Free Lost Bird by Tymber Dalton

Sachi’s immediate Many Blessings family she’d ever confided in about what had happened to her years ago. She’d taken him skeet shooting that first time more as a way to better evaluate him for Mandaline’s sake, and had ended up becoming friends with him in the process.
    He smiled. “Your dad get to Idaho all right?”
    “Yep.”
    “I’m actually looking forward to taking the time off for this. I haven’t been through that part of the country before.”
    “You haven’t missed much,” she groused, then gentled her tone. “Sorry. Old habit. It is pretty. My memories are…tainted.”
    He gave her a one-armed hug. “Understandable. I’ll see you guys upstairs.”
    Sachi watched him disappear through the doorway leading to the stairs after he kissed Mandaline. “You’re one lucky witch, lady,” she muttered.
    “Don’t I know it.” Mandaline poked her in the back, between the shoulder blades. “And so, too, shall you be.”
    “Don’t count my lovers before they’re laid.”
    Mandaline grinned. “There’s the Queen of Snark I know and love so much.”
     
    * * * *
     
    John tried to hide his disappointment after getting off the phone with his aunt. Yes, with the weather he’d suspected a cancellation, but had hoped he still might get a chance to spend time with Sachi anyway.
    I could call her and ask her out to dinner.
    Once again his mind rattled off all the reasons why that was a bad idea, including the fact that he didn’t want to exclude Oscar.
    He called Oscar. “Bad news.”
    “What?”
    “The rain cancelled tonight.”
    Oscar was silent for a moment. “Oh.”
    He felt his friend’s disappointment mirroring his own. “Yeah. Aunt Tammy just got off the phone with Sachi.”
    “Oh?”
    He didn’t understand the new tone in his friend’s voice and decided to let it go. Oscar was probably still at work and couldn’t freely talk. They hadn’t been openly discussing Aunt Tammy’s claims around others for fear of her becoming the victim of a scammer. “We can still go over there for dinner tonight, if you want. She offered.”
    He let out a sigh. “Sure. Why not? No reason for us not to.”
    “Okay.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Oscar bit back the bitter disappointment welling up inside him.
    Maybe I need to call Sachi and tell her she can call me to talk about stuff with the case, if she wants to.
    “I’ll see you at the apartment then,” he said before ending the call with John. He set his cell phone on his desk and stared at the project on his monitor.
    He didn’t understand what was wrong with him. He’d spent the entire day thinking about Sachi and not focused on his damn work. Which was why he was still working on this stupid project right now. He didn’t have to have it finished until Friday, but he wanted it done and off his plate.
    Unfortunately, thoughts of Sachi had sapped his usually unflappable focus.
    He sat back and closed his eyes. A man can fantasize, right? As long as he didn’t make the trip from Fantasyland into Uber-Creepyville, all was cool.
    He didn’t have to tell anyone else about the dreams he’d been having about Sachi, right?
    Or that she’d been on his mind that morning when he rubbed one out in the shower before work.
    Or that there was something about her that had gotten its hooks into him and wouldn’t let go. Something he couldn’t explain or define.
    Feeling a way he hadn’t felt in…ever. About anyone.
     
    * * * *
     
    On his way home, John stopped by his parents’ house. After his divorce they’d offered to let him move in with them. While he’d appreciated the offer, it felt even more wrong than the option of moving in with Aunt Tammy had felt at the time. Although, in Aunt Tammy’s case, she probably genuinely needed someone else under her roof, if current developments were any indication.
    His dad was in the kitchen, cooking. “Hey, son. You staying for dinner? Your mom stopped at the grocery store on her way home from work.”
    “We’re