The sun had set, and it was on the far side of twilight. He mounted the three steps and knocked on the doorframe. There were a few moments of silence, then the screen door opened. Instead of giving him a hug and a kiss, as was her traditional greeting, she said a quick hello, then turned to close and lock the door. As if anyone would burglarize the Lockhart home. It was obvious from the state of the structure that there wasn’t anything, besides what stood in front of him, of value in the house.
“Hey,” he said softly, catching her around the waist as she tried to walk past him. When she looked up at him questioningly, he kissed her gently. “Happy Birthday, Alyssa.”
“Thanks.”
Even through the lip-gloss he could feel the wound on her lower lip. Deciding he would wait until they had set up
