“What package?”
“The one Dustin apparently sent me. I think he sent me more than just a Christmas present. I also think that once I have it, we’re going to have a lot more answers to what’s going on.”
He cranked the engine. “Why didn’t you tell the cops about it?”
“Because they’d be all over the place.” She shook her head. “No way. Dustin sent it to me for a reason. Possibly even risked his life to do so. I’m going to find it and see what’s in it before I tell anyone else about it.”
Gavin gave a slow nod. “All right. Then let’s go get it.”
“The problem is, it may not be at my apartment.”
“Why not?”
“Because I had all of my mail forwarded to my neighbor. Then again, if that receipt is any indication, he actually mailed it to my neighbor.”
“Then we’ll check with her.”
Sarah dialed her neighbor’s number and waited. And waited.
He glanced at the mirrors. “Our escorts just arrived.”
“That’s weird. She’s not answering.”
“It’s getting close to dinnertime. Why don’t I take you back to Caden’s and you can wait for her to call you there?”
She frowned. “What happened to doing dinner at your parents’ house?”
“I was going to cancel. After your adventures at the hospital, I didn’t figure you’d want to go eat with people you’ve never met before.”
“I thought you needed me to be a buffer,” she said.
He gave her a crooked smile. “I’ll be a big boy and deal with it. And her.”
“Actually, I’d kind of like to go, if you don’t mind.”
He blinked. “Really?”
“I could use the distraction. If I go back to Caden’s, he’ll interrogate me and I’ll dwell on the whole thing, and I just . . . yeah. I’d rather go eat dinner and forget about everything until Mrs. Howard calls.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.” She paused. “As long as it’s safe. I don’t want to endanger your family.” She rubbed her eyes. “Maybe it’s better if I don’t.”
“Travis and Asher will be with us all the way. One will be in front and one behind. While we’re inside, they’ll be on guard.”
“Fabulous. I just pray we’re not putting them in danger, asking them to do this.”
He squeezed her fingers. “This is their job. It’s what they do every day. Fortunately, they’re very good at it.”
Sarah nodded. “I’m sure they are. You have some good friends.”
“The best.”
She shot him a small smile. “I know the feeling.”
The friendships they’d formed while serving their country would last a lifetime, and he had no words for the gratitude that filled him when he thought of it. He just hoped he could keep Sarah alive to grow old with those friends. Because someone seemed determined to make sure that didn’t happen.
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
When Gavin pulled into the driveway of his parents’ home, Sarah eyed the place with an envious stare. “You grew up here?” she asked. The two-story Victorian sat on an acre lot, and while the shutters needed a coat of paint, the yard was immaculate.
“I did. It was actually my grandparents’ house until I was eight, then they moved into an assisted living home. My grandmother was forty-seven when my mother was born, so when Mom was thirty-five, her mother was eighty-two. Long story short, Mom loves this home and my parents moved us in because she couldn’t bear to part with it.” He eyed the exterior. “It needs some work, I know. Mom’s been renovating the inside and plans to work her way out.”
“Your mother’s doing the renovations?”
“Yep. She’s a pretty amazing woman.”
“Sounds like it. I look forward to meeting her.”
He made no move to open the door.
“Sometime today? Maybe?”
He choked on a laugh and opened the car door. She followed him up the four steps to the wraparound porch. The double swing in the right-hand corner invited her to sit on it, and the bistro table with two chairs begged for a tray of tea and biscuits.
“It’s so lovely.”
“Thanks.”
A rush of anxiety swept through her and she rubbed her palms down her thighs. Why was she so nervous? It wasn’t like this was a “meet the parents, meet the parents” kind of dinner. It was just . . . dinner. A gathering together to share food and enjoy company. She was there to be a buffer—whatever that meant.
He gripped her fingers and she prayed he didn’t notice they were clammy.
Of course he noticed. “Don’t get too far from me, okay?”
She frowned. “Okay. I thought you said this was safe enough. Aren’t Travis and Asher somewhere watching the house?”
“Yes, they are, but I wasn’t worried about you, I was worried about me.”
“So, you were serious about the buffer thing?”
He shot her a surprised look. “Of course. I haven’t been this nervous since I asked you out for the first time.”
“You get nervous?” He narrowed his eyes, and she bit her lip on a smile. “Are you going to knock?”
“Knock? No.”
“Then should we leave?”
He twisted the knob. “Nope. I guess it’s go time. For better or worse.”
Interesting choice of words.
He stepped inside and she followed him into the small foyer.
“Gavin? Is that you?” The woman’s voice came from the delicious-smelling kitchen.
“Of course it is. You need to lock your door.”
“Not when I know you’re coming.” She stepped into view, drying her hands on a dishtowel. “And you must be Sarah.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’m Priscilla Black. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The woman held out an elegant hand and Sarah shook it. “You have a lovely home.”
“Thank you. Well, come on into the kitchen and grab something to drink. We don’t stand on formality around here.” The woman disappeared back into the kitchen.
Gavin squeezed her hand and led her into the bright, open breakfast room. A table to seat eight sat under a five-bulb chandelier, and just beyond the table was a bar with four stools. Mrs. Black pulled a dish from the oven and set it on the waiting hot plate. “I hope you like chicken casserole.”
“I like just about anything,” Sarah said. “Especially if it’s cooked by someone else.”
“I understand that.”
“Smells good in here.” The gravelly voice came from the man wearing a faded Army T-shirt and a Bahamas baseball cap.
Gavin settled a hand on her lower back. “Dad, this is Sarah. Sarah, this is my father, Tucker Black.”
The man studied her, sizing her up in a way that made her want to squirm. The look wasn’t offensive in any way, but she wondered if she passed the inspection. He finally smiled. “Good to meet you, Sarah. I hear you’re a good woman to have on the team.”
She cocked a brow at Gavin. “Well, thank you, I appreciate that.”
“Owen and Jefferson are out on the deck. Pris, you about ready?”
Gavin’s mom nodded. “We’ll serve from the bar.”
“Perfect.”
Mr. Black headed out to gather his friends from the deck and she looked at Gavin. “Who are they?” she whispered.
“I’ll introduce you when they come in, but be forewarned, they’re huge competitors.”
“Competitors in what?”
“The reporting world.”
She gaped, then snapped her mouth shut as a young woman floated into the kitchen. Sarah couldn’t even use the word walked. The girl definitely floated. Kaylynn, no doubt. When she saw Gavin, her jaw tightened and she spun to leave.
“Kaylynn,” Gavin said, “I want to introduce you to a friend.”
Kaylynn turned back with a forced smile. “Hi.”
“Hi. I’m Sarah.”
Gavin stepped forward. “Can we talk after dinner?”
Kaylynn eyed them and shrugged, snitched a roll from the plate on the bar, and floated back out of the kitchen. Sarah thought she heard a smothered sigh from Gavin’s mother, but the woman didn’t say a word.
“. . . can’t compete with that,” a man said, stepping through the sliding glass doors. “I’m telling you, he’s the next Tom Brokaw or Dan Rather. You wait and see.”
“You’re dreaming. He’s got about as much talent as—” The second man caught sight of Sarah and Gavin. “Gavin, it’s been a long time.”
“It has. I see nothing’s changed between you two.”
“Aw, it’s all fun and games.”
Right. Sarah knew the two men by reputation only, but their competition wasn’t all fun and games. However, it seemed they were at least making the attempt to get along. “How do you all know each other?”
Mr. Black laughed. “I went to high school with these two jokers.”
“They’ve been friends forever,” Mrs. Black said. “I know it seems like they hate each other, but they really don’t.” She handed Sarah a plate. “Please, go first. If you don’t, you might not get to eat.”
“Hey now,” Gavin protested.
His mother winked. “I made extra. Help yourself.”
Sarah filled her plate and settled at the table. Once everyone had served themselves, minus the absent Kaylynn, Sarah took note of her companions. She didn’t think it coincidence that she found herself eating with two of the best-known men in the local reporting world, and slid Gavin a glance. He sat to her left and caught her eye. And shrugged.
“So, Sarah, I hear you were kidnapped by a group of terrorists,” Owen said. “You want to write that up and let me run it?”
Sarah choked on the bite of casserole she’d just taken. She swallowed, guzzled half of her glass of water, and stared at the man. “What?”
“I hear you’re a reporter. I want the story.”
“Investigative journalist, but—”
“So do I,” Jefferson said with a glare at his rival. “You have no class. That’s how you approach someone?”
“I’ll pay you a hefty advance for it,” Owen said as though the other man hadn’t spoken.
“I’ll pay more.”
Gavin stood and glared at the men. “You two should be ashamed of yourselves. Sarah’s a guest in my parents’ home and you’re like sharks circling bait. Knock it off.”
Sarah’s jaw dropped. The two men fell silent.
Gavin sighed. “I’m sorry, Sarah. This is my fault.”
“How so?”
“I told my father you might need a job and asked him to use his connections to see if these two might be interested. I didn’t think he’d invite them both at the same time.”
“You asked him to find me a job?”
“In a sense.” He paused. “Actually, no. I just asked him to introduce you to these gentlemen. I didn’t realize we would be inciting World War III.”
Sarah set her napkin on the table. “So, being a buffer was just a . . . lie . . . to get me to come?”
“No, no, no. That part was definitely true.” Gavin met his father’s gaze. His mother had gone still at his outburst.
Owen sighed. “Well, at least take everything into consideration. Pris, this casserole is amazing.”
Those words seemed to be the signal for everyone to start eating again. Except Sarah. She worked hard to keep her anger from spilling over and ruining the dinner Gavin’s mother had prepared. She made it through the apple pie, then stood. “Excuse me, please.”
Gavin made as though to follow her, and she shook her head. It wasn’t hard to find the bathroom, and she stood at the sink trying to convince herself that Gavin hadn’t meant anything by mentioning to his father that she might be in need of a job. And that his father was just trying to help by inviting the two men who obviously clashed on every level.
If anything, she should probably be grateful. Part of her knew he thought he was helping. But another part of her was screaming that it was similar to something her father might do, and all of the trust that she’d managed to build up had just been shattered.
“You’re overreacting,” she whispered. “Let it go. Just . . . don’t read anything more into it other than an attempt to help. That’s all it is. He’s not like the general, he’s not.” The pep talk helped somewhat, as she forced herself to remember all the things he’d done that were completely opposite of what the general would have done. “He’s different. He is. Don’t overreact.”
She got herself together and opened the door, only to find Kaylynn on the other side. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to take too long.”
“You didn’t. I was waiting for you. I overheard what happened in the kitchen.”
“Overheard it, huh?” More like eavesdropped.
“Gavin likes to be in control.”
“Hmm. Yes, I’d say that’s an accurate observation.”
“But he means well.”
Sarah raised a brow. “Really?”
A smile curved her lips. “Yes. He may behave like a bull in a china shop, but . . .” She shrugged.
“So, why won’t you talk to him?”
Kaylynn’s jaw tightened. “You’re pretty blunt, aren’t you?”
“It’s the reporter in me.”
Kaylynn went still and her face paled even while her eyes sharpened. “You’re a reporter?”
“I am. Well, a journalist, but I’ve done a lot of investigative reporting for the military. Why?”
“Interesting,” the girl almost whispered. “I heard them talking about you having a story, but I didn’t realize you were an actual reporter.”
She must have missed that part. “A currently unemployed journalist-slash-occasional-reporter, yes.”
“Sounds like you could be employed should you decide you want to be.”
“I don’t think I’d like to work for either one of them.”
Kaylynn actually smiled. “They’re not so bad. They huff and they puff, but they’ve never actually blown anything down.”
“When are you going to talk to Gavin?”
“When I feel like it. He made me mad, and I know avoiding him is the best way to get back at him.”
Brutally honest, wasn’t she?
“It’s working. He wants a relationship with you.”
Kaylynn fell silent, but Sarah could see she was thinking. “I like you, Sarah.”
“Well . . . thanks.”
“I’ll think about what you’ve said, but I’m not ready to talk to Gavin, yet.”
“I see. It’ll hurt him.” Like your actions hurt the general? The quiet whisper drifted across her mind.
Something flashed in Kaylynn’s eyes, an indecipherable . . . something that resonated deep within Sarah. “Could I get your phone number?” Kaylynn asked.
“Of course.” Sarah dictated it to her while Kaylynn tapped it into her device.
“Thanks.” And then the girl was gone, drifting down the hall in her silent wraithlike way.
“I’m sorry, Sarah,” Gavin said. He stood to her left at the end of the hallway. “I guess I didn’t think that all the way through.”
She sighed and shook her head. “No need to be sorry. I’m assuming you were trying to help?”
Relief flickered across his face. “Yes, I promise that’s all it was. I’m not trying to be controlling or whatever it is that would make you find similarities between me and your father. I just threw out an idea. A bad one maybe, but that’s all it was. An idea. An opportunity if you wanted it.”
“It’s okay.” She looked at her phone. “Mrs. Howard still hasn’t called me back and now isn’t a good time for you to talk to Kaylynn.”
“What? Why not?”
“Trust me, just don’t. Not yet.”
He frowned. “Okay.”
“Would you be all right with saying our goodbyes to your parents and the others and heading over to my
place?”
“I’d be more than all right with that. Let’s go.”
“Thanks for meeting me again,” Marshall said to Lewis, who once again sat opposite him in the café. “I know it’s last minute, so I wasn’t sure you could make it.”
“I didn’t have anything better to do. Sharing two meals in one day is nice. Makes things less lonely.”
“I’m sorry. You’re taking the full six-week leave?”
Lewis sighed. “They offered it and I decided to accept it. For now. I can always go back early, but I’ll be honest. I’m getting older and it takes me a while to bounce back from things.”
His friend raised his brow. “I wouldn’t exactly call your son’s suicide something to bounce back from.”
Lewis waved his hand. “That’s not how I meant it.” He paused, then pushed the pastry away from him. “Caden read me the riot act about Rochelle.”
Marshall laughed. “And you took it?”
“On the chin.”
His friend stopped and stared. “Getting soft in your old age?”
Lewis scoffed. “I’d like to think wiser.” He looked away and out the window. “Initially, I dismissed everything he said, but some of it resonated—especially when Gavin, a friend of Caden’s, basically said the same thing a short time later.”
“What was it all about?”
“You know my father was a military man.”
“I remember.”
“He was hard-nosed, as rigid as they come.”
“Sounds like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree—or whatever that analogy is.”
His friend shot him a pointed look and Denning shook his head. “I’m not that rigid.” He paused. “Okay, maybe I am. Now.” He sipped his coffee. “Back then, I had dreams of being a doctor, did I ever tell you that?”
“You might have mentioned it one night while you were raging against your father.”
“I hated him and yet . . . I’ve turned into him, haven’t I?”
“Are you going to get all sappy?”
A laugh slipped from him. “When have you ever known me to be sappy?”
“Good point.”
“No, I was just thinking. My father had to bribe me to join the military. Literally. He said if I didn’t, he’d turn my inheritance over to charity.”
Acceptable Risk Page 19
