dad.”
I glanced away at the mention of my father. She’d known him, of course. She and Chief had been my parents’ best friends.
“Has Tilikum changed much from when you lived here?” I asked, hoping to change the subject.
“Not much. Things are… surprisingly familiar. Does everyone still hang out at the Caboose on weekends?”
“Yeah, most of the time.”
“What about Norman? Is that where he spends his time?”
“Once in a while, but you know Chief, he’s not exactly the social type.”
She started stacking canned food in an empty cupboard. “You don’t know where he brings his dates, do you? I’m not trying to be nosy. It’s just that Skylar wouldn’t know, and since I’m in town for a little while, I wouldn’t want to make things awkward for him.”
I had to think about that one. “I have no idea. I can’t remember ever seeing Chief with a date.”
“No? Hmm.”
“I think he mostly just works.” I shrugged.
She shook her head. “The man needs to get out more.”
“You know, I agree. What’s the use in working hard if you don’t play hard too?”
“Exactly.” She paused to glance at me, the corners of her lips twitching in a subtle smile. “Not that I would wish a broken leg on you, but I think your little accident was fortuitous. If Skylar’s going to have a fling to get over her dipshit ex, he ought to be someone who gets her out of her shell a little.”
A fling to get over her ex? I cleared my throat and started to reply, but Skylar appeared in the doorway.
“Mom,” she said, her voice alarmed.
“Oh hi, honey.”
“Mom, please don’t.”
“Don’t what? I was just chatting with Gavin. I haven’t seen him since he was little.”
Skylar closed her eyes for a second and let out a long breath. “What are you doing? Rearranging the kitchen?”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
“Does Dad know?”
Caroline drew her eyebrows in. “No. Why?”
“Because it’s his house,” Skylar said with a soft laugh.
“He’ll thank me later,” Caroline said. “It’s barely usable as is. I don’t know how he manages to cook anything in here.”
“Okay, well, have fun with that.”
“Actually, I need to run to the market. I don’t think he has a single spice that’s not past its expiration date.” She smiled at me. “Good to see you, Gavin.”
“You too.”
Caroline swept out of the kitchen, grabbing her purse on her way out the front door.
“Sorry,” Skylar said. “My mom can be… a lot.”
“She was fine. Is she staying here with you and your dad?”
“Yes.” Her eyebrows knitted together like she was still confused by that reality. “It’s… very weird.”
“Do they get along?”
“Yes, and no. It’s never seemed like they hate each other or anything, but they definitely know how to get under each other’s skin. So them living in the same house, even temporarily, is a little scary.”
“I bet they’ll be fine.”
“I hope so.”
“I didn’t know you were getting over an ex. Is that recent?”
She nodded. “Yeah, that’s a lot of why I moved here. It was… messy.”
I had no idea who this guy was, but I wanted to punch him in the face. “That sucks. But I already know you’re better off without him.”
“How do you know that?”
“If he let you go, he’s an idiot. And you shouldn’t be with an idiot.”
She met my eyes and for a second, I was caught. There was hurt in those pretty brown eyes, but also something else.
Heat.
I was suddenly in dangerous territory. It would have been stupid to say I wasn’t attracted to her. I’d fantasized about her too many times to kid myself. But her mom was wrong. I wasn’t going to be the fling that helped her get over her dipshit ex. So even though the way she looked at me gave me very solid kiss me vibes, I wasn’t taking the bait.
Yet.
No, there was no yet. I wasn’t taking the bait at all.
But damn it, I wanted to.
Squeaker moved in my hood, crawling from behind my neck onto my shoulder.
“Oh my goodness, your kitten,” Skylar said, clutching her hands to her chest. “She’s so cute.”
I reached up and plucked her off my shoulder. “I almost forgot she was back there. She likes to sleep in my hood.”
“Can I pet her?”
“Of course.”
I held Squeaker while Skylar gently stroked her.
“She’s so soft.”
“Yeah, she is.” I brought her closer to my face and kissed her head. She squeaked.
“I see where she gets her name. Didn’t you say you rescued her?”
“I found her out by the old railroad tracks the other night.”
“Are