“That’s not a bad idea.” The last thing I wanted to come home to was a fridge full of rotting food and a kitchen that stank to high heaven.
We moved towards the bright space, but Calder’s steps faltered in front of the French doors out to the back deck. “What the hell?”
I peeked over his shoulder. “What—?” My words cut off as bile choked me. A dead deer lay gutted on my back picnic table.
Calder muttered a slew of curses and moved me away from the doors. “You locked up after we came in, right?” I nodded. He ushered me farther into the center of the house, away from all the access points. “There are too many damn windows in this house.”
“I like light.” It was an automatic response, but all I could see in my mind was the torn-up deer.
He pulled me into his arms as we reached the side of the fireplace in the living room. “I know.” He pressed his lips to my forehead as he pulled out his phone. “Hey, we might have a problem.”
I could barely hear the familiar tone of my brother’s voice on the other line.
“Someone left a dead deer on Hadley’s back deck.” Calder paused for a few moments. “Yup, we’re not going anywhere, and the doors are locked.” He hung up. “Hayes will be here in a few.”
I nodded woodenly.
“I’m guessing that wasn’t out there when you left for work?”
“No,” I whispered.
“Have you seen anyone hanging around?”
“No one.” My breath gave a slight shudder as I inhaled. “But, Calder?”
He pulled back so he could fully see my face. “What?”
“I go out to my deck every day after work. I pour an iced tea and sit and watch the sky. It’s how I decompress.” I could slowly let the worst days go, sitting out there. Sometimes, I brought my dinner out, too, watching one color melt into another.
But while I’d been doing that, someone had been watchingme.
27
Calder
I pulledHadley into my side on the couch, wrapping an arm around her. She stiffened for a moment, her gaze flicking to Birdie and Sage, but they were focused on the brownies they were eating at the coffee table. She relaxed into me. “I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
“Maybe you should call out sick tomorrow. Everyone would understand.”
Hadley groaned and pressed her face into my chest. “Then someone else would have to cover for me, and that’s not fair. I’ll just try to go to bed early tonight.”
Birdie made a smacking sound as she licked icing off her thumb. “These are my new favorite, Hads.”
Hadley raised her brows. “Really? Even more than double-fudge cake?”
Birdie tapped her lips with her finger. “Yup. Because with this, you get the chocolate of the brownie and the vanilla of the frosting. But I should probably have the cake tomorrow to make sure.”
Hadley barked out a laugh. “You’re a girl after my own heart.”
“Me, too,” I muttered. “She’s got no shame.”
“She goes after what she wants. I like it.”
I pressed a kiss to Hadley’s temple. “I do, too. Especially if it means I get cake tomorrow.”
Sage studied us carefully, a small smile on her lips. “I can help you make the cake.”
“Me, too, if I can lick the bowl,” Birdie chimed in.