Page 248 of The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The Second Collection

“Bren, can you turn the sign off? That might deal with the immediate problem,” I suggest.

She blinks tears from her eyes and nods. As she unlocks the shutter and pushes it up into its casing, a long, black limo pulls up to the curb. My former gunny and Logan’s business partner,Manny, climbs out of the front, followed by a stocky, Hispanic man in dark gray coveralls.

I greet Manny with a thump on the back. He immediately introduces the other man to Bren. “This is my wife’s cousin, Enzo. He’s an electrician.”

Bren shakes the man’s thick hand. “Thanks for coming so fast.”

“Any time for Jen and Manny’s friend,” Enzo says. He pulls out a folded piece of bright yellow paper and hands it to Brenna. “My flyer, so you can call me direct if you need me.”

“Thank you.” She tucks the paper away and slips inside the shop. The interior lights go on and a faint buzzing, which I could barely hear over the street noise, stops.

“Better get both ladders,” Enzo says to Manny, who turns back toward the limo, which is double-parked. Manny nods and moves to the limo’s back door while Enzo moves around to the trunk and begins unpacking several toolboxes.

I follow Manny to the passenger door and look inside to see folded aluminum taking up most of the back of the limo. Between us, we get out the ladder pieces and carry them over to the store-front, where Enzo quickly assembles them into two, twenty-foot ladders. He positions one at each end of the sign, and before I can even ask him if he wants me to hold it for him, he scrambles up the ladder with much more dexterity than I imagined his thick-set body contained.

“Hey,” calls a familiar voice. “Whose tank is blocking the street?”

I turn to see Logan helping Emily out of an Uber that’s pulled up behind Manny’s limo. Manny greets them and after returning Logan’s jibes, drives off to find a place to park the limo. I steer Emily inside, pleased she’s here to support Bren.

Logan follows us in and after hugs all around, he says to Bren, “If you haven’t yet, your next call needs to be to yourinsurance company. If you don’t get the claim reported, they may not cover the emergency repairs.”

Bren nods. “I just didn’t want to leave the electrician out there on his own.”

“Mac and I will stay out front with him.” Logan puts his arm around Emily’s shoulders. “Baby doll, would you make coffee and tea for everyone? I think we’d all appreciate a hot drink.”

“Yes, Daddy.” As soon as Logan releases her, Emily trots off, through a curtain that separates the reception area and workstations from whatever’s in the back of the shop.

After an odd, side-long glance at me, Brenna follows, letting the curtain fall closed behind her.

“What was that look, d’you think?” I ask Logan quietly.

“I think she might have wanted a hug.”

“Good call. Hold the fort,” I tell him.

“Roger that.”

Through the curtain, there’s a short hallway with several doors opening off it. One on the left, which is open but dark, is a bathroom. Two on the right are open and lit. I hear the clatter of a spoon from one, silence from the other. I choose the silent door and walk through to find Brenna standing behind a desk in a cramped office, rifling through the desk’s top drawer.

“Did I just miss a trick, girl?”

Her hands pause. She doesn’t look up, but after a moment, her shoulders lift. “Tuxedo.”

“Ah, sweetheart.” I round the desk and take her in my arms. She stands rigid against me before she cuddles in, fitting herself to me and tucking her face into my neck. “Take a moment.”

She rubs her nose along my throat. “I feel like I just get on top of things and then something comes along and knocks me to the bottom of the hill again,” she whispers.

“I’m sorry, girl. I know that feeling too damn well.” I cuddle her for several minutes, until she’s pliant in my arms. “What can I do to help?”

She shakes her head. “This is great, sir. I’m just going to find my insurance broker’s card and call her like Master Logan said.” She gives me a hard squeeze. “I’m just ... I’m sad and angry. Sangry.” She chuckles weakly. “I need to beat something up before I explode. Ugh. Would you ... would you like to come with me, sir?”

“Beating people’s usually my job, girl,” I say, putting a smile into my voice.

A stronger chuckle. “I meant to the gym. I usually do a kickboxing class on Tuesday anyway, but I’m really going to need to vent my frustrations now.”

“Mmm, tonight? I was hoping to take you out to dinner to celebrate my test results.”

“Oh.” She lifts her head and looks up at me. “You want to go out to dinner with me? Tonight? I figured?—"