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Asleep like never before.”
    He rinsed out the bottles they had bought and joined her at the door.
    The first drops of rain were pelting the deck. She was watching the storm, and all the while she was thinking about him and how so very gentle he was as they had fed the tiny kittens their milk. His square hands had held them so surely and carefully. And she had caught him smiling the first time one of them caught onto the bottle and started nursing hungrily.
    They had put the kittens to bed, snuggled in the folds of the cotton blanket with blue and yellow ducks on it. She had left him to put the rest of the groceries away. He had complained when she had piled the shopping cart with ice cream, pizza, hot dogs, Fritos, and burgers. He had just stood patiently waiting while she added french fries and Crisco. His only contribution had been popcorn.
    The wind and the ripping water had calmed just a little. The rain increased to a blinding downpour. He stood beside her a moment. His voice was low and menacing. “I came here to be alone and now I have a neighbor and three cats.”
    Declining the urge to look at him, Sterling smiled at the storm. “Life’s full of surprises, Joe. How about that poker game? Can’t see much anymore. Fog setting in.”
    “Don’t feel like cards,” he grunted. “Let’s play Jeopardy.”
    She turned and looked at him questioningly. He answered with a forced smile. “Like you’re in jeopardy if you don’t give me some straight answers.”
    “Are, you going to grill me? Isn’t that cop lingo?” She chuckled and then, realizing he was dead serious again, stopped. “Look, Joe, don’t start again. I’m just me. And you’re just you. We’ll talk if you like, converse. But not just about me.”

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    Joey Light
    They moved to the couch, and she followed his example by propping her feet on the coffee table for comfort. He looked toward the ceiling. “Why me?
    Why does this woman come to the ocean and pick me out to bother. She jabbers incessantly, she just pushes her way in here and takes over. I’m a cop. A tough guy. And she’s riding roughshod over me. Why?”
    “Maybe you ticked Him off,” she chided, joining in the spirit. “Not a good thing to do.” Kicking off her shoes, Sterling curled up on the couch. “I could do with a good fire right now. Why don’t you have any wood in here?”
    The ability of her mind to jump from one thing to another so quickly amused him. After considering her question, he answered. “Didn’t come with the place.
    Whatever didn’t come, I don’t have. Besides, it’s usually hot and humid. What the hell would I do with firewood?”
    “There’s some at my place. If this keeps up till tonight, we’ll go over there, heat a pizza, and watch Casablanca. Sound good?”
    “No.”
    “No?” She pretended to be hurt.
    He stretched his tired body. “You go over there and watch whatever. I’ll stay here and have some peace.”
    Because the shadows beneath his eyes were darker and his patience getting thinner, she asked, “You didn’t sleep last night. Why?”
    He was resting his head on the back of the couch. He turned to look at her. “I don’t sleep most nights. And you know why.”
    “You have to get past that, Joe.”
    His voice held an edge as he tested his tolerance. “Yeah. Tell me how, Miss Know-it-all.”
    “You can’t punish yourself for the rest of your life. You have to let it go. You must know that.” She was being pushy. It was her job.
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    Sterling’s Reasons
    He was silent for a few minutes, obviously mulling something over and over in his mind. Without turning to her he said, “I keep seeing his face while he was dying. It only took five maybe ten seconds after I got to him. He was surprised.”
    Joe went to the refrigerator and put ice in a glass. It was only noon but he was mixing a martini. She winced when he plopped two fat olives into his drink. She didn’t speak