He inwardly laughed at himself. “Well, if you’re not, I’ll just have to open the door and see who’s there. There’s no peephole in some of these old homes—including this one.” He tucked the book in a kitchen cabinet among a couple of cookbooks.
When he got to the door, he took a deep breath before opening it. He was shocked to see Nick and Dr. Samuels there already, and they had a redheaded woman with them. “Come in.”
The woman stepped inside ahead of the two men.
Noah shut the door. “How did you get here so fast?”
“Can he be trusted?” Nick asked Aaron.
“My daughter trusts him. She’s a pretty good judge of character.”
Kizzy entered the room. “Pretty good? I’d say I’m very good.”
The woman smiled. “Except where love is concerned. Then things like judgment and trust can get very confusing.”
“Spoken like someone who knows,” Nick said and smiled at her.
Noah’s patience for all this cryptic conversation was wearing thin. He folded his arms. “Is anyone going to introduce us?”
“Oh! I’m sorry, Noah. This is Nick Wolfensen’s wife, Brandee,” Kizzy said.
“How did you get here so quickly?”
Brandee shrugged. “I’m a good driver. I know how to avoid traffic.”
Noah narrowed his eyes at her.
“It’s okay,” Aaron said. “He knows.”
Brandee placed her hand over her heart. “Whew, I was afraid we were going to have to come up with some kind of bizarre explanation for my being able to change time and transport physical matter through the ether.”
Noah raised his eyebrows.
“I don’t think he knew all that!” Aaron said.
“Actually, I’m familiar with a deity who can do all that, and more.”
This time, Brandee’s eyebrows shot up. “It sounds like you’re talking about my boss.”
“If her name is Gaia, then yes.”
Brandee grinned. “Oh, my paranormal family. How the heck do you know her?”
“It’s a long story. One I’d rather not get into right now.” He glanced at Kizzy.
“I agree. Dad, you wanted to see the book. Is it okay to bring it out to the living room and show everyone, Noah?”
“I don’t see why not. The only one I don’t know is Brandee, and Nick can vouch for her. What do you say, Nick? Can your wife be trusted with a secret?”
Nick laughed. “Absolutely. She didn’t divulge mine even when she thought I was… Never mind. It’s a long story too.”
“Okay,” Noah said. “I’ll go get the book.” He went into the kitchen and took it out of the cabinet where he’d stashed it. He hoped showing it to them would help somehow. He wasn’t quite ready to surrender it though. He had everything set up in his lab, but having the right words would really help. Kizzy might be willing to divulge the information he needed later.
Taking the book to the living room, he handed it to Aaron.
“I’ll be damned. That’s it.” He didn’t even study it. Just a quick perusal of the cover and contents made him smile as he scanned.
Aaron turned to Brandee and nodded. Noah wondered what that was about. Suddenly, everyone disappeared except the redhead he’d just met.
