Declan happily climbed into my lap with his book, busy showing me the words he’d learned. With half my attention on him, I still watched Jacy as she busily cooked our supper. A bean casserole from the delicious smells. I also noticed she didn’t smile upon hearing Declan enthusiastically praise her teaching skills, nor did she take any part in the discussion.
I grew concerned as I watched her pick at the incredibly good casserole she’d fixed. “Jacy, are you sure you’re all right?”
I received a distracted smile in reply. “Yep.”
“Why aren’t you eating? This is fantastic. You’re an awesome cook.”
“I’m just not hungry.”
At bedtime, Declan hugged her goodnight, then took my hand as I walked with him up the stairs to his bedroom. As I tucked him in, turned on his Scooby-Doo nightlight, I asked casually, “Did anything happen today, little man?”
Declan regarded me with wide eyes. “We went to the library.”
“I know. Besides that.”
“No.”
“Okay.” I bent to kiss his brow. “Night, night.”
Standing, I walked to his door and snapped off the light.
“A man looked at her funny.”
I turned. “What man?”
“I dunno. A man. In a car. He looked at Jacy and then she went all weird.”
“You’re sure?”
“Uh, huh.”
“Okay, go to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Night, Dad.”
“Night, baby.”
When I returned downstairs, I discovered Jacy had gone to her room and shut the door. Obviously, she wanted no interaction with me. After Declan’s comment, my worry over her increased. What man would look at her “funny”? Yeah, she’s a beauty with great legs she showed off in those tiny Daisy Dukes. But why would a dude ogling her bother her this much? Surely she’s long used to dickwads ogling her.
I sat heavily on the couch, unsure if I should pursue the incident or just let it go. An action movie played across my flatscreen TV, but I hardly noticed it. Wishing I knew her well enough to tap on her door and insist she confide in me, I knew damn well I couldn’t.
You’re her boss. Her employer. You can’t just butt into her business. Especially since she all but told you to butt out.
I felt the urge to fly.
My emotions swirling inside my head like a tornado, I needed the calm of the night sky, the feel of the wind beneath my wings. Once Elsa left us, I couldn’t leave Declan home alone in order to indulge my needs. On the rare opportunity of getting a babysitter, I’d indulge to my heart’s content. Yet, until Jacy arrived, those opportunities were rare indeed.
After a quick glance up the stairs, I listened for any sounds. I couldn’t tell if Jacy was asleep, but if she wasn’t, it wouldn’t matter. I eased the front door open, then quietly shut it behind me. I stepped down from the porch and looked up at my house.
A faint light appeared in Jacy’s window.
I won’t be gone long.
The sweet night air invigorated me. I strode down the street amid the streetlights, only a few lights on in neighbors’ windows. For the most part, the small town slept.
Two blocks down was a wide empty field. Weeds grew amid the broken glass and gravel, shredded plastic bags stuck to some of them and rustled in the light breeze. I looked around forany possible witnesses and saw none. The single most important of our laws, the very first on the list, was to never let humans see us in our other forms.
I broke that law three years ago.
