Page 119 of But For You

For the second time that night, I was home alone without my man. After I relieved Chaz and Pat, I took a long, hot shower and washed away the day. I tried to wait up for Sam but finally passed out sometime after two. I had to get the kids up in four and a half hours.

Sam still wasn’t home in the morning, and I was disappointed because I wanted him to go with me to take the kids back to school. The text message I got told me he was still being debriefed though, and as it turned out, Dane was there, waiting for me, when I rolled into the parking lot.

“Is your manic husband better today?” he asked peevishly.

“I have no idea what that means.”

Apparently, Sam had called Dane at some point in the night or early morning, and they spoke at length about the house, and then Sam had asked Dane to be my backup because he knew he would still be sitting with the guys from DEA.

“I don’t want to know. All I do know is that it sounds as though you will not be returning to your home, but will instead be moving from my loft into the house in Oak Park. There are movers and cleaners going to your current residence today. I’m having Pedro take care of all the change-of-address forms.”

“My neighbors are going to be so confused.”

“I suspect Sam doesn’t care about that.”

“I wonder what the new ones will be like.” I squinted up at him.

“Different,” he informed me as we started up the stairs, me holding Hannah’s hand and him holding Kola’s. “You own a home in historic Oak Park now. I took the liberty of contacting the man I have taking care of the grounds now, Mr. Kincaide, and told him you would be taking over the billing. If you or Sam want to do it yourselves, you can, but there are very specific rules about how the yard must be maintained and⁠—”

“Can we put up Christmas lights?”

“Pardon?”

“It’s a deal-breaker, Dane.”

“Of course you can put up Christmas lights. What kind of⁠—”

“I just wanted to be sure.”

“If I live to be a thousand, I will never understand all the different places your mind goes.”

I was certain that was true.

We walked Kola to his room first, where Miss Taylor was now and not Mr. Michaels. Poor girl—I thought she was going to liquefy as she stood there, gazing at Dane. When he finally turned and smiled at her, she puddled, and I groaned.

As we walked Hannah to her room, she explained to her uncle about getting in trouble for the water gun.

“Never carry a big gun,” he cautioned her. “You just get a tiny spray bottle, like your father uses when he iron clothes. That way, you can test to see if you’ve got a witch without alerting them that you’re onto them.”

Her eyes got big, and she nodded.

“I’m sorry, my brain works oddly?” I said irritably.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Dane charmed Miss Chun as well, the older woman simpering under his charcoal-gray eyes. And, yes, he was handsome, but it was more. I had always had the feeling that Dane was simply larger than life. I was so thankful that I had him in mine.

“I don’t tell you like I should,” I said as we were walking back down the hall toward the front door, “but I appreciate everything you do for me, and I love⁠—”

“Yes, same. Good.” He was brusque as he patted my cheek before he turned and took the stairs down the front stoop, waved without looking back, and started across the parking lot.

I should have known better.

“Mr. Harcourt?”

Turning, I found Mrs. Petrovich.

“I’m sorry about my husband,” I told her. “He’s a yeller.”