Chapter 11

“For God’s sake, Anderson, your pacing is driving me insane,” Dylan said, with exasperation. “You overslept. Get over it. It happens to all of us, especially if you stay up until late. Callie is safe. She is helping Grace.”

Anderson paused and turned to peer at Dylan. “I’m not pacing, I’m...”

Dylan arched his eyebrows, waiting, and Anderson sighed.

“Pacing,” he acknowledged, and sank onto the nearest chair.

Grace and Callie took long enough that Dylan had dressed, and brushed his hair when they came out of the bathroom.

“You look dashing, Dylan,” Callie said to him.

“I’m just plain old me,” he said. “But thank you.”

“I happen to like plain old you,” Callie added.

Anderson let out a short growl.

“That means ‘good morning’ in Wookie,” Dylan joked.

Callie snorted and then laughed.

“Good morning, Callie,” Anderson greeted her.

“Good morning. If you excuse me, I’ll go to my room and change myself. I’ll be down in just a minute.”

“No hurry,” Dylan assured her. “I was going to ask Grace for her car keys and drive to Diablo Lake.”

“Right ... I have some papers to write to catch up with the lost time. Well, I’ll see you when you come back, then.” Callie didn’t wait to see Dylan leave, but immediately headed for the stairs.

Grace darted to a small table and ripped something from the drawer there. She tossed it at Dylan, and he caught the object reflexively. It was a set of car keys.

Then, she handed him a piece of paper. Dylan looked at it and sighed. It was a grocery list. A long grocery list. Grace’s shopping had been a bit restricted, what with Landon acting so protective and all the craziness around them.

“I need some things from the grocery store,” she explained. “I wrote down a list. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Of course, not.” Giving a soft laugh, he reached for the door. “Guess I’d better get started if I want to be back before dinner.”

“There’s no hurry. We have a well-provided pantry. I just don’t want to run out of some stuff.”

“I’ll have my phone with me if you remember something else you need.”

Dylan went to the garage and mashed the button on the keyless remote. The Volvo beeped and flashed its light for him.

He threw himself into the seat and cranked the engine while his knees were crunched up under the steering wheel. He found the seat release and shoved himself back as his foot rammed the pedal down.

It only took seconds to drive through the tight, winding drive.

Before leaving, he caught a fleeting glimpse of Callie’s face peering through a second-floor window.

“I can’t reach Dylan,” Grace said, biting her lip and glancing at the clock. “He should be back by now.”