"Baby." I grin at her. "I'm pretty sure she's bigger than he is. He won't hurt her."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. She was a gangster in a different life. If he gets rowdy, she'll just nip him and send him on his way."
"Oh. Well, do you think she might want to come over here?" Olive asks. "I mean, I've been reading about them. I know they're social birds. Maybe she'd feel better about moving if she had a friend."
"You've been reading about them?"
"Yeah." She nods. "I thought I should know something about them. I want her to like me."
"You were worried about my bird liking you?"
"Obviously." She rolls her eyes. "I don't want her to resent me, Mason. She's already been through a lot. I'd feel bad if I made her anxious or upset her."
My whole goddamn heart is in her hands. Every piece of it. "You want me to bring her over?"
"Well, yeah." She meets my gaze. "I'd like to meet her, and since you're here…"
Jesus.
"I'll go get her."
Her smile tells me that's the right answer.
"Murder! Murder! Help!" Paulina squawks, hopping from one perch to another in her travel cage as I carry her across the yard to Olive's. "Help! Asshole. You're under arrest, asshole."
"Paulina, we're going to meet a friend," I say, trying to calm her down.
"No friend asshole." She doesn't say it like she's declining, but more like she's calling me a friendless loser.
"Well, that's savage," I chuckle. "I do have friends."
"No friend asshole."
I shake my head at her and then lift my hand, waving at the neighbor across the street, who is staring hard enough to break his fucking neck. I swear, the whole goddamn neighborhood is going to think I'm abusing the bird.
I really have to stop letting her watch police procedurals. Her vocabulary is out of control.
Olive is waiting at the door for us, fully dressed, brought by Paulina's dramatics. Naturally, as soon as Paulina sees her, she falls silent, staring at her.
"Hi, Paulina," Olive whispers nervously once I set her cage down in the living room. "I'm Olive."
"Benson," Paulina squawks. "Stabler likes Benson."
"No, Paulina. She's Olive, not Olivia Benson."
"Asshole," Paulina chirps at me before turning back to Olive.
"You're very beautiful," Olive coos at her.
Paulina preens her feathers, settling onto the bottom perch.
"Would you like to meet Oscar?" Olive asks.
Paulina just stares at her silently.
"What do you think?" Olive cranes her head to look up at me.