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"Morning," I said, ar aardly, and he pulled hi Jenks’s sweats froht haze threw hiory of yu like an idiot as he rubbed his face, clearly knowing it had caughtat the clock to confirry?" He stood at the fridge, tugging at his sweats as if uncory," Jenks said "You should see how this wo to do, Jenks?" I said, wondering what Trent would look like with a real beard Stop it, Rachel

"What" Jenks co, he went to the sink to check on his kids in the garden "None of this prissy ‘Oh, just a salad I’s and y for more important stuff"

I shot Jenks a look to shut up before he could enumerate, and when he took a deep breath, I threw the dishcloth at him Trent looked up at the noise, and I stuffedfor nonchalant as I went to stand at the fridge beside him His stubble was reddish blond Cool

Trent’s eyes et so a list of closings There were a lot, fro about French toast, but it has eggs in it," Trent said, and I poured -brewed coffee

"Most days I can handle that ainst the counter, a safe five feet between us The ood as it sood day, bright and sunny It didn’t jibe with the serious tone of the announcer talking about the riots at the closed borders, and I wondered if Trentwith me sometime He had the build for it Then I frowned Why would he want to go running with me? He had an entire private woods to run in where he wouldn’t have to dodge strollers or dog crap

"Good coffee," I said, and he cas and milk

"Jenks said you liked it dark," he said, and then my head snapped up as Edden’s voice came over the radio

"Hey, listen!" I said as I reached for the knob, and Jenks got over his dishcloth-induced sulk, co to sit on my shoulder as we stared at the radio as if it were a TV

"Let ain," Edden’s smooth voice said over the click of cameras "The ruical threat is false After expert analysis of data gained last night, we can definitively say that the ic ical, but a calculated attack on the undead by a fringe organization called the Free Va obtained, but until we resolve this, Cincinnati and the Holloill remain locked doith no entry or exit We don’t want those responsible for this getting out of our jurisdiction"

The reporters shouted questions, and I looked at Trent, knowing Inderlanders would respond badly to being fenced in no matter what the reason

"Listen to me!" Edden shouted, and they all shut up "I know this isn’t popular, but we are confident that the people responsible are still in Cincinnati or the Hollows I’ everyone to caleting your neighbors because they have fangs We’ve got a hotline set up if you think you have so we need to know, and I’m confident--"

I turned the radio off, arms around my middle And the day had started so nice, too "Edden told them," I said, surprised "They must be out of leads"

"Either that or they orried about a panic that a new virus was killing the undead You kno sensitive everyone is about that" Catching back a snort, I nodded He was looking at my bare feet, and I tried to hide one under the other "It was Bancroft’s idea to break the news," he said as his gaze rose toover the center island counter "I phoned the data to hiht He says thank you"

Bancroft? My suspicion rose "Always glad to help," I said, watching how Trent’s hand entirely encoently lifted it free of the hook, but my notion to tell hi him last year, wet fro to his face His abs had been beautiful, his waist tri behind "

"Oh, thank all that is holy," I said, slu "Ah, not that I wouldn’t have"

He smiled, and I slid to the side so he could throw the shells away Jenks was using both hands to work the twist tie on the bread bag, and I belatedly got a plate down, feeling like a fifth wheel

"Thanks," Trent said "I hope you don’tyour exercise bike I needed to stretch out after last night I’ve not ridden like that in a long tiht his Hiswas on hisI knehat it was, and I didn’t want to talk about it "You used Ivy’s ood one, isn’t it"

Fros hummed in discontent His kids must be up to mischief "Hey, I owe you, cookie s with "It would have taken me all summer to move those rocks"

"I said I’d help you with that," I said, and Jenks’s dust shifted to an annoyed orange

"Like I said, all suh, was all s rocks isn’t payhter, I thought, wondering if it had really only been a year "Can I help with anything?" I asked, needing soot it," he said as he took a pan from under the counter and set it on the stove

"I’ me breakfast," I said as I sat at the table Jenks atching , and Iback to a bland s the fla out here thisI didn’t want to siain, clearly dissatisfied with the teood way Not lonely"