Page 52 of Pretty Poison

“You didn’t tell me Peter and Shelly were expecting,” Asher said once Rocky hung up the phone.

“We haven’t really talked much this past year,” Rocky replied. The last thing Rocky wanted to do, then or now, was discuss their unrealized dreams, yet there they were. First, they’d talked about backyards and puppy dogs, and now they’d progressed to babies and children.

The food he’d eaten suddenly felt like a brick in his stomach. Rocky drained the last of his beer and stood up with his empty plate and bottle. “Thanks for dinner. I’ll take care of the dishes in a bit.”

“Where are you going?”

“With Peter on paternity leave, I have some urgent work I need to take care of tonight,” Rocky said.

Asher held his gaze for several heartbeats. “Don’t work too late.”

“I’ll try not to. Thanks again for dinner,” Rocky said before ducking inside the house. He rinsed his plate and set it in the sink. He stopped by his bedroom to change into a T-shirt and a pair of shorts before heading to his office.

Once there, Rocky unpacked his messenger bag and dove into his work. They had a little bit of everything going on, but nothing that required surveillance. He tackled the highest priority items left on his list, even if they were dull. He blamed his boredom for the reason he kept nodding off in his chair, not exhaustion. Rocky jerked awake when his cell phone rang. He felt like he’d been asleep for a long time, but there was still daylight coming through the cracks between the blinds.

He cleared his throat, then answered his phone. “Hey, Avery.”

“Hi.” Avery’s voice shook a little. Was he nervous? “Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

“Of course.”

“I feel like I’ve come up with a plan that’s profitable for both of us.”

“I’m listening.”

Avery summarized what his research had turned up. “The problem is, neither arrangement is fair a hundred percent of the time. I think the solution is a hybrid of the two.” Rocky listened as Avery went into great detail about what he should charge under certain circumstances and why. It was utterly adorable. “I’m not out to rip anyone off. I—”

“I’m sold,” Rocky said before he could finish making his pitch.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Rocky said. “I know Peter will appreciate the amount of time you put into your research. Like I said earlier, we can modify our agreement later down the road if it’s warranted.”

“Oh, that’s great,” Avery said, sounding relieved. “What’s next?”

“Can you meet me at the office tomorrow morning around nine? Trudy will go over the paperwork and get you set up with computer access. Afterward, I’ll go over the cases I need immediate help with.”

“Absolutely. Thank you so much for this opportunity. It means so much to me.”

“You’re going to be worth every penny we pay you and then some. See you in the morning, Avery.”

After they hung up, Rocky heard voices outside one of his office windows. He recognized Asher’s low rumble but wasn’t sure what the hell he was doing creeping around the perimeter of the house. Rocky walked to the window and cracked open the blinds to peer outside. Asher was crouched down next to Cal’s lawnmower with his hands in the belly of the beast. After a moment, Asher stood up and dusted off his hands.

“That ought to do it.” Gesturing to the machine, he said, “Give it a tug.”

Cal leaned down and gave the pull cord a hard yank. Instead of sputtering, the lawnmower fired right up, sounding probably like it had when it left the factory. Cal gave it a little push before letting go of the handle. Rocky braced himself for the blast of the backfire, but nothing happened when the machine cut off other than Cal whooping and giving Asher a high five. His husband bent over to collect a spray can and a lawnmower part from the ground before he turned and headed back toward the house.

Rocky dropped the blinds and stepped back before Asher caught him peeking. If he’d wanted Rocky to know he’d bought sparkplugs for Cal’s lawnmower, then he would’ve told him. Which brought Rocky to his next thought. Why the secrecy? It wasn’t abnormal for Asher to do nice things, especially for an elderly man. He was willing to bet his next paycheck Asher had even offered to mow the grass for the guy. But Cal’s yard was his pride and joy. He wouldn’t trust it to just anyone. Rocky knew because he’d made the offer at least once a month since he moved in.

So, Asher had ulterior motives, and Rocky knew precisely what they were. He’d told Asher the backfiring lawnmower reminded him of Julia’s gunshots. Asher couldn’t heal the trauma in Rocky’s brain, but this was something he could fix. So Asher had.

Hiding in his office suddenly felt ridiculous and cowardly, so Rocky logged off his computer and went to find Asher. He stood at the sink, washing mower grease off his hands. Rocky noticed the muscles in his back working beneath his shirt and the way his sweatpants clung to his ass. Sensing he wasn’t alone, Asher glanced over his shoulder.

“All finished?”

“Yep. Now I’m reporting for kitchen du—” Rocky’s words died when he finally noticed how spotless the room was.

“Too late,” Asher said as he dried his hands.