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“Khodi will look after her,” he says.

“That isn’t what I don’t like. I know what goes on around here.”

No one can respond before Nixie waltzes through the door. “Morning, I come bearing news.” We all wait in silence as my stomach twists into knots. “The extension request was denied. The judge rejected the facility’s filing this morning, so only the original thirty-day hold stands. That is unless they can produce sufficient additional evidence.”

“And can they produce it?” I ask.

“Vincent doesn’t believe so. Cave has been compliant and has not had any incidents over the last week. Seth’s session notes are also in our favor. It doesn’t mean he will come home tomorrow, but it means the window is closing on their end and opening on ours.”

We should be happy about that news, but it’s hard to feel that way when Cave is stuck in that place, especially when he doesn’t need to be.

“He is coming home on schedule. Vincent has more paperwork to file today, and although it’s nothing he can share with us yet, let’s all hope for the best.”

Noa moves closer and wraps his arms around me, resting his chin on the top of my head and squeezing me tight. I look at Nixie, who is still watching me.

“Thank you for everything you’re doing to get him back.”

She holds my gaze for a moment. “He is mine too. I would go to war for him, for all of you.”

Nixie is a mother figure to a lot of the staff here. I see it every day when she checks in with those who need her and makes sure everyone has what they need. Nixie nods once and leaves.

The shed is quiet for a moment. Noa still has an arm around me and I lean into him, then Cipher puts down the tool in his hand.

“Right,” Noa says. “Who wants breakfast? And not shed breakfast, I’m thinking Rue’s eggs. We eat and pretend everything is fine, even just for a few minutes.”

“Give me ten minutes to clean up,” Cipher says.

“Okay. Are you in, Valli?”

I nod. “Sounds good. It gives me a chance to check on my sister. You will need a jacket—it’s cold outside.”

Noa grins and goes to find his jacket, while I look around the shed, wondering when it started to feel like home. It’s not the house I grew up in and spent years trying to hold together while my life fell apart around me. I may have ended up here by accident, but now I cannot imagine being anywhere else. Cave may not be here, but he knows we are waiting for him to come home and that we’re doing everything we can. With a deep breath, I pull my jacket off the hook by the door and wait for my men to be ready.

Chapter Nine

Noa

Nobody on the island appreciates my Christmas spirit or the system I have developed to get everything done. If they would just trust me, everything would go so much faster, and with a lot fewer arguments about where the lights should go.

“The lights go on the outside of the tent.”

“You said the inside,” Clay snaps.

“I said outside, then inside. It has to be in that order. Outside first, so you can see them from all over the island, and we make sure they look right. Then we do inside, so the guests feel like they get the entire experience.”

Clay gives me his infamous death glare. “You did not say that,” he seethes.

“I most certainly did. You must not have been listening.”

“Noa,” Leni says, appearing beside me with a box of decorations and string lights looped around her arms. “You definitely said inside.”

“I said . . . Fine, I may have said inside, but I meant outside first and then inside.”

Clay takes the lights from Leni and walks away without argument. He should have known since we do this every year, and it’s the one time of year I’m in charge. Christmas is my holiday, and I want everything to be perfect for Valli.

Leni watches Clay walk away and then turns to me. “You are a terrible project manager.”

“I am an excellent project manager. I’m working with people who don’t listen.”