“Just make sure I have a Scotch when it’s Daria’s turn at the microphone.”
I smiled at him in the elevator mirror as the doors slid shut. “I’ll order doubles.”
25
CALEB
“Mr. Evans,”Martina called up the stairs.“Dinner will be served in five minutes.”
“I’ll be down in a moment,” I called back just as my phone started ringing. “Right after I finish this call.”
When Nyah’s name lit up my screen, a smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it. “Hey, Nyah,” I said. “What’s up?” “Caleb?”
The voice on the other end wasn’t Nyah’s. It was higher. Smaller.
My smile faded. “Lucas?”
“Do you know how to boil an egg?”
I frowned, straightening.
Lucas was exactly the right age for prank calls, but this didn’t sound like a joke.
“Boil an egg?” I said. “Technically, yes. But I prefer them fried. With lots of bacon. And hash browns, if somebody else is cooking.”
“I don’t know whether to put the egg in before the water is boiling or after.”
A chill slid down my spine.
“Hey,” I said quickly, already imagining worst-case scenarios. “You’re not using the stove on your own, are you?”Please say no.“Where’s your mom?”
“Mama fell asleep in my room, and I don’t want to wake her up.”
My stomach dropped. “Fell asleep?” I checked my watch. Six-thirty. Too early for Nyah to be out cold unless she was exhausted. Or overwhelmed. Or both. “How long ago?”
“After we got home,” Lucas said. “Do I wait for the water to boil, or not?”
“Okay,” I said, forcing my voice to stay calm. “First thing—switch off the stove, please, Lucas. Do it while I’m on the phone.”
“Okay.” A pause. “Now what?”
Relief hit me hard enough that I had to sit down.
“Now I’m coming over,” I said. “And I’ll bring something for dinner.”
I was already mentally inventorying Martina’s cooking. Hopefully, she’d made enough for leftovers. If not, I’d figure something out. There was no way I was leaving Lucas to fend for himself tonight.
“Will you call Larry downstairs and tell him to expect me?”
“Sure!” Lucas said, excitement bubbling into his voice. “Do you want to bring your pyjamas and stay over? We can have bacon and eggs and hash browns for breakfast.”
I laughed. “Let’s see what your mom has to say about that.”
Larry letme in without question. Lucas must have warned him. I knocked lightly on Nyah’s door anyway. “Who is it?” Lucas’ voice called from inside.
“It’s Caleb.”
Silence.
