“Home. To my place.”
Black eyebrows lifted inquiringly.
“To pick up more clothes,” he enlarged, with some satisfaction.
“Why don’t you just pack a suitcase and move in?”
“I would, but I still have to go by the house every day to get my mail, so that wouldn’t be saving me any trouble. Most of my clothes will end up at her house eventually.”
“All of your other girlfriends have moved in with you,” Trammell pointed out.
“Marlie’s different. She feels safe in her house; she won’t willingly leave it.” Besides, he didn’t like the idea of Marlie moving into his own house. As Trammell had pointed out, several women over the years had taken up temporary residence there. He had liked and enjoyed them at the time, but in the end they hadn’t been very important to him, certainly not as important or interesting as his job. arlie was different; she didn’t belong in that company of ultimately forgettable women.
Thinking of his house made him restless. It had always suited him before, but then, he had never been picky. Suddenly he wanted to change things around. “My place needs some work done on it,” he decided abruptly. “This would be a good time to have it done.”
“What kind of work?”
“Maintenance stuff. New paint, the floors refinished. The bathroom needs complete renovation.”
“I see.” Trammell’s dark eyes began to gleam. This was something he’d been itching to do for years. “How about new furniture while you’re at it? That stuff you’re using is about twenty years old.”
“The place belonged to my grandparents. When they left it to me, the furniture came with it.”
“It shows. How about it? New furniture, too?”
Dane considered it. Unlike most cops, and not counting Trammell, his bank account was healthy. He was single and had cheap tastes in food, clothes, and cars. He had inherited the house from his grandparents, so he didn’t have a mortgage payment every month. He actually lived on half of his income, so the other half had been accumulating in the bank for years. Several times he’d thought about buying a boat, but when would he have time to use it? No other money-using schemes had come to mind. The house did need redecorating. He would like to take Marlie there occasionally, though he really couldn’t imagine her living there with him, and he wanted the place to look nice for her. Unfortunately, now it looked exactly like what it was: a bachelor’s home. And a bachelor who didn’t pay much attention to his surroundings, at that. He wasn’t the kind of slob who left food and empty beer cans everywhere, but he wasn’t great on dusting or replacing things, either.
“Okay,” he said. “New furniture, too.”
Trammell rubbed his hands together. “I’ll get started tomorrow.”
Warily Dane eyed his friend. “Whaddaya mean, you’ll get started? You’re going to be busy. I’ll arrange for the painters and floor refinishers, and pick out some new furniture next weekend.”
“That’s not quite how it’s going to be, old buddy. We’ve already agreed that your taste in everything except women is atrocious. You have great taste in women. Just leave the rest to me.”
“Hell, no! I know you. You’ll put one of those little rugs that costs a fortune on the living room floor, and I’ll be afraid to even walk on it. My bank account isn’t yours, old buddy.”
“I’ll take that into consideration. And no dhurrie rugs. Unlike you, I have excellent taste. It’ll be a place you can be comfortable in, but it’ll look a hell of a lot better. Marlie will like it,” he added shyly.
Dane scowled at him, and Trammell clapped him on the shoulder. “Just relax and enjoy it.”
“That sounds like I’m going to get fucked.”
“I can do it for about ten thousand. How does that sound?”
“Like a damn expensive fuck. How about five?”
Trammell snorted. “Only if you want to sleep on a futon and sit on a bean bag.”
Ten thousand. It was a lot of money. But Trammell was right, the self-satisfied bastard: He did have good taste. The house needed renovating, and he wanted it fresh and clean for Marlie, even if she never actually lived there. None of those other women had left much of an imprint, but he wanted even the hint of them gone. “How are you going to find time to do it?” he asked grudgingly.
“Ever hear of the telephone? It’s no problem. I’ll have stuff delivered, drop by to take a look at it, and if I don’t like it, the store will pick it up again.”
“You’ve been rich for too long. You need to come out of the stratosphere and live like regular folks for a change.”
“Conspicuous consumers like me create jobs and keep the economy growing. It’s time you did your part.”
“I agreed, damn it.”
“Then stop complaining about it.” Trammell checked his watch again. “Gotta go. If you have an extra house key, bring it to me in the morning.”
“Sure,” Dane said, wondering if his house would be recognizable as the same residence when Trammell got through with it. Still, it accomplished two things at once: The place did need some work, and it gave him a perfect excuse to completely move in with Marlie during the renovation. He was whistling as he got in his car.
An hour and a half later, Marlie went still with shock as she stood in the doorway and watched him unload suitcases and boxes from his car.
“What’s all that?” she asked faintly. Silly question; she could see very clearly what it was. The question she really wanted to ask was “Why?” but she figured she knew the answer to that, too. Dane might enjoy very much the physical side of their relationship, but she couldn’t let herself forget that, no matter what, he was always a cop. What better way to keep an eye on her than to move right in? That way he would know immediately if she had another vision.