“If you think of anything else, just let me know. I’m going to run to all the neighbors’ houses and see if anyone saw or heard anything out of the ordinary, check to see if anyone has surveillance cameras facing this direction,” Cobi tells us, and I nod.
An hour later, it’s decided between Talon and Chaz that all of us will be staying at Talon’s house tonight. I overhear them talking, and my sister’s boyfriend agrees with Cobi’s suspicions that the break-in here and the one at the house he and his brother are building have to be linked.
But neither of them have a clue who the hell would do it or why.
24
Winston
“And you’re sure you’re all right?” I hear Steph ask as I pass by her office, and I peep my head in, making sure everything is okay, because there’s worry in her tone. “Okay, girl. Don’t worry about anything. I’ll let him know. ‘Kay. Bye.” She hangs up and looks at me, her face a mask.
“What is it?” I prompt, my anxiety ratcheting up the longer she stays quiet, and somehow I know it was Cece on the other end of the line.
“What are you doing here so early? You’re not supposed to be here until dinner,” she stalls, and when I ignore her question—to which the answer was I needed to make sure I have enough ingredients for today’s dinner special—and my nostrils flare, she slouches in her seat. “Don’t freak out. She’s fine, okay?” she leads, and I sit down in the chair in front of her desk.
“What. Happened?” I demand.
She clears her throat. “Last night, when Cece and her parents got home from dinner, they found her house broken into. The whole first floor was completely demolished.
Before I realize it, I’ve shot to my feet, and I’m already halfway to the door.
“Winston! She’s fine. That was her on the phone. She had this weekend off, but she doesn’t know if she’s going to make it in tomorrow. She was giving me enough time to line up one of the other waiters.” She shakes her head. “That girl. I swear. To go through something like that and still be responsible and caring enough to—”
“Did she tell you?” I interrupt. I already know how amazing Cece is. It’s why I am about to come unglued not having my eyes on her and seeing she’s perfectly all right for my fucking self.
“No. All she said was her girls were with their dad and they’re fine,” she replies, and I’m out the door.
Cece
“Hold on,” my sister calls out through the door of Talon’s bedroom the next morning. When she opens it, Mia looks flushed. “Hey, is everything okay?” she asks.
“Do you care if I make something to eat?”
“I’ll cook breakfast,” Talon says from inside. “While I get dressed, you wanna fill her in on what’s gonna happen today?”
“Yeah, honey,” she says, and I feel my own face heat when I see him walk in nothing but his boxers to his bathroom before closing the door.
“I hate you,” I mutter when she turns to look at me, and she frowns.
“What?” she prompts.
“I hate you. Not only is he the nicest guy ever, but you get to sleep with him, and he looks like that in the morning.”
She smiles and shrugs. “If it makes you feel any better, I’d hate me too if I were you.”
“It doesn’t, thank you,” I grumble then turn away. “I need coffee, so you can talk to me while I make it.”
Mia looks over her shoulder and sighs as she follows me to the kitchen. While I pour myself a cup of coffee, she grabs a mug off the counter and takes it to the microwave to warm it up. It must be some she made earlier that’s gone cold.
“So today,” she starts as she presses the buttons on the microwave, “Talon is meeting his family at your house to start cleaning up, and next week, the crew that has been working on the house that he and his brother are building are going to move to your place to get everything repaired.” She turns to find me standing in the middle of the kitchen, holding my mug tightly between my hands, and staring at her in shock. “Did you hear me?” she asks when I don’t move.
“I heard you.” I walk two steps to the side and lean against the counter. “I just… I just don’t know what to say.” Tears fill my eyes. Again. I swear to God, I’m so sick of crying all the damn time. “He can’t do that, Mia.”
“Well, good luck telling him that,” she tells me, and I laugh as the backdoor opens and quickly wipe the tears from my cheeks.
“Why are you crying?” Mom frowns, looking at me, then turns her head to Mia, narrowing her eyes like it’s her fault.