Page 241 of No Need to Run

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I take that moment to step inside, still holding Luna.

“Hi, pretty girl.” I nuzzle her face. “Did you miss me?”

She purrs, then leans into my hand when I scratch her ears.

“I, um, planned to do some stuff around the house today,” Drew says, like it’s a hint for me to leave.

One I’m not going to take.

“Like what?”

He shrugs. “Work. House stuff. Maintenance. Normal things.”

“Normal things,” I echo.

“Yeah. You know. Fixing things that are falling apart.”

I cock my head. “Such as?”

“The bulkhead doors.”

“What’s wrong with them?” I ask.

“They’re a mess. I need to fix them before winter.”

"Yes. The latch doesn't?—"

I stop.

Drew's brows knit together.

"...Doesn't what?"

I stroke Luna’s fur. “Doesn’t sound very secure.”

He watches me for a second.

“And it’s supposed to storm tomorrow. That’ll make it hard to do any outside work.”

“Yeah, um. Right.”

He looks uneasy as he moves toward the door. “I’m going to check it out,” he says.

“I’ll come with you.” I sit Luna on the couch.

That surprises him. I can tell by the way his eyebrows lift slightly.

“You don’t have to?—”

“I want to.”

There’s a beat of silence before he shrugs. “Okay.”

He grabs his keys out of habit, even though we’re not going anywhere, and goes outside with me on his heels.

The yard is still slightly damp from last night, the air cool and clean as we step outside.

Drew walks ahead, scanning the ground like he’s expecting to trip over something again.

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