Blood Brothers Page 0,84

have coffee-God, I'll even cook breakfast-and talk about this?"

"I'm making time."

SHE TOLD HIM EVERYTHING THAT HAD HAPPENED while she scrambled eggs. "I was scared out of my mind," she finished as she carried the coffee into the little dining room.

"No, you weren't." Cal set the plates of eggs and whole-wheat toast on the table. "You found the door, in the pitch-black, and with all that going on, you kept your head and found the door."

"Thanks." She sat. She wasn't shaking any longer, but the inside of her knees still felt like half-set Jell-O. "Thanks for saying that."

"It's the truth."

"You were there when I opened the door, and that was one of the best moments of my life. How did you know to be there?"

"I came in early because I wanted to swing by here, see how you were. Talk to you. Gage-"

"I know about that. Tell me the rest of this first."

"Okay. I turned off Main to come around the back way, come here, and I saw Ann Hawkins. I saw her standing in front of the door. I heard you screaming."

"From inside your truck, on the street. That far away-through stone walls, you heard me?"

"I heard you." It hadn't been one of the best moments of his life. "When I jumped out, ran toward the door, I heard crashing, thumping, God knows what from inside. I couldn't get the goddamn door open."

She heard it now, the emotion in his voice, the fear he hadn't let show while they were doing what needed doing. She rose, did them both a favor and crawled right into his lap.

She was still there, cradled in his arms, when Cybil strolled in.

"Hi. Don't get up." She took Quinn's chair. "Anyone eating this?" Studying them, Cybil took a forkful of eggs. "You must be Cal."

"Cybil Kinski, Caleb Hawkins. We had a rough morning."

Layla stepped in with a coffee mug and sleepy eyes that clouded with concern the minute she saw Quinn. "What happened?"

"Have a seat, and we'll run it through for both of you."

"I need to see the place," Cybil said as soon as the story was told. "And the room in the bowling alley, anyplace there's been an incident."

"Try the whole town," Quinn said dryly.

"And I need to see the clearing, this stone, as soon as possible."

"She's bossy," Quinn told Cal.

"I thought you were, but I think she beats you out. You can come into the bowling center anytime you like. Quinn can get you into the fitness center, but if I can't be there, I'll make sure either Fox or Gage is. Better, both of them. As far as the Pagan Stone goes, I talked with Fox and Gage about that last night. We're agreed that the next time we go, we all go. All of us. I can't make it today and neither can Fox. Sunday's going to be best."

"He's organized and take-charge," Cybil said to Quinn.

"Yes." She pressed a kiss to Cal's cheek. "Yes, he is. And I've made you let your eggs get cold."

"It was a worthwhile trade-off. I'd better get going."

"We still have a lot to talk about. Listen, maybe the three of you should come to dinner."

"Is someone cooking?" Cal asked.

"Cyb is."

"Hey!"

"You ate my breakfast. Plus you actually cook. But in the meantime, just one thing." She slid out of his lap so he could stand. "Would Fox hire Layla?"

"What? Who? Why?" Layla sputtered.

"Because you need a job," Quinn reminded her. "And he needs an office manager."

"I don't know anything about-you just can't-"

"You managed a boutique," Quinn reminded her, "so that's half the job. Managing. You're on the anal side of organized, Miss Colored Index Cards and Charts, so I say you can file, keep a calendar, and whatever with the best of them. Anything else, you'll pick up as you go. Ask Fox, okay, Cal?"

"Sure. No problem."

"She calls me bossy," Cybil commented as she finished Quinn's coffee.

"I call it creative thinking and leadership. Now, go fill that mug up again while I walk Cal to the door so I can give him a big, sloppy you're-my-hero kiss."

Cybil smiled after them as Quinn pulled Cal out of the room. "She's in love."

"Really?"

Now Cybil turned her smile on Layla. "That got your mind off taking a bite out of her for pushing that job in your face."

"I'll get back to that. Do you think she's in love with Cal-the uppercase L?"

"About to be all caps, in bold letters." She picked up the mug and rose. "Q likes to direct