Page 62 of Red Hot Roaster

I peeked into the shower. Hmmm…nothing different here.

Wait. Is that a brand-new bottle? Could’ve sworn we had at least half of one left.

Oh. I squeezed my eyes shut.Rafe’s strong fingers massaging the shampoo from my head down through my hair, me returning the favor on his silky short cut. Kneeling in front of him, water buffeting my back.

I turned to stare at myself in the mirror, rubbing one hand back and forth, back and forth, across my lips. What a crybaby—shaky, head-achy and holding back tears.

Well, that was partly from those three Manhattans on little food. But mainly the teary state swelled up when I’d come home to find Rafe gone. I didn’t know why I was getting so worked up. I’d told him to move out, after all.

Shuffling into the bedroom, I stood by his side of the bed. Pirate chose that time to grumble again, turning around twice in the bed he usually shared with Princess before settling down with a huff. He was sulking because I’d yelled at him to stop scratching at the closed bedroom door.

I grabbed Rafe’s pillow and buried my face in it. Inhaling deeply, I got all those notes of roasted coffee, dark chocolate, even roses—roses?…strange—that seemed to cling to him. After a minute or three of indulgence, I crawled into his spot and pulled up the covers.

It was some time before I could sleep.

Chapter 31

Rafe

Irubbed the palm of my hand on my chest, right in the middle where it suddenly felt tight.When did she put that there? Right in the open, where anybody and everybody could see.

“Hey, is that new? Nice shot.” Pete had come up behind me, and I hadn’t even noticed. “You kids look like you were having a fun time.”

I nodded slowly.Yeah, that was a good moment. A good day.

We’d snapped the leashes on the dogs after their run in the surf. Rose had handed her phone to some lady walking by and asked her to take a pic. Us and the pups and Haystack Rock in the background. Rose was laughing and looking atthe camera. I was looking at her.

Sometime since then, she’d printed the photo, stuck it in a frame, and set it here among the other family stuff in her living room.

I turned and met Pete’s eyes. Lucky for me, he smiled and didn’t say anything more.

Earlier, I’d taken on setup responsibilities. Rose had said they were expecting an even bigger crowd this year.

Your mission, she’d informed me,should you decide to accept it,she’d followed this with a wink,is to find enough chairs for every person to sit at the same table. By any means necessary.

I’d almost saluted her, but held off in favor of a return wink. She’d burst into giggles.Yeah, the element of surprise—gotta love it.

While they were busy in the kitchen, I’d brought up the extra leaves and card tables from the basement. By the time I’d finished, the dining “table” extended from the dining room through the arches into the living room. Chairs had been a challenge, but I’d hunted up enough from around the place. Rose had snorted when she saw my finds.

Nevertheless, it’d all worked. Barely.

Now I was parked in a corner of the living room, beer in hand. Pete swung around to my side and stood there shoulder to shoulder. People continued to pour in through the front door.

“Good place to stay out of the way, eh?” he commented, taking a long swallow from his bottle.

“Mm-hmm,” I agreed. Rose was commanding the kitchen quarters where the chow line would be set up on the counters. The turkey was halfway to being done. Jennifer was setting the table with Mateo’s little sister’s help. The television was blasting from across the front hall—sounded like a game was on from all the cheers and boos.And some barks?

“Nuh-uh! Stay!” I said this loudly and sharply to Princess and Pirate. They’d jumped up from my feet when Cab lumbered through the front door. Jean-Luc followed close behind, hefting a box of wine bottles.

“Hi, guys,” he called out. “Pete—Dr. Mica’s out at the curb with her papa. Looks like she could use some help.”

We both moved forward, but Pete handed me his beer. “Familiar face and all that, Rafe. Can you stick this in the fridge for me?”

“Sure, you betcha. If I can find room.”

He laughed and headed out the front door.

Eyeing Princess and Pirate, I muttered “stay” again. Cab plodded over, weaving around the dining table and dodging other furniture.Agile for a big-ass lug. Annnd…let the butt-sniffing begin.

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