Page 21 of Trouble Comes in Threes

Lordy, I’d screwed up. I hadn’t meant to tell him that part, but he was an intelligent man. Of course, he’d read between the lines.

“Let’s not think that way,” I said in a whisper, shifting a squirming Liam on my lap. “She’s gonna be fine. But you know Jed. He’s overprotective of his girls.”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he gazed past me and got to his feet, reaching for the stadium chair slung over Maeve’s shoulder. “Hey, Maeve, let me help you with that chair.”

Each girl held one of her hands. Hope had to let go so Joe could get the stadium chair, but she grabbed it up again as soon as Maeve was free.

“Girls,” Joe said. “Let Nana Maeve catch her breath. You’ve got the whole game to see her.”

“And dinner too,” I said. “I invited her to join us.”

“Even better,” Joe said, snatching up Hope. “I haven’t seen my baby girl all day. Don’t you want to spend time with your daddy?” He kissed her cheek, and a giggle burst out of her. But she soon got wiggly, so he set her down, and she ran back to Maeve to complain about me making Muffy stay home.

Joe reached over and covered my hand on my thigh with his. I offered him a warm smile.

“Joe,” Maeve said, leaning closer. “What do you make of Rose’s mystery box?”

He shot me an inquisitive look. “What mystery box?”

“Oh dear,” Maeve said in alarm. “Was I not supposed to mention it?”

“No, you’re fine,” I said. “I hadn’t gotten a chance to tell him about it yet. We’re just now seeing each other today.”

“What mystery box, Aunt Rose?” Ashley asked with interest.

I told them about digging up the box with Neely Kate and how the homeowner had asked us to find its owner. I pulled out my phone and let them see the photos I’d taken.

“What’s in the box?” Ashley asked.

“It’s locked up tight, so we’re not sure, but Aunt Neely Kate is hoping the owner will let us see once we locate them.”

“They need to share,” Hope said with a pouty face. “Sharing is nice.”

“Share,” Liam parroted.

I gave Hope a grin. “Maybe we don’t want to know what’s in it. Maybe it’s gross and stinky.”

Hope giggled.

“Or maybe it’s full of money,” Ashley said. “Like a buried treasure.”

I looked up at her. “Whatever we find, I’ll be sure to tell you about any progress that we make.”

“So you’re investigatin’ a case,” Joe said quietly.

Grimacing, I turned to face him. “It’s not like you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking that you girls haven’t investigated anything in years.”

My heart dropped. “It’s nothin’ dangerous, Joe. I swear. I made Neely Kate promise that if it became even remotely dangerous, we’d stop.” I held his gaze. “I have too much to lose to go risking my life over the contents of a box I don’t even own.”

“Agreed,” he said with a forced smile. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right. It’s a buried wooden box. How dangerous could finding the owner be?”

“Don’t go jinxing us like that,” I said.

Neely Kate and Jed showed up next with Daisy. The two of them still seemed distant, but Jed was clinging to her hand, and I took it as a good sign she hadn’t shaken him off.

Joe jumped up and threw his arms around his sister, giving her a tight squeeze, and then—as though realizing what he’d done—he pulled back and held onto her upper arms. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hug you so tightly.”

---