Page 18 of Hawk

“She does love the cabin, but we’ve got some non-dog-friendly plans this trip and didn’t want to leave her cooped up all day while we were out.”

“Jesse’s taking me to a wine tasting at a new winery just outside of Bishop.” Andy walked into the room and straight into Jesse’s arms. “They make all the wines right there on site.”

“I didn’t know you could grow grapes for wine in this part of the country.” I didn’t know much about plants. I wasn’t a gardener or anything, but it seemed to me that you’d need a fair amount of rain to grow grapes.

“I think they have the grapes shipped in and just make the wine there. But I’m excited to go check it out.”

“Bring back a couple bottles for our next wine day.” Andy, Caleb, and I tried to get together at least once a month to drink wine, eat food, and talk about men. Well, they talked about their Daddies, and I lived vicariously through them.

“You know I will, assuming any of their wines are wine-day worthy.”

Bam! Bam! Bam!

I jumped and let out a little squeal. My heart pounded in my chest, and I spun around toward the sound. Of course, it wasn’t anyone here to attack us. I’d completely forgotten about the guys outside working.

“No wonder you guys are going out of town for the weekend. That was loud.”

“Yep. And they’re going to be here for either two or three days. I couldn’t take it. Not to mention, they’re stressing Seph out.”

I looked up to find Jesse watching me. I knew my reaction to the sudden banging was probably a little extreme, but it was loud and unexpected.

“Everything okay, Mika?” he asked.

“Yeah, just a high startle reflex,” I lied. I probably should’ve told Andy about the note, but I knew what would happen if I did. He’d either cancel his trip or insist I come with them.

“My sister Molly’s like that. It provided endless hours of entertainment for us growing up.” Jesse chuckled.

“I bet. Let’s get Seph loaded up so you two can get on the road.”

I’d planned to take Seph to the pet store to get her some special treats, but she was pretty wound up over the noise and the strangers at her house, so I decided just to take her straight home and give her time to settle.

Which was how I found myself sprawled out on my couch, acting as a dog bed a short time later. She was a large breed of some kind—I wasn’t sure what—and Andy wasn’t interested in having her DNA tested. He said her breed wasbest dog ever,and that was all he needed to know. I didn’t think he was wrong.

I’d grabbed myself a drink, selected a mystery movie on TV, and propped my feet up on the ottoman, fully expecting her to lie next to me. But apparently, that wasn’t close enough. By the second movie, she’d slowly inched her way over until I had a hundred pounds of pup across my lap. Not that I minded. It was almost like having a weighted blanket draped across me—but even better because I could talk to her and pet her.

I actually dozed off and almost missed the end of the movie, but my phone rang, waking me up. I paused it so I could answer, but I was sure I’d missed too much. I’d have to start it over if I had any chance of figuring out who used the cupcakes to kill the mayor of the small town.

The caller ID said it was my mother.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hey, sweetie. What are you doing today?”

“Hold on.” I turned the phone around so she could see Seph. “I’m dog-sitting for Andy.”

“Oh my, that’s a big dog.”

“She is. I think I’ll get one.”

“I think that would be a great idea. It would be good for you to have the protection.”

I hadn’t planned on telling her what happened between me and Butch, but when I told her I’d left him, she’d begged me to come home, and the only reason I had for not going back was the truth. I’d never been good at lying or hiding things, so in the end, I told her the whole story and admitted that I was afraid to go home because he knew where that was.

I knew my mom wanted me to move back, and it had been long enough that I didn’t think Butch cared where I was anymore. I could admit that when I went home for Christmas, it had been nice to spend time with my family again, but after thinking I saw him at the market—and that stupid note on my car—I realized I was still way too worried about him to feel safe back home. Knowing that he had no reason to look for me in Vesper had been the thing that kept me sane for the last couple of years. Besides, I’d miss my friends and my job. At some point over the last couple of years, Vesper had become my home.

“I agree, Mom. A dog would be great for protection. Especially if she’s as good a dog as Seph. So what are y’all up to?”

“Nothing much. Same old, same old. I just miss my boy.”

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