Page 97 of Hold the Pickle
She’ll mean now. “I only have a quick sec.”
Max leans forward. “The reason I brought up singing is because we all wondered if you were more than a roommate to Nadia. Her behavior has been, well, different.”
He waits for a moment to see if I will confess.
Nope. I’m not giving up a single thing. Not this time.
Finally, Max grunts. “I see you’re not going to talk about it.” He stares me down, and dude, he’s intimidating. It’s like he’s Thor, ready to beam you with his hammer.
I decide to evade. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“She’s pulled out of the family business, and here you are spouting off about how she doesn’t want it.”
Ah. He’s finally put that together. “She’s happier volunteering at the rescue.”
His eyes narrow. “So, you are still talking to her?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t know. A random roommate she barely knew. Then started singing about. Who are you, exactly?”
Now I’m mad. “Someone who cares about her. She didn’t want to leave.”
“She was never meant to live in LA.”
“She liked it here.”
“She’s easily the smartest Pickle. She has an MBA.” His voice is practically a growl.
“I know that.”
He glares at me again. He’s looking at me like I’m the bad guy. Am I? Am I holding Nadia back?
“What are you looking for from me?” I ask.
Max sighs and runs his hands through his hair. “I’m asking you, whatever hold you have on her, let her be. If she comes back to you, fine, whatever. But her brother is helping her get her dream. The family has her back. Whatever has made her hide what she’s doing and who she’s doing it with…” He fixes me with another oriented stare. “Can’t be good for her.”
He’s right. Nadia kept secrets. But she felt she had to.
My phone buzzes.
Harrington: Booker’s looking for you. Get down here.
I stand up. “You’ve made your point.”
“All right.” He doesn’t stand or try to stop me as I head into the bowels of the hospital.
The Pickles protect their own.
33
NADIA
One of my favorite sounds is entering the cat sanctuary at the rescue.
Mews, big and little. Purrs, rumbles, the soft pad of cat feet landing on the hardwood floor as they jump from their perches to greet me.
I kneel with a new bag of toys, courtesy of Axel. The cats swarm me, running their sleek bodies along my legs, hoping they will get first dibs.
