“Hey, want to give me a hand?” Kian’s standing at the front door.
“With what?”
“I promised Alexia I’d deliver these paintings up to the studio.”
I can feel my grin widen. “Of course.” It’s a chance to see Jesse before tonight and I won’t have to make a lame excuse for dragging Roslyn in there, if she ever gets home. “Let me get dressed first.” And brush my hair, put on some makeup, and everything else to look my best.
“Let’s take your car. Mine’s blocked,” Kian says when I come back downstairs.
“Sure, no problem.” I get my keys out of my purse and grab some canvases before heading out the door. I stop when I reach my car. “Shit. I’ve got a flat tire.”
Kian stops next to me. “You have two,” he says slowly and walks around my car. “All four are flat. What the hell did you run over?”
I set the wrapped artwork on the sidewalk and lean them against my car before joining Kian in the street. “How is that even possible?”
He sets his paintings down and inspects each tire. “Hey, Dee, these have been sliced.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
He stands, hands anchored on his hips. “Your car was keyed at Thanksgiving. Then the prank text about your apartment and now this. Did anything happen at Christmas?”
“My taillight was broken but I figured somebody just backed into the car.”
He pulls his phone out of his back pocket.
“What are you doing?”
“Reporting this.”
I guess we should. I figured the keying was random and the taillight an accident. But four slashed tires is deliberate. “Who the hell hates me in this town?” I’d grown up here. I didn’t think anyone hated me.
Kian clicks off his phone. “That’s exactly what I’d like to know. Give me the number from that text. I’m going to have the department run it to see who it belongs to.”
It’s past noon and Alexia hasn’t brought the paintings in yet. If I were honest, I was hoping Deirdre would be making the delivery. But, I haven’t seen either one of them.
“Do you want me to give Cam lunch?” Larry asks.
“No, I got it.” I hate when someone takes care of him when I’m free. I’m away from him enough as it is so I’m not about to turn over his care when I can see to my son. “Watch the front, okay?”
“Of course.” She smiles. “Anything to help.”
Lately, Larry’s been a little too helpful and sweet and it’s making me uncomfortable. She wants more hours, offering to babysit, even when I don’t need a babysitter. She’s sixteen. Doesn’t she have friends, homework, a boyfriend? It’s her Spring Break and she should be having fun. It’s the very reason I gave her next week off.
I lean over the railing of the crib. Cam is just waking up and grins at me. I’m so lucky to have a happy baby.
After changing his diaper, I put him in the high chair and heat up some baby food. “Man this looks gross.” I stick the end of my pinky in to taste it. “Taste’s gross too.”
I take a seat across from him. “Here you go, Little Dude. If you don’t like it, I won’t be offended.”
Cam opens his mouth and doesn’t make a complaint. I would’ve been pushing it away.
“Once you get more teeth, I’ll give you better stuff. I promise.”
Eleven
Cole Harper, Kian’s best friend since he was like twelve, is standing in the middle of the gallery with a dark haired woman when Kian and I walk in.
“I thought that was your motorcycle outside,” Kian says by way of greeting.
“Deirdre,” Cole grins and gives me a hug. “Back for Spring Break?”
“Yep.” My eyes shift to the gorgeous woman beside him and I lift a questioning eyebrow.
“Deirdre, this is Jenna. Jenna, this is the closest thing I’ve got to a little sister.”
“You were at the house enough you might as well have been another brother.” I laugh.
He teased me unmercifully when I was a kid. That changed when we got older. When I was confused about guys and crap, I talked to Cole because I sure as hell wasn’t going to confide in my brothers. The one time I did, I was warned to stay away from guys until I was thirty. Cole was the only who ever really listened and gave advice.
“So, what are the two of you up to??” Kian asks.
“Trying to pick out some artwork for the house.”
“How’s it coming along?”
What house? Is Cole living with Jenna? When did that happen? I so need these details. I never thought Cole would ever settle with one person. Jenna’s got to be really special.
Jenna groans. “The more we get done, the more that needs to be done.”
“Are you building?” I ask.
“That would probably be easier,” Jenna answers. “Restoring fire damage.”
“That sucks. Sorry.”
She gives me a weak smile.
“Glad you’re here.” Kian grins. “Help me unload.”
The two walk out and I’m dying to ask Jenna more questions, but Larry comes up to me. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
I can’t imagine what she wants but I let her take me to the other side of the gallery.
“I know you enjoyed your time with Jesse last night, and might be under the misguided notion that you two might have something.”
I simply blink at her. What sixteen-year-old talks like that? “Excuse me?”
“You need to know, he’s mine. Jesse and
