and I’m a booty call.”
“How long have you guys been together?”
“Eight days.”
Jeremy laughed. “I’d give it a little time, sweetheart.” He stood up and picked up her wineglass. “Let’s eat. I have some beautiful steaks and twice-baked potatoes and coleslaw, all your favorites, not to mention grape pie from Lorelei’s. We can watch a movie if Levi’s late. I have The Devil Wears Prada. I watched it last night, too, and I swear it gets better every time.”
“I can’t believe I ever thought you were straight.” She took his hand and let him pull her off the couch, then followed him into the kitchen.
* * *
THE HEDBERGS HAD COME home to find the back door open and called Levi, rather than go inside in case the burglar was still there. Smart. He made the family wait as he took a walk-through. No intruder. It looked like Katie’s room had been tossed, but she said it was as she’d left it. Andrew gazed at him with wide-eyed adoration, firing off questions about bad guys, guns, robbers and whether or not Abraham could be trained to attack.
After that, Levi walked around the house, looking for signs of a break-in—screens knocked out, footprints in flower beds, damage to any of the doors. Christine, the oldest of the three kids, admitted it was possible she hadn’t closed the back door when she’d left that afternoon.
“Sorry to have bothered you for nothing, Chief,” Mr. Hedberg said.
“No bother. You did the right thing by calling,” he said, scratching Abraham’s ears. “That’s what I’m here for, and especially with the other burglaries, you shouldn’t hesitate. It’s good you have a dog, though,” he added. “Very effective deterrent, aren’t you, boy?” Abraham had wagged to show that yes, he was an excellent watchdog.
“We should give Abraham a steak,” Andrew suggested. “Right, Chief Cooper? Can I be a cop when I grow up?”
“Sure,” Levi said.
“Or a soldier! So I could kill the bad guys.”
“Hopefully all the bad guys will be gone when you grow up,” Levi said, feeling the familiar awkwardness. Then he shook hands, told the family to have a good night and took a cruise through the neighborhood. Pru and Carl lived up the street, so he pulled into their driveway and knocked on the door. Abby answered.
“Hi,” she said, her face lighting up. “Wanna come in? Hang out?”
“Sorry, Abby, I can’t. Are your parents home?”
Her face darkened. “They’re ‘taking a nap,’ okay?” she said, making quote marks with her fingers. “Like I’m four and believe that. My father’s living at my grandmother’s house, but he comes over for conjugal visits. The noises, Levi. No matter how loud I turn up the TV, I swear I can still hear them. I cannot wait to go to college.”
He suppressed a grin. “Well, the Hedbergs thought someone might’ve tried to break in, but there was no sign of anything missing. Even so, make sure the doors are locked, and you call me if you hear anything.”
“First of all, I know everything already. Katie just texted me. And secondly, I’m not exactly the type to go investigating things that go bump in the night. I’ve seen all the horror movies.”
“Right.” He gave her his best cop look. “And how are you? You keeping on the straight and narrow?”
“Oh, sure. Mmm-hmm.” She was texting as she spoke. Irritating.
“Make sure you do, Abby. One act of stupidity can have long-lasting implications.”
“Wow. I’ll totally think about that. Thanks. You’ve changed my life.”
“Don’t be a twit,” he said.
“I’m posting that you said that on my Facebook.”
“I mean it, Abby. You don’t want to get pregnant or—”
“Oh, hey, I just remembered something! I’m not your sister! I have plenty of adults to lecture me, okay? Don’t be one of them. Just give me one of those hot looks instead, how about it?”
“Have a good night, Abby.”
“That’ll do.” She held up her phone and clicked. Great. He’d be on her Facebook page in seconds.
No, she wasn’t his sister. She might end up as his niece, however.
Oh, shit. Where had that thought come from?
He backed out of the Vanderbeek’s driveway. Thing was, yeah. He wasn’t the tomcat type. It’d be nice to get married, have a couple kids.
But this time, he had to pick wisely. Nina had said she loved him (though looking back, she said it in the same tone that she used in saying she loved pizza). Said she was ready to settle down. Liked the idea of small-town life. She figured she’d get her master’s in education, become a teacher. Yes to kids.
That had lasted three months.
He picked up his phone and called Sarah. “Hey. What are you doing?”
“Nothing. Studying. How are you?” There was an eagerness in her voice that bespoke loneliness. He could hear music in the background.
“I’m fine. You alone?”
“Yeah. Chem test tomorrow. My slutty roommate’s with her boyfriend.”
“I thought you liked her.”
“She’s a slut, Levi. So what’s up?”
“Just checking on you.”
There was a pause. “Thanks,” she said, her voice small.
“I need advice,” he said, surprising himself.
“Really?” Her tone was much happier all of a sudden. “Why? Did Faith dump your sorry ass?”
“No,” Levi said, a smile threatening. “I’m just wondering if I want to be...I don’t know. Runner-up.” He winced, not sure he should be telling his sister this.
“Why would you be runner-up? Oh, the Jeremy thing! Right! I got it.” There was a rustle. “Tell me everything.”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
“Is she still hung up on him?”
Levi hesitated. “I don’t know.”
“Ask her.”
“Right.”
“Do it, dummy! Just ask her. Then kiss the stuffing out of her, and she’ll definitely pick you. Straight trumps gay every time.”
Levi laughed. “Got it. How are you? Doing okay?”
She sighed so hard it practically ruffled his hair. “Am
