Page 91 of The Outpost (Jamison Valley 4)
“Good luck.”
He bent and kissed my cheek. “Be back soon. Come on, Boone.”
When the garage door closed behind Beau and Boone, I stood in the quiet kitchen and looked around, unsure what to do with myself. I could write another chapter in my new book or watch TV. It was strange not to have Boone around and his absence was making me twitchy. At the outpost, I’d spend a good part of my day talking to him.
“Is it crazy to talk to a dog?” I asked myself. “No, but it is crazy to talk to a kitchen.”
Thinking about the kitchen sent me snooping, and when I came across the cleaning supplies under the sink, I decided that mopping and dusting was the perfect Sunday activity to keep myself occupied until Beau came back with Boone. The place was fairly clean already, but since I couldn’t do household errands like going to the grocery store, I figured cleaning and cooking could be my contribution.
So I dove right in, starting with the kitchen floors.
I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the tile between the fridge and the island when I heard the front door lock click open.
Someone was here. Oh, shit. I crouched lower and froze, listening for voices. It wasn’t Beau, he would have come through the garage. Was it his mom? Whoever it was definitely had a key. How would I explain to her what I was doing in Beau’s house? Maybe I could say I was a cleaning lady.
The door swung open and I started to panic. Escape wasn’t an option and I couldn’t just pop up from behind the counter
now, pretending to be Beau’s housekeeper. I’d scare the visitor half to death.
Maybe it was Michael. Please be Michael.
“Come on, buddy,” a woman’s voice called outside.
Curses! Not Michael.
“Let’s see if we can find your me-me,” she said.
“Where do you think he left it?” another woman’s voice called from outside.
I knew that voice.
I’d lived with that voice for years.
Felicity.
Little feet pounded across the wood floors and the door clicked shut. This had to be Maisy and Coby with Felicity in tow.
People I really wanted to see but couldn’t. People who would be at risk if they knew I was staying in Beau’s house. People who were just on the other side of the island from where I was hiding.
Maybe they’ll leave. Maybe they’ll get what they came for and then slip out. If I stayed right here, hidden, they might not even know I was in the house.
“All right, buddy, where did you leave your me-me?” Maisy asked Coby as the front door closed.
“Boone bed,” his little voice answered.
“Okay, let’s check his bed.”
No! The dog’s bed was between me and the laundry room. I started to inch backward, hoping I could slink around the far side of the island and hide until they’d gone by. I was almost to the corner when my hand slipped on the wet tile and went crashing into the water bucket. Suds and water splashed everywhere and the bucket clanked, causing me to wince and my visitors to gasp.
“Oh my god,” Maisy cried. “What was that?”
“Who’s there?” Felicity demanded.
Damn. Damn. Damn. So much for hiding out.
“Sorry,” I squeaked, then slowly stood from behind the counter to reveal myself. I gave them an awkward wave when I cleared the counter. “It’s just me.”
“Sabrina?” Felicity gasped. “What? You’re here? When—How—” She rushed around the couch in the living room. I met her on the other side of the island, and without hesitation, she pulled me into her arms.
