“I can do that.” She grins, with happiness filling her eyes.
“And I can see about getting a week off in the fall, and we can fly out to Chicago and drive your stuff back here,” I say, and I notice her expression dull immediately. “You really don’t want to go back to Chicago.”
“My life is here. My friends and the people who’ve become like family to me are here. Chicago is my past, and I don’t want to go back. I just want to keep going forward.”
“Don’t give up your storage unit. You might feel differently about going back there in a month or a year,” I tell her, and she studies me for a long moment before she nods. “All right, now . . . our plans for the day.”
“I didn’t know we had plans today.” She smiles as she takes a sip of coffee.
“Our plans involve a meeting with the kitchen designer, Amanda, who’s coming to my place at one. I need to sort that out before you officially move in. Otherwise, my mom will lose her shit.”
“I can’t imagine your mom losing her . . . you know.”
I grin. Over the last few months, I’ve learned Anna doesn’t cuss, which is adorable. Especially when I know she wants to. I’ve also noticed she never says anything when I cuss.
“She was on me about me fixing up my place before we got together. Now, anytime I talk to her, the first question she asks is when I’m going to make the house somewhere you might want to live.”
“I love your house.” I notice a hint of worry in her voice.
“I know, baby.”
“And you know it doesn’t matter to me how the kitchen looks or anything else, right?”
“I know why you’re with me, Anna. I’ve never second-guessed why I want to be with you or why you want to be with me.”
“Okay,” she says quietly, chewing the inside of her cheek—a tell that lets me know she’s not convinced, unlike the twitch she gets in her cheek when she’s getting angry or frustrated.
“I don’t have money, Anna, not much anyway, and the life we build, I want us to build it together. What’s mine is yours and vice versa.”
“I don’t want the stocks. I don’t want any of it, not even a few shares for any kids we might have. I don’t want any ties to the reason my parents are the way they are.”
“I don’t give a fuck what you do with it, Anna. Keep it, sell it—it doesn’t matter to me.”
I see the tension leave her shoulders and the worry leave her eyes. “Thank you.” I lean over and kiss her and then back away when there’s a knock on the door and Bane barks. “That’s probably Edie,” she says. Then she shouts toward the door, “Just a second!”
“Anna, is Calvin with you?” Herb’s voice rings loud, surprising me.
I see her frown as I call out, “I’m here, Herb.”
“Christ, man, I’ve been trying to get ahold of you!” he shouts back through the door, and I get up off the bed, searching the side table for my cell that isn’t there.
“Just a sec.” I wait for Anna to pull on a pair of pants, and once she’s got them on, I go to the door and open it.
He steps forward, looking wired. “Hey, Anna, you good?” he asks.
“Yeah, Herb, you?”
“Been better, sweetheart,” he says, then looks at me. “I’ve been calling you for the last hour.”
“I must have left my cell in the truck last night. What’s going on?”
“We have another murder.” I glance at Anna and catch her wringing her hands together.
Fuck.
“Let’s talk outside,” I say, then look at Anna. “I’ll be right back, baby.” After I get her nod, I step outside and shut the door behind myself. “Where?”
“One of the hotels. The body’s been there a couple days. Housekeeping didn’t go in before today, because the ‘do not disturb’ sign was left on the door.”
“Fuck.”
“It’s bad.” He jerks his hand through the hair on his head, looking away. “The scene looks like something out of a horror movie. He was killed in the shower. It looks like he didn’t know it was coming and was stabbed multiple times in the back before he was able to try to defend himself, which was pointless, judging by the defensive wounds on his hands and chest.”
“Let me get dressed, make sure Anna’s okay, and then I’ll meet you. Send me the address,” I say and then shake my head, remembering I don’t know where my cell is, and if it’s not in my truck, I’ll be driving around to every hotel in town. “Never mind. What hotel is it?”
He rattles off the hotel and room; then, with not much of a goodbye, he disappears down the stairs. I pull in a breath, then turn and open the door.