Page 69

I dragged a hand down my beard. “Probably from the shooting. They shoot over the dog’s head. That’s probably why they retired him, he can’t hear.”

“So he’s a good boy after all,” she said, somewhat tiredly.

“All dogs are good boys,” I said. “Even this one.” I took one more look at the dining room and blew a breath through my lips. “I’ll have breakfast out again in fifteen minutes. Can you let them know?”

“Yeah. Are their rooms haunted?”

I laughed. “What?”

“Did you give them haunted rooms? If not, can we maybe do a seance? Summon some demons? Because I wouldn’t be upset if a closet opened up on them and blood poured out.”

“Are you mad at them?” I asked.

“I’m a little irritated with them, yeah.”

“I hear Doug sang them ‘More Than Words’ last night,” I said. “That’s not enough punishment?”

“Nope.”

“I heard what they said about Jane’s,” I said. “Doreen makes everything from scratch there. It’s her grandmother’s recipes. It sucks they didn’t like it.”

“I’m beginning to think they don’t like anything,” she mumbled.

I was laughing at this when we heard shrieks from outside. Alexis and I made split-second eye contact before I ran to the window and squinted at the yard. “What the hell…”

“What is it?” Alexis asked, coming up behind me.

“I think it’s…acorns?”

Jessica and Gabby were running to the front door, their hands over their heads trying to block the onslaught. The oak trees lining the driveway were dropping acorns like hail—which was weird because they didn’t do that until the fall…

I opened the front door to let them in, and as soon as they crossed the threshold, the deluge outside abruptly ceased.

“Unbelievable,” Jessica said angrily.

She had red welts on her bare arms.

Gabby was pulling acorns from her hair.

Alexis blinked at them in shock. “What happened?”

“The fucking trees!” Jessica snapped.

I went outside and jogged down the stairs. I stopped under the first oak and picked up one of the projectiles.

Acorn.

So weird…I turned it around in my fingers. I looked up at the tree, shading my eyes. I didn’t see any on the branches. Maybe they all fell? But they don’t drop until September. And when they do, they sure as hell don’t drop like this. Maybe a squirrel’s nest got knocked over or something?

I turned around, looking at the mess. There must have been a thousand acorns on the lawn.

Alexis came outside a moment later, looking weary. “They’re just going to go eat at Jane’s and then rent bikes.”

I blinked at her. “Oh. They don’t want breakfast?”

“Not here,” she said glumly.

My stomach dropped.