My stomach roiled.
“Lay off, Claire.” Sean’s voice held a touch of warning.
I sat next to Claire on the bed. “The muffins aren’t bad. You should get your website up and post the recipe.”
Claire leaned forward and wrapped me in a hug that was a touch too tight.
I broke Claire’s hug, and we trailed outside to our respective vehicles. The last thing I heard before getting in my car was Sean’s voice, loud and clear.
“Don’t try to bail tomorrow unless you’ve got the trots from Claire’s muffins.”
CHAPTER 11
Work was work. I helped an Odyssey with daddy issues and prepped a Camry for open-heart surgery the next day. We had more than the usual amount of walk-ins too, so I didn’t get around to Daniel’s Jeep.
But that turned out to be fine, because he never showed up.
So, yeah.
I volunteered to close again for no reason other than I didn’t want to go home. I pushed it as far as I thought I could, staying away until just after ten.
Dad was snoring on the couch, the TV remote held loosely in his hand, when I walked in. I had to swallow the sharp pain that stabbed my heart when I looked at him. I hated that his life was falling asleep in front of the TV alone with takeout. I could slip into a twisting black ball of hate if I let my thoughts go where they so often did, where all the blame lay.
There was pizza on the counter. I nuked a couple of slices and grabbed a pop from the fridge. Slipping the remote from Dad’s hand, I surfed until I found an old movie I liked and sat next to him, my feet curled up under me.
I’d taken a couple bites when Dad dropped his arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. “Everything go okay at the shop?” His voice was thick from sleep.
I told him about it while I ate. He was half-asleep again before I finished my second slice, so I made a show of yawning and told him I was heading to bed. I waited in my room until I heard the soft sound of his snoring before I climbed out my window onto the roof.
I took a deep breath once I was up there, for once not bothering to raise any mental disgust at how warm it was. Unlike my last stargazing attempt, the sky was pricked with countless stars. The moon was directly overhead, its soft light bathing me. Beautiful.
Despite the stars, I found my eyes drifting more and more often away from the sky and settling next door. It was possible Daniel had forgotten about his Jeep or had lost track of time unpacking or had been waiting around for a window repairman. I was working on more theories when a tall shadow detached itself from the side of Daniel’s house. I swear I levitated a good foot off the roof and only partially managed to swallow a shriek.
“How long have you been standing there?”
Daniel stepped closer until the moon lit his face. “A few minutes. So you do really watch the stars.”
I placed my hand flat on the roof and cocked my head, waiting to see if Dad had heard me. When the house beneath me remained quiet, my galloping heart began to slow in my chest.
Daniel was watching me, a slight frown on his face. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s fine. He didn’t hear.”
“Would you have gotten in trouble if he had heard?”
“Me? No. You? Yes.”
Daniel had both hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. The pose was casual, but he wasn’t. Every time a car drove past, he tensed as though he was preparing for it to hit him.
“You never showed today.”
“Something came up.”
It was hot and I was tired, so I let my irritation run my mouth. “Yeah, that happened to me once. Sucked.”
“I’m sorry, I should have called.”
I felt like a jerk, because his apology actually sounded sincere. Plus, I would have been the one apologizing if he had shown up. “It’s fine. I didn’t even get to your Jeep, but it’s first on my list tomorrow.”
