It promised to be a beautiful day in the Bay Area. The food order had been placed with Piccolo, our favorite local Italian deli, and the guest list was finalized. And speaking of guests, I broached the sore subject of him insisting on investigating Alex. “You should trust my judgment and leave her alone. I have a good feeling about her.” But Derek wasn’t about to bend to my wishes. I could tell by the cute way he furrowed his brow. He probably considered it more of a stern look than a cute one, but what did he know? “I do trust your judgment, darling, but this isn’t about that at all.” He reached out and caressed my cheek. “Indulge me. I’m merely concerned about keeping both you and our home safe from harm.” I didn’t know how to counter that. Naturally, I appreciated his concern. I had suffered too many perilous moments over the past year, and we’d had several actual break-ins by bad people who’d damaged my stuff and scared me to death. And in case my short-term memory was slipping, I had been threatened twice just in the past few days.
