I’m sprawled out on the sectional, the television remote in my hand, the signal going in and out. My eyelids are fading and for the first time in years, I might actually grab a nap. That is until my phone rings with the blaring music of Dax’s ringtone.

His name flashes across the screen and my thumb hovers. A nap sounds better than whatever Dax has to say. Then again, it’d be nice to talk to someone who actually wants to speak to me.

“What’s up?” I answer.

“I heard you and Little Salty are tucked away in a cabin all cozy. You tap that yet?” He laughs, certain that would never happen.

“Let me warp back to two thousand and five and I’ll let you know.” I click off the remote. Senseless.

“That should show you how much of a gentleman I am, I don’t even know the current slang for banging.”

I press speaker, sit up on the couch and grab a magazine from the coffee table and start flipping through it. “Gentleman, you are not.”

“Hey, I’ve been dry so far this year. Saving myself for the village in Korea.” He laughs.

“You grab that economy size box of domes from Costco?”

I stop on an article about Matt Peterson. A picture of him so far in the air I can only hope it’s Photoshop’s doing.

“Hell no, you know they supply them for us. Or do you? You never blow off any tension with a good lay, Rogue.”

I do, I just don’t advertise it like my buddy does.

“Why are you calling again?” I ask.

“Just checking to make sure you’re alive is all.” Beckett’s laugh sounds in the background. Of course Dax isn’t alone.

“I hid all the knives,” I deadpan.

“Watch her and make sure you watch your six,” Beckett says.

“No worries, I’ll die of boredom first. She hasn’t come out of her room all afternoon.”

I slide to the back of the couch, my feet resting on the coffee table. At least if I was with them, we’d be playing cards or doing some other bullshit to pass the time. Dax would probably be boarding off the roof.

“You’re better off then,” Dax says.

“I don’t know, death by boredom is slow and painful. If she jabs me in the heart, it’s quick and over with.” I rest my head on the back of the couch, my eyes shutting, that nap sounding better and better.

“You underestimate me. I’d make it as slow and painful as possible.”

My head snaps up and sure enough Mia’s standing in the kitchen, a mug in her hands.

“Is that Little Salty?” Dax asks. “Hey, Lil’ Salty. You’re going to play nice, right?”

“I always play nice, Soups.” She starts heating water in the kettle on the stove. “Hoff, you there, too?”

“Hey, Mia...how’d you guess?” Beckett asks.

“Because the three of you do everything together.”

“Not everything,” I mumble.

“If you want us all, Mia, you just have to ask,” Dax says and laughs.

“I think she might only want one of us.” Beckett chimes in.

I roll my eyes. The guy wasn’t even around back when I got razzed about her following me around.

“Don’t flatter yourselves.” Mia grabs a tea bag from the cabinet.

She’s in pajama pants, a long sleeve tee with a big puffy pink sweater. I’m not sure what’s bigger, her sweater or her socks. She glances at her phone on the counter.

“I have references I can give you, Mia. Guaranteed stellar performance,” Dax says.

I shake my head at Dax’s idiocy.

“We better go hit the slopes. You two can just…hit it.” Beckett does his monster laugh.

“Screw off.” My gaze focuses in on Mia, while she grabs her cup and rounds the couch to sit on the opposite side of me.

“Oh, and FYI, our flight is canceled, so, use the manners your mothers taught you. I don’t wanna be haunted with a murder scene when I finally get there.” Dax laughs loudly and the line clicks off.

I bend forward and click off the phone. “You’re going to join me?”

She sips her tea, her brown eyes staring at me through the steam. “I did about everything I could to stay away. Turns out I’m way too efficient and organized.”

“Not a bad thing.”

“Television?” she asks, her gaze moving from me to the remote.

“No signal.”

She pulls a blanket from the edge of the couch, cuddling into the softness. “Do you think they have cards?”

“What are you thinking?”

She smiles, her expression suggesting that I should know, which I do.

“You sure?”

She nods still believing she’ll beat me.

“Your funeral.” I stand up and head over to the drawers on the nearby table and jackpot, every type of card imaginable. “Pinnacle?” I hold up the cards. “Bridge.” I hold up that pack. “Euchre.” Then I pluck out the regular poker cards. “Gin Rummy anyone?”

She places her tea on the table, rubbing her hands together. “Bring them to Mama.”

I toss them on the table and she misses no time in pulling them out and shuffling the deck using her fancy bridge method.

Instead of joining her right away, I head to the kitchen, grabbing a bag of pretzels and a bottle of water. I can’t wait until I can really spoil my diet, but that day is way too far into the future to think too much about now.

I jump over the edge of the couch and land on the cushion two away from her.

“Pretzels?” she asks.

I shrug. “Could be worse.” I pry the bag open and I hold it out to her. “Want some?”

She picks up the bag and holds it up to her nose, inhaling the scent and then passing it back to me.

“No?”

She starts dealing the cards while shaking her head. “I’ll eat the entire bag.”

Not about to beg her, I keep them on my side of the table, popping one at a time in my mouth.

She sips her tea as we start discarding and picking up cards. Then when I think she’s about to lay down three cards, she leans over and tucks her hand into the bag and sneaks a pretzel.

I say nothing as she chews, her eyes concentrating on the cards on the table.

For the first time in I don’t know how long, there’s a comfortable silence between us.