Sam left her dad’s house and walked the short distance to the ramp that led to her own home. Inside, she found Scotty having breakfast with Shelby. Judging from the chocolate smeared all over Scotty’s face, Shelby had made chocolate-chip pancakes.

“Sam! You’re home. Did you figure out who killed Willie?”

Sam bent to kiss his forehead. “I sure did. Three people are in jail right now.”

“I hope they never get out.”

“I doubt they will. Mrs. L will be here in a few minutes. You need to go wash your face and brush your teeth.”

“Okay!”

“Grab your overnight bag too,” Shelby called after him.

Sam took the seat he’d abandoned and tore off a bite of pancake from the stack on the table. “Thanks so much for staying here last night.”

“I’m happy to do it whenever you need me.”

“It’s a huge help.”

“I enjoy being with him. He’s delightful.”

Sam smiled. “Yes, he is.”

“You look done in.”

“I’m ready for some sleep.”

“What time does your handsome hubby get home?”

“I’m not sure. He said sometime this morning.”

“I’ll get out of here so you two can have some alone time.”

“Since we’ll probably be unconscious for most of it, you don’t need to rush on my account.”

“I’ve got a wedding to check in on later today, and a hot date for lunch tomorrow.” Her grin stretched from ear to ear. “I need to get my nails done and my hair colored.”

“Ah, did a certain FBI agent finally call you?”

“Yes, he did. He wanted to go today, but I didn’t want to be too available.”

Sam laughed at her logic. “Good. I’m glad you heard from him. He’s a nice guy. You could do worse.”

“He’s easy on the eyes. That’s for sure.”

“If you say so.”

Shelby giggled as she got up from the table and made quick work of cleaning up the kitchen. “So why doesn’t Nick like him?”

Taken aback by the question, Sam struggled to find an answer that didn’t require the actual truth. “Who knows? Guys are so weird.”

Thankfully, Shelby didn’t choose to pursue it any further and chatted about her night with Scotty as she finished loading the dishwasher.

Sam forced herself to stay awake until Mrs. Littlefield arrived to pick up Scotty for their outing.

He gave Sam a big hug before he left. “Tell Nick I’ll see him tomorrow.”

“I will, buddy. We’ll be there to get you in the afternoon. Have a good time.”

“We’ll have a great time,” Mrs. Littlefield said as she ushered Scotty out the door with his Secret Service detail in tow.