“Babe,” he said low and not soothingly. “Hear me. Shit goes down with you that’s unpleasant, I don’t care how unimportant you think that unpleasant is, you tell me.”

“I dislike speaking on the phone while driving,” I shared. “But just so you know, I did plan on sharing this with you over dinner.”

“Dinner is five hours away.”

I said nothing for there was nothing to say. This was true.

Jake, however, said something.

“Remember what I said about you even feelin’ funny about a look you get in the grocery store?”

Oh dear.

I did remember that.

“Yes,” I answered quietly.

“So, next time something unpleasant happens to you, what are you gonna do?”

Apparently, I was going to share this with Jake without delay.

“Contact you,” I replied.

“Good answer, Slick.”

I gave it a moment, kept driving and when he said nothing more, I shared, “I was able to acquire all Ethan’s viewing selections for him and his friends this evening.”

His voice was a strange combination of exasperated and amused when he replied, “Excellent news.”

“I was worried at least one would be checked out but that’s not the case,” I informed him.

“I’ll bring the champagne.”

I grinned at his quip.

Since he was quipping, I decided to share news he would like much less than me getting all the videos his son wanted for that evening.

“Amber has a date with Alexi that starts after school. She’ll be home late.”

“Great,” he muttered unhappily.

“And reportedly Conner behaved like the hero from a romance film when Sofie dashed away from him, took a tumble and he picked her up off the floor.”

There was a moment of silence before, “Jesus, boy Taylor’s got a big mouth.”

“He keeps me informed.”

“He fuckin’ does,” Jake agreed before querying, “Con get in there with Sofie?”

“Alas, she burst into tears and ran away.”

“Good for him to have a challenge,” Jake murmured as if to himself. “Don’t appreciate it unless they make you work for it. You win it, you know what you got, you know to take care of it.”

This was when I was silent but I was this way with my belly feeling very warm.

Jake broke into my silence to say, “Right, see you later.”

“Okay, darling. See you later.”

“Bye, Slick.”

“Good-bye, Jake.”

He rang off.

I tossed my phone to the passenger seat when he did and finished driving home.

* * * * *

The mattress moved and I felt a blast of cold as I lost Jake’s body because he was exiting the bed.

I turned and called out sleepily, “Jake?”

“Do not turn on the lights. Get your phone. Listen. You call 911, you hear something you don’t like.”

My heart shot to my throat so I had to push through it, “Pardon?”

“Motion sensor light, baby. Back door. Phone. Now,” he said into the dark then he was gone.

I lay on the bed frozen for a moment before my body became a flurry of movement. I threw back the covers, grabbed my robe from the end of the bed and tugged it on. After that, I reached out and grabbed the phone and, fumbling but succeeding, I tied the belt on my robe once I got the phone in my hand.

My eyes went to the alarm clock, which told me it was 4:12 in the morning then they moved to the window. I could see dim illumination coming up from the light at the back door and I stared out the window wondering how on earth Jake sensed that when he had to be dead asleep.

That was when I heard the faraway crash of a window breaking.

My heart seized but my thumb flew over the keypad of the phone which fortunately lit up the instant I pressed a button.

I hit the three numbers as I dashed to the table by the window where I knew an antique bank made of iron and shaped like the Empire State Building sat. I grabbed it and ran to the door as the 911 operator answered.

I hit the hall and said, “This is Josephine Malone at Lavender House in Magdalene. Ten Lavender Lane.” I stopped dead in the hall, tucked the phone between my ear and shoulder and lifted a hand sharply when I saw the shadow of Conner coming out of his room and kept talking. “We’re experiencing a break in and my boyfriend is downstairs.”

Conner heard me, moved swiftly my way, which meant toward the stairs, and the 911 operator spoke to me but I hissed to Conner.

“Con, no!”

He ignored me but grabbed the iron bank out of my hand before he moved past me and disappeared down the stairs.

I followed him and interrupted the operator to say, “Now Jake’s seventeen year old son is going down there.”

“I’ve dispatched a unit. Please get to a safe place and lock yourself in if you can.”

I hesitated at the top of the stairs and looked down the hall.

“We have three eight year old boys in this house and a sixteen year old girl,” I told her.

“Assemble them and lock yourself someplace safe. A unit is on the way.”

I dashed down the hall to Amber’s door, asking, “What about Jake and Conner?”

“Ma’am, take care of the children.”

Blast!

Of course!

I threw open Amber’s door, raced to the bed and put a hand to her, shaking.

She turned, murmuring, “Wha?”

“Up, honey, hurry. We need to get to Ethan.” She didn’t move for a moment so I ordered urgently, “Up, Amber.”

She threw the covers off and had her feet on the floor when we both shrieked as the lights went on.

Conner in a pair of sweats with a bare chest stood in the door.

Vaguely I noted I was correct upon seeing him some time ago at Gran’s funeral. He’d inherited much from his father, including his physique.

“Josie, Dad’s got your uncle in the kitchen. He says to call 911 and get Coert out here to take him away,” Conner announced.

“Ma’am, what’s happening?” the operator asked in my ear.

But I wasn’t listening.

I was fuming.

And thus I stomped to Conner and handed him the phone, ordering, “The 911 operator is on the line. Inform her of this news.”

I then stomped around him, down the hall, the stairs and into the fully lit kitchen.

There I saw Jake in pajama bottoms and nothing else towering over my uncle who was sitting at the kitchen table.

I watched as my uncle tried to stand and Jake put a hand on him and shoved him back in the chair.

“Sit. Stay. Do not try to get up again, old man. I don’t give a fuck I could break you in half. Give me a reason to do it and I’ll take it,” Jake growled.

“Jake,” I called, advancing into the room.

Jake sliced angry eyes to me and asked immediately, “You call 911?”

“Yes. Conner’s on with them now,” I answered, my eyes going to my uncle who was glaring up at Jake.

My words were proved true when Conner came in behind me still on the phone. “Yeah. It’s okay. The guy who tried to break in is about seven hundred years old. He’s not a threat. He’s sitting at the kitchen table. Okay. Thanks.” He beeped off the phone and looked to his father. “Police are on their way.”

“God damn it,” Uncle Davis muttered.

And that was when it happened. That was when it came right out of me. I couldn’t stop it.

And I totally understood it.

I looked to my uncle, brows raised, hands lifted up at my sides, and I asked, “Seriously?”

“Josie—” Jake started but I cut him off.

Still addressing my uncle, I asked, “Are you whacked?”

“Girl—” he began but I cut him off too.

“What did you think you were going to accomplish?”

He didn’t answer my question.

He groused, “Stupid motion sensor lights. Dark day they were invented.”

“Uncle Davis!” I snapped loudly. “What did you think you were going to accomplish?”

He glared at me but said not a word.

“God, you’re an idiot,” I shared.

“Respect your uncle, girl,” he bit out.

“I would, if you’d ever given me one, single, itty, bitty, miniscule reason to do so,” I fired back, then huffed, “Yeesh.”

He glared at me again.

I rolled my eyes and looked to Jake. “Are you all right?”

“I am but the window to the greenhouse door isn’t,” he answered.

I cut my eyes to my uncle. “You’re going to pay for that.”

“How?” he asked back. “Givin’ blood? Girl, I broke in so I could get some shit to pawn ‘cause I can’t even afford the gas money to get home.”

“Well, a better solution to your problem was to give blood to get your gas money because you’re not getting a thing from this house or a dime from me,” I told him then kept at him, “The good news is, at least you have a free place to sleep tonight because I’m so totally pressing charges.”

He glared at me again.

I decided I was finished with him so I moved to the coffeepot and announced, “I’m making coffee. Jake? Coffee?”

“Yeah, babe,” he replied but his voice was trembling with something I knew very well.

Humor.

I hit the button to start the brewing process and looked to him.

“Are you amused?” I asked.

Even through his very large grin, he lied, “No.”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “That’s the right answer even if it’s a false one.”

His voice was still filled with his amusement when he replied, “It’s still the answer I’m givin’ when you’re this pissed and this cute.”

“Angry is not cute, Jake,” I educated him.

“It is the way you do it, Slick,” he returned.

I shot him a look but rearranged my face when I looked to Conner. “I woke your sister and possibly frightened her. Perhaps you could tell her all is well and she can go back to sleep.”