Page 2 of I Do, or Dye Trying

I rose to my feet and walked over to the cage while Diva wove in and out of my legs. “Did you miss me, Savage? I missed you.” Savage settled down as soon as I opened his cage. “Have you been a good boy, Dirty Bird?” I stroked my finger over his soft blue feathers.

“Big Daddy’s home! Little Daddy’s home!”Finally!I’d been trying to teach him to call Josh that for weeks!

“Little Daddy?” Josh asked.

I turned to face Josh, who had Jazzy sitting on his shoulders, while he rubbed Buddy’s belly. “I don’t know where he learns these things, Sunshine. I honestly don’t.” I turned back to face our bird who bopped his head like he was jamming to music that only he could hear, which made me wonder if I could teach him to dance to music to entertain our guests. “Daddies are home, Dirty Bird.”

“Dirty Bird!” Savage repeated.

Emory’s chuckle reminded me that a more serious discussion needed to take place. I stroked over Savage one last time before I closed his cage then braced myself to hear whatever Emory had to say. He looked nervous where before he looked afraid. Was he worried that I wouldn’t believe him? While I couldn’t say that I was hanging onto his every word, I wasn’t going to ignore him either.

“Okay,” I said, taking a seat on the sofa. “Tell me exactly what you saw.”

“It was just a snippet in time. You were standing on a porch talking to a man.”That was it?“That’s not all,” Emory said, giving me a knowing look. I blinked because Josh had jokingly called him a mind reader on more than one occasion. “It was the scowl on your face, Detective, not me peering into your brain.”

“It’s still creepy,” I told him.

“Right?” Josh asked from where he sat on the floor.

“I feel ridiculous for practically running across the yard with an ominous threat with virtually no information to back it up. I know just how much you law enforcement officers want hard, concrete evidence.”

“Juries kind of demand it, Emory,” I told him dryly. “Tell me what you saw.”

“I feel ridiculous now that I’m about to say it out loud.” He released a long breath and said, “I saw a quick snippet of you talking to a man on a porch.”

“Our front porch or back porch?” Josh asked. “Front door visits imply that the person doesn’t know us well or maybe not at all. Friends and family would come to our back door.”

“Neither,” Emory replied. “It wasn’t at this house.”

“What did the house look like in your vision?” Josh asked.Who was the detective here?

Emory closed his eyes like he was trying to remember every detail. “It was a big, wide porch, with large white pillars and dark wicker furniture with gray and blue striped cushions.” He opened his eyes and said, “It seems familiar to me, but I don’t know why.” A shiver of fear snaked its way down my spine.

“Like this?” Josh asked. He scooted over to Emory and showed him a picture on his phone. I knew without asking which house he was showing him. It was the one we were going to buy so we could start the next phase of our lives. We’d discussed it the day I asked Josh to marry me right before we went on his birthday trip. The house was exactly how Emory described it, minus the dark wicker furniture with striped cushions. But damn if that didn’t sound like something Josh would buy to put on that big porch.

“Yes, just like that!” Emory exclaimed. “Whose house is that?”

“It’s our forever home,” Josh said confidently. “We just need to buy it.”

“You don’t know why the guy was there or what was said, and you can’t tell me what he looked like. Is that right?” I asked. I wanted to give credence to his words but it was hard to do with such vague details.

Emory blushed a little, and I felt guilty for making him feel bad. “He was taller than you by a few inches, and he wasn’t as muscular as you,” he said. “I know this sounds ridiculous, but my visions or impressions have never been wrong. There will be a man who comes to your front door, and he will bring anger and resentment with him. He’s dangerous.”

“Thank you, Emory,” I said, unsure what else to say. “I appreciate you looking out for me.”

“I won’t stay any longer,” he said, rising to his feet. “I know you probably have a lot to do now that you’re back from vacation.” There was only one thing on my mind, and I’d pounce on it the minute he left.

“Are you coming to dinner tomorrow?” Josh asked him when he reached the top of the staircase.

“You mean I’m still invited?” he asked softly.

“Of course,” Josh replied. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Emory looked at me as if he felt he needed my invitation as well. “Don’t be ridiculous,” I said, mirroring Josh’s words. I had a minimum of fifty pounds of muscle on Josh, but I knew damn well who was in charge. Besides, Emory wasn’t trying to hurt either of us. He thought he was helping.

“I’ll be here,” Emory said, but again I noticed that he hesitated.

“Hewon’t be here,” Josh answered. I wasn’t sure who Josh meant. “See, Emory; it’s creepy when someone reads your mind.”