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“Vicky. She has a griffin thing.”
He lays into his second falafel without comment.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“She’s handled.”
“Did I say anything?” he says.
“You were specifically silent,” I say. “So, yeah.”
He snorts.
I pause, thumbs poised, unsure what to say along with the griffin pic. I type Thanks for the trees. Then I change it to Here’s to griffins and mad forestry expertise, then I delete it.
I type Friend of yours? Then erase it. Then, Thinking about bow ties. Then I change it to This guy is asking where TF my bow tie is.
Delete.
This is all very disturbing, because I happen to be a master of texting the just-right thing to a woman, no matter what the circumstance, from pre-hookup banter to post-hookup emojis.
I don’t know what to text to Vicky. How can I not know?
But I do know. I really want to say, I loved kissing you. I forgot what it was like to kiss somebody because it felt like the only thing in the world worth doing. I forgot what it was like to sit and make things with somebody who gives a shit how curlicues line up. I wish you were here.
“Soooooo,” Brett says. “How is operation good cop going? Operation hot cop?”
I bristle at the name. “Just concentrate on your part.”
More specific silence.
I look up. “What?”
He nods at my phone. “Cat got your thumbs?”
“If I’m going to do a thing, I’m going to do it right.”
“Okay, Uncle Andy,” he jokes, meaning my dad.
“It’s under control,” I growl.
He falls silent, not loving the growl. Then, “You sure?”
I stare at the image. It’s a cartoon version, but fierce, protective. “She has a griffin thing. From when she first got to town.” I turn to him. “Did that PI ever say anything about any kind of bullying incident in her past?”
“No. Though bullying doesn’t always get reported. Her background is a little sparse. Her internet footprint is small for somebody her age.”
“Something big happened back in Prescott,” I say. “Somebody really did a number on her. Turned a lot of the town against her, it sounds like.”
“I can ask the PI about it.”
“Do it,” I say. “Somebody went after her, and I want to know who. I want to know what happened and I want to know who.”
I can feel his eyes on me. “Is this part of operation good cop?”
“Just get me the details.” I type Someone says hi and send it off.
