Dan and Sadie each grabbed a few bottled waters and followed Renee upstairs, Lincoln commenting “spooky” each time the steps creaked.

Dan whispered in her ear, “I am hoping you’re with me.”

“Shhhh,” Renee implored, trying not to blush. “Dan, you can use this restroom, Sadie follow me.”

Sadie’s eyes widened at the elaborate room where she and Lincoln would be staying. “How many bedrooms does Bree have? How does she keep up with all the housework? I can barely keep the dust bunnies at bay in our little cottage.”

“There are five bedrooms in this house, plus the turret. It’s our parents’ old place.” Renee swiped a finger across a dusty piece of cherry furniture. “As for keeping up the housework, I’m not so sure she does.”

“How long has she lived here?” Sadie asked.

Renee shrugged. “She has never lived anywhere else. She loves it here as much as I love my cottage.”

Sadie’s lower lip quivered. “Do you think our homes will be safe?”

“Of course,” Renee said, forcing the lie to come out calm and reassuring. She gently shut the door behind them, smiling at the sound of Lincoln already attempting to jump on the bed. Bree would definitely approve.

She took a deep breath and walked down the dark hall to find Dan exiting the bathroom, toothbrush in one hand, flashlight in the other. Outside, rain pelted but the wind seemed to be dying down.

“Okay, looks like we’ve got the weird room,” Renee announced when she walked back to him.

She was rewarded with a megawatt grin. “We?”

“It has a waterbed.” She opened the door, to the guest room with lavender walls and a bay window, and sat on the bed’s edge. Dan sat beside her, and the water shifted, lifting Renee up in its wave inducing a chuckle out of them both. “What do you think? Ready to transport back into the seventies?”

“Kinky.”

“Definitely. But less kinky than getting it on in my old bed. I couldn’t handle Mr. Snuffles watching.”

Dan arched an amused brow. “Mister…?”

“Snuffles. He’s a knit dog that’s still perched on my dresser. It’s Bree’s place now. She can do what she likes. But she’s not big on change.”

“Well, I did want one of these so bad when I was a kid,” he said, pulling her close and planting a long kiss on the top of her head. “But I hope we don’t pop it.”

“Seriously. The last thing we need around here is more flooding!” Renee suddenly grew quiet, her thoughts once again on Bree’s uncertain future.

“Hey.” Dan held her tighter. “Where’d you go?”