Page 58 of Falling for Famine

“I know Limos helped you find another few to help at Dolci Caldi, but would that be okay? I don’t want to—”

On brand, Felix cut me off with an angry grumble, “Of course it would be okay. Be gone with you. We’ll be fine here. This is the experience of a lifetime, and I won’t hear you argue otherwise.”

My throat burned with emotion. “But I’ll miss you,” I told him honestly.

The arm Ghost had around me tightened in support, his eyes meeting mine. “She’ll call every day.”

“Pish-posh,” Felix mumbled, but the moisture in his eyes told me he was feeling the same way I was. “My girl needs to be out there living her life, not strapped down to this old man. I’ll miss you too, baby girl, but please…just go have an adventure. Getinto a little trouble for Christ’s sake. We’ll be here when you get back, promise.”

A tear blazed down my cheek, but I wiped it away quickly. I’d been crying way too much as it was, and the last thing I wanted was to upset Felix.

“But you just got out of the hospital,” I argued.

His nonsense grumble made me laugh. “I’m fighting fit. Doc said so, remember?”

Maude chose that moment to speak up. “I’ll take care of your grumpy old man, sweetheart. Don’t you worry. We’ve decided it’s time I moved in.”

Felix became three shades of red all within seconds of each other, and I laughed so hard it chased all the sadness away.

“Oh? Is that so?” I waggled my eyebrows at him, and his garbled response left the room in stitches. Even Ghost laughed.

I spent the next hour teasing him, but he got his digs in, too. Said Ghost was marriage material and started to call him my poor husband. For a few hours, my life was back to normal. Then the time came to say goodbye.

I was fighting tears again as I gave both him and Maude long hugs after chasing down Ferguson and Mr. Pugsworth for kisses. One came willingly and one hissed and threatened to murder me. One guess which was which.

“I love you both. I’ll call every day,” I promised.

“Keep my daughter safe and happy, Limos. You’ve done a stand-up job so far, so I know I can trust you to keep it up,” Felix told Ghost.

My Horseman’s smile was tender. “She’ll want for nothing.”

“That’s what I like to hear. We men have to show our ladies love anyway we can.”

“How very misogynistic of you,” I mumbled in mock insult.

“What was that, woman?” Felix hit back, sassy smile on his face.

“I don’t know what you mean, Old Man.”

After another few hugs and I love yous, we left. A few steps out of the house, and I noticed a woman leaning against the tree Mr. Pugsworth’s nemesis called home. She was tall, absolutely gorgeous, and had androgynous vibes to her, but I got the distinct impression she wasn’t our friend.

“Michael,” Ghost said.

“I see you’ve made your choice. Very well then. Now you’ve made mine,” was all she said before she disappeared.