Page 27 of Red Boar's Baby

Once she was gone, Caine laced his long fingers over his knee. “So. Diana.”

“Will you shut up?”

“I can’t believe I didn’t see it. Nobody saw it. You’re close-mouthed about your relationship; well, lots of people are. But in your case, there isn’t a relationship to talk about.”

Costa glared at him. “Don’t go around telling people.”

“I’m the absolute master of keeping secrets,” Caine said solemnly.

“Yeah, I saw that when you and Delgado were speculating about my love life two minutes ago.”

“If you seriously ask me to, I won’t,” Caine said. “But why on earthwouldyou?”

“You really want to know?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know.”

Costa got up and walked to the window, looking out the stripes between the blinds at the desert landscape slowly turning sunset colors. “We were together years ago. A very long time ago. We lived next to each other. Adjacent ranches. We grew up together and started dating in our senior year of high school.”

“I didn’t know that,” Caine said quietly.

“Yeah, well, it didn’t work out.” He pushed away the memories. “It really, really didn’t work out. We wanted completely different things out of life. But we stayed in touch, and a while back, we both realized we had a similar problem. My family kept pestering me about settling down, and she was constantly getting hit on by the guys she works with.” A sharp frisson of jealous anger swept over him at the thought, there and gone.

“So naturally, like any sensible person, you decided the way to resolve this problem was to pretend you were dating each other.” Caine’s voice was as dry as the desert outside.

“It’s a logical solution,” Costa said stiffly.

Caine gave a sudden, barked laugh. “You’re not dating her, and yet, she shows up at your house with a baby when she could’ve gone anywhere else.”

“No, she couldn’t have. She needed my help.”

“Shewantedyour help.” Caine laughed again.

“Stop laughing, Azarias.”

“I’ll stop when it stops being funny.” Caine wiped his eyes and put his sunglasses back on. “I just appreciate that you’ve fucked up your love life much worse than I ever did, and in a novel way, too.”

“Caine.”

“I’m done. I swear. However, if you ever want to talk?—”

“And be mocked?”

“You know you enjoy a little mocking in your day.”

“Only because I know you’ll cheat in a fight,” Costa said, but he was grinning.

“She’s good for you, Quinn,” Caine said seriously. “That thing that didn’t work out—maybe you should try it again.”

Costa’s grin faded. “Mocking is fine, or at least unavoidable, but I don’t need advice. And on that note, take the rest of the day off. I’ll find someone to cover the night shift. I know you couldn’t have had more than a few hours of sleep since last night’s shift, and you’ve been out in the sun all day. Get some rest, have a nice evening with Gilly, and come in tomorrow.”

He waited until after Caine left—because there was likely to be another round of mocking in the wings if this next part got out—and then called down to the lab and asked Mavis if she’d found a placement for the baby yet.

“Not yet. The Seattle office is working with us, but it isn’t easy.”

“I’ll take her overnight again, then,” Costa said promptly. “It won’t be a hardship; I already had her at my place for one night, and I have some things for her there.”

What he didn’t want to examine too closely was why the idea of a night alone at home suddenly seemed so unappealing. At least with the kid around, he wouldn’t be lonely and he wouldn’t be bored.

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