beds for much-needed sleep.
“Mom.” Claire’s voice seemed solitary in the dark. “Which is the most scary—our Hillgate mansion or this place?”
“I think our place was.” Then there was a shatter, something was grunting and an “Owww” came drifting up . “…Until now!”
A light went on at Claire’s nightstand. Zo had feet on the floor and was struggling to get her arm in her robe’s other sleeve. “Grab your cell phone!”
“Got it!”
Zo looked around to find something for a weapon, while an “oof oof” and a “thud, thud” could be heard. She thought about picking up an iron from a cute little wood-burning fireplace, but instead chose a long-handled flashlight out of Matilda’s box of “things that may be useful.” “Maybe you should hide under the bed, Claire, til l Mommy gets back.”
“Ha!” Claire refused. “Besides, it is I who protect you…,” she said but reconsidered. “Er… you protect me.” She remembered back on all those times her mom came to her rescue.
They both determined, once in the hallway, the sounds must have been coming from outside. They got to the front door and opened it carefully, ready to slam it if anything was on the porch; but, they saw nothing, so they inched out step by step. The sounds became louder. There were two silhouettes growling and struggling against each other on the lawn. Finally, there was a voice: “I’m going to kill you, you idiot!”
“Not if I get offen my back and kill you first!”
“What are you doing leaping out from the dark? Are you a lunatic?” the first voice snarled.
“I’m protecting my ladylove, almost betrothed!”
“And is your ladylove a lawn gnome? A wood nymph?!”
“No! It is Claire, who is the heat source of our magnetic love.”
“Oh, don’t tell me you are using Claire Kane’s name in vain?!”
“I don’t know what her last name is, and I don’t care much on accounta she is going to be the new Mrs. Cornswallow!”
“What?! Why, I ought to let you up just so I can throw you down again.”
“I tripped!”
A big bright light beamed in on the trespassers, causing both to blink and squint. It came from Zo’s flashlight.
“Jack, is that you?” Claire was flabbergasted.
“Yes. This crazy man attacked me.”
Claire giggled.
Jack wiped some mussed blond hair off his forehead. “He said you are engaged to him. Is that right?”
“I did not! I said ‘almost.’ We haven’t had time to come to an understandin’ yet,” Slobber defended. “These things has got to be done with finesse. Don’t they, darlin’?!” He looked up at Claire with a big smile, showcasing a couple missing teeth.
“What Slobber says.” Claire’s eyes drilled into Jack’s.
“Well, I don’t believe it,” Jack volleyed. “Come on now, Claire. We have a couple things to talk over. You have misjudged me. We need to talk a little… Just a little.”
“You can talk all you want. It don’t do ya any good,” said Slobber, who everyone forgot was still pinned by Jack.
A few raindrops began to fall. Big ones. The type that smack the head in threat of a torrential downpour. Zo told Jack to get off Slobber, so he could go home. Slobber refused to leave until Zo and Claire convinced him he didn’t need to sit in front of their bedroom door with a shotgun he kept in his pickup. When wet hair was sticking to their faces and rain was pouring off the ends of everyone’s nose, Slobber relented and jogged toward his truck.
In consideration of the storm, Jack was invited to spend the night. Jack grabbed a couple suitcases out of his Audi, and they headed into the house, the wind blowing rain after them. Zo threw a towel to her daughter and her daughter’s ex, so they could dry their hair.
Before hitting the hay, Jack asked Claire to sit with him at the kitchen table.
“Claire, what is it that you really want? Your heart’s desire? Go ahead, whisper it in my ear. Do it. It’s okay.”
Claire thought, Oh my