Run to Ground(54)

“Typical.” Jules eyed Theo from under lowered lids with an expression he wasn’t sure how to interpret. “The guys are always prettier.”

Clearing his throat, Sam said, “I-I’d b-be a shark.”

Theo glanced at him in surprise. That was the first he’d spoken since Theo had gotten there.

“Sharks don’t sleep.” Tio’s tone indicated approval of his brother’s choice. “They just swim and eat.”

“And nothing attacks a shark,” Ty added enthusiastically. “They’re the badasses of the ocean.”

“Language,” Jules sighed, but no one seemed to pay attention.

“Except for humans,” Tio corrected Ty. “People hunt sharks.”

Sam scowled and jabbed fiercely at the sizzling bacon strips. “Typ-p-pical.”

A heavy silence settled over the kitchen, until Dee broke it. “What animal would you be?”

When no one answered, Theo glanced at Dee to see her gaze fixed on him. In fact, everyone was looking at him, waiting. His mind blanked, as if he were back in high school and had just been called on to solve a calculus problem. The waiting pause lengthened, became uncomfortable, and he opened his mouth and blurted an answer without thinking. “A dog.”

Dee looked satisfied by his response, but Sam frowned. “B-b-but d-dogs have no contr-tr-trol over where they l-l-live or anyth-thing. What if you h-had m-m-mean owners?”

“I’d bite them and leave.” Again, the words were out before he’d considered them. At Jules’s choked sound, Theo slanted a glance at her, trying to determine if she was offended or amused. Her head was down, focused on the toaster, but he was pretty sure she was fighting a grin.

There was no question that Dee approved, judging by the deeply commending look she gave him. “Good. Good dog.”

That made Jules dissolve into laughter. Watching her, Theo felt warmth spread through his midsection. There was something about watching Jules giggle that made him want to keep her happy. Her gaze met his, and her laughter faded, but her smile remained. Theo realized he was actually smiling. It had been a long time, and it felt strange. Really good, but strange.

A clearing throat made him turn his head. Sam was watching him with a thoughtful expression. When Theo raised his eyebrows in question, Sam turned back to the bacon. His silence seemed different from a few minutes earlier, though. It was a little less…hostile.

A gentle elbow in his side brought his attention back to Jules. “Slacker,” she murmured, tipping her head toward the pile of still-to-be-buttered toast that had collected during the previous discussion.

Although he tried to regain his scowl, it wasn’t available. Theo settled for giving her a mock frown and resuming his task. The conversation continued, and Theo let it flow around him. The sound of their chatter, the repetitive motion of the butter knife, the sight of Viggy sprawled out near Dee’s feet, the knowledge that Hugh was going to be okay—all of those things lulled him, filled him with a sense of something he’d been missing for so long.

It was peace.

* * *

Jules couldn’t help it. Even though there were a thousand things to do, she found herself outside the archway into the living room…again.

“Just a quick peek,” she muttered under her breath, and then mentally scolded herself for being…what, she wasn’t sure. A voyeur? A creeper? A dumbass who was already in over her head and should immediately return to installing the window fan in Sam’s attic room?

Despite her internal talking-to, she leaned sideways, just far enough to see the figure sprawled on the couch. It was a big couch, but he managed to make it look small in comparison to his sleeping bulk. After breakfast, Theo had begun swaying with exhaustion. Although he’d made noises about going home, she’d been able to steer him to the couch without too much opposition. Only seconds later, he was sleeping, his breathing heavy, just short of snoring. Jules had covered him with a blanket and tiptoed away, only to keep returning to eye the sleeping man.

He was normally so guarded, so angry, that seeing him vulnerable as he slept was a revelation—a dangerous one. If she went all mushy for the scowling, hostile Theo, Jules knew she had no chance of protecting her heart from this sweet and sleeping version.

This time, Theo wasn’t alone. Dee was sitting on the floor, reading a library book, her back against the couch next to the sleeping man’s feet. Viggy was lying next to her. His tail thumped the floor in greeting, making Dee look up and give a tiny wave. Jules returned the wave and slipped out, heading back upstairs to try to make the stifling third-floor space a little less unbearable.