Page 55 of The Haunting Plot

The bathroom door swings open, and McKenna stands in the doorway with Raven right behind her.

McKenna’s eyes flick down to Jonah and go wide. “I wanna color!”

Jonah hands her the Sharpie, and she plops on the floor next to him, pulling my arm straight as she adds a few butterflies. I grin down at her, trying to ignore the way the marker tickles my skin.

She pulls my arm harder. “Stop wiggling.”

I try to stifle my laughter. “Sorry.” When I look up at Raven, I can’t decipher the look on her face.

“There’s plenty of real estate left if you want to add your mark on me,” I tease, hoping she’ll catch my subtext, but her brows pinch.

“Can Jane come over?” McKenna asks, and my gaze shifts back to her.

“Jane and Tommy are at their mom’s tonight.”

“Can Sawyer stay for dinner?” Jonah asks.

“There’s a developing story in Denver. Disgraced politician. Big scandal. My editor wants me to head over and get the scoop. I was gonna see if one of the moms could watch the kids at their place since I might be gone all night.”

“I can do it.”

She eyes me suspiciously.

“I mean, if it’s cool with these two,” I say, looking between McKenna and Jonah.

McKenna shrugs as she reaches for a different marker to continue coloring. Jonah rocks side to side as he looks at Raven with pleading eyes. “I don’t wanna sleep at someone else’s house. I wanna sleep in my bed.”

Raven blows out a breath.

“I can stay. I don’t have my kids tonight, so I can stay as long as you need me.”

“Are you sure?” She hugs her arms around her torso.

“Absolutely. I’ve got this.”

——————

Raven gives me a rundown on everything I need to know for Jonah. I can tell she’s nervous about leaving, but I’m great with kids. Once I shut the door, I turn to them, clapping my hands. “So, what do you want for dinner?”

“Jonah only eats mac and cheese,” McKenna says.

“Cuz it tastes the same every time. Some blueberries are squishy, or crunchy, or sweet, or sour, but mac and cheese is always the same,” he says, nodding.

“I totally get that. I love mac and cheese too.” I rub my belly, then turn to McKenna. “What do you want for dinner?”

“Whatever Jonah wants is fine.”

“Can you show me where everything is?” I ask her, hoping to talk to her alone.

She follows me into the kitchen as Jonah runs upstairs. “I don’t know how to cook. My mom says that I don’t have to conform to gender roles. My dad was gonna teach me, but then he died.” She says it so casually, like it’s not the most devastating thing I’ve ever heard.

My heart squeezes in my chest. I want to say something to comfort her—hell, I want to wrap her up in a hug. Instead, I change the subject, unsure of what else I could say. “Do you want to learn?”

She blinks up at me. “You can cook?”

“Yup. I can’t promise I’m any good, though. There’s a reason someone else took over at the firehouse.”

A small smile lights up her face. “You’d teach me?”