Page 60 of The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The Second Collection

“I’m guessing you don’t want to talk about it this morning, but I just want you to know nothing’s changed. I’m here for you.”

Logan pushes his food around on his plate, looking a little green. “Thanks, Maxie.”

“I’m more here for you after a shower, though. You stink, man.”

He does. Sitting at the table across from him, I can smell the alcohol oozing out of his pores.

Emily giggles. “You do a little, Daddy.”

“Thank you, baby doll,” Logan says wryly. “I’ll shower when we get home.”

Emmy and I trade glances.

“How ‘bout you two hang out with me for a couple hours? I’ve got some deliveries coming I’ve got to wait around for. I could show you some of the things I’m working on.”

Logan lifts his head and straightens his shoulders. “Yeah?”

I nod.

“If you want to do that with Max, I could FaceTime my brother about the home I looked at yesterday, Daddy,” Emily says.

Logan’s shoulders slump. “I didn’t even ask you about that last night.”

“It’s okay.” Emily leans against his side as she sips some juice. I wish I’d had another sippy cup to give Emmy, but I only have the one I bought for Cynnie and it doesn’t seem right to give her cup to someone else. “I think this one’s the winner. No one can replace Jenetta, but the administrator seemed caring, and the facility was really nice.”

“I’m glad, sweetie. That’s the one that’s about a fifteen-minute walk from the house, right?”

Emily nods.

“That’s great. Convenient. One less thing to worry about, eh?”

Emily tips her head against Logan’s shoulder. “If I can get Francis to agree to move Maman.”

“He’ll agree,” Logan says darkly.

I wonder what the story is there. It’s more than Logan feeling like hell. I put it on my mental list to ask him about later. If it’s another thing I can help him with, I will.

“Maybe afterwards you could game with me for a little?” I suggest. “I’m beta-testing a new shooter for a developer friend. I could use help running a multiplayer game. The graphics are sick.”

Logan lifts an eyebrow. “Rated PG?”

“Yup. There’s a parental control I can turn on. No blood. Nothing inappropriate for a little girl.” I wink at Emily who grins.

“Would you like that, baby doll? Just to take our minds off everything for a while?”

Emily nods against her daddy’s shoulder. “Max can show me the good tricks. I’ve never been very good at computer games.”

“I’ll show you all my hacks, girlie. Have you up to expert while your daddy’s still playing the beginner levels.”

That draws a warm giggle out of Emily, and the beginnings of a smile out of Logan.

While I clean up breakfast, Emily coaxes Logan into the shower. I leave out a T-shirt and board shorts, so he has something fresh to wear, as well as a second T-shirt for Emily in case she wants to change, before I retreat to my office. Still no penetration on the NHS database; damn, they have it locked down tight. I might need to call Squid to help.

I copy what I’ve found so far onto a pen drive for Logan, then pull up the details of a couple of low-risk security jobs for him to look at. I check my phone for when my deliveries are arriving and for any response from Cynnie. There’s nothing, but she’s read my message.

I’d feel better if she’d answered one way or the other—and if there’s any hope of us having a relationship, I’m going to have to set some rules about communication because this ghosting business is bullshit—but it gives me the grain of courage I need to show up at her door.

Logan and Emily come into my office hand-in-hand. Logan still looks like he’s had the flu, but at least he now looks like he’s recovering instead of in the middle of a viral apocalypse.