Page 18 of Never Fall Again
Dylan’s family might still be a threat, but they weren’t behind this.
What could the endgame be? If someone was trying to flush her from the protection of The Haven, they’d succeeded. But no one, herself included, could have foreseen a scenario where she and Eliza would be sleeping in the middle of Quinn land.
They were alone in the house, but not truly alone. Cal was in his house on one side of her, Mo in his on the other side. She didn’tknow either of them, but she strongly suspected they were armed and a lot more dangerous than they appeared on the surface.
Well, Mo did appear to be rather dangerous. But Bronwyn had said he was gentle and kind. And Cal was...Cal. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she knew he would protect them.
With that thought, Landry rolled onto her side, closed her eyes, and allowed exhaustion to drag her into the bliss of a dreamless sleep.
The next morning was chilly and gray, which was the only excuse Landry had for the way she’d slept in. She checked on Eliza, who was sound asleep, hurried through her morning routine, and slipped out the door of the house. Mo and Cal sat around the firepit, steaming mugs in their hands, feet propped up on the stone rim. But...no fire.
They both stood as she approached.
“How’d you sleep?” Cal asked.
“Pull up a chair.” Mo motioned to the empty seat to Cal’s left.
She nodded her thanks to Mo and sat. “I slept great. I didn’t mean to sleep so late though. I probably need to get to The Haven.”
“No rush. Coffee?” Cal pointed to a thermos and a mug on the edge of the firepit.
“Sure.”
“Cream? Sugar?” Mo asked. “We drink ours black. You know, because we’re manly men and all that.”
“Right.” Landry fought back a grin.
“But Meredith is into the girly stuff. Creamers, sweeteners, milks that come from things other than cows.”
“I would take some cream. The cow kind. No sugar.”
Mo hopped to his feet and before she knew what was happening,he dashed inside Meredith’s house. He returned thirty seconds later with a pint of cream. “Will this work?”
“It’s perfect. Thanks.” She doctored her coffee, took a sip, and tried not to sigh in pleasure. She did love a warm beverage in the morning. Coffee. Tea. Hot chocolate. Chai. She was an equal opportunity morning beverage drinker. As long as it was hot. She didn’t want anything cold when she first woke up.
She opened her eyes and found both men staring at her. “You’re looking at me like you’ve never seen anyone drink coffee before.”
“We’ve never seen anyone who actually likes Mo’s coffee.” Cal looked at Mo. “You saw it, right? She liked it.”
Mo’s expression was smug. “Indeed she did.”
“Is there something wrong with the coffee? Is it made from bark or beetles or something horrible? If it is, don’t tell me. No. Tell me. Never mind. I don’t want to know.” She took another sip. It tasted like coffee. “Okay. Tell me.”
Cal laughed. Mo’s lips quirked, giving Landry the distinct impression that he wanted to smile but was holding back. Why, she didn’t know. But she suspected it was good that he had at least given the idea some thought. “It’s just coffee. Nothing more. But Mo orders these beans from somewhere in South America, and I think they taste burned. Kind of sour. That’s the real reason Meredith has all those creamers. It’s the only way she can stand the stuff.”
“Meredith is weird. This is documented fact. Ergo, her opinion on the matter is invalid.” Mo stated it as fact, but his lips twitched again. She knew it. Mo did have a sense of humor. He’d buried it. That much was certain. And Landry suspected it was rather dry. But it was there.
Cal took another sip.
“If you think it tastes bad, why don’t you make the coffee?” Landry wrapped her hands around her mug to try to pull some of the warmth into her fingers.
“Because he refuses to drink mine. Says the beans I buy are mass-produced corruptions of coffee. Inauthentic. Unfit to drink. So every Saturday morning I sit out here and try to drink this swill.”
“I think it tastes like coffee.” She turned to Mo. “But it’s not great coffee. It’s just coffee. I hope you don’t pay a lot for it. Because it doesn’t seem like it would be worth that.”
“Ha!” Cal crowed in triumph.
Mo sat up straight, favored them both with a haughty expression, stuck his pinky out at a ridiculous angle, and took a slow sip. “You’re both uncivilized barbarians.” He delivered the line with an atrocious British accent.