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“Is it now?” She raises an eyebrow at me over his head.

I shrug, uncomfortable with her scrutiny. Jen knows me too well. She knows I never bring clients home. Ever.

But this is her friend, right? This is different.

“Wine?” I grab a corkscrew, needing something to do with my hands.

“God, yes.” Wren accepts the glass I pour. “Today has been…”

“A complete disaster?” Jen supplies, sitting beside her. “This is why we’re grateful that wine brings calm. Or at least it delays the breakdown until morning.”

Wren giggles. Jen settles into the seat next to pull, serving herself a plate.

“What happened at the investors’ meeting?”

Wren sighs. “Richard pulled out. The others are waiting to see if I canhandle the adversity.”

“Cowards.” Jen scoffs. “Hey, guess what I brought you?"

She pulls a small night light shaped like a dinosaur from her bag. Eric's eyes light up.

“It's a T-Rex! And it glows!”

“For your room here.” Jen winks at him. “A fortress needs proper lighting.”

My Jen, always a lifesaver.

I catch her eye with a slight nod. She smiles.

Eric is soon seated in front of the TV, singing along to the theme song of some cartoon.

“I wanted to come down to the school but I was out of town. How did it go? Did you find who sent it, Dad?”

“Not yet. I've increased security, moved them here, and my team is investigating who breached the school's visitor protocols.” I keep my voice measured. “The package and note have been secured for evidence.”

As the evening progresses, Wren relaxes. The wine helps, but I know Jen's presence helps even more. Her easy chatter about celebrity gossip and fashion disasters provides a bubble of normalcy in the chaos.

I observe from the periphery, taking mental notes. The protective glances she casts toward Eric every few minutes. The slight tremble in her hand when her phone chimes with a notification.

“You're staring.” Jen murmurs, appearing beside me at the kitchen counter where I'm loading the dishwasher.

“I'm assessing,” I correct her.

“Right.” She smirks. “That's why you haven't taken your eyes off her all night.”

“She's my client.”

“Alright, dad.” Jen pats my arm. “I'm going to take Eric upstairs to set up his awesome new nightlight.”

After Eric has been put to bed, we gather in the living room enjoying the rest of the wine.

“Is it weird I kind of like it here?” Wren takes another sip of wine. “Feels like I can breathe.”

“Because there’s no press camped on the sidewalk,” Jen mutters. “Or paparazzi screaming questions like ‘did you steal a lemon from a blogger in 2019?’”

Wren snorts.

Jen gets a text and rolls her eyes.