Page 103 of Sapphire Nights

“Go, take Sam with you. They can all hold their curiosity likenormal people.” She emphasized the last while glaring at theLucys.

“Have you taken up mind reading?” he asked her, before tugging Sam outside and around the corner where the entire town population wasn’twatching.

Sam wrapped one arm around his waist,so as not to disturb his coffee, and kissed him, not questioning, not demanding, just holding him. She offered him a peace he’d never be able to find in the city. But he had so manyobligations...

“Are you okay?” sheasked.

He sipped his coffee and thought about it. “I think so, yeah. My father knew he was in a dangerous business. It wasn’t as risky as police work, but he didn’thave to come up here personally. He came anyway. We all makechoices.”

He could feel her nod against his shoulder, again accepting, not questioning. “Wolf didn’t have to be a pilot. Jade didn’t have to fly with him. But a bus could have hit them on theroad.”

They weren’t just talking about their parents. He had to let Davy and his guilt go as well. He was human. He couldn’t relivewhat wasdone.

“We can only take so many precautions,” he agreed. “Hillvale has potential,” he added tentatively, sounding herout.

She giggled and turned laughing sapphire eyes up to him. “Valdis just said thesame.”

“Damn, I hate sounding like a Lucy,” he muttered, watching her expression. “Are you agreeing withher?”

“Oh, I’m agreeing withyou, of course,” she said,airily waving her hand. “And me,” she admitted. “I kind of like it here. Even if it’s on the verge of ripping apart, the town grows onyou.”

“Like fungus, yeah. Monty is aware the town is dangerously divided. He wants to avoid any further violence by holding a referendum to see if they’re willing to hire full-time law enforcement. It’s not healthy to have to wait half an hour or more forthe county to respond.” He let that sink in while he sipped hiscoffee.

Her eyes widened, and he could swear he saw hope inthem.

“Xavier just told me Grace’s cottage is for rent, the one with all the flowers and roses,” she offered, definitely with hope in hervoice.

“The one with ghosts?” Walker thought about what they were discussing—life in a town that believed inghosts.

“Spirits,” she corrected with a half smile. “Or maybe I can prove there is some kind of physical energy in the vortex creating illusions, but I definitely want to work with the energy of the earthquake fault.Potential.”

“I have a corporation I have to hand over,” he remindedher.

“And I have a mother to find, plus Elaine Lee said she’d be up to look at Dinah’s mural, andthen I want to experiment oncrystals...”

He grinned, understanding that this town was as important to her as his career was to him. “I can only do so much from a laptop. We’ll have to take this slow. You need to stretch your wings and find yourpath.”

“What, you’re not going to keep me in a million-dollar mansion and give me a BMW?” She kissed his cheek and snuggledcloser.

“I have a BMW. And a mother. And a raft of employees. And a house I’m dreading returning to. It’scomplicated.”

She laughed. “I have Valdis and Cass and an entire town of ghosts. How complicated do you likeit?”

Walker lifted her up and kissed her thoroughly. “Samantha Moon complicated, that’s how I likeit.”

She wrapped her arounds his neck and showed him just how uncomplicatedshe couldbe.