By the time she was done, Dani was yawning and nearly sagging against the counter. The meditative exercise of peeling apples and mixing spices had released some sort of blockage in her brain and she was suddenly so tired, she was almost nodding off on her feet. Or perhaps it was having Clarissa in the house. She knew with a literal mama bear watching her back, she would be safe as kittens.

Clarissa shooed her away from the stove. “How about you go upstairs and take a nap and I’ll keep an eye on your apples. You might sleep a little better with someone else in the house. I have my Sudoku book to keep me busy. And Jillian downloaded some of those true crime podcast things on my phone. I am all set.”

“You are full of surprises, Miss Clarissa.”

“Well.” Clarissa took a pencil out of her bag with a flourish and rifled through her sodoku book. “Zed said that my Dateline habit was starting to worry him.”

Dani snickered. “Do you promise not to clean anything while I’m asleep?”

Clarissa’s jaw dropped. She started to protest, but then her eyes narrowed and the corners of her mouth lifted. “Jillian warned you, didn’t she?”

“Yes, she did. Keep your hands out of my towels and delicates.”

“I fold laundry because I care!” Clarissa exclaimed.

“I can fold my own clothes, thank you. It’s enough knowing that you’re here and I can sleep…” Dani sighed, the weight of her fatigue dragging on her shoulders like a living thing. “That’s a really difficult thing to admit, that you’re afraid to sleep without a mama bear standing guard over you, to protect you from the scary things in the dark.”

“Aw, bebelle. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. And there’s nothing wrong with being scared, especially after what you’ve been through. It’s normal, and healthy. If you weren’t nervous about the dark, I’d be worried about what’s going on in your head. Mama bears were made to guard against scary things.” Clarissa paused to place one of her massive hands on Dani’s shoulder. “Let me do this for you now, and in a while, you’ll be strong enough to do it for someone else.”

“Thanks, Clarissa.”

“Pas de tracas, darling.”

Dani sniffed. “Just leave the apples alone, except maybe to stir them every once in a while. And don’t mess with the heat.”

Clarissa sat down at the table and peered over her reading glasses at Dani. “You are bossy when you’re tired.”

“Yes, I am.

Dani slept soundly for hours in the swinging bed, finally catching up on the rest she needed to reset her brain. She woke to the smell of stewing apples and the sound of feminine laughter from her kitchen.