Page 15 of Trouble Comes in Threes

I stopped next to her desk and pulled out the box with her fried chicken meal. “Do I want to know how many people have owned the Thatcher’s house?”

“It’s not that bad,” she said, not wasting any time as she opened the box. She grabbed a chicken breast and took a big bite.

I carried the bag with my meal over to my desk and sat. “I’ve found that your definition of not that bad and mine are often very different.”

“Fine,” she said with a groan. “There have been six homeowners, but considering the house is nearly ninety years old, that’s not bad.”

“And one set of those six owners is the Thatchers?” I asked.

“Yep, so that leaves five homeowners to find,” she said. “Easy peasy.”

Against my better judgment, I decided to play along. The majority of the cases we’d investigated in the past had been at my friend’s urging. I could see plain as day she needed the distraction.

But it was more than that…

I had to admit that something deep inside me needed this too.

Restlessness had been running through my blood. Maybe it was all this dredging up of my past, or maybe it was because my life seemed consumed with diapers and bedtime routines. And while I loved every single minute of it—I wouldn’t trade my life for anything—there were moments when I needed more.

The need had been there for a while. I’d tried to ignore it, telling myself I was tired, and what I really needed was more sleep. But it had persisted—a yearning for something I couldn’t explain.

“Okay,” I said, looking her in the eyes. “We’ll do this. Together.”

She practically bounced out of her seat with excitement. “Really?”

“Yes, but we have to set some ground rules.”

“Okay.”

“First, we can’t let our jobs slip. It’s March, and we’re starting to get busy. Bruce Wayne’s got to keep his crew working, which means we can’t fall behind.”

“I’m good with that.”

“Second—and this is important—if this gets dangerous, we stop.”

“Of course,” she said dismissively.

“No, I mean it. I’ve got four babies to think about, and you have two. We can’t be putting ourselves in danger.”

She grew serious. “You said two babies.”

“That’s right, which brings me to number three: you have to make an appointment to see the doctor.”

Her face paled. “Rose, I’m scared.”

I wheeled my chair closer to hers. “I know you are, and I’m scared for you, but this is gonna be a high-risk pregnancy, and you need to start your prenatal care right away. I’ll only do this if you make an appointment.”

Tears filled her eyes, but she nodded. “Will you go with me?”

“Of course!” I assured her. “That is, if Jed doesn’t.”

She looked away. “He won’t.” She was silent for a moment. “I’m not sure he’s gonna forgive me for this.”

“He will, Neely Kate. He’s scared too.”

Her gaze swiveled back to mine. “You talked to him.”

I gave her a sassy smile. “Someone had to try to talk sense into the man.”

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