Page 83 of Midnight Secrets

“That sounds good. I’ll give you the skinny on this one, too, while we’re out.” He tipped his head toward me.

“Hey, no gossiping,” I said.

Claire grinned, ignoring me. “That sounds good.”

Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea for Claire and Ellis to become friends. I hadn’t considered that they might team up against me.

The rest of our meal passed in much a similar fashion. We discussed Claire’s family, talked about how the weather would start to change soon and the status of her insurance claim. I was hopeful it would move quickly, but I knew she’d still be working out of her home office and then a temporary office for quite some time.

True to our word, Ellis and I helped Claire clean up, then headed for the door so she could finish working.

She stopped me a few feet from the door with a hand on my sleeve. “You’ll come back later?”

A lick of heat lit in my belly. “If you want, sure.”

An answering fire ignited in her gaze. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, slowly letting it loose. “Oh, I definitely want.”

Ellis groaned and continued toward the door. “Just kiss her already so we can go.”

I chuckled. “Ignore him. He’s just jealous.”

With a soft giggle, she looped her arms around my neck. “I know.”

The kiss was brief, but still enough to curl my toes and make me wish I hadn’t invited my brother to tag along.

“I’m going to leave my truck in your driveway. Ellis can drive.”

“That was not part of this deal,” Ellis said.

“Your idea, you drive.” I leaned down and scooped Pebbles off the floor, handing her to Claire so she wouldn’t dart out when we left.

“Food was your idea. We’d have met at the bar if we didn’t come here first.”

“And you still would have had to drive,” I countered.

He blinked. “Fair point. Okay. Let’s go.” He looked past me and smiled. “Claire, thank you for the lovely conversation.”

“You’re welcome. We’ll have to do it again soon. You two are entertaining.” She grinned.

Feeling lighthearted and happy, I moved toward the door. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Lock up behind us?”

She nodded, coming forward. “I’ve got my guard dog too. Even sleep doesn’t completely turn her off,” she said with a chuckle.

Ellis opened the door and stepped out. “She needs a friend. One with bigger teeth.”

I wholly agreed, but doubted Claire would go for it. And I would say I’d get one that would eventually—hopefully—end up living in the same house, but I didn’t have time for a dog. I worked long, odd hours, so?—

“Hey!”

Ellis’s shout stopped my musings. I zeroed in on his tone, realizing in an instant he wasn’t talking to either of us. His attention was on the side of the house, beyond my truck.

“You’re on private property, pal.”

Ellis moved to the side, heading for the driveway, giving me a clear view of what he saw.

In the side yard, a male figure backed toward the neighbor’s drive.

I spared a quick glance at Claire. “Stay inside. Lock the door.”

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