A Home Come True

Maybe her friends had made plans to get together after she’d left the dinner party.

The old familiar feeling that everyone was having fun without her rolled across Jen.

“Don’t be an idiot. They care for you. There’s no news yet.” Jen shoved the phone in her pocket as Luke Hollister’s car came down the street.

She didn’t return his wave but started for the driveway.

Then she realized Luke would have the news she was so anxious for.

Suddenly wishing she’d done a bit more than pull on a faded orange University of Texas sweatshirt and gray sweatpants with a hole in the knee, Jen marched across the street in order to catch her prey before he disappeared inside. No way was she knocking on the door.

Instead of hustling to avoid her, Luke Hollister slowly pushed down the lock on his car door down and closed it. He didn’t lean against the vehicle, but waited; his careful stare seemed to be cataloging details as she approached.

“What’s the news?” Jen asked. She would not run her hands through her hair in an effort to make it look less Saturday stay-at-home matted to her head. She would control the conversation.

“Hi, I’m Luke Hollister. We didn’t introduce ourselves last night but I like to observe the usual pleasantries.” He offered her his hand which she studied carefully before slipping hers inside. Luke Hollister was sharply dressed with dark pants, a white button-down and a beautiful gold tie. Last night, his vibe had been more undercover cop with a scruffy beard. Today, he could be the department’s chief spokesperson. “And you are?” He didn’t squeeze in a manly move to dominate, but there was no mistaking his power when he shook her hand.

Remember what you’re doing. Staring in wonder at his very nice hand should not be it.

“Jennifer Neil, but you knew that.” She brushed her hand through her hair because she couldn’t help it. “Last night. Anyone who’s hounded Sarah the way you have has a roster of her friends.”

“And enemies. And people like you who’ve been both at one time or another. That is one long list.” He shrugged. “I’m a thorough cop.”

Jen rolled her eyes. “So I’ve heard. All I wanted to know was whether Sarah got in to see Bobby. Then I’ll return to my side of the street.”

“Yes, Sarah was still with him when I left. Will had a list of lawyers they were contacting.” Hollister closed his eyes for a minute. “And that’s all I know. Once you’re out, they don’t tell you much. Sarah will have to give you any updates about a court date and what happens next.”

If she didn’t know Hollister’s methods, Jen would have guessed that was a sign of regret on his face. The corners of his mouth turned down, but she had the feeling he didn’t spend much time with regret.

“Fine.” She took one step back. “Thank you.”

Before she could turn around, Hollister said, “I wanted to mention, that work crew that start at dawn on Saturday could be construed as an act of war in some places.” He rubbed a finger over the frown wrinkling his forehead. “A house with a four-year-old who manages to sleep in is one of those places. Could you make sure they wait until a reasonable hour?”

She was paying them extra to work as fast as they could. No way was she going to alter their schedule. Annoying Luke Hollister would be the cherry on top.

Jen wondered what the story was. Besides his wife and daughter, how many people lived in that house? At least one of them liked loud guitar solos and open car windows, no matter what time of day it was.

Then she realized she didn’t have much to lose. They weren’t going to be friends. “Funny you should mention the noise. Exactly how many people live in your house anyway?”

“There are six of us.” Hollister braced his hands on his lean hips. “And you? What with the fence going up, I’m guessing that number is going to be low.”

Jen glanced over her shoulder. What was wrong with her fence? She’d seen similar on all kinds of nice houses. A cop should appreciate security measures. “Just me. And a few frequent visitors, none of whom will disturb your peace.”

“Great. They’ll be the only ones,” Hollister muttered.

“If my renovations are bothering you, feel free to look for someplace new to live, someplace not in Holly Heights.” Jen turned and retreated to her own driveway. “They’ll be here early again on Monday, before I go in to work. If you have students, we’ll be on the same schedule.”

“So, you’re a teacher? What school?” Hollister asked. He didn’t have a notepad in hand, but she had the feeling he was filing away every detail. No doubt, he could remember this picture of her as a fashion disaster any time he wanted to.

She’d done her best to always put her best foot forward with respect to how she looked, ever since she’d learned she had a knack for making secondhand and vintage fabulous. Not that he’d know that. He’d have to have seen her years ago to understand how far she’d come.

“The high school.” She thought his eyes widened a bit but it was hard to be sure at this distance and she wasn’t going to get any closer. Not today. For their next skirmish, she’d be dressed for battle.

“Interesting.” The small smile that curved his lips was easier to see and made her twice as nervous. Before she could escape, the front door of his house opened and a little girl in a tutu came running around the car.

Jen expected a shriek or a giggle. That was what all little girls did when they were excited.

Instead, Hollister picked the little girl up and settled her on his hip. Watching such a sweet face press close to his for a kiss made her simultaneously make an inward aw sound that she would deny ever happened and wonder how this guy, who obviously loved his daughter, could be the same jerk who’d made Sarah miserable.

Her confusion froze in place for too long. Before she could move, the little girl was on the ground and charging her direction, swinging what appeared to be a plastic sword.

Jen had no other choice but to brace for impact.

CHAPTER FOUR (#ubfd31712-645a-50a8-91f4-44513ce7c533)

“MARI, WAIT,” LUKE YELLED as he watched his niece race across the road, tutu bouncing with each step. She was small but she was fast. Being so quiet tricked people who didn’t know her well. They mistakenly thought she was shy. Instead, she had no fear of anything except being forced to speak.

And dogs? Mari couldn’t resist them.

He watched Jen hold out both hands as if she was ready to catch the little girl, but before he could warn her that she was not the ultimate destination, the pit bull on the bright blue lead in the yard jumped up and issued a warning growl. Now everyone froze.

“I’ve never heard her do that,” Jen said as she stared at the dog.

In his experience, dogs had one of two reactions when confronted with Mari. Either her exuberance sent them running for cover or they were putty in her hands. This dog was still a huge question mark.

But the brindle tail was wagging cautiously.

His neighbor squatted next to the dog and immediately dodged a long pink tongue.

“I think she was afraid I was in danger,” Jen said slowly.

Mari immediately clutched her lightsaber closer and took a slow step forward.

“You shouldn’t have a dog like that out where it can hurt someone,” Luke snapped as he caught up to Mari and picked her up. Her wrinkled brow reminded him so much of his sister Camila that he did a double take. “Your dog scared her.”

Jen ran a hand down the dog’s back and immediately the animal flopped down to offer up a bright pink belly. It almost matched her bandanna.

In an instant, Luke cataloged that detail about his neighbor. She was the kind of woman who dressed her man-killer dog in pink.

“A dog like that,” she said carefully, as if every word leaked out around the grim line of her lips. “What do you mean by that? She was a dog who was dozing in the sunshine in her own yard before she was awakened by a kamikaze in purple high-tops.” Jen scratched her hand over the dog’s belly and got the immediate feedback that it was good by a quickly dancing right foot.

Mari’s silent laugh next to his ear turned down his adrenaline a notch.

“You know those dogs are dangerous,” Luke insisted. He was supposed to watch out for Mari. The fact that she’d find trouble if he blinked was no excuse.

Jen slowly straightened and tugged her sweatshirt down. No matter how tall she stretched, she’d come no higher than his collarbone. Still, she didn’t back down. With one jab, she pointed at him. “My dog. My yard. If you’d teach children to approach all dogs slowly, cautiously and after she’s asked permission, neither one of us would be pulling gray hairs tonight.” She ran a hand through the hairdo that had definitely seen better days and huffed out a sigh. “I don’t think most dogs react well to being attacked in their sleep.”

Mari hung her head in the way she always did when she was pretending she was so sorry but making sure that everyone knew how cute she was. One quick look from her through her batting eyelashes was usually all it took to convince Luke to fold like a weak hand.