Page 127 of Not That Ridiculous

“You didn’t have to come and pick me up,” I said to Adam as I trailed along the path after him to his front door. “You live ten minutes away. I could have walked.”

“And if I’d called and said, hey, Ray’s made the guest room up for you and Phil, come on over, you’d have said…?”

I didn’t bother replying. We both knew I’d have said no thanks and grimly driven myself to the hotel to be miserable and alone.

I felt a sudden, fierce surge of gratitude for Adam’s high-handed bossiness.

And his kindness.

He put his key in the lock. The door popped open before he could turn it.

“Charlie!” Ray said. “Come in, come in!”

Phil barged past me with his usual lack of manners, all but headbutting Ray in the groin with his enthusiastic greeting. Ray laughed and caught him by the collar, pulling him out of the way and ushering us in.

“So.” Ray opened his eyes wide at me.

“So,” I said.

“Dead guy in your bedroom, huh?”

“Yup.”

“Been there,” Ray said.

Adam snorted and shut the door. “Just ask him, Ray.”

Adam had taken my bag from the back seat before I could grab it. He put a hand on Ray’s hip and dropped a quick kiss to the side of Ray’s head, so easy and casual he probably didn’t even know he’d done it, before shuffling him aside to carry my bag down the hall. Phil beelined after him.

“No, no. It’s…he probably doesn’t want to talk about. Unless?” Ray’s big brown eyes opened even wider. “Do you want to talk about it?” He nodded encouragingly.

“I’m good.”

“Excellent.” Ray did his best not to look disappointed. “I’ve made up the guest room. If you’d rather sleep in the sitting room, I can make up the sofa instead.”

“Why wouldn’t I?—”

“Charlie,” Adam called down the stairs. Phil sat at the bottom, gazing up at him adoringly but going no further. “Come on.”

Understanding dawned. “Oh, you mean because you had a guy under the boards in your guest room?” I said to Ray.

He winced.

I waved it off. “It’s fine. I’ve got to get used to it sooner rather than later. Considering I’ve lived the last two years with a bunch of corpses in the wall watching me sleep.”

“Abunch?” Ray said. “In thewall?”

“Don’t tell anyone.”

“I know the drill.” Ray led the way up the stairs. “A bunch, though? Yours were all in the same place? How many’s a bunch?”

“Liam won’t say. It’s more than one. Kevin thinks—” I broke off. “Never mind. It’s more than one. Let’s leave it at that.” I paused and said to Phil, “You coming, buddy?”

Phil lay down with a sigh.

“Is he not allowed upstairs?” Ray asked. “I thought he’d be a bed hog.”

“He’s allowed. He just won’t do it.” I contemplated Phil. “I used to think it was a stairs thing. Now I’m wondering if it’s a dead-body thing.”

---