Once home, I’d put away the groceries, deciding that I would do research tomorrow about local CSAs. You know you’re an adult when you get giddy over fresh produce straight from a local farm. Then I cooked dinner, taking Savannah from Juliet so she could eat using both her hands.

I’d bought a highchair yesterday for the upstairs and today I’d set it up so Savannah could try her hands at the homemade mac and cheese I’d made. They’d started coming upstairs for dinner more and more, so it seemed like we needed one. Van insisted on paying me back for it, because she said she should have thought of it first as the official aunty. Even if she didn’t, it was worth it to watch Savannah eat. She had tried shoving fistfuls of it into her mouth, which hadn’t worked very well. She’d ended up wearing most of it, but had really enjoyed smearing it on her face.

Van had eaten with Juliet before disappearing downstairs to put her niece to bed so Juliet could catch up on some things. I glanced at the clock, frowning. An hour had ticked by while I was busy.

Trick and Lou were late. They weren’t usually late.

I checked my phone. Nothing. I sent a text. When Trick didn’t immediately respond, I decided to dust and then vacuumed the living room. I couldn’t just sit there and rest until I knew they were home and safe.

Once I was done, I checked my phone again. Still nothing. Were they too busy to send a text? Maybe Trick’s phone was dead. Or broken. He could have broken it in a wreck on the way home. They might be tangled up in the wreckage right now and—

Maybe I should clean the bathroom. Because standing here and creating doomsday scenarios in my head wasn’t helpful.

I peeked into the bathroom. It was still clean. You could probably perform surgery on the bathroom tile right now, not that you’d want to. I sat in one of the chairs and picked up a book, but couldn’t concentrate. Kodo and Podo climbed up on my shoulders and started cleaning my hair. I think they were trying to comfort me.

I set the book down and gently dislodged the ferrets.

I should go for a run. I got up and reached for the doorknob, but I couldn’t make myself turn it. Not until I knew where everyone was and that they were safe.

By the time I heard Trick’s boots clumping up the stairs, I was two seconds away from chewing on the furniture. Metaphorically. Technically, I could shift and chew on the coffee table, but I had manners. Besides, I’d just waxed it yesterday and didn’t want a mouthful of beeswax and lemon.

They walked through the door, Trick chattering away, Lou looking like something the cat had not just dragged in, but probably played with for a while first. She looked half-dead and it made the anxiety and worry I’d been barely managing surge forward.