32
“Oh God, run! Run!” she cried out at the TV screen. Then she hid her face behind her hands as the people on the screen ignored her excellent suggestions and went running towards the zombie-infested woods. “No!”
“Tell me again why we let her watch this shit?” Brick asked.
“I’m pretty sure that she gave you those big eyes of hers and you instantly caved,” Xavier replied dryly.
“I’m not the one who spoils her. What the heck was that thing you brought home today?”
“It’s a dancing, singing wolf. Once you meet Reuben, you’ll get the joke.”
“Oh no, they got them! Oh shit, they’re dead.”
“Language,” Xavier scolded.
It had been three days since she’d nearly died. Tonight was supposed to be quiz night. She was upset because Xavier and Brick had made her stay at home. Like in most things when it came to her, they were united.
Things hadn’t instantly become easy between the three of them once they’d decided to try this crazy idea. In fact, it was often more awkward than not. But nobody had gotten mad or insanely jealous. Well, if they did, she didn’t know about it.
Ed had come to visit that first day she was home, telling her that they’d interviewed everyone in the diner and had concluded that it was an unfortunate accident.
The owner of the diner was a bit of a bitch. And she’d had her eyes on Xavier for a while. Juliet hated the way she looked at him. She’d called to see how Juliet was, but hadn’t exactly apologized. Both Brick and Xavier were furious. Reuben would be too, once he found out.
God, she hoped he was all right.
“Sorry, Papa, but it’s zombies. They’re damn scary.”
He gave her a stern look. “Last warning.”
Hm. Or what? She eyed him speculatively. She thought she heard Brick give a small bark of laughter, but when she looked over at him, he gave her an innocent look back.
“Maybe you should have bought her zombie repellent instead of a dancing wolf,” Brick said as she squealed as the zombies descended on some poor, stupid fools who were now getting their brains eaten.
She buried herself behind Brick on the sofa, wrapping her legs around his waist and peering over his broad shoulder.
“They have that?” she asked.
Xavier made a scoffing noise. He looked tired. Poor guy worked too hard.
“We should totally get that if they have it,” she insisted. She bounced up and down. Brick let out a grunt. “Watch where your foot goes there, Duchess. Don’t want to hit the family jewels.”
She giggled. “Sorry, Daddy.”
Then she slid out from behind him. She tried not to touch one of them too much in front of the other. So far, everyone was playing nice.
She wanted it to stay that way. When the movie was finished, she nodded decisively. “I wish we had that zombie repellent.”
“There’s no such thing as zombies,” Brick told her in his practical voice.
“Daddy, you just watched them eat all those people.”
“It’s a show.”
She shook her head. He had no imagination. Fortunately, she had enough for them both. Well, maybe that wasn’t a good thing.
“I’ll buy you some zombie repellent,” Xavier told her. He was stretched out on the recliner, looking relaxed as he got in a button-up shirt and some neatly-pressed jeans.
“You will, Papa? Yay! We really do need it because I’m worried about Daddy’s brains. I think they’ll want them.”