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They both look over at me. Sammy gives me that same big smile. That one trusts way too quickly. Callie is more like her mother, wary and not so sure I’m not some kind of monster.
“Are you looking for Houdini?”
“Yes,” Sammy says, running up to me. “Have you seen him?”
Callie practically drags her feet as she walks up the path to my house. She looks just like her mother, from the dark hair to that little upturned nose. Her hair is already braided. On the other hand, Sammy looks like he just rolled out of bed. I have a feeling it has nothing to do with his mother getting him ready. He has that rough and tumble look boys of his age have.
“How do you know about Houdini?” Callie asks.
“He scratched at my door last night. I’m assuming y’all were already in bed. Your mom told me his name.”
There’s a bark from in my house, and I sigh. “Plus, he’s trying to steal my breakfast. Houdini, your people are here.”
Sammy giggles. “Wearehis people. He likes to visit other people a lot.”
“We’ve only had him a few months. We aren’t sure of his habits.”
I bite back a smile. I may have only spent one night with Liv, but Callie sounds like her. All the responsibilities seem to rest on her shoulders. I know this isn’t Liv’s doing, but maybe by example? Either way, she is exactly like her mother.
“Well, he’s in there guarding my breakfast.” I study them. “Have you had breakfast?”
“Not yet. Mom is in the shower, and Avery is sleeping. She’s like a vampire.” Sammy’s voice is filled with excitement, making me think he might just believe she’s an actual vampire.
“Houdini,” Callie calls out. The dog barks, but I guess he isn’t going to move his ass from in front of that bacon.
“Do you want to come in?” I ask.
“No,” Callie says. At the same time, her brother says, “Sure.”
Sammy steps around me and into the house.
“Sammy, Mom is not going to be happy with you.”
Sammy doesn’t respond, and I have a feeling this is their relationship. Callie always tells him not to do something, and Sammy just dances into danger.
“We’ll leave the door open, and you can text your mom,” I say, motioning to the phone in her hand.
Callie hesitates, still unsure, but then she texts her mother. I’ve never had such a hard time with a kid. Most of the kids I’ve encountered have been in Juniper, and they know me well.
“Mom is not going to be happy,” she says again.
“She knows him. He makes good food.”
That apparently is all that needs to be said to get Sammy on my side. And that’s a little terrifying. I probably need to say something to Liv about that. Juniper is pretty safe, but he definitely shouldn’t be going into people’s homes.
On the other hand, Callie is still standing on the front porch deciding. Houdini barks in greeting, which seems to be the thing that breaks her. Good to know that she doesn’t trust me, but she loves that dog. She steps over the threshold, and I feel something shift. I don’t know what it is or why it was so vital that she trusts me, but I think I cleared some sort of hurdle.
When I step into the kitchen, I find Callie standing in front of the stove, looking at the bacon. Sammy is down on the floor with Houdini, chatting about how good the bacon smells.
“You know, this would cook better in the oven.”
The reprimand in Callie’s voice has me blinking. “Yeah, that’s what we do at the restaurant.”
She glances at me as I step up to the stove. “Then why didn’t you do it here?”
I shrug. “This time of year, the house gets too hot with the oven on. Plus, at the time, it was just for me.”
She looks at the amount of bacon on the griddle pan. Then, she glances back at me with one eyebrow raised. “Like to live dangerously?”
