15
Jack
Ispent the day driving around Jacksonville talking to gas station attendants.
Sam called, and he was more worried than I'd ever heard him, including the time vampires attacked the historical fort in Saint Augustine he'd been using as a training facility.
"She called her mom, Jack. My daughter said she's never heard Katie sound so bad." His voice hitched, and he took a deep breath and blew it out. "She got more information, though. This guy—the awful ex—his name is Joe. She wouldn't tell us his last name or anything else about him. Just said she was tracking him and soon she'd be getting even and getting her own back."
"What did she mean by that?"
"We have no idea. But she said she was heading to Dead End. I don't know when, but she's headed your way."
There wasn't much to say after that, so I stopped at a hardware store to make an important purchase. Then I headedfor home, mentally planning a relaxing evening. Maybe I'd get pizza at Judd's on the way home.
And then Andy called to tell me that practically the entire McKee family tree had turned Tess's shop into a battleground.
I immediately called Tess, who didn't answer her phone.
I drove faster.
16
Tess
Thursday morning
"Now, aren't you embarrassed about the way you freaked out yesterday?" I poured a second cup of coffee and added some cream and sugar.
Jack, uncharacteristically grumpy, muttered something about the McKees that didn't sound good. He'd raced into the shop yesterday afternoon like his tiger tail was on fire, eyes wild, steam coming out of his ears, and ready to take on any number of trespassers.
I'd almost hated to tell him everybody had gone home. It was five o'clock, and I was closing up for the day. He was so adorable charging to the rescue.
But I'd been perfectly capable of rescuing myself.
After I'd filled him in, I'd headed home. He drove to Judd's Pizza to get dinner, and we spent a wonderfully relaxing evening eating, reading, and watching old movies on TV. But he'd never apologized for acting like I was a damsel in distress.
As of this morning, he still hadn't.
"It's not freaking out when someone who is as much of a trouble magnet as Cletus McKee is involved." He flipped the eggs he was frying. Six for him. Two for me.
I sliced homemade bread and waited.
"Okay. I'm sorry. I know you can take care of yourself, Mrs. Shepherd," he finally said in a teasing voice that made me smile.
"It sounds so much better when you call me that than when Oscar did. I'm still not sure if I'm changing my name, though. I've been a Callahan for so long."
Jack slid eggs onto plates and handed me mine, then kissed me. "You should call yourself whatever you want, as long as you promise to be mine."
Somehow, eggs had never tasted this good before.
"Maybe Callahan-Shepherd."
He just grinned and tucked into breakfast. Besides the eggs, he'd cooked ham slices and bacon.
Tigers need protein.
"So, what's up today? I feel like maybe I should hang out in my office. Just in case any fresh crises barge their way into your shop."
