Page 87 of The Gift
I shook my head. “I wasn’t really noticing anything, which is why I bumped intoyou.”
“Ran into me like a getaway car fleeing a jewel heist, more like.” He rubbed the seat of his jeansruefully.
Heat climbed my cheeks. “I’m so sorry.Again.”
“Nah, it’s fine. Just giving you shit,” he said. “Anyway, yeah, I’m having the second floor finished out. Upgrading the electrical, adding some walls and plumbing fixtures. Turning it into some industrial-loft-style apartments.” He began mixing meat and some spices in a bowl with his hands. “Think O’Leary’s ready forthat?”
“An apartment foryou?”
“Yeah. Plus one other. The back one will look out over the fairgrounds, and the front one—the one I’m taking—faces thestreet.”
“So you’ll have a view of the grocery store and the parkinglot?”
“Uh huh. I plan to invest in binoculars so I can scrutinize everyone’s purchases when they walk out of the Imperial, and make inappropriate comments later on.” Parker started forming the meat into disks, his fingers swift and sure. “‘Hey, Ms. Dorian, do David and Jess give you a discount on whipped cream when you buy it in bulk like that?’Or, ‘Hey, Mitch! I see you bought a big container of peanut butter. Funny enough, Marci just bought a giant jar of jelly. Anything you two would like to tell us?’ It’ll begreat.”
I snorted. “Those two have definitely got something going on,” I said, referring to Marci, the dispatcher at the police station, and Mitch, who was technically herboss.
“I wouldn’t be surprised.” He set the finished burger patties on a tray and washed his hands. “But I’m just kidding. Town gossip might be the one thing Ididn’tmiss aboutO’Leary.”
“Oh, yeah? You missed us? I sort of remember hearing you couldn’t wait to leave? Ethan,too.”
He turned away to set the burgers on the griddle and didn’t reply, so I bit my lip and changed thesubject.
“I’m sure it’ll be convenient, living upstairs. Not sure I’d want to live over a bar, though. I’ve seen it get pretty rowdy in here.” Mostly when Jamie had come by to hassle Parker on football Sundays, though I didn’t say that outloud.
“Oh, yeah. I know how bad it can get. The first apartment Ethan and I had back in college was over a bar in Allston. When the football game was on downstairs, I couldn’t hear myselfthink.This time I’m taking precautions. Soundproof insulation,” he said, pointing a spatula at the ceiling. “They’ve already got it installed over the bar area, since I wanted my space done first, and they’re working on this side today. Won’t be able to hear a damn thing, even when the place is packed and the music isloud.”
“Goodidea.”
Parker turned back to me and lined up the shot glasses again to refill them. This time, I didn’tprotest.
“Makes the whole upstairs toasty warm, too. Hottest place in O’Leary, even when it’s fucking cold out like it is now.” Parker wiggled his eyebrows. “Wanna come up andsee?”
He was so obviously joking, I grinned. “Actually, yeah.” Anotherthunkresounded through the building as something fell upstairs, followed by a call of, “I’mgood!”
I laughed. “Maybe when the work’s done, though. Might give me some ideas about how to fix up my place over theclinic.”
“Fair enough.” Parker took a couple of burger buns—the thin kind in the value pack—and put them on the griddle next to the burgers. “Now. Let’s stop talking about the war zone upstairs and talk about what’s got you running around O’Leary, mowing down innocentpedestrians.”
I rubbed at a spot over my eye. “Could we… maybe…not?”
“Not the chatty kind, huh?” Parker’s mouth twisted to the side and he nodded, folding his arms over his chest, spatula and all. “That’s okay. I bartended for a lotta years, you know. Managed a bar, too. I’ve gottricks.”
“Tricks?”
Parker poured out two more shots. “Let’s play agame.”
“Uh.” I laughed uncomfortably. “Isn’t that a moviequote?”
Parker cocked his head. “No, that’s ‘I want to play a game.’Saw,right?”
I made a face. “No! I meant the one from the 80s. With thecomputer!”
“War Games?” Parker laughed. “God! That movie’s older than weare!”
“Barely,” Igrumbled.
“Fine, then in honor of your silver status, old man, you can go first. The game is Truth orDare.”
