“I’m fine. I’m sorry I haven’t checked in with you for a while. How are you doing?” Val asked. “Did you manage to cook dinner yesterday?”
“That’s why I’m calling.” Liam paused. “I did it.”
Val sat up. “You did it?”
“I did it. I cooked the whole thing from scratch. No takeout, nothing ready-made. If I say so myself, I hit that ball right out of the park.” Liam laughed. “Is it stupid to be this excited about doing something so basic?”
“Not at all, Lee. A few weeks ago, you were too depressed to throw away empty takeout containers,” Val pointed out. “You’re kicking ass in therapy. I’m proud of you.”
“Only because you forced me to go,” Liam told her, his voice rough. “I’ll always owe you, Val.”
“Yeah.” Val paused. “About that.”
Liam brightened. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“Yeah, but it’s crap,” Val admitted. “And I’ll get it if you say no, trust me.”
“I’m still on sick leave for the rest of this week. My boss has been very understanding. Tell me what you need. I want to help you.”
“You don’t owe me a thing. I was kidding,” Val insisted.
“I know, but doing something good for you will be good for me too, if that makes sense. So, spit it out. What do you need?” Liam asked.
Val rubbed the back of her neck. “You remember how I helped you clean up your apartment? I’d love for you to help me clean up my house.”
“Your house?” Liam asked. “It’s always spotless.”
Val eyed the claw marks on the hallway wall. “Not anymore. It’s a shitshow, to be honest.”
“I’ll be there in twenty,” Liam promised.
“Make it thirty and bring breakfast and coffee,” Val pleaded.
“Done. See you!” Liam hung up.
Val smiled as she headed downstairs and looked around for paranormal evidence. Faerie dust decayed quickly, so all she had to do was throw away the coffee machine, which had faerie teeth stuck in it.
She was removing the nasty, sticky mess on the floor when the doorbell rang. “Coming, Lee!” Val fought her way through the debris to the front door. The magical scent of coffee flooded the dining room when she opened it.
“Give meeee,” she pleaded.
Liam thrust a triple Americano into her hands. “Whoa.” He stared at the madness in the dining room: the melted carpet, the shredded ottoman, and the upturned chairs. “What happened? Are you okay?”
Val held a hand up to silence him and downed half the scalding coffee. The bitter fluid made everything better.
“I’m fine.” She lowered her cup.
“Was there a fight in here?” Liam asked.
Val grimaced. “Would you believe me if I said raccoons got into my house?”
Liam raised an eyebrow. He was tall and lanky and had a mop of golden curls and freckles that matched his brown eyes. “Raccoons? Really?”
Val shrugged. “Some things in my line of work are classified.”
Liam laughed. “Okay, I won’t ask, but I’m glad you’re okay.”
“It’s a disaster.” Embarrassment curdled Val’s gut as she led him through the dining room, and she suddenly wondered if she should have asked him. “Look, if you decide it’s too much, I don’t mind.”
Liam stepped into the kitchen. His jaw dropped.
“It’s awful, right? Maybe I shouldn’t have asked you to come,” Val confessed.
Liam blinked his shock away. “No, no. It’s chaos, but you handled much worse in my apartment.” He grimaced. “I still feel bad about that.”
“Don’t feel bad.” Val laughed. “Just get to work.”
She handed him a pair of rubber gloves, and he pulled them on with a dramatic snap.
“Raccoons, eh?” He chuckled.
Val managed a lame laugh. “Yeah. Raccoons.”
She wondered what he’d say if he knew her faerie vassal was in the apartment as they spoke.
She’d cross that bridge when she got to it.
CHAPTER SIX
