Page 54 of Pretty Poison

“Christ,” Rocky grumbled as he ran a hand over his face. “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

“A moment ago, you said you’d only take twenty. Why do you suddenly need ten more minutes?”

He hung up without a response and texted an apology to Avery before dropping the phone on his bed and running to the bathroom to shower.

Rocky made it to the office in fifteen. Trudy and Avery assessed him with varying degrees of curiosity when he breezed through the door.

“I’m so sorry, Avery. I, um…”

“Got caught up in something unexpected,” Trudy finished for Rocky. The mischievousness sparkling in her blue eyes spelled big trouble for him. She cleared her throat and tried to wipe the smartass smile from her lips, but it still lingered. “So, I’ve taken the liberty of getting Avery all set up with access to our systems. It didn’t require a whole lot of training since he was the one who designed the system we use now.” Trudy narrowed her eyes and continued her gentle rebuke. “That information might’ve come in handy and saved me from embarrassing myself.”

“You have nothing to feel embarrassed about,” Avery said to Trudy before turning his attention back to Rocky. “Put me to work, boss.”

Rocky hooked his thumb in Trudy’s direction and said, “She’s the real boss, but I’m sure you’ve deduced that already.”

Trudy scoffed. “Flattery gets you nowhere, but I do accept small tokens of appreciation.”

“Good to know,” Avery said, then whipped out his cell phone and started typing. “Flowers? Candy? Perfume?”

“Tea,” Rocky said.

Avery lowered his phone and smiled. “Really? I happen to be a big fan myself.”

“We’re going to get along smashingly,” Trudy declared. “Now, the two of you get out of my reception area so I can get to work. I have billables to work on so we can keep Rocky in the grand style he’s accustomed to.”

“You mean electricity and functioning toilets?” he teased.

“That too, but I was leaning more toward spy gadgets and notepads.”

Rocky placed his hand on Avery’s shoulder. “Come on before Trudy gives away all my secrets.”

“Thanks for all your help,” Avery said to Trudy as Rocky led him away.

“My pleasure,” Trudy said. Rocky knew she genuinely meant it too. “Welcome aboard.”

“I assume Trudy gave you the grand tour?” Rocky asked.

The office space wasn’t massive, only boasting three offices, a reception area, a small conference room, an even smaller breakroom, and two closet-sized bathrooms. The commercial-grade carpet was charcoal, and the walls had been painted a dove gray. The color scheme was bland, but Rocky liked it much better than beige. This space represented more to Rocky than a way to earn a living; it had restored a sense of purpose in his life.

He hadn’t disliked working construction jobs for his dad. At the end of a long day, he’d been able to step back and see the fruits of his labor. There was something to be said about that. He’d even gotten to use critical-thinking skills to solve problems that popped up on the jobsites. It just wasn’t his passion. Private investigating might’ve started out as a way to connect him to his deceased mother, but somewhere along the way, it had come to mean something much more. Right or wrong, investigating had become a part of who Rocky was, not just something he did.

“She did give me a tour,” Avery confirmed. “It’s a good space.”

“We might outgrow it someday, but it works really well for now.”

Rocky sat at his desk while Avery checked out the watercolor paintings of wildlife hanging on his wall.

“These are beautiful,” Avery said as he moved from one piece to the next. “Are they a local artist?”

“My mother,” Rocky said.

Avery turned widened eyes on him. “Wow. She’s incredibly talented.”

“She was,” Rocky agreed. “She passed away a long time ago.”

Avery’s expression fell. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you,” Rocky said. “But I’m the one who is sorry.”