“All right. Maybe I’ll go take a nap in my car or something.” I left Professor Roberts’ phone on the table and dug into my purse for the container holding Loki’s treats. “Let’s go, boy. It’s nap time.” I waved the treat in the air and tossed it ahead of me into the hall. Loki dashed after it.
The floorboards creaked under my feet as I reached the stairs, but the rest of the house was quiet. Caden must have finished hammering. I searched the rooms on the first floor, spotting him in one of the living rooms. It was the same room where I’d fallen into the basement on my first tour of the manor. Caden had fixed the floor and replaced the broken beams. He had also patched the ceiling. A drop cloth lay across one side of the room, and a bucket of paint sat on top of it. Caden stood on a ladder, rolling a strip of white paint onto the ceiling.
I watched from the doorway, admiring his…painting skills—at least, that’s what I told myself. Caden wore a pair of earbuds in his ears, and it took a moment for him to realize I was there. Placing the roller into the paint tray, he climbed down from the ladder, pulled out the earbuds, and smiled.
“What do you think?” He waved an arm around the room.
“I think I don’t see any rats, so it’s a vast improvement. Is the floor safe to walk on?”
Bouncing on his toes for effect, he nodded. “Yes. It’s the Graves Special, guaranteed not to fall through into the basement.”
“Whoa, I have flooring named after me? What a legacy! And here I thought I’d be remembered for saving the world.”
“Nope, just the floor.”
“Well, at least it’s something.” I laughed and took an exaggerated step onto the new floorboards. They held even when I did a little shimmy that put my avatar in my training game to shame. Walking over to the ladder, I raised my gaze to inspect the ceiling.
“How’s the investigation going upstairs?” Caden wiped his hands on a rag and tossed it over his shoulder.
“Not well. I’m on an Oscar-enforced break. I thought I’d check on your progress and then go take a nap in my car.”
Caden pretended to stifle a yawn and strolled over to where I was standing. Wrapping his hands around my waist, he lifted me onto the ladder step and braced his hands on either side of me. “What a good idea, Graves. Painting is exhausting work. I could use a nap as well.”
“Huh, what a coincidence.” I feigned ignorance. “Good thing there are two cars out there—one for each of us.”
“Ah, see, that’s not how I see it. It’s chilly today, and we don’t want to waste gas by leaving the heat on. We should just share.” He lifted his eyebrows suggestively.
“You’re a bad influence, Caden Bishop.” I reached up to dip my finger in the paint tray and swiped a streak across his chin.
“And you’re in big trouble, Graves.” Eyes wide with mischief, he lifted the paint tray and held it precariously over my head.
“Truce, truce!” I held up my hands, choking on laughter as I ducked my head. He tipped the tray and a small drop of paint splattered on my arm. I squeaked, trying to get off the ladder.
Caden wouldn’t let me. A larger splash of paint landed on the drop cloth. Then another dotted my shoes.
I gasped. “Not my shoes. They’re my favorite pair!” In a daring attempt, I tried to swipe the paint tray out of Caden’s grip. He held fast, and we were caught in a brief tug-of-war before the tray slipped from both our hands. Paint rained down on top of us as the tray clattered to the floor.
My cheeks hurt from laughing. Caden tried to find a clean end to the rag and used it to wipe a smear from my forehead before it got in my eyes.
“What are we going to do now?” I asked, dripping paint onto the drop cloth.
Caden wiped the paint from his hands then tossed me the rag to do the same. He flashed me a teasing grin. “You should have just agreed to share cars. Because I hate to break it to you, but the hot water doesn’t last very long, and there’s onlyoneshower.”
“How convenient,” I said, playfully whipping the rag at his shoulder. “Let me guess, you’re willing to share that too?”
“You’d rather waste water? Think of the environment.” He winked.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I made sure my hands were free of paint before retrieving it. Glancing at the screen, I saw a video call from Tanya. I waved the phone in the air and said, “The environment is really important, but hold that thought. I have to take this.”
“Sure thing, Graves. I’ll go find us some towels.”
“Don’t use up all that hot water without me,” I shouted over my shoulder and stepped out into the hall. Moving into another room, I answered the video call and waved into the screen. “Hey, Tanya. What’s up?”
Tanya’s features pinched together. “Elle, are you covered in paint?”
“Unfortunately, yes. There was a remodeling disaster at the manor.”
“Oh . . . Who’s there with you? Are you with Caden?”
