Her best friend grinned. “Someone abandoned me so I’ve been painting the spare room by myself. I’m lucky some of it ended up on the walls and at least I brushed my hair. You look like you hid from a brush.”

“It’s a long story.”

“The kind you can’t tell me? Just tell me you’re not bruised to hell and back under those clothes. No bullet holes or anything, right?”

“I’m good.”

“Boring kind of stuff, huh?”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Can you tell me anything?”

She shook her head. “You know how it goes.”

“But you’re good?”

Kat shrugged.

Missy inched closer. “You look sad.”

“I am.”

“I hate your job. Have I mentioned that before?”

“Constantly.”

“Can we play twenty questions?”

“No.”

“I had to ask. Are you hungry?”

“I stopped for a burger already.”

“That’s good since I ate the last of the pizza in the fridge. I didn’t thaw anything out. I had no clue when you were coming home. Are you staying or did you just stop in to get a new set of clothes?”

“I’m technically still on assignment but I don’t plan to leave the house any time soon.” Kat glanced around the living room. “I like the bookshelf you put up.”

“Thanks.” Missy grinned. “I would take the credit but it was actually my brother-in-law. I couldn’t make sense of the directions and Angela stopped by. He looked bored hearing us gossip so I did the sisterly thing by putting him to work.”

“Good job.”

“He was a grumpy ass about it but Angela told him to stick a sock in it.” She bent and grabbed Kat’s suitcase. “Come on. We’ll unpack you. You don’t have anything secret in here I can’t see, do you?”

“Nope. Just dirty laundry.”

“You unpack then. I’ll watch. I am so glad you’re home.”

“Where’s Butch?”

“The groomers. They are dropping him off in an hour. The pooch missed you but he’s going to be pissed when he gets home. He’s getting the summer cut and you know how sulky he is when we put him through that trauma. He takes it so personally.”

Kat was glad to be home. It put back a sense of normalcy that she desperately needed in her life at the moment. She followed Missy upstairs and they turned right, moving down the hallway toward the bedrooms. A small sound stopped her. Missy turned.

“Oh. I forgot. I’m babysitting for George from across the street.”

Kat backed up to locate the source and looked into Missy’s bedroom. A small gray kitten with a yarn ball lay on the bed. It peered back at her. The cat’s eyes reminded her of Darkness, despite their blue color.

“Butch loves Gus. That’s the kitten’s name. He’s ten weeks old. Isn’t he cute as hell? He’s a nightmare on the curtains but they were ugly anyway. I put the litter box in my bathroom so no worries. I’ve kept your bedroom door closed, not that he leaves my room. He’s kind of a chicken for being a cat. George’s mom got sick and he couldn’t leave Gus alone.”

“It’s okay.”

“You’re as white as a sheet. Don’t tell me cats scare you. I know you’re not allergic.”

“I just didn’t expect it.” She forced a smile. “He’s cute.”

“I’m glad you think so. I plan to keep him. George kind of got stuck with him and wanted to find him a home. Butch adores Gus and I think he’d be heartbroken if he leaves.” Missy batted her eyelashes. “May I keep him?”

“I don’t mind. It’s your house too.”

“I knew we were best buds for a reason. You’re home, Gus!” Missy opened Kat’s door and dropped the suitcase by the closet. “Does that mean you’ll clean the litter box too?”

“Don’t push it. Your kitten, your shit.”

“I can deal with that. Just don’t bitch at me if he attacks your curtains too. We really should burn them. I think he hates flower prints, which I can’t fault him for.”

Kat glanced at her window. The curtains had come with the house. “No problem. It wouldn’t be a big loss, would it?”

“Do you ever think we should feel ashamed? I mean, how long have we lived here? We still have boxes we haven’t unpacked in the garage. You’re gone more than you’re here and my nose is usually shoved in front of my computer screen. I should just put a bed in the downstairs office since I practically live in there. We’re workaholics who are too damn lazy to fix up our house. I figure, at this rate, we might do something nice to it within twenty years or so. I was only motivated to paint the guest room because my mom threatened to visit. You know she’d bitch if we stick her in a lime-green room.”

Kat kicked off her shoes and sat on the bed. “We suck.”

Missy sat down next to her. “You aren’t okay. You didn’t even flinch when I mentioned my mother. She drives you nuts.”

Kat shook her head. “Nope. I’m not.”

“Is it a chocolate kind of day or should I break out that bottle of vodka we were given at Christmas? How bad is it?”

“I don’t even think both would help.”

“Damn.” Missy chewed on her bottom lip. “Did you shoot that ass**le of a boss of yours? Should I bake cookies for the SWAT team that might come after you? It might distract them while you escape out the back.”