great, but it was in a bad shape, so we’re fixing it.” Lia dropped her bags on the first step of the stairs. “You can leave it here.” She pointed to a corner of the foyer.
“We?” I asked, pretending I hadn’t seen the younger girl with her.
Averting her eyes, she wiped her hands on her jeans. “Yes, my daughter lives here with me.”
It might be just me, or my warrior training, but I was convinced these two women were hiding something.
As I deposited the box in the appointed corner, a bang resounded from the back of the house. My body stiffened, on alert.
“Shit!” a voice said.
I sniffed the air. “Something is burning.”
“Oh no,” Lia muttered. She pivoted and raced to the kitchen.
I followed her, ready to protect the human. I skidded to a stop in the kitchen doorway. Smoke billowed from the open oven. The other girl, Kenna, retrieved a pan from inside wearing cooking mittens. She kicked the oven closed with her foot, cutting off the smoke, and dropped the cake on the kitchen’s island. She coughed and fanned the smoke away from her face.
Unlike the rest of the house, the kitchen was mostly intact. The walls and cupboards were intact, and apparently the appliances worked—when Kenna wasn't setting the oven on fire.
“Shit,” Kenna muttered again.
“What in …?” Lia stared at the oven, then the burnt cake. “Were you trying to cook again?”
“I was bored, and I was craving something sweet.” Kenna threw the mittens at the cake. It landed on the burnt mound and fell to the side, right on top of an open notebook. I frowned. Books and notebooks and pens littered the island. “Shit.”
“Watch your language!” Lia rasped.
Kenna, blinking away the stink of smoke from her eyes, looked our way. Her eyes widened as she saw me.
My breath caught.
Her eyes … blue as the ocean under the bright sun. Although I didn’t care for her the orange dye streaking her brown hair, the color mixed with her fair skin emphasized how bright her eyes were.
“Who are you?” She turned a glare to her mother. “Who is he?”
“Oh, his name is Devon and he’s our next-door neighbor,” Lia said. She looked at me. “This is Kenna, my daughter.”
I extended my hand to her. “Nice to meet you.”
She stared at my outstretched hand, then turned to her mother again. “What is he doing here?” The bite in her tone added to my suspicions.
“He was—”
“I saw your mother struggling with the boxes. Thought I would help.” I almost barfed in my mouth over my lie. “Besides, I thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce myself.”
“Okay, you've met us,” Kenna said. “Thank you for your help. You can go now.”
“Kenna!” Lia admonished. “Don’t be a jerk.” Lia offered me a shy smile. “Sorry. It’s just … we’re not used to having company.” Her brows draw together. “What about your parents? Are they home?”
Behind Lia, Kenna shook her head. If I thought Lia had been wary of me, I was certain Kenna was. She wanted me gone five minutes ago, which only piqued my curiosity.
“They passed away long ago,” I told her my automatic lie.
Lia’s brown eyes shone with sympathy. “I’m sorry.”
Muttering curses, Kenna picked up the pan and threw it in the sink.
“It’s okay,” I assured her. “Like I said, it was a long time ago. I’ve been on my own for a while now.”
“It must have been lonely,” Lia said, her voice low. I could see her entire demeanor changing. From wariness to sympathy. “You know what? I’m about to make dinner.” Kenna stared at Lia with her mouth open in shock. Lia pretended she didn’t see it. “Why don’t you stay? It would be nice to share a meal with a friendly neighbor.”
I looked at Kenna. She was glaring at me, seething from every pore.
For some reason, I took pleasure in irritating her. “Of course. I would love to.”
Lia spun around in the kitchen. “Okay, let me see.” She let out a nervous chuckle. “Sorry about the mess. We’re still organizing everything, and with the repairs, it’ll be a mess for a while.” She opened a cabinet full of condiments. “Kenna, please, set the island for us.”
Nostrils flaring as she let out a long, angry breath, Kenna picked up her books, piled them up, and took them away. While she was gone, Lia grabbed a pot and filled it with water from the tap. Next, she pulled pasta from one of the cabinets and frozen meatballs