Begrudgingly, as if it’s an effort of will to do so, she turns her head to meet my eyes. “There. What.”
I glance at the road, then back at her. “It…happened. It was real. It wasn’t a dream. Good, bad, or wet.”
She bites her lip to hold back an unwilling smirk. “You have a high opinion of yourself, it seems.”
“Is it misplaced?” I ask. “In the department we’re referring to, at least.”
She blushes. “I’m not talking about what happened, Thai.”
I huff, roll my eyes. “Why? Are you ashamed?”
She doesn’t answer. Just blushes harder.
“Delia, come on. You’re not some blushing teenage virgin bride, here. You’re a grown woman. You’ve had sex. You can’t pretend nothing happened and refuse to talk about it.”
“Yes I can.”
“We have to work together. We have to figure this out. Because I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to sell off and vanish, Dee. I’m in this for the long haul. I enjoy the work. I enjoy the challenge. I like being back here in River Gulch. I like being around you, even though you’re prickly and uptight and still have a tendency to lash out with savage burns.”
“I’m prickly and uptight?” This gets her to look at me, and not in a good way. “Are you for real?”
“Yes, I’m for real. You, Delia McKenna, are the very textbook, dictionary definition of prickly and uptight.”
“Am not.”
“Then quit being defensive and quit avoiding me and this whole subject, andtalkto me.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s what adults do when they have sex.”
“We didn’t have sex.”
I breathe a laugh. “I guess it would depend on your definition of sex, but sure. We didn’tfuck. Butsomethinghappened between us.”
“You seduced me.”
I laugh. “Did not. But honestly, I’ll take seduced. I was worried you were going to say I, like, assaulted you or some shit.”
“I wouldn’t. That’s a serious accusation and it’s not what happened. I don’t hate youthatmuch.”
“Thank you for that.” I drive a good thirty seconds in silence. “If I didn’t seduce you, and I didn’t assault you, whatdidhappen between us?”
“I don’t know,” she whispers, refusing to even look in my direction.
“Delia, for real. What was it?” I wait, but nothing is forthcoming. “How about we take a step back. Let’s just admit the facts, then. The basics of what actually occurred in your house last week.”
“No.”
I cackle out loud. “No? Just no?”
“Just no.”
“You won’t even admit to what went on?”
“I’m not talking about it.”
“Why, Delia? Then answer mewhy?”
