Page 174 of Happily Never After

Claire shrugged. “It was the best possible outcome, of course. But I don’t know if I’ll ever feel truly safe. It’s hard not to wonder if one of the lackeys will take up the mantle. I still wake up expecting to find some horrible message burned into the front yard or written in blood. There’s probably another hundred ESA-affiliated murderers and stalkers out there who haven’t been caught because they weren’t important enough to be at the festival celebration.”

Dr. Goulding nodded. “It’s going to take some time to feel safe again. All you can do is take things one day at a time. You said your entire family joined you after Brianna was recovered. What was that like?”

“That part was amazing. Charlie’s even started talking to Jack again. My friends came too. It was a surreal experience to have them all together without any fighting.”

“Why do you think it’s so important for you to have your family on speaking terms?”

What kind of stupid-ass question was that? “Why do any of us want to be on speaking terms with our families? It makes life easier, more rewarding. I lost my biological father for twenty years. And when we reconnected, I gained an amazing sister and a crazy—sorry, eccentric—stepmother.”

Claire talked about her family for another thirty minutes while Dr. Goulding took intermittent notes. Daddy issues appeared to be her bread and butter, as she had a seemingly unending stream of questions about Jack. When Claire walked out after their hour was up, it was like a weight she had been carrying for a year and a half had slipped away. Was it her imagination, or was she taller?

Finally, things were getting back to normal. Okay, so a year ago she never would have imagined she’d be a footnote on a serial killer’s Wikipedia page. And after Jason slept with Wendy at her awards ceremony, she had sworn she’d never let another man into her heart. She definitely never would have believed she’d be speaking to her biological father again, or that she would have been able to expand her business despite it literally being burned to the ground.

But now, she was living with the man who made a documentary about the most traumatic event of her entire life, running a bicoastal business, and hosting awkward family Thanksgivings with her entire blended family. Maybe now, finally, she would be able to hang up her amateur sleuthing trench coat and focus on her calling—true love.

The sunshine warmed her skin as she stepped cheerfully into her car and shut the door. She got out again almost immediately and inspected the backseat and the ground behind her tires. Couldn’t be too careful.

With therapy crossed off her to do list, she only had a few appointments left for the rest of the day. A meeting with Mindy and Heather, who was staying with Claire for two weeks so theycould train her in screening and selecting candidates, and a hot stay-at-home date with Luke before his premiere tomorrow. But first, she needed to drop off a bag of donations at the animal shelter.

She rolled her window down as she crawled through the familiar city streets. Flowers bloomed in window planters. Her car hummed as it drove over one of the brick-covered streets populated by beer gardens and trendy restaurants. She navigated her car around a pothole the size of a Vespa before pulling into the animal shelter.

“Anybody home?” Claire called as she pushed open the front door.

Sam glanced up from the counter. A pencil was shoved in her messy gray bun, and a worn calculator sat on the desk in front of her. “Claire!”

“It’s so good to see you,” Claire said, leaning over the counter for a hug. “I brought a couple bags of food. How are the doggy daycare plans coming?”

“Great. We open on Monday.”

“That’s amazing!” She hefted two bags of food onto the counter.

“I’ll say. We already have thirteen dogs signed up starting next week.”

“Room for two more?”

Sam smiled. “You want Rosie and Winston to come to daycare?”

“If you’ll take them. Rosie will probably try to herd all the other dogs, though.”

“We always have room for the Fun Police.” Sam made a note on a sheet. “And we won’t accept your money, so don’t even think about it.”

Claire sputtered. “The whole point of?—”

“Save it. You’ve been incredibly generous. Let us return some of the favor.”

Claire turned to leave. “Fine, but I’m doing a whole post on the shelter for the blog,” she called over her shoulder. “Don’t be surprised if Luke comes by to take some footage.”

“Thank you. Make sure you get the new name right.”

“New name?” She turned back around.

“Did you check the sign when you pulled in?”

What was she talking about? The sign had been the same peeling, weathered logo it had always been, hadn’t it?

“I’ll have to look. Have a good day, Sam. I’ll stop in on Monday with the dogs.”

“See you then.”

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