Page 66 of Derek

Derek groaned as Sonja answered her cellphone. He cracked one eye open. Aside from the blueish light from the phone, the room was pitch dark. He checked his watch on the nightstand.Four, bloody, thirty in the morning!

“Slow down, Suzie.” Sonja was silent before muttering, “Okay.” Again a pause.

Derek was now wide awake.

Is there something wrong at the café?

“Yes. All right, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Sonja disconnected the call without saying goodbye and was out of the bed the same moment.

“Troubles?”

“Someone threw eggs all over the front of the café. Since it was the weekend, we don’t know when, but it’s a humongous mess, and Connor says the paint is damaged.”

Derek also got out of bed and struggled a leg into his jeans.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m coming with you.” His tone didn’t leave room for discussion.

“You don’t need to. This isn’t your problem.”

“Babygirl.” He gave her a stern look before pulling his long-sleeved shirt over his head. “We might not have said our vows, but I’m in this relationship for better and for worse. Besides, you don’t go wandering around in the middle of the night without me.”

He grabbed his phone with one hand and closed the other around her trembling fingers. “Let’s check out the mess and see what we can do about it, okay?”

It was so early, they had the streets to themselves. Derek parked his car in Sonja’s spot behind The Sweet and Savory Table. When they went around to the front, Connor was busy with a bucket and scrub brush, cleaning the façade. All the interior lights were on, and Connor had rigged up a work light so he could see what he was doing in the early morning darkness.

“Suzie’s inside,” the burly man told them. “She needed to start baking. The cops have been and gone. Won’t do much good. Asshole didn’t leave a note.”

Derek studied the wooden window frame and was taken aback by the damage to the finish.

Connor followed his gaze with a grim expression. “Eggs corrode.”

“Damn.” Derek scrubbed his face. “What’s the smell?”

“Vinegar to break down the protein.”

“Can I help with the cleaning?”

“Nah, almost done here. Need to wait for the store to open so I can buy paint. You any good with a brush?”

Despite the situation, Derek grinned at Connor’s bluntness. “Yes, I can paint. I don’t know what kind of job we can do in this cold, but I’m sure we can hide the worst of it.”

“I know. We were already planning on repainting the front, come spring,” Connor said.

“Sorry. I don’t mean to tell you your business. Can you manage without me for a moment? I want to check on the ladies.” Derek turned to go inside.

“Aye.”

Derek heard the last part of Suzie’s sentence as he entered. “—could this be connected to the reviews?”

“What do reviews have to do with vandalism?”

Both women jumped at the sound of his voice.

“Probably nothing,” Sonja said.

He made a disapproving sound. “Tell me.”

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