Into the Fading Twilight (Starlight Grove, #2) (17)

Maverick grinned. “Hal? Oh yeah, he’s a believer. Big-time.”

The mechanic had told me all sorts of tall tales, but they were kind of amazing.

Wylder groaned. “The stories only get more outlandish when he has a couple of beers.”

“Hey,” Mav cut in. “If you got anally probed, it would stick with you, too.”

“What’s anally probed?” a new voice cut in.

I turned to see Skylar with a look of confusion on her face. She looked awesome with her combat boots, princess dress, fairy wings, and camo headband.

“Maverick,” a deep voice growled.

That timbre had goose bumps rising on my arms, and my gaze instantly cut to the owner. Kol stood behind his daughter, glowering at Maverick. The muscle along his jaw pulsed, making the thick scruff twitch.

“Hey, man, I didn’t say any bad words,” Mav argued.

“You said butt probe,” Owen cut in. “And stuff’s not supposed to go there. Only come out.”

Wylder started coughing in an attempt to hold back his laughter, his face turning beet red.

Skylar’s nose wrinkled. “Joey tried to stick a race car up his pooper when he was four and had to go to the doctor to get it out. Lacey told me her mom told her.”

Mav grinned. “Gotta be careful when it comes to—”

“Maverick,” Kol thundered.

“What?” Mav asked with faux innocence. “What’d I say?”





I sat out on the back deck, watching Sky and Owen race around the yard with Tink the mini-Highland cow and Pepper the goat running after them. Skylar’s fairy wings had made it onto Tink at some point, and Pepper wore a purple feather boa with sparkles. The land around us had descended into twilight, the sun sinking behind the horizon and making me just the slightest bit twitchy. But someone had hung patio lights around the back deck and on two of the trees, casting out the worst of the shadows.

I inhaled deeply, the scents of pine and fresh, clean air filling my nose. It was beautiful here. Peaceful. Even with the occasional shriek from Sky or Owen.

Skylar raced toward me. “You need some flair.”

My mouth curved. “Tell it to me straight, sister.”

“This!” She pulled off the bright-pink feather boa she wore and draped it over my shoulders.

I stilled for a moment, unsure if the contact would be too much, but it wasn’t. Sky’s hands hadn’t grazed my arms, just the boa. And in a way, it felt like the closest thing I’d come to a hug in over a year.

I drew my hands along the feathers, relishing the tickling sensation. “This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a long time. Thank you.”

Skylar beamed at me, sheer pride on her face. “You’re welcome. You look happier now.”

I looked happier. Hell. If even an eight-year-old was seeing the cracks in my fa?ade, I needed to up my acting game. Or, better yet, find somewhere to let my mask down.

“You know, I think doing something to help another person find their happy is one of the best things you can do,” I told her honestly.

Skylar’s whole face brightened. “Really?”

“No lies detected.”

She giggled and glanced over at Owen, who was trying to headbutt Pepper playfully. “He’s happier, too, now that you’re back. So I guess you give happy, too, Supernova.”

And with that, she took off running back toward Owen.

I simply stared after her, leveled by a pint-sized princess with a badass commando streak. I wanted to be a happiness giver. But lately, it felt like all I did was induce stress.

My gaze dipped as my finger slid across my phone screen. A new phone. Because my old one was still in an evidence locker somewhere.

A chill skittered down my spine, but I steeled my muscles and fought it off. Instead, I focused on the listing in front of me. A studio apartment above one of the shops in town. No full kitchen but a kitchenette with a refrigerator and a hot plate.

Not ideal, but I could make it work. And it was only two blocks from the Boot. That was a plus. Then, I took in the price. Nine hundred dollars a month. And that didn’t include utilities.

My shoulders slumped. I wouldn’t be able to afford that anytime soon. Especially if I needed to hand over the first and last month’s rent.

“Apartment hunting?” A low voice cut into my swirling thoughts.

I didn’t jolt, a rarity for me when I got surprised, because it felt like I knew that voice like the back of my hand. My gaze flicked up to find those hazel eyes, the ones that held both darkness and light if you looked closely enough. “Snoopy and bossy? What a combo.”

Kol grunted and lowered himself onto the deck next to me.

“And a true conversationalist on top of it.” Amusement laced my words, but it was accompanied by a soft intake of breath. Because Kol? While he didn’t touch me, he got closer than anyone else. Not in a way that crossed boundaries but in a way that said he was comfortable, that it was easy being around me. And God, that was a gift.

“Apartment?” he asked.

“One word,” I muttered. “Progress.” I handed him my phone. It wasn’t as if I had any secrets.

He scrolled down the listing, zooming in on the photos of the small space. As each second ticked by, his frown deepened. “Way overpriced.”