Page 86 of Five Fingers of Death

“The three of us,” Vira spoke up, appearing out of nowhere. “The two of you have no idea how to pick out a couch. The first thing you want to look for is how firm you want it. A really firm couch is good for sitting only. A really soft couch is good for lounging. You have to decide what level of comfort you want first.”

I followed Izzy around, watching as she sat on multiple couches. She seemed to have it narrowed down to two, but kept going back and forth between them.

“What’s the problem?” I asked, my tone harsher than necessary.

She gnawed on her lip. “It’s just…I don’t know.”

Sighing, I took a seat on the first couch. It was a couch. Then I stood and walked over to the other couch and sat down. It was the same fucking thing.

“What do you think?” Izzy asked tentatively.

“I think they both feel the exact same fucking way.”

Vira rolled her eyes at me. “They’re completely different. One is firm and one is softer.”

“And?”

“And you would have the firm couch if you’re never going to snuggle into it.”

“Snuggle what?” I barked out.

“Jesus, it’s like you’re a caveman who’s never stepped a single foot into the world.” She walked over and sat on the couch and started speaking in a patronizing tone. “This is a couch. When two people like each other, they sit close to each other. Sometimes, they wrap their arms around each other. It’s called snuggling.”

I scowled at her. I didn’t need her crap. All I came here to do was help Izzy get her furniture. “I don’t snuggle,” I bit out.

“No, but your daughter might want to. Did you ever think of that? Maybe she’ll climb into your lap and want you to hold her or she’ll have a bad dream and snuggle into your side. Little girls do things like that.”

I thought about how she climbed into bed with me, and since then, she’d clung to me every night. As much as I hated to admit it, Vira was right. There was more that went into a couch than just buying any random one that looked right.

“Well, pick one out for me.”

Vira stared at me in shock. “You want me to pick out a couch for you?”

“You know about this shit. I don’t.”

“We’re supposed to be buying a couch for Izzy.”

“Actually, I’m very interested in how you would choose his couch. I’d like to watch,” Izzy spoke up.

With a heavy sigh, Vira walked around testing couches. There were a few she immediately smiled at that I instantly vetoed. I didn’t want anything furry in my house. Nor did I want white. When she sat down on a leather sofa and grinned up at me, I shot her a dirty look.

“If I wanted my ass to stick to leather in the heat, I would have leather seats in my truck.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “You know, for a man who doesn’t care about what he wants, you sure are making a lot of demands.”

I grunted in response and took a step back, but the whole time, I watched Izzy. The more Vira started laughing, the more at ease Izzy looked. I even saw her crack a smile, and it was fucking beautiful.

It wasn’t until she sat down on a grey couch that I saw her eyes light up with interest. When she leaned back, she seemed to sink into the couch. For the first time since we came out, she relaxed and the tension left her body for just a few moments.

“I think we found a winner,” Vira whispered.

I grunted in response, then watched as Izzy practically jumped up from the couch and ran over to a chaise, tossing herself on it with a laugh as she burrowed into the six pillows accompanying it. For a few seconds, this woman looked free of all worries.

“Did you find something you like?”

It was like a bucket of cold water doused the happiness on Izzy’s face. Her smile dropped as she climbed off the chase and hurried over to Vira’s side.

I scowled at the salesperson for ruining the moment for her. If we weren’t in public, I’d probably beat his ass.

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