“Before you do,” he said, speaking to the older men, “can I get you two to check out the bat with me?”
“Business before pleasure, boss.”
“Harper, coming?”
I begged off participating in the Q and A I was sure would follow the introduction to the mysterious flying creature hanging in my shed. Thatcher tagged along, assuring me he would be all over dish duty on his return. Leilani looked like she wanted to join in but returned to squeezing lemons and portioning out the ingredients for her cake.
“Did you want to go with them?” I asked.
“I’m a little overwhelmed,” she assured me. “Baking calms me down.”
A ‘little overwhelmed’ explained my current state too, and being in the kitchen with Leilani was calming. “Did you find everything you need?”
She nodded and poked around in the spice section of one cupboard, withdrawing a jar of poppy seeds, a shy smile on her face. “I know your kitchen pretty well, Ms. Jones.”
“Which means it’s time for you to start calling me Calli,” I teased.
Leilani smiled more confidently and twisted her hair into a messy bun atop her head. The oven pinged it was up to heat, and she returned her attention to measuring and mixing.
I took my refreshed water glass to the deck and tried to make myself comfortable on the swing. The cushion under my head had the consistency of a paving stone. I ignored the discomfort and let the low thrum of male voices guide me past the lumps of hardened pillow stuffing into a half-dozing, half-floating state.
Sweet, lemon-scented air wafted through the screen door.
A metal utensil clanged against porcelain.
Someone lifted my head and sat, adding their weight to the swing and tipping it in their direction. My head came to rest on something softer than a paving stone but not as soft as my bed. A car started then another, the hum of engines trailing off until silence blanketed the property. I was close to falling fully asleep when fingertips rubbing my shoulder alerted me someone wanted an answer to their question.
“What did you say?” I mumbled, wiping the corners of my mouth.
“I think you should go to bed.” Tanner shifted his weight and moved his hand off my body.
“But I didn’t get any cake.”
“I saved you a slice.”
I groaned and sat up, shifting to rest on my other hip.
Tanner handed over a dessert plate. “I thought dinner went well.”
I popped a bite of cake into my mouth and murmured agreement. I was about to say more when the full effect of Leilani’s inner workings hit my tongue. “Wow, there is a lot of lemon in this.” The cake was dense, delicious, and intensely tart. I chewed another bite, poppy seeds crunching between my teeth. “Either she wasn’t paying attention when she was measuring or she’s having a strong reaction to our dinner conversation. Or to something else.”
Tanner murmured his agreement.
“Who’s here?” I asked, placing the dessert plate on the side table. “I thought I heard both cars leave.”
“You did. Kaz is off to woo his witch, Wes and Thatcher are playing a video game upstairs, and Harper took Leilani home.”
“Is she okay?”
“I think she’ll be fine,” he said, pressing the tines of his fork onto the last of the cake crumbs.
“What did Kaz and Wes have to say about the bat?”
“We put a tracker on it. Harper’s disappointed we let it go, but he understands. And I don’t think that’s the last we’ll see of the creature.”
“You released it?”
“We try to do what’s best for the animal in these situations. Didn’t seem to be in a hurry, though. Either that or it was groggy from the twenty-four-hour spell, but yes, there is no longer a bat in your shed.” He leaned forward and glanced around the periphery of the treeline. “But I don’t think it’s left your property.”
“Did Pokey make an appearance?”
Tanner chuckled. “Thatcher was hoping the raccoon would stop by so he could impress the guys, but he needn’t worry. They’re already impressed. With both of your sons.”
I popped another bite of cake into my mouth, ready this time for the heavy dose of tart lemon. “Did you learn anything new after I left the office?”
“Clifford and Abigail are doing better. Rose and River brought them out of the catatonia spell, and now they’re recovering. They’re willing to sit for interviews around lunchtime tomorrow.”
A comfortable silence settled between us. I wrapped my fingers around the sensation of being in the immediate vicinity of a man I was attracted to and let go of the sharper edges accompanying said man. “I’ve gotten backed up on a couple other complaints I need to follow up with. Nothing that appears related to the Pearmains. But I’ll give you a set of spare keys to the house and the office. Kerry knows to expect some combination of the three of you for as long as this takes.”
“Wes will head off the island tomorrow and go straight to the other orchards. He and Kaz will probably go for a paddle first thing in the morning. They like to check on local otter populations whenever they travel.”
I listened to Tanner’s voice, zeroing in on its texture and rhythm more than the words coming out of his mouth. He’d stepped into my life a little too fast, a little too neat and had a little too much baggage. Ancient baggage. And we hadn’t touched upon the blood wards or the Apple Witch at all.
“I’ve got other cases to update too,” he said. “Go to bed. I’ll see to whatever needs doing.”
Chapter 8
Thursday morning, delivering fresh-squeezed orange juice seemed as good an excuse as any to grab a private moment with my boys. Inside the tent, Thatcher was still asleep, but Harper was awake and chafing to talk.
“Mom.” He swirled the juice with one finger and kept his voice low. “I can’t believe you never told us you were a witch.
