“Please, call me Ty, or Doobie. Would you like anything to drink?”
I shook my head and Brady replied, “No, thanks, we’re good. We just wanted to stop in and see how you’re doing.”
He still looked uneasy, so when we sat on the couch, I made sure to sit close to him and place my hand reassuringly on his thigh.
Doobie walked out of the room, then came back in with a shirt on and a water bottle in his hand.
“You doing okay?” Brady asked, when he settled in his recliner across from us.
“Going fucking stir-crazy, pardon the language … I’m ready to get out of this apartment and go back to work. They called me in tomorrow for some interviews about the shooting.”
“Me too.”
“Yeah, and as crazy as it sounds, I’m excited about it. About doing a damn interview, but shit, sorry, anything to get out of these walls.”
“How’s your family handling it?” I asked when it became obvious Brady was done talking. “They’re out of state, New Orleans, right?”
“Aww, Irish, you’ve been talking about me,” Doobie said, giving him a hard time. We both laughed when Brady shot him the finger. “Yeah, they’re all back home. My mom wanted to fly out, but I talked her out of it. Of course, I had to promise to go home for a visit this summer in order to get her to agree, but I knew if she was here hovering over me while I’m already losing my mind … well, it wouldn’t be good for either of us. Still, I miss them, and it would be a lie if I said I didn’t wish I was back there with them now.”
I nodded, understanding the need to be around family when you were sick or injured. It sucked that he didn’t have anyone here to take care of him
“You should come by for dinner this weekend,” I offered, squirming in my seat when I felt Brady’s eyes on my face. Guess I should have asked how he felt about it first … oops!
I turned to Brady with a shrug, “You didn’t have any plans, did you?”
“I may have, um, asked Cass if she and her husband wanted to get together. She texted me and said Saturday was good for them.”
My heart melted into a puddle at my feet.
“You did?” I was floored. I wouldn’t have been more surprised if he’d said he was the Guinness Book World Record holder for the Hula Hoop.
“Well,” I managed when I’d recovered from the shock, “you should join us, Ty. We can make it into a party.”
Laughter gurgled up at the look on Brady’s face at my suggestion. He looked like he’d just sucked on a lemon.
Doobie took one look at Brady and replied, “I’d love to.”
Chapter Thirty-Three ~ Brady
“I’m excited about Saturday night,” Doobie said with a grin.
I glared at him from my desk. We’d both already had our interviews with the Inspector, and now I was waiting for my appointment with the counselor. Doobie just didn’t want to go home yet.
“Ming’s going crazy. She’s invited my brothers and their families; now, it’s a whole … thing,” I growled, wondering how my attempt at a good deed had spiraled so out of control. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she got the phone tree from Victoria and invited every damn body.”
“Wait,” Doobie said, sitting up and putting his free elbow on his desk. “There’s a phone tree?”
“Fuck off,” I said in response to his wild grin.
“How does one get a spot on the phone tree, because I’d like to be included?”
I turned my body away from him, choosing to ignore him rather than let him bust my balls any more. He was enjoying this way too much.
“O’Malley.”
I looked up to see Smitty waving me over. I got up and left Doobie without a backward glance.
“See you Saturday,” he called.