Page 34 of Graced
Yes, he did.It was orange, a glaring, almost neon shade of orange, but Rhyne feigned ignorance.“Blue?”
“It’s orange, dumbass!Now ask me how I know that.”
Rhyne played along.“How do you know that?”
“Because I remembered oranges are orange, and this is almost the same shade.”
Rhyne glanced out the one window.“Like pumpkins?”
“Yeah!Like pumpkins.”
Opening the fridge, Welsh perused the contents, then shut the door.“Nothing in there I wanna eat.I’m gonna stop at the taco place and get me a breakfast burrito along the way.”He started for the back door when Rhyne stopped him.
“Forgetting something, amigo?”
Welsh glared at him.“What?”
Rhyne held out his hand.“It’s the first of the month.It’s also my turn to have the car.”He expected an argument from the guy.He wasn’t disappointed.
“Gimme a break, Rhyne.One more day.I only had thirty days last month.You get thirty-one.”
Straightening in his chair, Rhyne didn’t try to hide his irritation.“That’s never been an issue before.Why bring it up now?”He extended his arm.“Give me the car keys.”
He saw the man hesitate.Any moment, he expected Welsh to ignore his request and go for the door, but he was closer to the garage.And faster.The man wouldn’t make it far.
“Give him the keys, Welsh.”Nash’s voice was harsh and authoritative, breaking through the stalemate.
The man whirled on Nash but checked his actions.Seeing he was outnumbered, he pulled the key fob from his pants pocket, threw it at Rhyne, and stomped out of the house, slamming the door on his way out without comment.
“Well, that was easier than I thought it would be,” Rhyne remarked sarcastically, setting the fob on the table next to him.“Thanks for the backup.”
Nash responded with a wave of his hand as he grabbed the loaf of bread on the counter.“One of these days, I’m going to let the two of you go at each other while I sit back, eat popcorn, and wait to find out who’s the victor.”
Getting to his feet, Rhyne took his empty bowl and spoon to the sink when Nash spoke again.
“Hey, do you believe this shit Welsh is telling us?”
“What shit?”
“That he can see in color.”
Rhyne figured the best way to answer the man would be to shrug.If he tried to deny it verbally, Nash would know he was lying.That, or trying to cover up something.Instead, he concentrated on washing his dishes and placing them in the drain rack to dry.
“I need to run a couple of errands before I head to work,” he noted.Giving Nash a pat on the shoulder, he wished him a good day and left for his bedroom.
Norris hadn’t called him, even though the man had promised to.The fact that he trusted the guy who’d never reneged on his word before left him puzzled and worried.
A glance at the time told him Grace should be arriving at the hospital any time now.He briefly debated going there to see if Norris was still on site.Even if he wasn’t, it would give Rhyne the chance to see Grace.Maybe share another cup of coffee again if he hung around long enough.But he also needed to go to the bank to draw out his money, and then make a run to the market to stock up with whatever he and Grace would need to get by in the event they were forced to go into hiding.
He checked his phone for the umpteenth time.There still was no incoming call logged from Norris’s number.
“Damn it, Norris.Why haven’t you called?”
Going to the bathroom, he threw some water on his face then hurried out of the house just as Nash was sitting down to enjoy his buttered toast and jam.
* * *
Welsh furiously pedaled the bicycle on his way to work.The normally fifteen-minute drive would take him closer to thirty minutes on the bike, depending on the traffic, but in a way the exercise was therapeutic.The steady pumping of his legs became automatic, allowing him to blow off some steam as he stewed over this latest altercation with Rhyne.
