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The very notion is rather terrifying and also a wee bit intriguing. Beau’s already managed to get under my skin like no one ever has, and in such a short span of time. What more could he possibly have in store for me?

And is it wrong that a strange, traitorous part of me is almost… excited?

Liz leans forward confidingly. “It took me eighteen bloody months to get him to trust me as his partner at the Met. You’ve got your work cut out for you, but you have my full endorsement. Wreck away!”

Now I’m regretting that I didn’t order myself that pint. I need some fortification for sitting through their conversation.

“I’m sitting right here, you know. But please, do go on talking shite about me,” I grouse.

They, of course, ignore me again.

“What about his past relationships? Any pointers there, Miz Elizabeth?”

She chews on that. “Honestly, the whole time we worked together, he never dated anyone more than a couple of months before they buggered off.”

Beau nods in commiseration. “I can see how that could happen.”

They both look at me pityingly and I can’t help but feel self-conscious.

“All right,” I admit. “A lot of the time, it wasn’t them, it was me. But that’s mostly because the job was my life. After all, solving crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice is more important than making dinner on time.”

Right?

They both give me more pitying looks, and I cross my arms over my chest like a petulant toddler. But I feel like I have a right to at this moment.

Beau taps his lips thoughtfully. “He hasn’t had a relationship since he quit working with you?”

Liz darts a glance in my direction, uncertainty written all over her face.

“Not that I’m aware of, but then again, Cal and I don’t see one another or talk as often as we once did.”

Her eyes fill with sadness, and my chest tightens uncomfortably.

Beau reaches out a hand and pats Liz’s on the table.

“I’m sure that not working together anymore must have been difficult for you both. It seems like you had a strong bond and still do. You both worked together for so long that it must have been a real challenge to adapt when you couldn’t anymore. You both have suffered from that, and you have my deepest sympathy.”

Liz’s gaze meets mine, and then we both look away.

Sometimes I forget that Liz lost almost as much as I did when I was forced to take early retirement.

For a long time, I was too steeped in my own self-pity and misery and couldn’t see beyond that. Liz tried to offer me support and a shoulder to cry on, just like she always has, but I pushed her away.

I can admit that now, especially after she’s agreed to help us even though she doesn’t believe in any of this supernatural crap.

I owe her an apology, dammit.

“I’m sorry,” I say, my voice coming out a little hoarse. “I know it’s a bit late for me to say this, but I do appreciate all that you did to try and help me after the accident. Hell, you’d just given birth to two babies and you still came to see me every day in hospital. I was a self-pitying bastard at the time, and I lashed out at the one person I really shouldn’t have. Please forgive me.”

Liz’s eyes glisten with tears, and she downs the rest of her pint. “Glad you recognize you were a complete and utter git.” Her voice softens. “But you had a right to be. You’d lost the one thing that was most important to you, and through no real fault of your own. After all, it was an accident. It’s a risk that comes with the job.”

She’s partly right about that. The temporary partner I’d been with hadn’t known what he was doing, and I took unnecessary risks when following a suspect into a dilapidated old building. Liz had always been the more level-headed one in our partnership, and I knew better than going off half-cocked—but I still did it anyway. I’ve only got myself to blame.

Took me a while to admit let alone accept that.

Liz sniffs and wipes away any remaining tears. “Enough maudlin shit. Let’s talk about fun stuff. Namely, I think you need to give this lovely young man a chance. I mean, look at him. He’s gorgeous.”

Beau tweaks his black bow tie patterned with little orange jack-o’-lanterns and preens under her praise.