Page 89 of Made for Mayhem

Junie hopped down from her stool and headed for the door.

I moved fast, blocking her with a gentle hand. “Hey, bug. You know the rule. No opening the door.”

She peeked around me toward the porch, fingers clutching the back of my shirt.

I crouched to her level. “What’s wrong?”

Her lower lip trembled, blue eyes rimmed with tears. “Is she here to take me away? I don’t want to leave.”

The ache in my chest was immediate. I brushed my thumb over her cheek, waiting until she looked up at me.

“No,” I said. “She’s just checking in. And if anyone tries to take you, I played defense for fifteen years. I like our odds.”

Junie sniffed, then smirked. “You can’t fight her. That’s against the law.”

“Shoot, I forgot about that.” I pressed a kiss to her temple. “Come on. Let’s go show her how good you’re doing instead.”

When I opened the door, Sandra smiled. “Sorry for the surprise visit. We keep these check-ins unannounced.”

“No problem,” I said, stepping aside. “Don’t judge the kitchen—we just made lunch and have been out all morning.”

She chuckled, taking in the open space—rain boots by the door, a half-finished puzzle on the coffee table, a bright pink throw draped over the couch like it belonged.

“This house looks wonderful, Mr. Hudson,” she said. “You’ve made it feel like a home.”

Her gaze shifted out the window toward Violet’s place down the drive. The porch was cleared, the weeds gone, but, even from here, you could see it had a long way to go.

“Progress on your sister’s house?” she asked Daisy.

Daisy passed Piggie into my arms and shook Sandra’s hand. “Slow, but steady. We were working on kitchen demo this morning, so we can mitigate some mold we found. Once that’s taken care of, I need to hire someone for wiring and drywall.”

Sandra nodded, jotting something down. “And work?”

Daisy stiffened, her panicked gaze flicking to mine. With everything going on over the last week, I wasn’t sure she’d done anything about the job hunt yet, and who could blame her?

“I—”

“She’s starting this week,” I said. “Working for the Linwood Rink.”

Daisy blinked. Piggie squealed like she’d caught me in a lie.

I held Daisy’s gaze, hoping she understood the unspoken trust me.

Sandra’s face lit up. “Oh, that’s wonderful! I heard the rink was expanding.”

“Yes,” Daisy said, finding her footing. “I’m organizing the summer carnival fundraiser.”

My brows lifted, because damn. That was good.

“Community engagement, stable employment, ongoing renovations,” Sandra said, flipping her page. “These are all positives, Daisy.”

She crouched in front of Junie. “And how are you liking it here, Juniper?”

Junie shrugged, still half-hidden behind me. “Good.”

“What’s your favorite part?”

“The animals,” she said. “Piggie Smalls is cute.”