Nate immediately shook his head. “That’s not necessary. Let Seth keep his room. I’d rather sleep down here in the living room.” He was about to add where he could hear if anyone messed with either of the doors, but he didn’t want the boys to worry about anything. “I brought a pillow and sleeping bag. The couch will be just fine.”
She looked like she was going to argue, but Seth spoke up before she had the chance. “I could sleep in the living room, too. Like a sleepover!”
Jordan temporarily forgot about his snack and looked from his brother to his mom as though he were afraid that he was missing out on something.
“Absolutely not.” Bailey gave her son a stern look. “You’ll sleep in your own room like normal.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Seth went back to his snack, his disappointment written all over his face.
“Maybe we can play ball with Minnie some more tomorrow.” Nate smiled when Seth’s eyes brightened.
By half past eight, the boys were tucked in bed, and Bailey had finally given up convincing Nate that he ought to have something more comfortable to sleep on than the couch.
She’d brought out some peanut butter and chocolate candy, gotten each of them a soda, and now they were sitting in the living room. Bailey kicked off her shoes and rested her feeton the coffee table.
Nate chuckled. “You can tell a lot about a person when they prop their feet up like that.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Oh?”
“It means you’re laid back. More relaxed. I’ll bet you don’t have any of those fancy hand towels that are only for looks, do you?”
She was trying to keep a straight face, but one corner of her mouth quirked up.
“No fancy throw pillows either.” He patted the arm of the couch.
“What makes you think Seth and Jordan haven’t completely destroyed or hidden those by now?”
“Fair point. But I’m right about the hand towels, aren’t I?”
Bailey shrugged her shoulders, but Nate could tell by the humor on her face that he’d hit the nail on the head.
“You’re one of those people who isn’t going to hang onto something or keep it around if it doesn’t have some kind of practical purpose. It’s not a bad trait, Bailey. I admire it.”
“Thank you.” A faint pink colored her cheeks. “I always figured it was a shame to have something and not actually use it. And for the record, we did have throw pillows with this couch, but they didn’t last long around here.” She took a bite of her candy and then gave a quiet moan of approval.
It was clear she savored the flavor, and her reaction was more than adorable. Was it candy in general? Chocolate? Or the combination of chocolate and peanut butter?
He suspected she saved the candy for herself in the evenings as a treat. Something to look forward to once the kids were in bed. If so, he appreciated the fact that she was willing to share.
They snacked in silence for several moments until Bailey took a drink of her soda before setting the can downon the coffee table. “You’re good at reading people. Like, really good. I imagine Jenny and everyone else you worked with were sorry to see you go.”
Her gray-blue eyes stayed on him as she waited for a response. When he said nothing, her brows furrowed a little. “Do you regret leaving the PD?”
Nate didn’t want to talk about this or the reason for why he left the PD. All Bailey knew was that he’d decided to take some time and look into alternative work options. Few people truly understood the reasoning behind his decision. If they started this conversation, she’d eventually ask him for the details. Then, the answer would leave her as frustrated and disappointed with him as he was with himself.
He weighed his words carefully. “I don’t regret it, but I do miss it. Especially everyone I worked with.” He downed the rest of his soda. “I’d like to think I’m making a difference through Paws with a Cause, even if it’s in a different way.”
“Of course you are. I don’t think that’s ever been in question.” She stared at her hands clasped in her lap and twiddled with the ring on her right index finger. “I just know you were great as a detective. Joe mentioned several times how you always wanted to help people and that you were one of the best detectives he’d ever known. I guess I never fully understood why you stepped away from that.”
“It’s complicated.” The words came out with more of a growl than he’d intended. “I’m sorry, Bailey. It’s not easy for me to talk about it.”
“I understand. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried.” With that, she stood and gathered their empty cans before going to the kitchen.
Nate could’ve kicked himself. She’d opened up yesterday about how conflicted she was concerning the farm. It couldn’t have been easy to admit she was thinkingabout selling the place, and it was clear she had a lot of guilt over even entertaining the possibility. He wondered how many people she’d shared that with. Knowing how private a person she was, he doubted it was many, and she’d chosen to share with him.
Well, he hadn’t talked about what happened to him with very many people, either. Maybe it was time he added one more to that list.
Chapter Fourteen
