Page 119 of Only a Breath Away

Tomorrow he would be home.

If he wasn’t home we would go on a rescue mission.

I would do my best not to think of that until it came to it.

* * *

The next morning we had breakfast, and then outfitted Lochinvar in a hat, and bright orange sweatpants, and a buttload of sunscreen before he left for the cemetery. I told him he didn’t have to go back to it, but he wouldn’t listen. He said, “Magnus told me tae,” and left for the morning.

Quentin sat in the Adirondack chair looking like the kind of person who needed something to do. He looked so freaking bored, but when asked, said he was fine.

We got busy doing much of nothing but waiting,

I looked out the window at Quentin, standing in the driveway looking up at the sky.

Then a little while later he was in the back kicking rocks and looking at the foundation of the house.

Then I saw him pick up a fallen limb, dragging it away from the property.

Then I saw him looking up at the sky again.

Archie sidled up and looked up at the sky for a moment beside him then came into the house.

Emma asked, “What do you think Quentin’s doing?”

I laughed. “It’s his first ever attempt at doing nothing, it’s a sight to behold.”

Beaty saw us through the window, came up, and watched with her hands on her hips. Her hair was still bright blue, she was wearing sweatpants that she had cut off very short. She shook her head then dragged a tub of sudsy water and placed it in front of Quentin. For the next thirty minutes he scrubbed Mookie in the bath water with all the kids watching.

Then he sat holding the brush looking out at the lake.

After lunch, Quentin passed the house with a ladder and a bucket hat on his head. “Whatcha doing? And where’d you get the hat?”

“Like it? It’s my vacation hat. Going to go up and get a new perspective.”

“Are you sure you’re not checking the horizon for enemy troops? You promised Beaty nothing security related.”

“Would I do that?” He chuckled. “Nah, I just want to go see what I can see.”

“Coolio, I guess that’s vacation-y. Oh and don’t let Isla follow you up.”

He said, “Just between us, this is really, really boring.”

I said, “Yeah, I thought it was, you’re not really fooling any of us.”

CHAPTER 77 - KAITLYN

Afew hours later, in the afternoon, a storm grew overhead, a howling, roiling thundercloud. “Everyone in the house!!!”

We had been sitting outside, worried that the day was gone, now we ran from all parts of the yard into the living room. Quentin and James raced up the road to meet them.

I prayed,Please God, let it be Magnus, let it be Fraoch, let them both be safe, let them…

Hayley held my hand. We sat on the couch, watching the storm outside as the thunder clouds filled the sky and whipped the trees. Isla sat on my lap and ducked her head against my shoulder. Lightning lit the room.

Sophie asked, “How dost ye get used tae it?”

Beaty, on the ground with her arms around Mookie’s neck, said, “We daena get used tae it, tis always terrible.”

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