tomorrow?”
“No. Francine changed the schedule to give me the day off since I worked at the café this morning and the pie booth at the festival.”
“That’s good. Maybe you can sleep in.”
Ally smiled. “I always try to, but it never works. I finally accepted that I’m one of those awful morning people. But I do think I’m going to head up now. I hope I can stay awake long enough to shower the street dust off of me. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night,” I said and watched her trudge out of the kitchen and down the hallway. As I opened the refrigerator, I heard a crash in the living room and rushed down the hallway. Ally and one of the decorative tables in the living room had apparently had a run-in. The lamp was the big loser. Ally was struggling to get up from the floor and I grabbed her hand just before she got a fistful of drapes. As I hauled her to her feet, her knees started to buckle.
“Are you drunk?” I asked, trying to lock in on a logical explanation for her collapse. One that didn’t involve anything serious.
“Someone sneaked champagne to the festival, but I only had one glass,” she said, her voice slurred.
“That must have been one helluva glass. Let’s get you into bed.”
I half carried her up the stairs and let her drop onto the bed, then I swung her legs over onto the mattress and pulled off her tennis shoes. She was already snoring when I pulled the blanket over her. I shook my head and headed out of the room. Ally had always been a lightweight when it came to drinking, but this seemed extreme after only a glass.
I knew she’d been working a lot and worrying over her house construction. Sometimes I heard her moving around her bedroom in the middle of the night, so I knew her sleep wasn’t all that great. Neither was mine, for that matter, since her restlessness always had me leaping out of bed and scrambling for my gun. Secretly, I was proud of myself for not having accidentally shot anything in one of my recent midnight grabs. I hadn’t always been so lucky since I’d arrived in Sinful.
I tromped back to the kitchen and grabbed my usual bedtime snack of chocolate milk and cookies, then headed back upstairs to my bedroom, ready to crawl into bed myself. I was halfway through a thriller novel and it was a doozy. With any luck, I could get in a couple more chapters before my eyes started drooping.
I put the chocolate milk and cookies on the nightstand next to the book, turned on the lamp, and turned off the bedroom lights. Then I pulled off my shorts, propped the pillows up and slid into bed. Merlin hopped up next to me and curled himself into a tight, purring ball. I leaned back against the pillows for a bit, sighing as the cool sheets made my whole body tingle. I hadn’t realized how tired I was until I’d gotten into bed.
Two chapters.
I opened my eyes and reached for the book and a cookie. The private investigator heroine had just chased a killer into a dark alleyway and was now sneaking among the Dumpsters and crates, ready to fire if necessary. I could easily picture the dim light from the yellow bulb at the top of the building and the chill she felt from the drizzling rain. As she inched closer to a Dumpster at the end of the alley, I clenched the pages. Just a couple more steps and she’d be there, looking behind the Dumpster.
I turned the page, ready for the big showdown…and heard a noise downstairs.
I froze. Merlin’s head flew up and his ears went back. Damn it. That meant I hadn’t imagined it. I dropped the book and slid out of bed, lifting my pistol from the nightstand as I went. I crept out of the bedroom and across the hall. Ally was still in the same position I’d left her in and I could hear her softly snoring. I reached for the door to close it, then hesitated. Sometimes, it squeaked. Best to leave it alone.
I looked over the stair railing into the living room. A sliver of light crept into the room from the hallway to the
“No. Francine changed the schedule to give me the day off since I worked at the café this morning and the pie booth at the festival.”
“That’s good. Maybe you can sleep in.”
Ally smiled. “I always try to, but it never works. I finally accepted that I’m one of those awful morning people. But I do think I’m going to head up now. I hope I can stay awake long enough to shower the street dust off of me. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night,” I said and watched her trudge out of the kitchen and down the hallway. As I opened the refrigerator, I heard a crash in the living room and rushed down the hallway. Ally and one of the decorative tables in the living room had apparently had a run-in. The lamp was the big loser. Ally was struggling to get up from the floor and I grabbed her hand just before she got a fistful of drapes. As I hauled her to her feet, her knees started to buckle.
“Are you drunk?” I asked, trying to lock in on a logical explanation for her collapse. One that didn’t involve anything serious.
“Someone sneaked champagne to the festival, but I only had one glass,” she said, her voice slurred.
“That must have been one helluva glass. Let’s get you into bed.”
I half carried her up the stairs and let her drop onto the bed, then I swung her legs over onto the mattress and pulled off her tennis shoes. She was already snoring when I pulled the blanket over her. I shook my head and headed out of the room. Ally had always been a lightweight when it came to drinking, but this seemed extreme after only a glass.
I knew she’d been working a lot and worrying over her house construction. Sometimes I heard her moving around her bedroom in the middle of the night, so I knew her sleep wasn’t all that great. Neither was mine, for that matter, since her restlessness always had me leaping out of bed and scrambling for my gun. Secretly, I was proud of myself for not having accidentally shot anything in one of my recent midnight grabs. I hadn’t always been so lucky since I’d arrived in Sinful.
I tromped back to the kitchen and grabbed my usual bedtime snack of chocolate milk and cookies, then headed back upstairs to my bedroom, ready to crawl into bed myself. I was halfway through a thriller novel and it was a doozy. With any luck, I could get in a couple more chapters before my eyes started drooping.
I put the chocolate milk and cookies on the nightstand next to the book, turned on the lamp, and turned off the bedroom lights. Then I pulled off my shorts, propped the pillows up and slid into bed. Merlin hopped up next to me and curled himself into a tight, purring ball. I leaned back against the pillows for a bit, sighing as the cool sheets made my whole body tingle. I hadn’t realized how tired I was until I’d gotten into bed.
Two chapters.
I opened my eyes and reached for the book and a cookie. The private investigator heroine had just chased a killer into a dark alleyway and was now sneaking among the Dumpsters and crates, ready to fire if necessary. I could easily picture the dim light from the yellow bulb at the top of the building and the chill she felt from the drizzling rain. As she inched closer to a Dumpster at the end of the alley, I clenched the pages. Just a couple more steps and she’d be there, looking behind the Dumpster.
I turned the page, ready for the big showdown…and heard a noise downstairs.
I froze. Merlin’s head flew up and his ears went back. Damn it. That meant I hadn’t imagined it. I dropped the book and slid out of bed, lifting my pistol from the nightstand as I went. I crept out of the bedroom and across the hall. Ally was still in the same position I’d left her in and I could hear her softly snoring. I reached for the door to close it, then hesitated. Sometimes, it squeaked. Best to leave it alone.
I looked over the stair railing into the living room. A sliver of light crept into the room from the hallway to the
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