Page 58 of Midnight Creed

“I’ve seen you work with your team while you’ve been hundreds of miles away from them. Maybe you can do that this time. Hear me out for a minute. We have a substantial computer system to run our security programs and cameras. Hannah and Dr. Avelyn have all the digital bells and whistles to run our business. What they don’t have, they can get. Come down early. We have more than enough space for you to have all the peace and quiet you need. Pack up Harvey and Jake and come on down.”

It would only be a week or ten days early. He was prepared to tell her to at least think about it. He certainly didn’t expect it when she said, “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yes. Okay. I guess I should clear it with a few people.”

This time, both of them went quiet.

“Maybe you should clear it with Hannah,” she finally said.

“Are you kidding? She’s been bugging me to get you here earlier. I saved you from a fundraising ball.”

“A ball?”

“Yeah, with gowns and tuxedoes and a full orchestra.”

He looked down at the mess he’d made out of this one. Jason and Brodie had laughed at him when he finally joined their backyard stargazing party. Neither was surprised by his detour. To be fair, he played down his parking lot brawl quite a bit when he explained the bloody tux. Still, he was glad Maggie couldn’t see the mess right now. She worried about him too much. And this was about her.

“I bet you looked handsome in a tux.” The smile returned to her voice. “How was the food?”

“Stingy portions on a toothpick. I had to stop at Waffle House afterwards.”

“Did they have the fancy shrimp?”

“Yeah, but they were tiny. Definitely not from Joe Patti’s.”

More silence. This time he’d wait her out.

“Hey, Ryder?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

38

Florida Panhandle

Creed hated being tethered to his cell phone, but today he couldn’t afford to miss any calls. He didn’t know what to do about Maggie other than give her time and space. She knew she could call and talk to him if and when she needed. So he put an earbub in and the phone in his pocket while he worked. All the callers he wanted to hear from had designated ring tones, allowing him to ignore any others.

He and Jason had spent the morning dismantling the shelves that Dr. Avelyn had emptied inside the medical clinic. It did open up the area. They could now easily accommodate big enough kennels and crates that would be comfortable for the dogs coming in from Afghanistan.

Brodie worked quietly beside him after Jason left for lunch with Taylor and her son. She fussed with bedding and precisely attached each of the water bowls so they wouldn’t tip over with a restless dog. There was a buzzing sound coming from the other side of one wall, and she hunted it down, asking if they could relocate the culprit: a small refrigerator. Creed was impressed with her eye for detail, especially when it came to comfort.

“They’re being rescued just in time for Christmas,” she said. “That’s kinda cool.”

He stopped himself from saying, just like last year.

It was stupid, but he found himself tiptoeing around the subject. She still struggled with PTSD. Of course she did. Recently, he realized he couldn’t be left in enclosed places for long without panic crawling inside his brain. But what Brodie had gone through? He’d understand completely if she wanted to skip Christmas entirely.

“Yeah, it is cool,” he told her.

“It bothers you?”

“Christmas?”

“No, Afghanistan. It’s still with you.”