“Good to know.”
WHEN IT CAME TIME TO LEAVE, I CLIPPEDWinchester’s leash on him near the back door and waited in the family living quarters as Landon hit the bathroom. He’d been nervous, and drank so much iced tea that his bladder was threatening to explode.
“What are you still doing here?” Aunt Tillie demanded when she appeared in the dimly lit room. She was back in her camouflage clothes, the paint on her face, and she looked annoyed to see me.
“I’m waiting for Landon and then we’re heading home,” I replied. “Why are you back in that outfit?”
“I happen to like my outfit. Also, it’s none of your business what I wear.”
“Okay, but you changed out of it before dinner. Why are you back in it? It makes me incredibly uncomfortable when you do things like this. Please tell me you’re not going back to Mrs. Little’s house.”
“If I were going back to Margaret’s house, it would be none of your business,” Aunt Tillie fired back. “I’m not, so don’t get your panties in a bunch. I’m just grabbing some water.”
I didn’t believe her. She never told the truth, not unless backed into a corner and had no choice but to get herself out of trouble. “The FBI will be in town tomorrow … and probably for a few days. You need to be on your best behavior.”
“I’ll do what I want and there’s no one who can stop me.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I waved off her bad mood as Landon appeared from the hallway and headed in my direction. “Thanks for keeping the clown under wraps as I asked,” I added. “Steve and Spencer seem eager to get this partnership off the ground. I think Crusty would’ve been a dealbreaker.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Aunt Tillie shook her head. “The clown is in my bedroom. We’re going to watch another episode ofOutlander.”
“Lovely,” was all I could manage, shaking my head. If she didn’t want accolades for keeping Crusty out of sight, I opted to give her what she wanted. “We’re heading home. Steve will be here for breakfast tomorrow. You need to at least try to be pleasant.”
“We’ll see how I feel in the morning.” Aunt Tillie grumbled to herself as she headed for the sink.
“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Landon called out jovially as he took Winchester’s leash in one hand and opened the door with the other. “It’s going to be a lovely breakfast. I can tell already.”
“Stuff it,” Aunt Tillie tossed back.
“We love you too,” Landon taunted her.
“Leave or your beloved wife will never smell of bacon again,” Aunt Tillie threatened.
That was enough to propel Landon through the door. “We’re gone. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
5
FIVE
Landon was seemingly in a good mood during the walk home, but his unease bubbled under the surface. I waited for him to bring it up. Instead, he chattered away, talking about all the fun we were going to have this summer hanging out on the bluff.
He wasn’t fooling me.
“Just say what’s really bothering you,” I prodded when we were halfway home. The night air was crisp, and it was as if we needed the walk to clear our minds.
“What makes you think anything is bothering me?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes.
“Fine. I’m just … afraid that if I give voice to my concerns that you’re going to assume I want to break up this partnership with Steve and do everything in your power to make it go away.”
“And you don’t want it to go away,” I realized.
“I don’t actually know that,” he countered. “It’s just … this feels like our one chance for you to live freely and be appreciated. If this fails—and it very well could—then you’ll have to go back to living in the shadows.”
“Where you’re the only person who appreciates me,” I teased.
He smirked and ducked in for a quick kiss, neither of us slowing our pace. “You’re appreciated, Bay,” he said when he was facing forward again. “It just doesn’t feel like enough given everything you do.”
