“Can I bring a plus-one?”
Kendrick exchanges a confused glance with me. “Uh, sure? Got someone in mind?”
“Can I bring Mr. Snow?” she asks me, twisting her head to stare up at me in a wordless plea.
I should have seen that one coming, the way she idolizes him. Unfortunately for her, I doubt he’ll ever want to speak to me again. He’s my next destination, and if he slams the door in my face, I won’t blame him. “We can talk about it later.” After the wedding sounds like a good time for it.
“Don’t you like Mr. Snow?”
“I like Mr. Snow just fine. We can talk about it later.” She’s like a dog with a bone sometimes. I can’t even say that the stubbornness is purely from her other father. It’s an unsavoury trait we both possess, unfortunately.
Olivia rolls her eyes, and I let that one slide. Not the right time to pick a battle. “Fiiiiiine.Uncle Ken, can I feed the fish?”
“You can feed them fish food,” Kendrick clarifies. It’s always important to clarify with my child. Loopholes are her specialty. I’m sure she’ll be a lawyer to be reckoned with one day.
“They like pizza,” she insists.
“They like living more,” Kendrick says, tugging a strand of her hair. “Go put your stuff in the spare room and find Spence before you feed anyone.”
“Did you put that lamp I got you in there?” she asks excitedly, flouncing off with a skip in her step instead of waiting for the answer.
“For your sake, I hope the answer is yes,” I say dryly.
Kendrick returns my look. “Do I look stupid to you?” Then his expression turns concerned, and he leans against the doorframe. “Spence told me what happened last night. What the hell is going on?”
“I wish I knew.” A half-truth. I’m aware it has something to do with Xavier, and we’re all just caught up in the middle of it, and that’s as far as my knowledge goes at this point in time. There’s no need to start a witch hunt for the man just yet.
“What do you need from us?”
“Spence and Six are coordinating with Adam and Theodore to see if we can track down this ‘Lester Clarence.’ Until we know more, we don’t have enough to go on. I haven’t received any more interesting gifts, and we don’t even know for sure if the two incidents are connected or just a fucked-up coincidence.”
“Either way, we’ve got your back.”
“I have a meeting with the commissioner that I may need you to take for me.” If there’s one person that I would trust to take over for me one day, it’s Kendrick. Jericho doesn’t want it and prefers to sit back and let someone else lead, Six is a loose cannon, Greer would never want to retire from the force, Moira is too much of a free spirit, and she has aspirations beyond us, and Spencer is unpredictable on the best day. Kendrick is solid and reliable in a way that will put me at ease if I ever have to step down.
“Yeah, I could probably do that. Send me info about the meeting?”
“Monday.” We work enough extra as it is, no need to invite it when it isn’t warranted. Looking after my child while I sort out the danger that’s sitting too close is more important to me than anything else. “Give me a call if you need anything for her.”
“We’ll handle it, you do what you need to.”
You do what you need to.Easier said than done. All the way to Matthew’s house, I try to figure out what exactly to say to him. “Sorry” is inadequate and doesn’t even begin to properly convey the issues that he walked into. And just what I allowed to happen in front of him. Xavier has always been able to make me lose all thought, all brain cells, narrowing down the world until I’ll do anything to ensure he continues to hold me.
I still haven’t worked it out by the time I’m pulling up a block from Matthew’s house. Keeping the car out of sight, I walk around the corner to where his residence sits. While it’s the same as the rest of the houses on the quiet suburban street, he’s donea lot to the space to make it unique. A wooden archway, made of the same material the short fence is, sits where the footpath meets the walkway leading to the front door, covered with vines. Garden beds line the house with a nice pop of colour. A swinging chair, big enough to fit three grown adults, is beside the front door, along with a small outdoor dining set with a round table and three chairs.
There’s even a “welcome” mat with a cat waving on it at the front door. I should never have allowed him to set foot in my world; he’s not built for it.
He doesn’t greet me with his usual smile when he answers the door. Instead, he falters and takes a small, surprised step back. There’s a pang of sadness deep in my chest at the loss. “Hunter.”
I’m not sure what to say to him, where to even start.
He glances behind me as if expecting someone else to be with me. “How do you know where I live?” He shakes his head. “No, don’t answer that. I probably wouldn’t like the answer.”
“Probably not.” It’s not that hard to find someone, when one has access to most databases that exist in Australia. “Matthew, I need to apologise for last night. And perhaps try to explain.”
Warm red rushes across his cheeks like a river flowing with water. So quick to blush, so endearing when he does it. “You don’t have to—”
“I do. Xavier and I are complicated, and I should never have allowed it to get that far. Not when we were on a date.” I’d been enjoying myself more than I thought I would. Matthew is smart, and funny, and his smile can light up a room; what more does someone want from an ideal date?
