"What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."
For all intents and purposes, he was a ghost. I had never expected to see him again. I figured he was on his way to Russia to break heads or on his way to a tropical island somewhere in the company of grass skirt-wearing women, who were thinner than I and with significantly bigger boobs. The thought made me well up. I had a knot in my throat. I couldn't have answered him if I tried.
In typical Brodie fashion, he didn't push me. He let the silence rest on us until the shock wore off. Then he closed the door behind me, locking it in place with a soft click.
"Do I comment on the dress now or later?"
I hiccupped, and a tear ran down my cheek. "Later is fine."
"Okay, later, but don't let me forget." Ever so gently, he took my hand an
