“The venetians work just fine.”

“They don’t,” Tilly argued. “I feel like I need you to blindfold me.”

Kate’s eyes slipped closed at the comment. As if this isn’t already sweet hell. Her thumb throbbed. There was no way she was going to be able to sleep knowing the splinter was in there. With a gruff sigh, she sat up against the bedhead and switched on the light. “Sorry, Til, I’ll turn it off in a sec, but this splinter is driving me nuts.” She reached for her glasses.

Tilly sat up against the headboard. “Come here.” She took Kate’s hand in hers. “Gosh you get obsessive when things don’t go your way.”

Kate brow furrowed. “That’s not true.”

“It is.” Tilly’s breath was warm on her wrist as she inspected her thumb. “It’s your arrogant streak. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were an only child.”

“I think you’ll need tweezers.”

“I have nails.”

Kate cringed as Tilly pinched the skin of her thumb tightly. “Fantastic. Yeah, don’t worry about being gentle or anything.”

“Don’t be a wuss. I see it,” Tilly said without squinting. “You’ve gone and broken the tip off playing with it,” she chastised, raking her long hair around to one side of her neck to keep it from obstructing her view.

Tilly’s hands were so soft, her body warm as she pressed closer. Kate stared, transfixed as Tilly’s teeth slipped over her bottom lip in concentration. She cleared her throat. “So what’s your plan for Jim tomorrow morning when the sisters wake?”

Tilly sighed. “I’m trying not to think about that right now,” she mumbled.

Kate winced as Tilly squeezed harder, determined. “I promised the sisters we’d take the car ferry and I’d drive them into Mornington for eight o’clock mass. We can’t exactly leave him here. You think they’re not going to notice when Grandfather Jim climbs aboard the nun mobile?”

“So I’ll get up early, go into the convent and explain. Whether they like it or not, they’ll just have to get over it.”

“You could have just explained tonight. And gone and slept in the convent—” Her hand flinched in Tilly’s grip. “Ow! Tilly! You did that on purpose!”

“I did not. There, it’s out.”

Kate ran the pad of her thumb across her skin. She was right. “Thanks,” she grumbled.

“You’re welcome.” Tilly slipped low beneath the covers. “Now could you please turn off your light?”

Slowly, Kate’s eyes adjusted to the dark. Her eyes slipped closed, but her mind ran wild.

She rolled over. “Til?”

“Mmm?”

“When you talk to the sisters in the morning, maybe don’t tell them that you slept in here.”

“Why?”

“…You know why.”

Tilly was silent. “Well if they ask, I’m not going to lie.”

“Just tell them that we swapped rooms for the night and he slept on the couch.”

Quiet.

“Til?”

“What?”

“Did you hear me?”

“Yes, I heard you.”

“You won’t say anything?”

With a tired sigh, Tilly rolled over. “Just go to sleep, Kate.”