Page 69 of Strangers She Knows

“You’ll learn.” She sipped the coffee out of a mug with a cracked glaze. “You could praise the way I got the bread out of the freezer.”

“You did do a good job.” Max straightened up and got stern again. “But Dylan damn well better have a good excuse for this, or Jamie won’t save him. I’ll throw him off the island.” He stood quietly, then glanced sideways at her.

Guilty. He was feeling guilty about something.

“What?”

“Before I come down on Dylan like a ton of bricks, do you mind if I stay here to work on the pickup?” He ran his hand lovingly over the hood. “Today I’m pretty sure I can get it running.”

God, he was cute. “You think so?”

“I know. I know. I’ve said it every day this week. But today—”

He wanted this so badly. “Go for it. I’ll wait here in hopes Rae returns with Dylan, or the basket, or both.”

“Or Jamie?”

“No, I can’t hope for Jamie. She’s just so—”

“She is, isn’t she?” Max pulled on his headband with the mag light, reclined on the mechanics creeper and slid under the truck.

28

Rae peddled down the trail toward the Conkles’. Luna loped beside her, smiling, her tongue hanging out.

Things were good. Today everybody was normal.

Well. Daddy was always normal.

But Mommy hadn’t tried to stop Rae from riding for the daily basket. She trusted Rae to find Dylan, pick up their food and bring it home. Maybe Rae would find Dylan quickly. Then she could run by Paradise Cove and visit with Miranda. Overnight, she had figured it out. Miranda needed to come to dinner. Inviting her was the hospitable thing to do. In the past, Mommy and Miranda had had a fight, but they were both nice. Her mother had returned to being this awesome woman, who ran and fought and spoke and…well, she didn’t cook, and that was okay. Mommy and Miranda would meet and make up. They’d have a good meal. Best of all, Miranda wouldn’t be a secret anymore, and Rae’s promise wouldn’t count.

But for Rae’s plan would work, they had to have vegetables and a chicken or something. And they would have vegetables. Rae would make sure of it. In the distance, she could see Dylan Conkle walking toward her.

Yay! She didn’t have to ride all the way to their cottage.

But when he got closer, she saw he didn’t have the basket.

No basket. Stupid Dylan. Why was he such a loser?

He was staggering. He was wearing a black suit…

Even closer…

He wasn’t wearing anything.

Dylan Conkle was naked.

Rae hit the brakes and skidded to a stop about twenty feet away.

Luna planted herself between Rae and Dylan and growled.

Dylan slowly focused, and stopped, too. “You. Kid. What’s your name?”

Impatient, she said, “I’m Rae. Remember?”

“No.”

“Rae Di Luca.”

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