Page 11 of Survive the Night
Hugh laughed as Otto groaned. He already knew he was going to hear about this for years. Stepping into the crowded kitchen, he glanced around, wondering where the newest houseguest was. Jules’s three teenage brothers were sitting around the table showing Theo their homemade remote-controlled airplane that, to Otto, looked too much like a drone for comfort. Hugh had pulled out a chair and was lounging in it, trying to hide his sheer relief at sitting down and doing a crap job of it.
“Where’s your friend?” Hugh asked Jules, and the kitchen went quiet.
Jules’s mouth firmed into a straight line. “Nope.”
“Nope, what?” Hugh asked, widening his eyes innocently. No one who knew him believed that look for a second.
“Nope, you’re not going to do this again.”
“Do what?” Hugh widened his eyes more.
“Every time someone new shows up in town, you grill that person until she wants to run away and never come back.” Crossing her arms, she leaned against the counter. “It’s the worst welcome wagon I’ve ever seen, and you’re not doing that to Sarah.”
“Her name’s Sarah?” Theo asked, trying to sound offhand. “Sarah what?”
Otto resisted the urge to groan. Theo was worse than Hugh at playing innocent. Judging by the way Jules narrowed her eyes, she felt the same way.
“None of your business, Mr. Cop.”
Theo frowned at Jules, and she met him glare for glare. Even when he stood up and crossed the kitchen, crowding her against the counter, she held her ground. Theo’s mouth quirked up, and then he kissed her.
Otto did groan that time, as did every occupant of the kitchen, except for Theo and Jules. Although the kiss had ended, they were staring at each other in their sappy, only-two-people-in-the-room way.
“Are they at it again?” Grace said as she walked in from the hallway.
“Yes.” Ty, one of the twins, covered his eyes. “You guys shouldn’t do this in front of me and Tio. We’re still children.”
“You two kiss so often, I’m surprised your lips haven’t permanently fused together,” Grace said as Hugh grabbed her hand, reeling her toward him and pulling her into his lap.
“I’d like my lips to become permanently fused to yours.” Hugh teasingly nuzzled Grace’s neck, making her laugh.
Tio looked at Hugh, his forehead creased. “That’s not possible. Besides, it would be extremely inconvenient to be conjoined at the mouth. How would you eat?”
“I wouldn’t need to eat,” Hugh answered in a melodramatic tone. “Who needs food when I have Grace?”
Looking increasingly bothered, Tio said, “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“That’s Hugh.” Jules had managed to break out of her Theo trance, although he was still standing very close to her. “He never makes any sense.”
“Hey!” Hugh protested, sounding amused. “Occasionally, I make a lot of sense.”
Patting him on the head, Grace gave Jules a look. “Sure you do, sweetness.”
As Hugh pretended to bite Grace’s hand, Otto glanced away. Seeing his two partners so happy in their relationships was gratifying, but it also made him feel…odd. He unintentionally caught Sam’s gaze, and the two shared a look of mutual discomfort. Otto liked Sam, the oldest of Jules’s brothers. Although the teen was still jumpy and suspicious around people who weren’t his siblings, Sam had settled in a lot since the family had moved to town. He worked at the kennel where one of Otto’s projects was staying, and Sam was great with the dogs. Otto could sympathize with someone who found the company of animals easier than the company of people.
“So, my love, my beauty, my goddess,” Hugh was saying to Grace, catching Otto’s attention. That amount of flattery was guaranteed to lead to something big.
“Yes?” Grace sounded suspicious, and Otto had to hide his smile. She was starting to know Hugh as well as his partners did.
“Heard you have a new roommate.”
Grace hopped out of his lap, crossing the kitchen to get a glass from the cupboard. “We do, indeed. She’s very nice.”
“Yeah?” Hugh sounded hopeful that Grace was going to spill some details, but Otto had a feeling he was about to be disappointed.
“Yeah. Too bad you’re never going to meet her.”
Hugh, who’d sat forward in anticipation, flopped against the back of his chair. “What? Why? Do I embarrass you? Are you embarrassed for me to meet your friends?”
