“Damn right I said no,” he parroted from the doorway.
She shook her head. “He’s the right age for it. Anyhow, I got him something better.”
Shepherd finished adjusting the last balloon and returned to the table. “Better not be an axe.”
“Modern toys don’t make sense to me,” she said. “I know a guy who makes hand-carved toys, and I asked him to design little people and a horse. Kids should be spirited away by their imagination, not electronics.”
Wyatt strutted to his chair and sat. “I don’t know what you’ve got against my gift.”
She threw him a sharp look. “A Nincompoop?”
“Nintendo. And it’s vintage.”
Gem rolled out from the kitchen and whispered, “She’s making spaghetti and meatballs.”
“Why are you whispering?” Wyatt asked.
Gem grimaced. “Because I don’t think she’s using beef for the meatballs.”
Wyatt shrugged. “Maybe it’s squirrel.”
Gem wrinkled her nose and shuddered, which made Wyatt laugh.
Shepherd smacked the back of Wyatt’s head, knocking off his slouchy cap. Then he took his seat between Wyatt and Gem. “The meatballs are ground pork and Italian sausage. It’s an old recipe that… well, it’s good.” He stared at the mountain of gifts, which were mostly from him. “Where’s Claude?”
“He’s the lookout,” I said. “I sent him to let us know when they’re on their way down. Someone should call Viktor in here before the party starts.”
“He’s still on a business call,” Christian informed me, and I sensed something in his tone.
I twisted in my chair to look at the gifts lined up against the wall. They were identical in length and size, each wrapped in a different colored paper. Two long ones were leaning in the corner beside a wider package. “What the hell is all that?”
“A bookshelf,” Gem said. “It’s from Claude.”
I snorted. “He wrapped each individual shelf? That should be exciting. Too bad we can’t take pictures of the kid’s face when he tears away the paper and finds a plank of wood.”
Gem giggled while clutching her crystal pendant. “Claude likes to be funny. It’s going to be a project for them to assemble together. You know how boys like to bond over tools. I think he bought it to hold all the new toys.”
Shepherd scratched his whiskery jaw, his dark eyes pensive. “I didn’t think about a shelf. Good idea.”
Gem slapped the table with her palms. “I’m so excited I can hardly stand it!”
Wyatt leaned back, hand over his stomach. “I’m so hungry I can hardly stand it.”
“I need a smoke,” Shepherd complained.
Gem poked his shoulder. “Don’t you dare stink up this room with your cigarettes. It smells heavenly right now. Like cake, frosting, cookies, and—”
“Rubber,” Wyatt added, sniffing his tattooed fingers.
Niko entered the room with a basket of freshly cut peonies. “I hope these will suffice. I’m not able to see their blooms, but they smelled good enough to pick.”
Blue collected the basket. “Thanks, amigo. They’re perfect. I’ll go put them in a vase.”
Everyone quietly grinned at Niko’s unicorn shirt, all except Gem. Her knowing smile made me wonder if Niko had told her that he knew about the team’s little prank on his wardrobe.
“So what are we supposed to do when he walks in?” Wyatt tucked his chin in his palm. “Jump out and scare him?”
Gem worried her bottom lip. “Maybe we should play some music. I’ve got Spice Girls on my phone.”
