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“I’m hanging,” he said. With perfect timing, Frank jumped up on the back of the sofa, startling Lulu, who jumped straight up and tumbled off the arm. “Just like that,” Tobias said and saluted Lulu with his beer.
“Look at this smug bastard.” Drew scooped Frank into his arms, belly up. “What a brute.”
Lulu patted his leg, meowing. Aithan beckoned her, and she trotted over and rubbed against his fingers, purring loud enough to wake the dead. He picked her up. She climbed his shoulder and smashed her face against his jaw. Aithan looked as happy as a pig in slop. She looked like a tiny kitten in his muscular arms.
Candace’s phone alarm trilled. She turned it off and shoved it into her pocket. “Lemme borrow your car?” she asked Tobias. “Gotta pick up Sienna from the airport. Her flight lands at five-thirty and traffic will be a bitch.”
“Sure. You bringing her back here?” He dug his keys from his pocket and tossed them to her.
“Maybe. Depends on how tired she is. If she’s beat, I’ll drop her off, then come back for you.”
Aithan waved her off. “I can give him a ride, Candy.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she protested.
“I know I don’t have to. Spend time with Sienna. She’s been gone for a month.”
“Well, you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Candace smiled. “Okay. Thanks, man.” She high-fived him, kissed her brother’s cheek, touched my shoulder, and waved to Drew, then headed downstairs.
I followed her to get the front door. “Thanks for coming by.”
“Thanks for always including me, Zel.” She surprised me with another quick hug, then pulled up her jacket hood. Hail the size of BBs pounded the deck and bounced across the driveway. She ran to Tobias’s car, got in, and started the engine. I closed the door as she pulled out of the driveway. A flash lit up the sky, followed almost immediately by thunder. I threw the door locks and shivered. “Brrr.”
“Shit!” Tobias bounded down the stairs to the landing. “Is she gone?”
“Yeah. What’s wrong?”
“I’m an idiot and gave her my house keys.”
“Oops.”
He huffed a breath. “Damn. I don’t want her driving to SeaTac, then to the Central District, then back here in this weather.”
“Definitely not. It’s hailing and cold as fuck out there.”
“Stay here tonight,” Aithan said from the top of the stairs, Lulu still purring contentedly on his shoulder. “I’ll drive you in the morning.”
Tobias shook his head. “You know I can’t stay, man.”
“Yes, you can. Amara’s with John and Dianne all weekend.” Aith gestured at my office. “The loveseat in Zel’s office unfolds to make a twin bed.”
I nodded. “I have plenty of extra blankets and pillows. That bathroom has a shower and you’ll find clean towels on the shelf. It’s not a problem for us if you stay.”
Shoulders hunched, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, but it’s a problem for me.”
“Because of Maeve?” Aithan’s voice took on a sharp edge. “You’re not doing anything to endanger Amara. You’re sleeping downstairs at a friend’s house, rather than asking people to drive back and forth across Seattle on a stormy evening.”
As if to emphasize Aithan’s point, another flash of lightning lit up the office and hallway. Thunder rattled the entire townhouse. Lulu hissed, jumped off his shoulder, and bolted for the third floor.
“The cat has the right idea,” I said. “This is hiding weather, not driving around town weather.”
“Fuck,” Tobias muttered. “I’ll call a cab.”
Aithan descended the stairs and clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Stop putting so much pressure on yourself. You’re letting Maeve run you in circles. You’re not doing anything wrong by sleeping in the office tonight. You’re not endangering your child in any way, shape, or form. She’s safe and sound with her grandparents in Lake Forest Park, and you’re an adult sleeping someplace safe, too.”
