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“They’re putting together a warrant for his arrest, and I have a temporary restraining order. So he should get picked up here in the next few hours.”
“I don’t want to talk about him. I want to know more about Nutsbe. Much, much more interesting. Infinitely more interesting. Did you see his hands?” Jaylen asked.
“Yes, why? Are you asking about a wedding ring? No ring. No white place where he didn’t tan.”
“Ha! You looked,” Jaylen laughed. “Caught ya. So good. But it wasn’t what I was wondering about. Do you think he still has fingerprints? Don't spies acid them off?”
“Bob said he was a counterpart, so I’m guessing Nutsbe coordinates operations and sends his tactical force into the field. He probably works in the office.” Olivia said, turning the heater up another notch. “Okay, here’s a question for you. Have you ever heard the term bissextile before? There are so many changes with LGBTQI terms, it would probably be good to know this one.”
“Are you sure you heard that word said correctly? Bissextile? Who said it?”
“Nutsbe. Something in passing. He was making small talk about Beowolf with my witness and mentioned that Beowolf had just had a birthday. His dog turned four last week. She said her birthday was two weeks ago but hadn’t celebrated. Then Nutsbe looked at me and said, ‘I don’t celebrate my birthday often since I’m bissextile.’ And when he said it, he winked at me. Does that make sense to you?”
“You didn’t look it up?” Jaylen asked.
“I haven’t had time yet.”
“Hang on.” A moment later, Jaylen’s laughter was bright with amusement. “That’s fabulous. Bissextile has to do with leap year. His birthday must be February twenty-ninth. That’s what he meant by not celebrating often.”
“What now?” Olivia’s lips stretched into a bemused smile; she also registered relief. Interesting. “That little shit.”
“It's pretty funny, actually.”
“It’s a little bit funny,” Olivia admitted.
“Anyway, it’s good that he’s a Pisces. Well, in bed, at least.”
“Yeah?” Olivia looked over at the door, hoping Nutsbe would come out soon. “Why’s that?”
“Reading: Non-judgmental, creative, romantic—but not in the run around kind of way. They’re intuitive in bed. They can figure out what their lover wants. Water sign. So,” Jaylen said, “I’d say you have shower sex in your future if you decide to enjoy this guy.”
“Okay what about out of bed?” Olivia asked.
“You’re really into this guy,” Jaylen accused her.
“I’m not. I’m curious. I’ve never met anyone like Nutsbe. He’s … something. I’m too tired to find the right adjectives.”
“And it’s not like he’d be a rebound,” Jaylen said. “You’ve dated since your legal separation. That one guy, Chad.”
“His name was not Chad. But your point is well taken. We’ll see. Now is not a good time to even consider a date. Hey, Jaylen, he’s back with the pizza. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Bye.”
“Olivia.”
“What?” Olivia moaned as she flipped the locks to let Nutsbe in.
“It’s been a rough day for you in court,” Jaylen said gently. “Take a breath. Eat the pizza with the guy. Have fun. Relax. It’s been a soul-sucking case. But it’s almost over, right? What more could go wrong?”
Chapter Fourteen
Nutsbe
Last night had been interesting in the best sense of the word.
It had gone from shit show to something that made the whole Mickey Pauley circus well worth it.
When Nutsbe brought the pizza to the car, both Olivia and he were famished, and they ended up eating in the parking lot under a light. He’d thought of it as cozy, intimate, yeah, even a little romantic, with the rain forming a curtain of sound around their car; the streetlights, refracted by the torrent, glittered outside the window.
That could have gone on a lot longer, and he would have been glad. But Olivia’s eyes were tired. So he suggested they head home.