“That’s entirely up to you.” I squeezed his shoulder. It was amazing how quickly this kid had worked his way into my heart. It was almost like the mate bond knew he and Hannah were a package deal, and it had extended the connection to him. “Want to help me make breakfast? We can surprise Hannah.”
We checked the cupboards and the fridge, which Mae had stocked with basic supplies. I pulled out a portable cooktop and pan and helped Jonah mix up the batter for pancakes. Crossing my fingers, I poured the first pancake and waited for it to cook.Mae and Mom had tried to teach me to cook when I was a teenager, but I’d skipped more of those lessons than I attended. Something I regretted now.
After burning the first few pancakes, I finally got the temperature and timing right. Jonah declared my latest attempt to be perfect, so I plated it up and slid it to him to take to Hannah while I cooked up the rest.
The sound of murmuring voices from Hannah’s bedroom as she and Jonah talked put a smile on my face. I was getting a taste of what the future could hold, and I liked it.
My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. I grabbed it, answering when I saw Mason’s name. “What’s up?”
“You tell me. A wreck of a car was just delivered to my workshop. The tow truck driver said it was for Hannah.”
“Right. I meant to mention it last night but didn’t get the chance.” Keeping my eye on the bedroom to make sure Jonah didn’t come in, I gave Mason a brief rundown of the break-in and my involvement with Cassie. I finished it by telling him our suspicions that the car was tampered with.
Silence greeted me. The temptation to fill it in with more explanations pushed at me, but I resisted, waiting for Mason’s judgement. I thought I might get disapproval for hiding my investigation, but when his response came, it was straightforward. “I’ll let you know when I’m done.”
“That’s it?”
“Do you want a lecture? That’s more Declan’s thing.” The sound of tools clanking came over the line. “Just keep your mate and the boy safe while we figure this out.”
“Already on it.”
He hung up, and I turned back to my pancakes. Which were burning.
With a curse, I pulled the pan off the burner and prepared to start again.
“Why do I smell burning?” Hannah rushed from her bedroom, yanking on her clothes from yesterday. She stopped short when she saw the pile of burned pancakes littering the counter. “Ah. Someone needs to learn how to cook.”
“Yeah, I never really picked up that skill.”
“Let me finish these.” She nudged me out of the way and poured more batter into the pan. “Look for the bubbles to form and break. Then, once the edge sets, you flip.”
She quickly finished the last few pancakes, handing them off to Jonah and me. Jonah kept up a running commentary while we ate, talking around mouthfuls of food about the day ahead. Hannah leaned over to me and whispered in my ear, “I hear we’re a couple now.”
My cheeks heated. “Only if it’s okay with you, of course.”
She smiled, her dimples on full display. “I’d hate to disappoint Jonah.”
Her sparkling eyes told me she was in. And not just for her nephew’s sake.
Hannah
We dropped Jonah off at the house with Mae. Declan was working in the office today and said he’d keep them safe. Chloe wanted to take more pictures of the cabins, and since Ethan wanted to check out the construction crew, he offered to tag along. He wasn’t happy when I insisted I go with them.
“Why don’t you stay with Jonah?” He pitched his voice low as Chloe packed up her camera bag. “It’s safer for you here.”
“I’m not letting you investigate this on your own.” I narrowed my gaze at him. “Don’t even try to cut me out. It’s my home that was vandalized, and my sister who died.”
“I won’t. But there’s nothing you can really do there. I’m just trying to pick up the scent from your cabin.”
I crossed my arms, my temper beginning to flare. “You’re letting Chloe go.”
“Her taking pictures is a good cover story for me to be there. It’s not the first time one of us has gone with her.” Ethan blew out a breath. “My bear is already uneasy about all of this. He’ll be a lot calmer if he knows you’re safe.”
“I don’t know why we’re still arguing about this. I’m going.” I turned to Chloe as she walked over and pasted a bright smile on my face. “I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of the cabins.”
“They finished two of them yesterday.” Chloe’s gaze bounced between Ethan and me, as if she could sense the tension. “We can check them out and see how messy the crew left them. That way you’ll know what to expect when it’s time to prepare them for guests.”
“Sounds like a perfect reason for me to go.” I shot Ethan a smug smile. His shoulders slumped, but he didn’t voice any more objections.
