Free Perilous by E. H. Reinhard Page B

that’s it. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Tommy.”
    He smiled and went back to Melissa.
    I nodded toward a coffee stand up ahead. “I want to grab a coffee over here quick before we get our bags. You guys want one?”
    “I wish,” Callie said. “But I had my two cups today. Supposed to watch the caffeine intake for the baby, remember?”
    I nodded. “Mel, coffee?”
    “Sure. Black.”
    “Got it. I remember.”
    We headed over, and I stood in line while the girls talked off to the side. I looked back and watched them. Their conversation, and their smiles, didn’t appear forced, which was a relief. I had worried a little about how my sister would act toward her, knowing how close Melissa was with my ex-wife. However, the more I thought about it, I realized I could have been worried for nothing. My sister had always given people a fair shake. I grabbed the coffees, added a little creamer to mine from the stand nearby, and walked back over. I handed Melissa her cup, and we walked down to the baggage terminal.
    With our suitcases in the back of my sister’s Subaru SUV, we headed from the airport out to her house. A few years back, my sister and brother-in-law had bought an old Victorian farmhouse outside of Cedarburg—the town that she and I had grown up in. It needed some updating, but it was huge and sat on a large plot of land. The closest neighbor was over a mile away. The drive from the airport took us the better part of an hour. When we pulled in to Melissa’s, snow was piled on the leafless branches of trees lining the driveway. The house came into view. I’d been there before, but I imagined it to be a sight to Callie. The home was yellow and white—three stories. A turret sat to the right of the front entrance and extended up to the highest roof line. A white, covered porch wrapped the entire house.
    “It’s so pretty,” Callie said from the backseat.
    “Thanks. It’s been a lot of work, though. We spent the last three years updating and remodeling room by room. The only rooms we haven’t gotten to are the bedroom and bathroom that you guys will be using. There are some holes in the walls still, a couple of spots where there is no carpet.” She went quiet, looking into the rearview mirror at Callie.
    I smiled.
    “Oh, don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine,” Callie said.
    “There is a bed up there, right?” I asked.
    “Yeah, the previous owners, who died, left one behind.” Melissa parked the car in front of the garage.
    “Good. At least we’ll have something to sleep on. Did you guys ever take care of the mice problem upstairs?” I asked.
    “Mice. Yuck,” Tommy said.
    “Well, we’ve been leaving traps up there, but we can’t seem to make a dent in the population.”
    I laughed—I couldn’t contain it. I looked back at Callie from the front seat and smiled.
    “You guys are such jerks,” Callie said.
    Melissa laughed and shut the car off. “Figured I’d have some fun with you. Don’t worry, the entire place is complete, and we most certainly don’t have a rodent problem.”
    We got out. Melissa went to the back on the driver’s side to get Tommy. Callie swatted my arm and gave me a quick kiss on the passenger side. We walked to the back to grab our luggage and then headed for the house.
    “What time does Jeff get home?” I asked.
    “He should be home around six.” Melissa walked up the stairs to the front door and unlocked it. Tommy ran into the house and disappeared. I lifted my and Callie’s suitcases and carried them inside.
    “Wow,” Callie said.
    We walked into Melissa’s large kitchen. Two lights hung from the tin ceiling. White cabinets with gray granite countertops lined the walls. A decorative hood hung over the stove and oven area. The center island was a work of art. I’d remembered my sister speaking of having it built. Apparently, a custom woodworker had built it to match the original cabinetry. I’d never asked the price, but looking at it made me not