21. Marnie

Dusty follows me into the house, and I do my best to act like I’m completely used to having a giant, sexy shadow. He’s close enough he could reach out and run those callused fingers across my shoulders. I lean against the counter, nodding at the frozen pizza I just pulled out of the oven. “Have you eaten?”

“Nope.”

“Help yourself. It’s only the finest in the Novak house.”

Another peel of thunder cracks overhead, sounding angry and much, much closer. “Shouldn’t we be in the basement?”

“Meh.”

Dusty saunters over, pulling two plates down. He knows the kitchen better than I do. He has a very faint farmer’s tan—a subtle boundary that wraps across a very firm set of biceps. Technically, I’ve seen that farmer’s tan in all its naked glory. But then I’m remembering the time we spent in Tia’s office and my cheeks are heating up.

I clear my throat. “Where’s Sienna?”

“At her friends.”

He hands me the plate with a slice and grabs another for himself. “I called and checked on her a few minutes ago.”

“Where’d that dog go?”

“Probably where he always goes during storms. The basement.”

“Smart dog.”

“We didn’t name him Edison for nothing.”

I lead the way into the basement. It’s finished, but the last update had to have been in the seventies. The carpet is a vibrant red shag, and the walls are paneled with dark, ‘wood’ paneling. But there are a few comfortable couches and a decent TV on the wall. Sure enough, Ed is occupying the couch nearest the TV. His tail whumps happily on the cushion when he sees us stepping into the rec room.

I plop down on the couch, pulling my leg up under me.

Dusty elects to sit next to me, despite the numerous alternatives. There’s at least a foot between us, but I swear I can feel the heat rolling off his body. He looks even bigger up close. Sinking back, his long legs stretch out in front of him.

He tilts his head, a smile playing across his lips. “You’re not nervous about storms, are you?”

I’m nervous, alright. But it has nothing to do with the storm outside and everything to do with how sexy he is. How good he smells. “I never really pay attention to storms. I’ve gotten by fine so far.”

He laughs. “That seems a wee bit irresponsible. Aren’t you supposed to lead by example? Being my elder and all.”

I push on his leg with the ball of my foot. “Okay. Invitation revoked. Good luck with the twister.”

“Ed, too?”

Ed perks his head up.

“The dog can stay. You got to go.”

He holds up his hands. “Okay. I’ll be less judgmental. Promise.”

He studies my profile unabashedly. I squirm under his perusal. “Take a picture. It’ll last longer.”

“Can I?”

He gives me a lopsided grin before holding his hands up in peace. Laughing to himself, he glances at the stairs and his smile slips. “Last time I was down here, your Uncle Gus and me were trying to catch a snake.”

I wrap my arms around my knees. “Please tell me you caught it.”

He smiles. “Caught and released.”

“Far away?”

He laughs again. Pausing to admire my expression of horror. “We took it down to the creek.”

“Thank God.”

He glances at the stairs again. “It’s hard to believe he’s gone. I keep expecting him to walk through the door.”

“The snake?”

His lips tug into a lopsided grin. “Yes. The snake. I miss him.”

“I miss him, too.”

We’re not talking about the snake anymore, something that I’m well aware of. But making jokes is the best way I know to let some of the pressure go. But when the pressure is gone, all I feel is emptiness. “I should have asked more questions while I still could.” Those gray eyes of his hook into me and I tear my gaze away. “If I had known how little time we had left, I would have called more often. He had so much going on that I didn’t know about. I don’t understand why he never told us about you and Sienna.”

A muted flash of lightning is quickly followed by a crack of thunder.

“Getting closer.”

Dusty looks up at the egress windows. He must see some of the regret lingering in my expression because he squeezes my knee. “Gus was a private guy. He was allergic to boasting.” He pauses, thinking. “But what he did was pretty heroic. If it weren’t for him, I’m not sure what Sienna and I would have done.”

“When did you two move in?”

“I started working for him when I was seventeen. My mom passed away when I was twenty, and we needed a proper guardian for Sienna otherwise, the caseworker was talking about taking her away.”

“From a twenty-year-old? They didn’t consider you an adult?”

“Sienna’s caseworker, Rhonda Lind, wasn’t so sure I would be an appropriate caregiver.”

He gives me a tight smile. “She might have had a point.”

I’m not so sure she did. From everything I’ve seen so far, Dusty seems like a solid, dependable brother. “So, what happened?”

“Gus happened. He stepped in and agreed to be her guardian. The two of us didn’t know shit about raising a ten-year-old girl.”

I sit back, not at all surprised that Uncle Gus would be willing to help a family in need. I’m surprised I didn’t know about it. But five years ago, our home life was a mess. Dad’s alcoholism was getting worse. He was barely keeping it under tabs, and when mom died, he decided he wanted to follow.

There’s another crack of thunder. Angry and loud, like the very heavens are splitting apart. Ed jumps up with a whine and dashes down the hall.

Dusty glances at me. “He’s gone to hide under the bed.”

I’m wondering if we should be hiding under the bed, too, when with a mighty peel of thunder, the lights go out.