The two grown men sat with open eyes in the living room, vaguely hostile yet forced to tolerate each other's presence, till dawn broke.
Crystal Landon woke up around seven; her biological clock was still set to school hours. She opened her eyes, looked at the unfamiliar bedroom, and paused for a few seconds before recalling this was Hawk Howard's home, and she had slept in his room.
If Grandma Shaw knew she left in the middle of the night, she would be worried sick. Crystal got up and quickly freshened up. The panic from yesterday had slightly dissipated today, and she thought to herself that Richard Shaw was not the kind of person who pretended to be sweet while concealing malice. Even if he didn't like her, he probably wouldn't hurt this child. She was just too mentally stressed.
