Page 33 of Lost & Found

She released my hair and absentmindedly soothed the strands. She seemed content to run her fingers through it, not that I was in a hurry to stop her.

“And just so you know that last directive you gave, ‘are we clear’ distinctly reminds me of Mistress Faye.”

“The numbers. Are you going to tell me the significance?” she asked as Declan shifted in her arms. She removed her hands and rubbed his back instead. I frowned. Was I really jealous of a six-year-old?

“Some believe numbers are messages from the spiritual universe that offer insight, wisdom, and direction.”

“Is that so? And you believe this?”

“Yes, they date back to Ancient Greek civilization. It’s a whole concept, the philosopher Pythagoras believed. According to him, our reality is a physical manifestation of the vibration of numbers. But to answer your earlier question, the number five, which is the root number, resonates with adaptability.”

“So why fourteen?” she asked.

I pushed a strand of hair from her face and felt her body sigh at the touch. Damn thing was starved for it. If only—

I moved my hands away and cleared my throat. “It popped into my head when you asked. It’s an intentional number and one that invites positive energy and constant movement. It shows up when change is afoot.” I paused, watching her eyes widen. “It’s linked to karmic debts. It’s also known to help wipe the slate clean and leave old patterns of behavior behind.”

“Hmm.”

“The number fourteen symbolizes adaptability, resourcefulness, and independence. It carries the energy of transformations.”

“And that’s what you think I need? To transform?”

I nodded. “Also, the number fourteen encourages you to embrace change fearlessly. You’ve grown quite a bit lately. But it’s time to leave negative situations and challenging times behind. It’s time to move forward.”

When she asked how many items, the number appeared in my brain like a neon light. As she contemplated my answer, I fought my urge to touch her again.

“Make the first suggestion for the fuck-it list.” She smirked, relishing her power.

“Are we still going for crazy?” I paused, awaiting her reply. I wrote number one on the inside of the card. She gave me a slight nod. “Very well,” I said as I wrote. “Do something unhinged and totally out of character.”

“That’s not specific at all. You’re no help,” she said, rolling her eyes. Then a sly smile played on her lips, and a twinkle filled her eyes. She was up to something, looking for loopholes. “Cross that one off.”

“Why would I do that?” I challenged.

“Well, I am, after all, lying on a man’s bed. That’s unhinged, if I do say so myself,” she declared, looking proud of herself.

She foolishly believed that being with me in my room was enough to fulfill the criteria for number one. Foolish girl, I had a completely different notion of unhinged. But nonetheless, she was quite amused with herself.

I appreciated her attempts and realized I was going to have to keep her accountable throughout the entire process, or she’d find a way to cross everything off without so much as a second thought.

“Nah, that doesn’t count. After all, I’m like a brother. Isn’t that what you said earlier?” It was my turn to stick my tongue out. “So we can add a disclaimer. Something tells me we will be doing this a lot. The disclaimer now reads, with Pasha and not in the capacity of a brother.”

“Like what then?” she stammered, her cute face going all red. “I’m not doing anything…that might…be…” she paused, and her hands went around Declan’s ears. “Nasty,” she whispered.

I threw my head back and laughed. “See, this is what I was talking about. Why was that your first thought? I was thinking something silly, like a drive along the North Coast 500.”

“We’ve been on road trips before,” she remarked dryly.

That was true. We had. But never alone. No squad. No safety net. “Yes, but not alone and in a camper van.”

“A camper van. Me and you?” I loved the way her voice hitched, showing her nervousness.

“Yes, but the catch is we mingle with others and present ourselves as a couple.”

She coughed and stammered, “Why would we do that?”

“Because it leads to number two on the list, and it’ll allow you to get your feet wet, so to speak.” I wrote furiously, and after a minute of my still writing, she peeked over. I quickly brought the card to my chest to conceal it.