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“I will,” Tim answered, walking away while thumbing his phone.
Mike had no doubt his mother would make Tim’s favorite. She spoiled the kids, and Mike loved that.
“Yesss,” sounded from the other side of the room. Tim must have gotten the answer he wanted. “Uh, Dad?” Tim turned back after smiling at the reply he’d received.
“Yeah?”
With the groceries sorted, Mike pulled some chicken breasts out of the fridge to make a quick piccata.
“Are you spying on me and Dill?”
“Huh?” Dilly’s head came up.
“What?” Mike also snapped to attention. “No. Why would you ask that?”
Tim shrugged. “Because of the camera on the oak tree.”
Every nerve ending in Mike’s body stood at attention. “Camera?” he repeated.
“Daaaad.” Dilly drew out the one syllable in clear teenage-condemnation while Mike held up a hand to forestall her protest, and proceeded with his freakout.
“What camera?”
“Umm… The one that’s about twenty feet up, pointed right at the house. Aiden and I were messing around with the drone you gave me for my birthday, and when the thing got caught in some branches, I went up to grab it. That’s when I saw the camera. It’s kind of creepy, because from where it is, it can probably see right into our bedrooms.”
Creepy was an understatement.
“I didn’t put it up,” Mike snarled, then tried to temper his tone. He wasn’t mad at his kids, he was fucking furious at the unknown person who’d breached the privacy of his home. “I need to check this out. Dinner can wait.”
“Darned straight it can,” Dilly agreed, jumping down off her stool. She was the mama-bear in the household, and Mike could tell she was gearing up to go with him.
“Uh, uh, Dill, you stay here while I take a look. I’ll need to do a complete sweep of the yard.” Mike told her.
“More eyes are good, Dad,” Dilly argued, clearly not backing down.
“Yeah. More eyes,” Tim agreed, his gaze sharp.
Shit. Maybe they were right. But if the danger extended beyond the cameras, into the woods, they might not be safe outside.
Dammit. Speaking of safe, how could he leave his kids alone at the house this weekend when someone was messing with their privacy?
“Alright. You can come with me,” he grunted. “But follow my orders. If I say drop, you drop. Got it?”
They both nodded solemnly.
This whole thing sucked. Putting his kids in possible danger. But if they were with him, they wouldn’t be vulnerable to someone breaking in if that was the perpetrator’s actual goal.
But back to the weekend plans…
“After supper you’re both packing up and I’m bringing you to Gram and Gramps.”
Dilly opened her mouth to argue, but must have seen the set look on Mike’s face, because she snapped her lips shut, huffed through her nose, then nodded. Still, she couldn’t leave it completely alone. “No matter what, I’m going to the party Saturday night, though. Right?”
Mike thought for a second, then acquiesced. “You can. But curfew will be eleven. Your grandparents don’t stay up late.”
To give Dilly props, she didn’t dispute that, either.
Mike marched out the back door, his kids on his heels, to traverse the yard and stand beneath the large oak tree. “Show me,” he said to Tim.