California Demon by Julie Kenner Page B

direction, then paused as I realized he was going the other way. Back the way I’d come. “Uh, Mr. Long?”
    “David.”
    “Right. David. Aren’t you coming, too?”
    He shook his head just slightly. “I remembered something I need to check on.” He gave me a friendly wave, then started walking. “I’ll see you after the assembly.”
    Oh. Well. Damn.
    I watched him go, unable to shake the feeling that he was heading straight for the janitor’s basement. For a moment, I considered following him, but what would I say if he saw me again? That I’d developed a mad crush and couldn’t bear parting ways? That I wanted to discuss Allie’s future curriculum with him? That I desperately wanted to know what a valence bond was?
    Somehow I didn’t think any of those approaches would fly.
    I reminded myself that I didn’t know for certain that he was heading to the basement. It was, after all, in a completely different colored hall. And even if he was, so what? I certainly wasn’t going to admit to any knowledge of the body beside the stairs.
    Still, something about David Long made me itchy, and I wanted to keep him in my sights. I took a step in that direction, figuring I’d make up an excuse if he saw me, then was caught up short by the warm grate of a familiar voice: “Good God, Kate. Our girl’s going crazy wondering if you’re gonna make it on time.”
    I turned to see Eddie shuffling toward me, decked out in plaid golfing pants and an orange T-shirt that instructed passersby to Kiss a Prince—The World Needs More Frogs. I couldn’t help but smile, especially at the “our girl” reference. As far as Allie’s concerned, Eddie’s her paternal great-grandfather, but the truth is a lot more complex. As far as I know, Eddie’s no relation to Allie at all. Of course, both Eric and I were orphans, so in my more melancholy moments, I like to pretend that fate really did bring back my family.
    Still, blood or not, Eddie really has become family. He’s one of the few people who knows my secret, and he only knows it because he brought down more than a few demons in his day, too.
    Eddie’s wily, bad-tempered, can cuss a blue streak, and I love him like a father. And I’m pretty sure he loves me like a daughter. I know he considers Allie his own. Timmy, he isn’t certain about yet. But once my boy moves from Pull-Ups to underwear, I have a feeling their relationship will shift, too.
    In the meantime, I don’t mind that Eddie’s affection runs more toward my daughter. Tim has Stuart’s parents to dote on him. To be fair, they dote on Allie, too, but she was old enough when I married Stuart to understand that Grandma and Grandpa Connor weren’t really hers.
    Eddie though . . . well, he belongs to our girl, and she cherishes that. As for me, I protect it.
    Which explained why Eddie was still living in our guest bedroom even though he and Stuart hadn’t exactly become bosom buddies, and even though he’d been promising for months to find a nearby apartment. It was a concession on Stuart’s part that I appreciated and about which I felt no guilt. I’d made a lot of adjustments to accommodate his run for office. I figured the least he could do was open up the house to a long-lost relative, albeit a fabricated one.
    “Come on, girl,” he said, giving me a tap on the shoulder. “Time to get a move on.”
    “I haven’t missed—?”
    He shook his head. “Not yet. But you need to light a fire. As soon as that principal quits blathering on about all this hoo-ha, they’re going to announce the awards. You won’t hear the end of it if you miss it.”
    “Not going to happen,” I said, any lingering thoughts of following David Long vanishing in a puff of maternal pride.
    Still, I took a quick peek backwards as we hustled down the hall in the direction of the gym. All quiet. Not a hint of the man.
    I told myself that it was pointless to worry. After all, if hell broke loose, I’d surely notice.
    Principal George