Lucky Baby (Crescent Cove 11)

“I just bet you do.” I turned back to Luna. “Is the old man around?”

“He’s grocery shopping. I’ll send him up to the roof when he gets back.”

I arched a brow. “No problem with the day drinking?”

She shrugged. “You guys obviously need time to talk.”

I didn’t say a damn thing, but I was getting used to Luna knowing things even when they were left unsaid. “Do I look that bad?”

“Your aura is blasting blue.” She reached up and patted my cheek before giving Butch a chin scratch. “I have clients all day today anyway. Will keep Goldilocks out of my hair.”

“Thanks, Lu.”

Brady nodded at Lu. “Always a pleasure, Luna.”

“Likewise, Deputy.”

We took the stairs up to the rooftop. The lush summer plants had been replaced with frothy buckets of mums in fall colors. A few pumpkins were stashed in corners next to happy scarecrows perched on hay bales.

Probably Luna’s doing. I was pretty sure the suit who owned this place had stopped at flowers.

I followed Brady over to the table. Thankfully, he chose the one with chairs that actually fit me.

After setting the cooler down, he slid it open and popped the top on a beer with his ring. He handed one to me and took one for himself.

Silence stretched companionably between us as Butch settled in my lap and Brady sat down and stretched out his legs. He’d swapped his uniform for a worn pair of jeans and a NYU sweatshirt.

I took a long sip then pointed at him with the bottle. “NYU? Did you go?”

“Yeah, I went the criminal justice route for awhile. Being a lawyer didn’t take though.” He laced his fingers around his beer and set it against his stomach as he lifted his face to the sun.

“Lawyer? Huh. Well, that’s way different than a cop.”

“Way more different than FBI too.”

I took a longer pull. The dark beer had been on the way to relaxing me until that bombshell. “What?”

Brady opened one eye. “Don’t get all excited. Working for the FBI is just paperwork wrapped in bureaucracy.” He took a long draw from his bottle too. “I like the Cove. Nice and quiet.”

I had a feeling there was more there, but I probably wouldn’t get it out of him today.

“Tell me a story, Lucky. I bet you’ve got a good one.”

I finished my beer and jockeyed Butch as I reached for another. As soon as I sat again, Butch went back to sleep.

She had the right idea.

The sun felt good on my skin, and the warmth helped to unkink the Ruby-sized knots in my shoulders. “No story. Just a woman trying to drive a good man crazy.”

“Who told you that?”

“What?”

“That you’re a good man.”

I laughed and clinked my bottle with his. “True that.” Careful not to rouse Butch, I kicked out my legs as Brady had and crossed them at the ankle. ?

??On a sunny September day, I met a Valkyrie.”