“One hundred and thirteen,” he said triumphantly.
“Wow!” Clover beamed. “Do you think we’ve won?”
“Are you crazy?” Sable asked. “Definitelynot. We have to keep looking.”
“Okay. Where to next?”
“Remember when we first met? I was in that restricted area,” Sable said.
“Restricted area?” Cash pulled her to a stop. “Clover told me he was helping you find a place to call your mom.”
“What can I say?” Sable shrugged. “I like being in places I shouldn’t be.”
“Clearly.” Cash looked unsettled at her joke, and she reached out and cupped his jaw. She knew why he seemed worried. She was a thief and just because she’d helped him didn’t mean she was finished with the life. She loved it too much, and she understood why it bothered him. Could she be a wife and a mother if she made a living breakingand enteringto rob her hosts blind?
“Come on.” She tugged his hand. “This is an employees-only game. I bet the restricted access rooms are teaming with eggs no one has thought to look for yet.”
“But if we walk into them, people will catch on if they haven’t already,” Cash said.
“Well, we could move through the museum my way,” she said.
“What’s that?” Clover asked.
“We use the vents.”
After the bell signaled the end of the game, the employees and their families gathered to wait on the main floor as the officials tallied each team’s eggs. They would announce the winners any minute, but Sable was convinced they’d won. Her skills had come in handy, and they’d found six hundred and forty-four eggs. The entire evening had been exhilarating fun, and despite his job title, Cash thoroughly enjoyed playing a thief for the night. His agility and power as a Fae warrior had proved essential, and Sable practically drooled over him on multiple occasions. She’d tried not to because every time Clover caught her gawking at his father, his cheeks flushed and his smile widened. She was thrilled the boy approved of her, but it felt a little awkward to flirt under the watchful—if not encouraging—eye of a ten-year-old chaperone.
“They are taking so long!” Clover danced around themwith impatience.
“Soon, buddy. Soon.” Cash reached out to halt his son’s vibrating, but Clover shimmied out of his reach. “Why don’t you play with your friends while you wait?”
“Yeah?” Clover looked up at him with wide eyes.
“Yes. Go before your running in circles makes me dizzy,” he chuckled, but he’d barely finished speaking before his son bolted toward a group of boys.
“Hey.” Sable stepped closer to him now that they had a moment of privacy. She longed to take his hand, but she wasn’t sure if he’d approve of showing affection in front of his employees. “Did you have fun tonight?”
“I did have fun.” Cash leaned closer until his arm brushed hers, and Sable’s entire body relaxed at the contact. “Why do you ask? Didn’t I look happy? Because I was.”
“You had a blast,” she agreed. “But the joke about the restricted area seemed to bother you. I don’t want you to resent me because of who I am. If I hadn’t been a thief, we would’ve never met.”
“I know.” Cash lifted his hand and absent-mindedly tugged on her left bunny ear, smiling at the silken softness between his fingers andthe wayit bobbed on her head.
“But it’s not my past that bothers you,” she said,suddenlyunderstanding his concern. “You’re worried about letting a thief live with Clover.”
“Yeah…” His eyes snapped to hers. “Live?”
“I meant it metaphorically,” she said quickly, lying through her teeth so she didn’t sound presumptuous.
“Uh uh.” Cash smiled so wide that she melted a little. “You said it. No taking it back. You want to live with us.”
“Of course, I do… when it’s the right time,” Sable admitted. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here for good, and while I know we have things to work through, this is where I belong.”
“So, are you giving up thieving?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Could you give up who you are? Because being a thief is more than my job. It’s in my blood. I would be miserable if I couldn’t do it… at least in some capacity.”
Cash nodded slowly, and Sable’s gut knotted. This was it. This was the moment he realized their attachment didn’t cancel out her illegal lifestyle.
