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“Hello, darling.”
“Hi.” I blink my eyes open and smile up at Kane. He’s had a shower, which surprises me. “How long have I been asleep?”
“I don’t know,” he says with a grin. “But when I saw the pair of you snoring in here, I decided to take a quick shower before waking you.”
I glance down and giggle. Murphy’s on his back with his head in my lap. His belly is fully exposed, ready for rubs and scratches.
“He’s a big baby.”
“Aye, he is that.” Kane cups my cheek. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in two days.”
“I’m good.” I kiss his palm. “I got plenty of work done, and now I’m all yours for a couple of days.”
His green eyes soften.
“How are you?” I ask.
“I’m the same,” he replies. “I worked straight through. That should keep the vultures at bay for at least three or four days.”
“You worked straight through?”
“I napped here and there,” he says as if it’s no big deal.
“Isn’t it dangerous working with hot glass when you’re not rested?”
“Now you sound like Maggie.” He kisses my nose and helps me to my feet. “I’m fit as a fiddle, Anastasia.”
I hear a phone ringing and turn surprised eyes up to Kane. “You turned your phone on?”
“One never knows when a beautiful woman might call.”
He winks and walks over to answer. I follow slowly behind, touched that he’s started leaving his phone on in case I reach out.
I’ll have to do that now that I know he’ll get the call.
“Where are you?” I hear as I come into the kitchen. Kane turns to me, his green eyes burning hot. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
He hangs up and whistles for Murphy.
“What’s wrong?”
“Maggie’s car died on her, and she’s stranded on the side of the road. Do you mind riding with me to save her?”
“Not at all.”
All three of us jump into Kane’s SUV, and he drives fast, in a hurry to get to his sister. We come around a turn and see her looking sad and leaning against the rear of the car, her hands in her pockets.
Kane pulls up behind her, and with a smile, Maggie waves and jumps in the back seat with Murphy.
“Thanks for the ride,” she says happily. “I was shocked when you answered your phone.”
“Why didn’t you call Joey?” Kane asks.
“He’s in New York for a few days,” she says and sighs. “I told him five times that my check engine light was on. I guess he didn’t have time to check it out.”
“For feck’s sake, Mary Margaret, your husband makes enough money to have you in a reliable vehicle. It’s a shame and a disgrace that he doesn’t take care of you the way a husband should.”
“Kane, I know you love me. Thank you for picking me up.”
Maggie pats Murphy’s back as the dog settles on the seat beside her, his head in her lap.
We ride in silence for about ten minutes, and then Kane pulls up to a pretty house in a tidy neighborhood where the homes are all different but new. No cookie-cutter houses on this island.
“Why are the cops here?” Kane asks, a scowl on his handsome face.
“I have no idea,” Maggie says as we all climb out of the car and walk to the front porch.
“We’re looking for Mary Margaret Lemon,” one of the two officers says.
“I’m Mary Margaret,” Maggie replies with a frown. “What’s this about?”
“We should go inside, ma’am,” cop number two adds in.
Maggie looks up at Kane, who nods and presses his hand to her back, then looks back for me. He reaches for my hand, I place a hand on Murphy, and we all file into a cozy living room. Once we’re all inside, Maggie turns back to the police officers.
“What’s going on?”
“We’re sorry to disturb you. Is your husband Joseph Lemon?”
Maggie nods quickly.
The police officer’s face remains stoic, but he continues. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, ma’am, but we’re here to inform you of your husband’s death earlier this morning.”Chapter Seven~Anastasia~Maggie’s face pales, and she slowly lowers herself to the couch. Murphy hurries to her and lays his head in her lap as if he knows she needs comforting.
“Massive heart attack,” the policeman says.
“He was twenty-six,” Kane says, shoving his hands into his pockets and watching his sister carefully.
I shake off the shock and hurry to Maggie, sit next to her, and wrap my arm around her shoulders.
She isn’t crying, but her hands shake as she pets Murphy and listens as the cops tell Kane about the massive heart attack and that there were witnesses, making it easier to identify the cause of death. Once they give Kane more information about where the body is, they leave, and we’re left staring at each other as the stillness of the room becomes deafening.
