Free Graveyard Shifts: A Pat Wyatt Novel by Laura Del Page B

“Why doesn’t Charlie like you?”
    He shrugged, frowning. “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”
    “Are you lying to me again?” I asked. And when he nodded, I laughed. “Then I’ll ask it again. Why doesn’t he like you?”
    He stared into my eyes for a moment, I guess contemplating whether he should tell me, and then he sighed. “Okay. I’m the one who deals with Sam’s women.”
    “What is that supposed mean?” I asked, distracted by how darling he was. Then I blinked back to reality.
    His green eyes filled with trouble. “I pay them off, tellin’ most of them to get lost…and…well, I guess Charlie’s afraid I’ll do the same to you.”
    “That still doesn’t explain why he doesn’t like you,” I pointed out. “After all, you’re just following orders.”
    Mike took a sip of water. “That’s because he really likes you.” Something in his voice told me that he liked me too. “I’ve never seen him take to anyone as fast as he’s taken to you,” he said with a smile.
    “I like him too.” I smiled, remembering the conversation this afternoon. “Charlie’s a good man.”
    Mike cleared his throat, taking some more food into his mouth. “I’m glad,” he said, and he took another sip of water.
    “What’s wrong?” I asked. Something told me Mike wasn’t telling me the whole story.
    He sighed and looked away from me. “You’re completely different from Sam’s usual type.” Type? I was so lucky not to have a type.
    “What does he usually go for?” I was interested because it seemed the mere mention of Samuel’s name was enough to excite me, and not always in a good way.
    “Women who are more…” he paused, taking a breath. “Blonde. Both physically and mentally, if you catch my drift.” That I did not understand. In spite of everything, Samuel didn’t seem that shallow. “You’re definitely not blonde.” Mike laughed at his own joke.
    I nodded, smiling slightly. “Most definitely not.” When I said that, it reminded me of Samuel’s “most definitely not boring” comment, and my smile widened.
    “You’re really beautiful,” Mike interrupted my thought. “Do you know that?” The only thing I could do was roll my eyes. “No.” He placed his hand on my forearm, making shivers come over me. “I’m serious. You’re somethin’ else, and you’re smart to boot. Unlike all those other women who only had outer beauty. You’ve got somethin’ special on the inside too. You are so much more than a pretty face.”
    I didn’t know whether to be flattered or insulted. “Thank you? I’ve never had a compliment quite so…” I considered. “Interesting.”
    He dropped his hand, and it made me tingle. “Sorry. Sometimes I get carried away.”
    “No problem,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder and realizing how muscular he was. “I get carried away all the time.” After that, we turned back to our meals and ate in comfortable silence.
    When we finished, I noticed that it was dark outside, and it made me wonder when my husband would be home. So as I walked Mike to the front door, he wasn’t far from my mind, even though we were laughing at a rather dirty lawyer joke Mike told.
    Then Samuel just appeared in the doorway, scaring us both to death.
    We stopped dead, the smiles gone from our faces, as we stood there in a deafening silence. That is, until Samuel broke it. “Mike.” Samuel held out his hand, shaking Mike’s extremely hard. “So nice to see you again.”
    “Y-yes,” Mike stammered, pointing to the front door. “I was just leavin’.”
    “Oh,” he said, not in the least bit devastated. “So soon?”
    “Yes,” I interrupted before Mike had a heart attack. “He has to wake up early. Don’t you, Mr. Wolf?”
    Mike looked at me in shock, but he quickly regained himself. “Yes, Mrs. Satané, I do.” He turned, his back toward Samuel, winking at me as he kissed my hand. “Thank you,” he paused, letting the double meaning sink