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Blushing, I took a sip of coffee. “Glad to see a good night’s sleep has refreshed your wit, sheriff. You’ll need it. Cal's on her way.”
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The pack's alpha stood on my doorstep not ten minutes later, dressed in a paint-splattered white tee and jean jumper. “Painting Stephen's bedroom," she explained, picking dried latex off her nails. “I walk by his room every morning, getting ready to holler he'll be late for work. Man or beast, we are creatures of habit. Nothing says, ‘wake the fuck up, Calico, your brother’s dead’ like a gloss of cherry wine paint.”
I stepped onto the porch and into the humid morning. “What about Evie?”
“Hasn’t slept in their bedroom since he went missing. Weird, if you ask me.”
I waved a fly away from my head. “After she passed, I boxed my grandma's belongings and moved the furniture around, but stayed in my old bedroom for months. Igor, my cat I’d adopted around the same time, got a bladder infection and peed on Gram’s bedspread. It was only when I pulled it off that I had a good cry and felt comfortable moving in.”
“Loss makes everyone do funny things, I guess,” she said, peering over my shoulder toward a commotion in the kitchen.
Caelan had lifted Mila onto his shoulders so she could lure Samson down off the fridge. When the cat yawned and rolled onto his back instead, the pair of werewolves relented and headed for the porch.
“Speaking of doing . . .” Cal waved a dappled hand at the approaching sheriff. “He's a piece of something, sugar, and it ain't pie. Get what you need and get away.”
Whatever her opinions, the sheriff was nothing short of pleasant as he ducked under the doorway. “Radiant as always, Miss Finn.”
“Sheriff.” The darkness in her eyes receded as her attention fell upon the wide-eyed girl pulling his hair like reins.
Calico Finn possessed charisma, charm, motherliness, and a welcoming smile: the combination of which drew many people to her. Within five minutes Mila was calling her Auntie. On Auntie Cal’s instructions, the girl wandered off to ‘find lightning bugs sleeping in the hydrangeas,’ occasionally glancing over her shoulder to smile at the alpha.
I passed Cal a plastic baggie. “Her earring. She complained all yesterday. I don't know if she’s got a rash, allergy, or if she irritated the skin tugging it.”
“She's testing you.” We watched the girl check the undersides of leaves. “The Otherworld’s dumping the poor child into their sewer system?”
“They want me to take her for the foreseeable future, but Mila needs someone who can understand what she is and how to handle it. This situation isn’t fair to her,” I said with a glance at Caelan. “I was hoping you'd know a responsible family who could babysit or put in an application when the time comes.”
“Aiden would appreciate a playmate,” she agreed. “Evie always wanted a kid, but it was never the right time for Stephen. Now isn’t appropriate, but Evie and Mila may find solace together.”
“We are in your debt, Mrs. Finn,” the sheriff announced, dropping his hand on my shoulder.
Cal's smile thinned at the sight.
“Marcy, if you’re almost ready, shall we? Our officers will be returning to watch your home any minute.”
“Let me check the cats and grab a couple cold waters from the fridge.”
When I moved inside, Cal laid a hand on the sheriff's chest and whispered into his ear. The sheriff gave a curt, “Mrs. Finn” and headed to the truck.
She stood arms-crossed on my porch while I locked the door. “Any word on Stephen’s pelt?”
I glanced from alpha to lone wolf. “No.”
“My offer stands: retrieve my brother’s pelt and I will whisk you away from this hell. An art thief has use for an art curator.”
“I'm not a curator.”
She curled a strand of hair around her finger. “Would you like to be?”
The truck rumbled to life. “I appreciate your watching Mila." I tucked my keys into my purse. “I'll call when I'm ready to pick her up.”
“Stay safe.” She kissed my cheek before trotting down to call on Mila's progress. No bugs, but she did find an earthworm the robins hadn't gotten.
“What'd you do to piss her off?” I asked Caelan as I slid into the seat beside him, slipping my phone into a sweater pocket. The vehicle had preserved the night's cooler, drier air.
“Besides breathing? You wouldn't believe me.”
