Page 56 of Investigate Away
His mother laughed. “That’s bullshit, and you know it.”
“I’m with Mom on this one,” Troy said, still waving around a chicken wing. The man never stopped eating. “It started off as a booty call.”
“Troy Markus Bowie. Don’t you dare refer to that amazing young woman as a booty call.”
“But that’s what she started out as.” Troy tossed his hands to the sides.
“I’d prefer to think of it as Jag being her whatever call.”
Jag laughed. “She did call me the first few times.”
His mother smacked the back side of his head. Didn’t stop him from laughing. While his parents raised him to be respectful, their family, when alone, had no filter.
And Mom was the worst.
“Let’s forget the past,” his mother said. “And tell me what your plan is.”
“Oh, Mom. I can’t tell you that,” Jag said with a wicked grin.
His mother narrowed her eyes. “I already know she’s sleeping in your bed, so that’s a start, but satisfying a woman in the sack isn’t going to keep her forever. That’s just the icing on the cake.”
Troy snagged another beer. “That’s my cue to leave.”
“Mine too,” Jag said.
“You’re not going anywhere.” His mom gave him a good shove in the back. “Take a seat at the table.” She poured herself a glass of white wine and handed him another beer.
“Mom. I love you. But I’m a grown-ass man. I don’t need help with my love life.”
“Do you really want to reconcile?” She reached across the table and took him by the hand. “And I mean a long-term reconciliation as in give her the ring back?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “She doesn’t know I found it, so please don’t say anything.”
“I won’t. Now answer my question.”
“You’re worse than me in an interrogation room.”
His mother smiled like she’d just won the lottery.
He let out a long breath. “Yes. I want her back in a forever way.”
“Have you told her how you feel?”
“She knows I still love her, and yes, she still loves me.” He held up his hand when his mother started to smile. “But she doesn’t think we have a chance in hell and plans on leaving in a couple of weeks.”
“I see. So what are you doing, besides assuming sex solves everything?”
“I’m listening to her, something I didn’t do last year when it came to her instincts about certain things.”
His mother nodded. “The murder out on the island today. Why is she looking into…” His mom’s words trailed off as her eyes went wide. “You don’t believe that the Trinket Killer is back, do you?”
“I can’t talk about that with you.”
“That’s cop speak for yes.”
“It’s not a yes.” He lowered his gaze. “But it’s not a no either.”
“Understood,” his mother said. “But that scares me, especially with her being back. Stephanie, outside of you, was her entire world.”
