I swallowed hard. “Ellie…”
“I heard what was going on through the grapevine,” she murmured. “He’s pressuring you. I want to help. Jason called that day before he… you know. He told me to start digging. And I’d already started working on it when I was informed of his accident. Then this morning, I remembered and found myself working on it again. I heard about it from one of the cops that came to check on me. I’m… I want to help. I dug some… how deep do you want me to go?”
The shit she’d been hearing through the grapevine was a couple of us moving everything that we could get out of Delanie and Dillan’s house in about a day and a half’s time.
After our argument about David not being listed on the deed, we knew that he’d come back with paperwork saying he was listed on the deed.
In the time that it took for him to do that, we’d taken everything of importance and moved it.
Delanie was now moved in with me, and Dillan was now fully moved in with Booth.
Asa’s belongings that were at Delanie’s place were now in my spare bedroom.
As for all of Delanie’s dogs, they were now at my parents’ place in the air-conditioned shop that Booth and I had helped build a few weeks ago.
This weekend I would work on something more permanent, and it was under discussion whether we should start building.
But… for now, we were making it.
I cleared my throat.
“If you have anything,” I said, “I’d love to have it. I don’t want you to stress yourself, though.”
She cleared her throat. “I’m not pregnant.” She paused. “I think that I’m both happy and sad about that. Happy that I don’t have to raise a baby without him, and sad that I don’t have a piece of him to keep with me for always.”
I felt my belly tighten.
“I’m sorry, Ellie,” I murmured softly.
She cleared her throat.
“So as for the digging that I did,” she said. “I have financial reports, some basic background history. Names, birthdates and birthplaces. Family information. All that regular fun stuff that I could find. I haven’t found anything super interesting just yet. I found one single blemish on his career, though. It happened last year. It was the death of one of his subordinates under his command. Nothing that would make him get reprimanded or anything, but I went ahead and noted it all the same. I’m going to have these papers sent to you, okay?”
“How about I drop by and get them?” I suggested, looking at my watch. “I’m on my way to my place to pick up Delanie and Asa, but I can run by there first and…”
“I’m heading out right now, actually,” she said. “I was going to leave them with my secretary to take. If you want to come get them, that’s perfectly fine. If not, I’ll have her bring them to you on her way home from work. Y’all are staying at your duplex, right? She’s in the next subdivision over from y’all.”
I grinned. “Well, if it’s not far for her, then I’d love to have them delivered. It makes me feel all special and important and shit.”
Ellie chuckled. “All right. I’ll have her bring them.”
Smile dimming, I said, “If you ever need anything, Ellie, don’t hesitate to call, okay?”
She made an agreeing sound, and we were just about to hang up with each other when she called out my name.
“Hey, Mr. July?”
I groaned at Ellie calling me that.
Jason never missed a chance to do that any time that he talked to me. It honestly kind of made me smile a bit.
“Yeah?” I croaked.
“I want an invitation to your wedding.”
With that, she hung up, and I was left smiling.
I arrived at my place to find Delanie and Asa outside with Moses and the one single dog that she was working with today.
She’d decided to hold off on any more therapy dogs until she had somewhere more permanent for the dogs she already had to stay, and before she took in any more that she could train.
The moment she saw me pull up at the curb, she grinned.
I got out of the truck and she started running full tilt toward me.
I stopped with both feet planted on the grass and braced myself, grinning wickedly when her body hit me full on.
I scooped her up, hands on her ass, and lifted her to me.
She wrapped her legs around my waist and dropped her mouth onto my grinning face before I could tell her what I wanted.
“Hey,” she whispered when she was done kissing me.
I grinned at her. “Hey.”
“I missed you,” she said.
My grin got wider.
“So when are y’all going to announce that y’all are officially together?”
I looked over to see Dillan on the porch swing next to Asa who was looking at us with a disgusted look on his face.