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“Shall I administer a drug test?” Mrs. Quinn twirled the stem of her wine glass.
“That’s your call.” I held up one of my hands. Ella grabbed for it. “I’m only the messenger.”
She looked away, resignation on her face.
“Who’s the guy she meets?”
“We’re working on that. But if you two want to know more, I’d suggest leaving it alone for the moment.” Trish appeared ready to argue when I cut her off. “You were going to wait on her this morning.”
She nodded. “I’m worried about her.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
Chapter Nineteen
Marlow
“How.”
“I’m hungry too, sweetheart. Just let me finish up this section, and we’ll go.” I rolled deep blue paint on a wall of Holt’s office as “In Your River” by Snoh Aalegra played from my phone.
“Think he’ll like it?”
Blake pumped his fist at me, and I laughed.
“I guess if he doesn’t, we’ll paint it again.”
He’d been so good today. We’d had one crying jag and one tantrum, but after I found an old favorite lion stuffed animal, he had entertained himself quietly in the playpen for nearly an hour then slept for another hour. A miracle. I could paint fast, so that was what I did.
I glanced at the battered metal desk in the center of the room. How was I going to ask Dad if he’d give Holt the desk he had in one of the spare bedrooms? My brother had always liked it. I didn’t think Dad used it much anymore. But I didn’t want them to know what I was up to.
I hadn’t decided about the flooring. The nasty carpet had to go. I’d peeled up a corner of it and discovered the same hardwoods as up in the loft. Whether or not they could be salvaged, I didn’t know.
“I think that’s it.” I dropped the roller in the pan and surveyed my work. “One more coat in the morning and we’ll be good to go.”
“How. Ass.”
“It does look good, doesn’t it?”
I cleanedthe brush and roller I’d used and left my supplies to dry in the downstairs bathroom. Baby brother was going to have to do better than this if he wanted to make women feel welcome here. Of course, I couldn’t tell him that without him getting offended.
I turned off the lights and locked up with time to spare. If Holt and Baker decided to come by after dinner at Dino’s, they wouldn’t catch me.
My stomach growled, even as it churned with disappointment. I hadn’t particularly had a good time with my family lately, but I missed Sunday dinner.
And I didn’t want to go home.
I opened the text app on my phone.
Large pizza - pepperoni, mushroom, onion, jalapeños, extra black olives
A second later . . .
And extra sauce
The message showed delivered, but there were no dots indicating a response. I pushed the stroller to the end of the block. Still nothing.
I stuffed the phone in the front pocket of my jeans.
