“She can get a little excited.” She couldn’t help the apologetic note in her voice. Tegan knew dogs weren’t for everyone and Kali was excited to be in a new place. So far she’d been pretty well behaved but she was still loud and jumpy. At least soon Tegan would be able to get her settled into the guesthouse, which was way smaller. Once it was just Tegan and Kali, she figured her dog would calm down a little.
Aaron frowned slightly, falling in step with her. “I had a couple dogs growing up. She’s not a problem at all. Okay?”
Tegan released a sigh she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She felt weird being here, like she had to watch her step. It wasn’t Aaron’s doing. If anything he seemed to be going out of his way to make sure she was comfortable. It was a huge change from the closed-off man who’d been coming into Kimmy’s shop the last eight months. “Okay, thanks. I just feel weird, I guess. I don’t want to get in your way or anything.”
He frowned again, but turned away from her as they reached the foyer. Bree Fitzpatrick, his mother and a friend of Tegan’s, was scooping Dillon into a giant hug. Dillon was trying to whisper—and failing—about getting ice cream as soon as they left.
Tegan bit back another smile when Aaron let out an exasperated sigh. Seeing him in full-on dad mode was really, really nice. She’d always thought of him as this intimidating, cranky—and ridiculously sexy—man. Now he just seemed like a sexy, take-charge, do-the-right-thing kind of guy. Seriously, he didn’t know her that well but was still offering up his house because she was in danger. In her experience, the world didn’t work that way. Which made her want him even more. It was stupid, because she wasn’t looking for a relationship and definitely not with a ready-made family.
“Tegan! I heard about what happened.” Bree moved at her lightning fast, pulling her into a tight hug. The woman was in her sixties with dark hair, petite, fit, and a force of nature.
She hugged Bree back, glad to see her. Tegan’s own mother had been lacking in the maternal department, so whenever she was around Bree, she found herself wishing she’d had a mom like her growing up. “I’m okay,” she said, stepping back. It wasn’t true. She was a hot mess inside but the answer was instinctive. She didn’t want to admit that she was filled with terror that someone wanted her dead bad enough to set a bomb in her car right in the middle of a busy street. “Thanks to your son.”
Aaron just grunted and gave his mom a hug. Bree was still shaking her head as she stepped back. “I can’t believe what happened. No one can. Neither of you have been named, but it’s been all over the news about the bombing.”
The neighborhood where Kimmy’s shop was located was pretty tight knit. Some of the shops had experienced turnovers in the last few years, according to Kimmy, but it was rare. It wasn’t a touristy part of Miami, but a friendly local one, where families had been for generations. Kimmy’s was one of the newer places but it was doing well. Part of Tegan was sad that she wouldn’t get to go into work but she didn’t want to bring any danger to the shop. At least she had her website design projects to work on. It would keep her busy and focused—and hopefully keep her mind off the person who had targeted her to die. Though Tegan knew nothing could do that. Not really. She wouldn’t be able to focus until the person was caught.
Bree pointed to a big brown bag by the front door. “The Mederos family sent over a bunch of food for you. I told them I’d be seeing you so they fixed up enough food for three days.”
The Mederos family owned Montez’s Grill and one of their daughters ran a lingerie boutique on the same street as Kimmy’s place. Tegan knew all of them. Everyone had been so welcoming when she started working for Kimmy and she’d redone almost all the websites for everyone on the street at a discount. She knew that people cared, but this act of giving was just too much on her emotional state right now.
Tears pricked Tegan’s eyes and she inwardly cursed as she swiped at them. She’d barely cried in the last couple of years. There had been no time in her life for feeling sorry for herself, only survival. Now… “Damn it,” she muttered as the floodgates stayed open. “I’m normally not a crier.”
Bree pulled her into another hug and patted her back gently. “You’re holding up better than I would. I’m glad you decided to show some sense and stay here. If you get tired of my son you can stay at my place.”
Laughing, she said, “Thank you.” Tears finally dried up, Tegan stepped back. God, Aaron probably thought she was a total basket case by now. Which didn’t matter anyway, since she didn’t care what he thought. Which was a total lie.
“If you want, I can take Kali off your hands,” Dillon piped in.
“What?”
“I can take Kali to Nana’s tonight.” He gave her the sweetest smile that had just a hint of mischievousness.
“That’s a great idea, Dillon. Let’s give Tegan a chance to rest. We haven’t had a dog in the house in years.” Bree gently petted Kali’s head and Kali, as always, soaked up the attention.