“There’s no way the damage could’ve been deliberate, then?” Chris pushed, not sharing the repairman’s amusement.
“Well, I wouldn’t say there was ‘no way’ someone did this on purpose.” Wally smoothed the white fringe that circled his bald spot. “Just doubtful, that’s all. You done with this witness, Deputy?” Without waiting for an answer, he started collecting his tools. Chris ignored the sarcastic remark and stared at the stove.
“Thanks for coming over so quickly,” Daisy said when it became evident that Chris was too wrapped up in his thoughts to continue the conversation.
Wally waved off her thanks. “I’m just sorry I didn’t get here before all of this”—he gestured toward the wood-covered kitchen window—“happened.”
With a nod, she escorted the repairman to the door. He lifted his cowboy hat from the coat rack and tipped it toward her before exiting. Once the inner door closed behind him, Daisy’s hand reached for the first dead bolt out of habit, but she caught herself before she could lock it. Letting her hand drop to her side, she stared at the unsecured door, reminding herself that she had made progress, despite what had happened earlier.
Shaking off the residual guilt and shame, she headed back into the kitchen, where Chris was still staring at the stove. Everyone else had left almost an hour ago, and the house seemed oddly quiet without the firemen and deputies stomping around the place.
“Chris? Did you enter a fugue state or something?” She boosted herself onto the counter next to the stove.
Although he turned his head toward her and focused on her face, he ignored her question. “Did anything unusual happen between when I left this morning and the gas leak?”
“Unusual?” She frowned at the cabinets directly across from her, trying to recall. It felt like a week had passed, rather than just hours. “Let’s see. You left—and it was more like afternoon than morning—so I finished packing up the dolls. No, wait. Before that, I took a shower, texted my grocery list to Tyler, and then I got the dolls ready to be shipped. Oh!” It wasn’t really relevant to what Chris had asked, but she’d forgotten in all the hubbub. “I met Bill for the first time—in person, I mean, instead of just over the intercom.”
“Bill?” There was an icy edge to his voice.
“Yes. You know, Bill the delivery driver? Beard and belly?”
“Right.” For whatever reason, his tone had warmed to its normal temperature. “The dolls are gone, then? You survived. Congratulations.”
“Barely,” she said in exaggerated relief. “I’m shocked the toothy one didn’t chew on me while I was sleeping.”
Chris snorted. “Like you ever sleep.”
“Hey! I did a pretty good job last night—this morning really.”
His smirk turned smug as his eyes narrowed in a way that made her wiggle on the counter. “Yeah, you did. Wonder why that was.”
“I’m not sure.” Although her cheeks were hot and her stomach was squirmy, she faked nonchalance. “Whatever the reason, it was nice to sleep so deeply. My dreams were really good, too.”
“They were?” He shifted toward her, and her breathing got faster, though not from fear that time. “What were they about?” His next step brought him close enough that her knees almost touched his thighs.
“Um…” Distracted, she stared at the half inch of space that separated them before raising her head to meet his eyes. “Fireman Steve.”
With a growl, he lunged forward and yanked her off the counter, turning her laugh into a shriek. He held her steady, but she still wrapped her arms and legs around him, both to keep from falling onto the tile floor and just because she had the right to hold him now.
“I’m kidding,” she giggled, hugging him tighter. It was hard to remember how she’d managed to keep her hands off him for eight years. Her willpower was extraordinary, she decided. “Fireman Steve had no role in my dreams, not even a walk-on part.”
“He better not have.” Although Chris’s voice was still growly, she had a feeling the current rasp had more to do with the feel of her in his arms than jealousy. He tucked his face into the crook of her neck and was doing really interesting things with his teeth, things that raised goose bumps from the spot below her ear where he was nibbling, all the way to her ankles. She tilted her head to give him better access.
“Oh!” she breathed when those clever teeth closed on her earlobe. “That’s very nice.” At any other time, she would’ve been embarrassed by her inane words, but now she was too preoccupied by how he could reduce her body to helpless shivers with such a simple action.
His chuckle vibrated against her skin, bringing another quiver in her chest. “I aim to please.”