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“Oh, yeah, every night. But Joey needs this. Needs to see that he can take care of himself. I understand that. He’s never really gotten the chance to be out on his own. I don’t want to take that away from him just because I’m impatient.”

I smiled, reassured.

“That’s fair,” Knight said.

“I’m just glad he gave me a chance after I acted like a real ass,” Kit said.

“Good thing you have a real good ass!” I called from the kitchen.

The guys all cracked up, the mood lightening. Ghost was next to me, liberally seasoning each steak before I grilled it.

“Who knew you’d be here a few months ago, huh?” he said. “You’ve come a long way, kid. We’re proud of ya.”

“Thanks, Elias.”

He nudged me with his shoulder. “If he puts one foot wrong, I’ll kick his butt.”

A shocked laugh burst from me. “He won’t.”

Ghost’s eyebrows drew together, and he looked stern. “He better not.”

I was still smiling as I finished up the last steak, marveling at Ghost’s protective streak. He was so quiet, so taciturn, and when he spoke, it carried a weight that everyone else’s regular chatter didn’t.

The old guy totally loved me.

Kit’s phone rang, and then his eyes widened. “No way. Really? Uh, okay.”

He lowered the phone and turned to me. “We’ve got a surprise guest for the party.”

I started toward him, heart skipping. “Dakota’s here?”

“Yep. She brought Pogo too.”

There was a deep woof outside. I laughed and went out the door. “Dakota! You didn’t have to come!”

She’d wheeled up the sidewalk, and just seeing how uneven it was made me wince. It couldn’t have been easy.

“You move and you’re not going to invite your new best friend to see the place?” she said, raising an imperious eyebrow.

“I’m going to add a ramp,” I said, jogging down the steps, “but I haven’t had a chance yet.”

“That’s okay, Joey. Today and only today, you have permission to help me get inside.”

I blinked in surprise. “Uh, yeah, okay.”

I took hold of the handles on the back of her chair and tugged her back toward the stairs. Kit joined me to help raise her chair, step by step, then back it over the threshold. Once she was in the living room, she had everyone’s attention.

“Hey, guys, this is Dakota,” I said. “She’s the one who…” I trailed off, unsure I should explain, and pretty sure I didn’t need to anyway.

“I’m Joey’s new best friend,” she said. Pogo bounced through the door, barking sharply. “And that’s my other best friend, Pogo.”

Biscuit gave a few sharp yaps, but they met in the middle of the room, sniffing butts and apparently deciding they could be playmates. They both streaked down the hall, tongues lolling out.

“Nice to meet you both,” Knight said. “We’re having steak. Are you hungry?”

“I thought it smelled good in here. Sure, if you’ve got enough.”

“I’ll grab you a plate,” Kit said, turning for the kitchen.