Page 22 of Axe-ing for Trouble
“He was awesome,” she said. “Coached my basketball team. Took us camping and fishing every summer. Sat and did math homework with me every night.”
Silently, I held out a box of tissue.
She plucked one out, then another, and clutched them in her lap. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this.”
“When did he pass?” I asked gently.
“Eight years ago. From an overdose.”
My stomach bottomed out. I had not been expecting that.
“But really, we lost him ten years before that. It’s a common story. He got injured, and when the painkillers ran out, he went looking for something more.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize.”
She looked up at me, her cheeks tearstained. “I told you this was personal.”
Her words hung in the air between us, her eyes swimming with a pain that had clearly lingered a long time.
My heart clenched as I studied her. This woman had been through so much, and I’d thought a game of Scrabble would boost her mood? Fuck, I was an idiot.
I pulled the game box back over and snagged the lid. “We can skip the game. No big deal.”
She rested her good hand on my forearm. “No. I wanna play. Kicking your ass would really help me turn this day around.”
There it was, the spitfire energy I’d been so attracted to that night. “Okay, then. But first, we need snacks.”
“Got any Flamin’ Hot Cheetos?”
“No. But I’ve got almond meal crackers, hummus, and some decent Vermont cheddar.”
She dropped her chin, her expression unimpressed. “Good enough.”
After I’d had a second lucky break, her competitive side finally made an appearance.
“Come on, Yale. You can do better than that,” I teased.
She tapped her chin and glared at me. “You’re smarter than you look, Jude.”
I shrugged. “Not really. I got good letters. You’re the one who got the Q.”
“Query was pretty decent, if I say so myself.” She laughed.
The sound lit me up inside. This was the most carefree she’d been since she showed up on my doorstep yesterday.
“Qaid was even better, in my opinion. I seriously didn’t think it was a word.”
She smirked. “I noticed. But if scrabble.com confirms it, then I’m good. And it was pure luck that I hit that sweet triple-word score. I’m going to catch you and then bury you.”
Her eyes danced as I lined up my tiles, sending a thrill through me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had so much fun. I tried to make one ridiculous word after another, but she rejected them all. That morphed into stringing letters together, creating nonsense to make her giggle.
“I know it was awkward, but thank you for the shower.” She studied her letters, avoiding my eye. “I feel so much better.”
“No problem,” I lied through my teeth. It had been a major problem, actually. Being in such close proximity to Mila’s naked body like that had been pure torture. I think I may have permanent blue balls from that little interaction.
“I can’t believe we use the same shampoo.” She ran her good hand through her clean hair. “It’s hard to find.”
I nodded but kept my mouth shut. There was no way I’d tell her that I’d been so obsessed with the scent of honey lemon shampoo she’d left on my pillows after we hooked up that I’d driven to store after store, sniffing shampoo bottles like a fiend until I found it.
