The Dream Thief by Kari Kilgore (books for 10th graders txt) 📕

realized both women had caught him watching them, and both were smiling. At least he was certain Gemma wanted him around. He had no such certainty about her granddaughter.

When the trolley clanked to a halt, he nodded and stepped to the ground. Gemma looked alarmed for a second, until Loretta whispered into her ear. This was the same stop Karl had taken the last time he went to Loretta's house. He wasn't nearly as worried about being unobserved as that day, but the walk would do him good.

He could see the wagons parked in front of the house already, unloading Gemma's belongings. He assumed Rullin would not be among them. That delivery was scheduled for much later that night.

Maybe he was being too pessimistic about Loretta, and without even giving her a chance. She'd been more than friendly that morning, not standoffish and shy like women sometimes were after having sex for the first time.

She wasn't suggesting they move in together or anything like that either, something else Karl wasn't ready for. He, on the other hand, felt more unsettled than he was used to after being with a woman for the first time, no matter how he tried to think about it.

He turned onto the same street he'd watched Rhysto walking down what seemed like years ago. That problem was far from solved, and dealing with Rullin might only make everything worse. Karl wasn't exactly eager to worry about a violent ex who could show up at any time. He wasn't even sure if that would ever be a factor, with him not exactly willing to move and Loretta not able to live with him.

Some kind of match he'd made after a lifetime of his mother expecting him to settle down and start giving her more grandchildren.

"Karl," Bill said. "Didn't expect to see you walking toward this house alone."

He looked up to see the pilot walking down the porch steps, finally seeming to have regained most of his confidence and swagger.

"I needed a bit of fresh air," Karl said. "That trolley was crowded after a couple of days on your fine airship."

The pilot laughed, shaking his head.

"You sound as smooth with words as I do. Don't let that way of life overtake you. I do agree about conditions on the ground here. Far too close for my taste. Speaking of close, here's our lovely hostess."

Loretta and Gemma turned up the sidewalk, the older woman beaming, Loretta looking far more cautious as she matched her grandmother’s leisurely pace.

"Fancy meeting you two handsome gentlemen here," Loretta said, eyeing the piles of trunks and boxes on her porch and lawn. "I'll get the door open so we can get everything brought inside."

Karl kept watching the side of the porch, wondering if Bess was trying her best not to laugh at all the fuss. Loretta unlocked the door and motioned them all to go inside without so much as a glance that way. Perhaps she'd already gotten word to her guard.

Loretta sent Gemma to investigate her guest room and grabbed Karl's hand.

"Can you help me in the kitchen for a moment, Karl?"

When he let the door swing closed behind him, she stepped forward into his arms, much like she had the night before. As unsure as his mind and heart felt about where this might all end up, his body was quite sure it wanted more of hers.

She whispered into his ear. "All these people running around my house are going to drive me insane."

"I felt that way on the trolley," he said. "Like I was going to drown. Most of them will be gone before too long. I can go, too."

"You?" She put one hand behind his neck and pulled him down into a quick kiss. "You I wouldn't mind having around from time to time."

Bill's men were as efficient on the ground as in the air, getting everything put away and disappearing before more than an hour had passed. With Gemma safely occupied setting up her equipment in the guest bedroom, Bill joined Karl and Loretta in the study. She'd already done whatever she needed to to bring out her map before anyone else came in.

Bill surprised Karl by handing the letter to him.

"Can you tell me where this place is, Karl? I'm not having much luck, and Loretta was certain you and her map would be able to work it out."

Karl scowled and shook his head, turning the white envelope over in his hands. It felt like Rullin's letter was already back inside.

"I don't know what you need me for," he said. "Just look at the street name and go from there."

"That's just the problem," Loretta said, sitting beside him. "It doesn't match any of the streets I know here. It says Waldron's Gate, but I've never heard of a Third Street here."

"Third Street?" he said. "There isn't one. It must be in some kind of...of code."

Karl stared at the address, trying to catch whatever was playing around the edges of his memory. A long time ago, something his mother had gotten quite upset about.

"Unless this is an old address," he said.

"How old?" Loretta reached for the envelope. "I've lived here for over ten years, and every street I know is named for some kind of plant or flower."

"This would be long before that," Karl said. "More than twenty years ago. I barely remember the change, but I remember my mother being furious. The streets used to be numbered, yeah, but I hadn't thought about that for a long, long time."

Bill turned from studying the map to face the two of them.

"Why did that upset your mother, Karl?"

"I'll just say she's a bit enthusiastic about the post," Karl said. "She loves few things as much as sending and receiving letters. She has a whole room dedicated to it. Every sort of wax and seal and paper you can imagine. Anyway, when they revised all the street names, she had to do the same with her drawers