JJ raises his eyebrows at Cass.
“Well, you know what they say about assuming, Mags,” Cass says innocently, and he taps a button on his phone. “Although Iamgoing to put you on speaker now. Just to make it easier for Desi and persons who may or may not be Julian Jackson to contribute to the conversation.”
“Understandable,” Maggie says. “I have Desi, D-E-S-I, as her first name. How about her last name? ‘Chin’?”
For a split second, Cass hesitates.
And then he meets JJ’s eyes. “‘Jackson-Chin,’ actually,” he says, and JJ sits bolt upright, heart stuttering. “With a hyphen between them. Desi Jackson-Chin.”
Warmth floods through JJ’s chest. He’s never really thought about Desi having a last name before, but if he’d ever been pressed, he probably would’ve said that she should have her primary caregiver’s last name—Desi Chin.
Judging by how quickly Cass replied, though, it sounds like he’s thought about it more than once. And apparently, he considers JJ to be just as much of a parent as he is.
JJ doesn’t want to examine too closely what that does to his heart. Instead, he just gives Cass a small smile. “Thank you.”
Cass’s eyes soften. “Of course.”
“You’re not beating the ‘shacked up with a hunter’ allegations,” Maggie says flatly, and JJ hears the faint sound of typing. “All right. I’m submitting her registration now. You should receive an official letter at your address on file within five business days. Human identification documents such as a birth certificate, passport, and Social Security card will arrive within four to six weeks.”
“Sounds good,” Cass says. “Thanks, Mags.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” Maggie pauses. “I’ve also been ordered by the Chain to inquire into your whereabouts.”
To JJ’s shock, Cass hesitates. “Well?—”
“Don’t actuallytell me,you moron!” Maggie sounds scandalized. “I’ll have to notify my superiors if you do!”
“Touchy,”Cass drawls, but his shoulders visibly relax. “I was just going to say that we’re safe. You can report that back to your superiors, if you want.”
“I’m only required to notify them if I ascertain your whereabouts,” Maggie says. “Which I haven’t. Alas.”
“Alas,” Cass agrees, smiling. “Can I do anything else for you, Maggie?”
“I’m sure I’ve given you quite enough anxiety for one day,” Maggie says. “Later, Chin. Bye, Desi. Bye, unidentified third person.”
“Bye-bye!” Desi calls as Cass disconnects the line. “I like her! She’s really funny!”
“Miss Maggieisfunny,” Cass says, and his eyes find JJ’s. “And she’s also a very loyal friend. She won’t tell anyone about you or Desi.”
“That’s good,” JJ says, and he winces. “But it sounded like she already knew. She guessed my name right away, at least.”
Cass grimaces. “Yeah. According to Obie, even the food truck crowd deduced our real identities after that debacle at Lakeside. We’re probably the talk of the town by now.” He lifts his chin, eyes gleaming. “But they can’t get to us here. Not the Chain, not the Sanctum. Not nosy Esteban and Lucia from Tacos Near Me. We’re safe now, JJ. I promise.”
JJ’s heart flutters. “I believe you,” he says softly. “Thank you, Cass.”
Cass’s lips twitch. “My pleasure.”
Suddenly, Desi rockets to her feet, grabbing JJ’s hands. “JJ! Cass! We almost forgot about the dance party!”
JJ gasps theatrically. “Wedidalmost forget about the dance party! You should go wake up the baby dragons so they can join us!”
“Okay!” Desi says, and she dashes down the hall. “Baby dragons! Baby dragons! We have asurprisefor you!”
Grinning, Cass decisively shuts his laptop. “That’s enough work for now, I think,” he says, standing up and stretching. “I sense a long afternoon of dancing ahead of us. I’ll see if I can rustle up the ingredients for strawberry cupcakes, too—Nostringvadha knows we have enough strawberries.”
“And maybe you can tell me about Adams and Jefferson tonight?” JJ asks hesitantly, giving Cass an unsure smile. “After Desi goes to bed?”
Cass grins back. “There’s nothing I’d like more,” he says, and as he taps into his phone to pull up their playlist, JJ realizes that it feels like he’s accomplished more today than he ever did at the Sanctum.
