Reid closed the door and stepped into the restroom. He needed a shower. He reeked of smoke. It couldn’t be too bad since Quinn had practically sniffed him after leaving the hospital.What had that been about?At first, he thought he had hurt her, but the pink tinge to her cheeks clued him in that she was embarrassed about something. The only thing he could think of was the sniffing.
It was probably the concussion. People don’t normally sniff each other. Especially after the day they’d had. He washed his face and brushed his teeth. That would have to do until morning. Right now, he was exhausted, but Quinn and JJ came first. He walked through the small area, making sure all windows and doors were secure. Then, he turned off the lights, gave his eyes time to adjust to the darkness, and peeked out the window. No one was going to get to Quinn and JJ tonight.
He fluffed a pillow on the edge of the couth, then sat down and made himself comfortable.
A few hours later, a noise startled him awake. He sat up, eyes trained on the window. He’d left the porch light on. No shadows danced in the light. He stood, crept to the window, pushed aside the edge of the curtain, and peered out. Everything looked just as it had earlier.
There it was again. A groan. It came from behind him. He raced across the living room and sprang over the couch. Quinn and JJ were in danger.
The door was shut. He didn’t bother knocking—just flung it open, prepared to fight. But the room was empty except for a sleeping Quinn and JJ.
Quinn groaned and moved fitfully. Her pain pill must have worn off. He stepped into the hallway, reached into the bathroom, and turned on the light. It would give him enough light to see what he was doing. He checked the time—4:45.
Back in Quinn’s room, he got a pill from the bottle and sat on the edge of her bed. “Quinn.” He gently shook her.
A grimace contorted her face, but she didn’t open her eyes.
“Quinn, sweetheart.”
Her eyes opened.
“What?” She blinked a couple of times. “The doctor said you didn’t have to wake me up.” Irritation filled her tone.
Reid bit back a laugh. “You were moaning in your sleep. I got you a pain pill.”
“Thank you.” Her grimace softened as she took the pill and bottle of water. After swallowing the pill, she handed the water back to him, rolled over, and cuddled up to a sleeping JJ.
Reid left the room, leaving the door open in case pain woke her again. He tried to make himself comfortable and go back to sleep. After an hour of tossing and turning, dozing and waking, he’d had enough. He remembered seeing some coffee in one of the bags last night, so he rooted around the kitchen, looking for a coffeepot.
Jackpot.He found an old pot under the sink. He washed the glass pot and started some coffee. He wasn’t sure whether Quinn was a coffee drinker, so he made a larger pot than normal.
The pot gurgled and emitted the last drops of coffee as a drowsy JJ emerged from the bedroom.
“Hey, kiddo.” The boy’s hair stuck up in different directions. “Did you sleep good?”
JJ nodded and shuffled to the kitchen area, plopped a stuffed alligator on the table, then sat in a chair and lay his head on the alligator.
Must not be a morning person. Was Quinn?
Reid found his thoughts wandering to Quinn more than they usually would to a woman he’d just met. It was because of the commotion in the last twenty-four hours. That was all.
Wasn’t it?
He poured himself a cup of coffee. “Want some?” He nudged the boy’s shoulder, trying to get a rise out of him. All he did was rock his head back and forth on his stuffed animal. “What about some breakfast?”
JJ sat straight up and vigorously nodded. Maybe, he was a morning person after all.
“Okay. So, we have some cereal but no milk—or peanut butter sandwiches.”
JJ rubbed his chin. “I want a peanut butter sandwich. Do you know how to make them right?”
There was more than one way to make a sandwich? “I think so, but why don’t you tell me how just to make sure.”
Reid chatted with JJ as he followed his instructions on how to make a sandwich. Turns out, the best way to eat a peanut butter sandwich is without crust and cut a certain way.
“Thank you,” JJ said as he put his plate on the kitchen table. “What about you?”
“I’m not hungry.” Reid rarely ate breakfast.
