“We went back to sleep.”
“For what? An hour? Two?” Meredith grabbed Bronwyn’s arm and pulled her toward the hall. “No. We’re in a sleep deficit. It’s time for rest.”
“Who put you in charge?” Bronwyn complained, but she let Meredith push her toward her room.
“Self-appointed role. You’re welcome.” Meredith paused at her door and gave her a quick hug. “Go to bed.”
Bronwyn paused in the doorway. “Will Mo sleep? Because he shouldn’t stay up all night again. He’s running on fumes too.”
“He’s going to work for a little while and then he’ll sleep on the couch.”
Bronwyn pinched the bridge of her nose. “That couch isn’t very comfortable. He should go home.”
“Don’t argue, Beep. There’s no point in it. If you push him too hard, he’ll sleep in his car out front.”
“No I won’t!” Mo yelled from the living room.
Bronwyn hadn’t realized he could hear them.
“If you kick me out, I’ll grab a lawn chair and sleep by the front door,” he continued.
“See what I mean?” Meredith patted her arm. “Go to bed. Sleep. Wake up tomorrow with new hope.”
“Mer, if something happened to him...” She couldn’t even finish the thought.
“Nothing’s going to happen. First of all, if either he or Gray, or Cal for that matter, thought something was going down, neither of us would be here. This is aboutnotgiving them an opportunity.”
“I’m not sure if that’s as encouraging as you seem to think it is.”
Meredith waved away her snide remark. “He’s already vetted your security. He knows who we can trust, and he has them on speed dial. He’s in touch with Gray and the officers, who will be nearby. We have extra cars parked out front. If anyone was thinking of trying anything, tonight is not the night.”
Bronwyn leaned against the doorframe. She had a sneaky feeling that there was something faulty in Meredith’s logic, but she didn’t have the mental capacity to suss it out. “If anything happens to him...” she said again.
“He feels the same way about you. That’s why he’s here.” Meredith squeezed her temples between her palms. “You two are giving me a headache. Go to bed.” And, with a lot of love but also a look that said she was done with the conversation, Meredith shoved Bronwyn into her room and closed the door.
Bronwyn stared at the door but when it moved ... wait. No. The door hadn’t moved. She was swaying. Maybe sleep would be the best option.
But ... Mo was on her couch again.
She went back into the hall and to the linen closet. She grabbed a set of sheets, a pillow, and a blanket, and walked back to the living room.
Mo sat on the sofa, again, computer in his lap. When she placed the linens on the sofa, he gave her a chin lift.
It wasn’t words.
But it was communication.
She swallowed hard, then nodded at him in acknowledgment before turning and running to her room like the big chicken she was.
Twenty
Once again, despite her churned-up emotions, Bronwyn fell asleep and slept hard. When her alarm went off at seven, she rolled over and stared at the clock she kept on her bedside table.
She’d slept ten hours. Ten. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done that, and she refused to dwell on the reason why. Especially because she was sure her sleep had been peaceful—not as much because of her exhaustion but because she hadn’t been alone.
She pulled on a robe and went to the kitchen for coffee. Meredith blew her a kiss from the front door. “Gotta run. I’ll check in later.”
Mo sat in the same spot he’d been in when she left him last night. But the sheets had been used, refolded, and now sat on the opposite end of the sofa.
