Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 139147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
I learned what acting like a brat meant through whispered encouragement from Cap.
And in the end, considering how hard we both came, we found, one try, and I had it down pat.
TWENTY-TWO
DRY ICE
I was on a stool at my bar with a mug o’ joe.
Cap, his hair wet from his shower, having already donned his jeans and tee for the day (alas) was in the kitchen, pouring his second one.
While he was showering, I emailed “We” about the situation last night, shared about our recruitment of Jess and Harlow, and went on to explain we felt it prudent to bow out at this juncture.
It was harder to do than I thought, after having a night sleeping next to Cap, and the distance it gave from Sergio Duzek’s threat, not to mention, I’d spent a year on this, it felt incomplete.
Obviously, I didn’t like that feeling.
But Cap was right.
I needed to dive deep and understand my own motivations in doing this kind of thing.
And they all stemmed from Macy.
Last night, I gave my friends just a taste of the bitter pill that had been forced down my throat when my sister was taken, and I found doing it extremely upsetting.
In other words, as much as it blew, this was the right choice.
Cap moved to the bar opposite me and leaned into his forearms, cradling his mug between his hands.
He wasn’t cooking breakfast because our plans for the day included brunch with Dad and Deb. After that, Deb and I were going to go shopping for Luna’s gift, and Dad was headed to the pool at the Hermosa Inn. Cap was going to do Cap things and meet me back at my place at seven to help me with the sangria before we went to Luna’s party.
The thing was, this brought to mind the fact that, since we met, we’d spent a lot of time together, and today, we were going to be separated for the first time for a reason that was not work.
Thus, I’d realized last night, he was learning a lot about me, my life, and the people in it, but I hadn’t learned that much about him.
The afternoon soiree at Stella (oh my God!) and Mace’s tomorrow would help with that.
But still.
“What are you gonna do after brunch today?” I asked.
“Go home, do some laundry, switch out my bag so I can bring new clothes over here, work out, then chill with some TV or something.” He stopped talking and took a sip from his mug.
I stared at him.
I did this so long, he asked, “What?”
“That seems very normal.”
His gray-blue eyes twinkled and crinkled, and he said, “That’s because I’m a normal guy.”
“I regret to inform you, you are not normal, Cap.”
“What did you think I’d do today?”
“I don’t know. Gather all your superhero friends to battle the evil alien being who wants to eradicate humanity, and in so doing, reduce half of Phoenix to rubble, then take a shower and come help me with the sangria. Just to say, if your plans change and that goes down, gratitude in advance for not taking down the Oasis in your rumble with the evil alien.”
More twinkling and crinkling and then, “I like to run, if I have time, doing it hitting trails. It keeps me fit, but it also clears my head. I work out for my job. Working out is about goals and focus, and builds strength, and all of that is necessary for what I do. I’m not crazy into sports, but I follow baseball and basketball, and I won’t say no to going to a bar and having a beer and watching any kind of game. I think you get I’m really into cooking, that’s about focus too, and results, and it’s a creative outlet. So I also like to go to restaurants to get ideas and dissect recipes. If I have a day or two, I go somewhere in the mountains, because it’s quieter there than in the city and reminds me of home. I like going to movies. And if I need to chill, I do it reading or watching TV.”
“That is, indeed, all surprisingly normal,” I remarked.
“As I said,” he replied, taking another sip from his coffee.
“Okay, now we need to get into your job,” I noted carefully.
He cradled his mug again and replied, “Right. Let’s get into that. We provide security for businesses in the form of keeping an eye on them, as well as for people who come to town who need it.”
“You mean celebrities.”
“I mean celebrities,” he confirmed.
“What celebrities have you met?”
“A lot of them.”
He then rattled off a dozen super famous people, from actors to sports stars to ridiculously rich folk.
“Wow,” I said when he was done.
“For the most part, they’re normal people too. They can be reserved, because so many people want a piece of them, they need to put up that wall. There have been some arrogant assholes, but Mace and Darius don’t put up with that shit for very long. The money is good, but life is too short.”