“Seriously? Even if you save the child’s life?”
“Yes. I’d probably get a commendation one day and a pink slip the next.”
“Shit.”
All he could do was advise and look out for her. What if she wasn’t able to get anything from the unicorn? He didn’t want her to be inside Jack’s house if that happened. Jack might react badly, and he didn’t want Dawn to get hurt. He cared about her too much.
The revelation surprised him and made him nervous at the same time. He’d only known Dawn a short time, and given his recent breakup with Lisa, he wasn’t ready to jump into another relationship. Was he?
“Okay. Maybe you’re right. Now is probably not the right time anyway. I’m feeling too nervous about meeting your family.”
She gave him a wobbly smile that made his heart melt. Shit. So much for jumping in too soon.
“Maybe we could go somewhere quiet after dinner, and I can hold the unicorn then. I should be able to concentrate as long as nothing terrible happens during the party.”
“I have an idea.” He told her his fellow new recruit cop friend, Delvin, and his wife were out of town for the weekend and asked him to house-sit. Taking a few minutes there before he brought her home might give them a clue. He hated to wait any longer than she did.
“You don’t think they would mind?”
“I’m doing him a favor, watering their plants and taking care of their cat, Bubbles. So, nah, they won’t mind.”
She grinned. “Bubbles? What a cute name.”
“He’s a white Persian, with big round blue eyes. I guess they must have looked like bubbles to someone. Or they just liked the name. He’s really…strange around me, but pretty. Maybe you can feed him, and he’ll like you better.”
She chuckled. “Okay, that sounds like a plan.”
“Good, we’ll do that later after dinner. And it will be a good excuse to leave early if my brothers start razzing me.”
“Do you get along with all your brothers?”
“When they aren’t being stupid, I do.”
She giggled at that, and he had the sudden urge to kiss her. Man, I’ve got it bad. He had to keep a handle on his attraction to Dawn. He didn’t want to mess anything up if he moved too soon.
He knew his entire family would love her. His gut instinct told him he could trust Dawn with who he really was, a shape-shifting phoenix. But what he didn’t know was how she’d react when she first found out. Would she accept him for who and what he truly was? Or would it be too much for her?
* * *
In the Fierro living room, Sandra asked, “So how did you and Luca meet?”
Dawn had found herself whisked into a warm, welcoming group of young women who introduced themselves to her as the Fierro wives and girlfriends. And they’d wasted no time peppering her with questions.
“We met by the fountain outside the Christian Science Center.”
“So he saw you sitting there, came up to you, and laid on the Fierro charm?” Kristine asked.
The other women giggled. Dawn smiled. It sounded like each one had a story she’d enjoy hearing at some point.
“No, it wasn’t exactly like that…” She hesitated, unsure how to proceed. She didn’t know if Luca’s parents had told anyone else in the family about her psychic abilities. Not everyone responded well to that sort of information. She was rescued by Luca’s mom, Gabriella, who smoothly stepped into the conversation and wrapped a comforting arm around Dawn’s shoulders.
“Luca of course noticed how pretty Dawn was, and when they started talking, he knew he couldn’t let this girl get away. Give her a chance to breathe, girls.”
Dawn gave Gabriella a grateful smile, although she felt as red as her dress. The daughters-in-law all gave her knowing smiles, their eyes twinkling.
“There’ll be a quiz on our names later,” the one they called Chloe said in a lilting Irish accent.
Dawn was trying to remember them all, but she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t make a mistake or two.
