Pete would be home soon, putting an end to her babysitting duties. Oh, she’d still help out, especially on the nights he had to work twenty-four hours, but it wouldn’t be the same. These past few days had only shown her what her diagnosis was taking from her.
Not just her sight, which was bad enough, but no one would want to risk starting a family with her given the chances of passing retinitis pigmentosa on to her children. Besides, remaining independent even after she’d lost her vision was important. She refused to be a burden to anyone.
Especially not to Finn Gallagher.
So this was it. She’d move on with her life alone. The best she could do was to continue helping Pete with Mikey as needed.
It would have to be enough.
Easing off the mattress, Eva left Mikey sleeping. Abernathy lifted his head, his tail thumping against the bed. She reached over to pet the dog’s silky head, silently encouraging him to stay with the little boy for a while longer.
Abernathy set his head back down on the mattress and closed his eyes. She smiled and took a quick picture with her phone of Mikey and the K-9.
She returned downstairs to find Finn still working on his computer. She dropped into a chair next to him. “Mikey’s asleep.”
Finn nodded, his gaze searching hers. “I’m sticking around until Pete returns home. I don’t want you to be upset, but it’s important I ask him a few questions.”
“About what?” She frowned, not liking where this was going. “You can’t seriously believe that Pete hired Roach and the stinky guy. Why would he?”
“I don’t believe anything, but as part of the investigation, I need to rule everyone in or out.” His gaze bored into hers. “To rule Pete out once and for all, I need to talk to him. Get more detailed information from him.”
She sighed heavily and glanced away. Finn wasn’t going to let it go, so there was no point in arguing. “Fine, but the poor guy is going to be exhausted by the time he gets home,” Eva said. “You might want to give him a chance to rest up before you begin interrogating him.”
“It won’t be an interrogation,” Finn said in a mild tone. “And the sooner he answers my questions, the sooner he can get back to his normal routine.”
A wave of panic hit hard. “You’re going to keep a cop stationed here until the stinky guy is caught, right?”
“Yes. Don’t worry, Mikey will be safe.”
“Good.” She put her hand over her heart, willing it to slow down. Those moments when she’d realized Mikey had been kidnapped would be forever etched in her memory.
“What about you?” Finn asked. “Are you staying here tonight?”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s necessary.” The thought of going back to the house she shared with her college roommates wasn’t appealing, especially since she’d encouraged them both to stay in a hotel for a few days. Which hadn’t gone over well, since Alecia owned the place and hadn’t liked being moved out of her home. On the other hand, she couldn’t help thinking that Mikey would be safer once she was gone.
“I think it is,” Finn countered. “At least for tonight. Tomorrow we’ll have a chance to work something out with Roach, and we should have your stinky guy in custody by the end of the day.”
She nodded slowly, considering his point. What was one more night? No reason not to sleep on the sofa. “Okay, as long as Pete doesn’t mind.”
“Why would he?”
She shrugged. “You said yourself that I’m a potential target. By now, the stinky guy must know we’ve searched the house up and down without finding the stupid package. And he still has Cocoa.”
“Yeah, but if the guy was smart, he’d return the puppy and get out of town. He must know we have Roach in custody. Why not save himself?”
His theory made sense. “I hope you’re right. I’ve been praying to get Cocoa back safe and sound.”
“I’m glad to hear you’re leaning on your faith,” Finn said in a low, husky tone.
She ducked her head, hoping he wouldn’t notice her blush. “Thanks to you, Finn.”
Their gazes caught and held, awareness simmering between them. The kitchen shrank in size, creating a cozy atmosphere as if they were alone in the world.