His nod was just a short dip of his chin. “I’ll wait.”
Jules stopped and blinked at him. Why was he going to wait? The usual tendril of panic curled its way around her lungs, but there was another emotion there, as well, that she didn’t want to examine too closely. It might have been excitement, if that hadn’t been so self-destructive and stupid.
“C’mon, Jules!” Tio began nudging her in the direction of the office.
“I’m coming!” As she walked, keeping a firm hold on Dez just in case her sister decided to bolt for the dog, she refused to glance behind her, refused to check if he was keeping his word and waiting. She definitely didn’t want him to wait. There was no way her nerves could survive having a cop—a hot, hot cop—in her life. Theo was trouble. Jules needed to shut him down immediately…or at least after she found out what he wanted to talk to her about.
As she completed the necessary paperwork, she mentally thanked Dennis. Everything was perfect. There were immunization records and transcripts and custody papers. The administrative assistant—who had severe glasses and not a hair out of place—even gave her an approving look, murmuring, “Very organized.”
They managed to get all three boys registered and sent off with a student “buddy” to find their lockers. Jules watched them go, feeling a little scared and helpless. She hadn’t realized that having them out of sight would be so hard. It was reassuring to have them within reach, so she could whisk them away to safety at the first sign of trouble.
A squeeze on her hand brought Jules out of her distracted worry. “They’ll be okay,” Dez said quietly.
“I know.” Giving her sister a small grin—the best she could manage—Jules added, “I just like to keep them close.”
Looking much older than eleven, Dez tightened her grip again. “They’re used to taking care of themselves.”
That made Jules frown as they left the office. “They shouldn’t be.”
“Right. That’s why you stole us.”
Even though Dez had used her quietest voice, Jules still bugged her eyes out at her. “Ix-nay on the ole-stay alk-tay.”
“Orry-say!” Dez whispered, making a zipping motion over her lips.
“Done?” The deep voice made her jump, and Jules barely held back a startled shriek. When she turned to Theo, Jules couldn’t help but marvel at how he got better-looking every time she saw him. Despite his scowl—or maybe, a contrary part of her brain whispered, because of it—he really was the poster child of masculine beauty.
When his eyebrows unsnarled enough to lift in question, Jules realized he was waiting for an answer. “Um…yes. Well, except for D. The elementary school starts later than the high school, so we decided to come here first.” She was painfully aware that she was rambling, and that Theo and Dez and even the dog were staring at her like she’d lost her mind, but Jules couldn’t manage to stop the flow of words. “Yeah. So, anyway…did you need to talk to me?”
He stayed silent just long enough for her hands to start to sweat. “I’ll walk you out.”
“Don’t you need to do…” Jules waved a hand in the general direction of the lockers, recycling bin, and janitor’s closet she’d eyed so suspiciously before. “…bomb stuff?”
There was the tiniest movement at the corner of his mouth, just the barest twitch of his lips, but it was enough to startle her. Was he actually almost smiling? It was the closest thing to humor she’d seen from him.
“Bomb…stuff is done. Hugh and I are the last ones here, finishing up the paperwork.” Any sign of amusement was gone now, and Jules decided that she’d imagined that hint of a smile. “No sign of any explosives. It was just a prank call.”
“Did Viggy figure that out?” Dez asked, looking at the dog with equal parts fascination and awe.
The frown was back, heavier than before. “No.”
Jules flinched slightly at the snap in his voice, startled by the abrupt change in his manner.
“No,” he repeated in a gentler tone, as if he’d noticed her reaction. Jules suspected that there wasn’t much he didn’t notice, which could be a problem. After all, she had a lot she wanted to hide. “Cliff County leant us one of their explosive-detection dogs. Viggy’s…” He looked down at the dog. Viggy was sitting slightly crouched, as if he was trying to appear smaller than he was. His jaw tight, Theo brought his gaze back to Jules. “Never mind. Don’t you need to get over to Cottonwood?”
“Right!” Jules glanced at Dez, who was still focused on the dog. The hot cop had a knack for getting her to forget where she was and what she was supposed to be doing. That also could be a problem. “C’mon, D. Let’s get you educated.”