Page 51 of Unruly
“You betcha, boss.”
“I’m not your boss. Just your guide.”
“Semantics.” He smiles again before looking down at his screen. “First step is to open a browser…”
I do my best to listen to his instructions and ignore his closeness, the sweetness of his breath, the warmth of his arm brushing against mine, and that amazing scent. I have work to do, but dammit if this man isn’t distracting.
Chapter 14
Borja
Hours have passed and I swear I’m going cross-eyed from staring at my phone screen. Farnsworth is just as alert as always, soaking up everything I tell him about the internet. He took over the search a while ago, clicking every link related to the hotel or Lady Brent, but so far, we haven’t found anything.
I’m not hungry, but I’m craving the comfort of a decent burger and a cold beer. I guess I can eat if I want to, and I do.
“Do you mind if I get some dinner ordered?”
Farnsworth looks up. “No, of course not.”
“Do you want something? I’m gonna get a burger.”
Farnsworth looks away for a moment, thinking, but then lifts his gaze again. “We could go out. If you want to.”
“Uh, yeah, that would be good. There’s a pretty good place about a block from here.”
“Very good.” He hands me my phone. “We can continue our research later.”
“Sounds good.”
We rise from the couch and I stretch my arms above my head, noticing how Farnsworth’s eyes follow the movement. The world must be so different from when he was around. As we step out into the cool evening, I decide to ask him a few questions.
“What was your favorite thing to do when you were alive?”
His expression shows brief surprise before it settles. “I haven’t thought about that in many years.” We walk a bit before he continues. “I suppose it was my father’s annual hunt. It was the one time his attention was mine. Away from work and other duties, it was our time, though I often disappointed him and I refused to kill an innocent animal.”
“Are you a vegan?”
“A what?”
“A vegan. Do you not eat animal products?”
“I don’t eat at all, Borja.”
I chuckle. “Okay, but when you did.”
“I don’t understand the correlation.”
“When someone is concerned about the well-being of animals, it can lead them to be a vegan, a person who only eats plant-based food.”
“I see. Well, I took no offense to the consumption of animals. I merely wasn’t able to look one in the eye and end its life. I was cowardly in that way.”
“It’s not cowardly, Farnsworth. A lot of modern folks wouldn’t be able to do it either. Fortunately, we don’t have to.”
He nods, looking introspective for a moment. “You’ve never hunted?”
“Nah. Wasn’t my thing or my family’s. We’re just regular folks who get our food from restaurants and grocery stores.” He doesn’t say anything, so I continue. “Were you close with your mother?”
His brow creases and he’s silent for at least a minute. “I don’t recall, sadly. From what I remember, she was a distant woman. Pious. She was often in prayer, reading, or keeping the home.”
