But he was starting to believe he didn’t need them all to take the next step.
Chapter Eleven
Easton stepped out of Derek’s office and caught a glimpse of a couple of running figures. Then a burst of giggles pierced the silence, high-pitched and echoing off the polished floors. A blur of pastel and sparkles zipped across the corridor at the far end.
Four Littles. Possibly five.
Laughter trailed in their wake like perfume, light and mischievous and utterly carefree.
Easton blinked. “No running!” he called out, taking a few steps forward down the corridor.
Nothing. Not even a pause in the chaos. Just more giggles and the fading sound of feet slapping against the floor.
He turned to Sam, who’d just caught up. “Did they just ignore me?”
Sam arched an eyebrow but said nothing.
Easton frowned and took a step back toward Derek’s door. Something caught his eye. There, plastered squarely across the center of the wood, was a sticker he was certain hadn’t been there five minutes ago.
He squinted.
BEWARE OF THE SADIST
DO NOT CROSS
It read in bold, ominous capitals. A jagged red X sliced through the middle like a warning sign. But below that, in glittery cursive, someone had added:
PROBABLY JUST TIRED.
For a heartbeat, he stared.
His lips twitched.
The snort came first. Laughter bubbled up fast behind it, bursting out of his chest before he could stop it. He doubled over, hands braced on his knees, the sound coming in ungraceful gasps.
Sam stepped beside him and peered at the door. “The brats!” but he chuckled too.
Easton nodded, still wheezing. “No kidding.”
The door swung further open. Derek’s dark eyes scanned them both, then dropped to the sticker. His expression didn’t change. “That has Sadie all over it.”
Easton could barely stand upright. His shoulders shook as he wiped the moisture from his eyes. “You think?”
“It’s not funny,” Derek said, but his mouth was twitching too. A traitorous little quirk formed at the corner of his lips.
Come on, man. Admit it’s funny.
Sam seemed to have read his mind. “It’s a little funny.”
Easton straightened, dragging in a long breath. “Let’s find the culprits. I heard at least four sets of feet.” He glanced at the door one last time and muttered, “Probably just tired,” under his breath and shook his head.
They set off down the hall, the scent of sugar and faint traces of vanilla trailing in the air.
As they scouted for the rascals, they found more and more stickers. Each of them hilarious and outrageous.
A glitter sticker with a purple poop figure with a freaking halo and the text INNOCENT AF clung to the wall just beside the ornate double doors leading to the front porch
Behind him, Derek grumbled. “Innocent my ass! That little menace…”
