggerated frown.
“Sorry. We did tell my uncle we were coming by, and he hates when people are late.” She leans over the table and pecks my lips. “I'll call you later, okay?”
I bring her face in for a heavier, coffee-flavored kiss then push to my feet. Syd and Coleen gather their bags and head into the parking lot. They stop next to Syd's car to talk, then part ways and disappear out of sight.
It's hot out, and I have nowhere to be so I head home.
Silvia calls just as I let myself through the front door. The only assurance I have she isn't actually spying on me is that she hasn't found out about Syd.
I sigh into the phone. “What do you want, Annie Wilkes?”
Silence.
Then she says, “I don't know who that is.”
“It's from a book. Never mind.” I shove the couch back into place. “Does your dad know you keep calling me?”
“Yes, actually,” she says. “I told him I'm going to start having you protect me when you're not on assignments. That way I can spend time in Phoenix.”