“Sasha spoils everything,” he muttered, making Mercy laugh.

“She did bring food.” In less than thirty seconds Mercy had covered all that pretty naked skin with jeans and a turtleneck sweater. “Coming, Sasha,” she called when Sasha started knocking again. She threw Rafe a pair of sweats and pulled the silk screen so that he had some privacy.

“Hey, Mercy? You should check a mirror before you open the door.”

A muted shriek met his ears. Mercy marched back to her bag, glared at him, found a brush, and dragged it through her hair, muttering about going to bed with wet hair. Then she opened the door. “Sasha,” she said in a singsong.

“Mercy,” Sasha sang back. “Is he decent?”

“Not remotely,” Rafe called from the bed, struggling with the sweats. But he could smell chicken and waffles and his stomach growled. He looked at his chest and decided a shirt would be a good idea. He was pretty sure that Mercy wouldn’t appreciate him showing off the line of small bruises she’d left while kissing down his chest during the night.

That had been a pleasant way to wake up and he’d had plans for more of the same. And then Sasha showed up.

He put on a T-shirt, grappled for the cane that had rolled out of reach, then rounded the silk screen to find that Gideon and Daisy had joined them. Mercy was setting the small dinette and Sasha was unpacking the food she’d brought. It was a tight fit with just the five of them.

Rafe added finding a larger place without stairs to his mental to-do list. Right after brainstorming new careers.

It should have felt really shitty, but as he watched Mercy moving around his little kitchen like she belonged there . . . She’d said that she’d consider staying. That we’re special.

Suddenly the thought of changing careers was much less terrifying than it had been yesterday.

“How’s the leg?” Gideon asked.

Rafe shrugged as he lowered himself into the dinette chair. “Hurts. I need to make an appointment with my doctor. And I’ve got Cash this afternoon. I missed two appointments this week, so it was going to hurt a little anyway.”

Mercy’s mouth opened and Rafe pointed to her. “Do not say you’re sorry,” he said. “That I forgot about my appointment so that we could go to Snowbush had nothing to do with you, and there was no way I was going to go to therapy yesterday with all that happened. Now, what are you feeding me, Sasha?”

“Chicken and waffles from the Forty-niner Diner,” Sasha said.

“My favorite,” Daisy said, digging in. “What?” she asked, when the rest of them snickered. “I’ve been up since five and already had my workday while you guys were snoring.” She lifted a brow at Rafe. “Or something.”

Gideon winced. “Can we not go there?”

Mercy laughed. “Fine.” She quickly checked her phone, her smile fading. Which meant either no news about Amos or bad news.