It Had to Be Him
Page 24
When the lobby doors swished open, someone he hadn’t met stood behind the front desk. She smiled and said, “Hi. May I help you?”
“Looking for Casey?”
“She’s in her office.”
“Thanks.” Josh made his way down the long hall, then tapped a knuckle on her doorjamb.
She had her eyes closed and was rubbing at her temples. When Casey looked up, she sighed. “Go away, Granger. Haven’t you done enough damage for one day?”
“You all lied to Meg for her own good. I did the same.” He held his hand out toward the chair in front of her desk, silently asking permission to sit.
When Casey rolled her eyes, he took that as a yes and settled in. “I love Meg and Haley, Casey. I was just doing my job. And I’m going to help your brother prove your dad’s innocence. Will you let me explain? Please?”
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “You get five minutes. Go!”
Angry, confused, and hurting even worse than when Josh had left her three years ago, Meg gave Josh time to get his things out of her house by taking the kids to the diner for a treat.
She licked the last remnants of chocolate mousse pie from her fork, looking for her usual comfort in good old reliable chocolate.
Her stomach protested as she stared at her empty plate. “Awesome, as always, Aunt Gloria.” Meg faked a smile, suddenly realizing all she’d consumed for the day was coffee and chocolate. No wonder her gut ached.
Eric nodded enthusiastically. “Really awesome!”
When Haley added a “Yay!” Gloria smiled as she wiped down the long counter. “I’m glad you guys liked it. Eric, what grade will you be in come fall?”
Eric chugged his milk. After using the back of his hand to wipe his mouth he said, “Fifth.”
“That means you’ll have Mrs. Grant. She’s a fun teacher. You’ll like her.”
Eric shook his head. “I’m just here for a few months. Until they can place me somewhere else.”
“That so, Meg?” Gloria lifted a scolding brow. “Seems a shame Eric would have to move and start all over again.”
A dose of guilt from her aunt was the last thing she needed. Josh had just ripped her soul out. It was all she could do to fight back her tears. “Josh is in charge of that. I don’t have any say in the matter.”
“Speaking of Josh, any news yet? Are they pressing charges?” Gloria’s forehead crumpled.
Meg didn’t want the kids to hear about that, so she said, “Eric, why don’t you and Haley go pick a pie from the cooler to take home?”
“Awesome!” Eric jumped off his stool and took Haley’s hand.
When they were out of earshot, Gloria said, “If your dad ends up in jail, Sue Ann certainly can’t keep this town running. And he’s too stubborn to hand over the power to you kids until he draws his last shaky breath. I can’t keep my diner afloat without the celebrities the hotel brings in. We’re all worried, Meg.”
Gloria was right. Her dad was the reason everyone in town had 401(k) plans and health insurance. He’d probably try to run the town from jail. But he couldn’t have pulled off anything like the FBI was accusing him of. He didn’t do it. “I haven’t heard. Maybe I should text Ryan?”
“Why don’t you text Josh? Seems he’d be able to find out. Being he’s one of them.”
Because she didn’t wanted to talk to Josh. Ever again. She’d just text Ryan.
“While you’re at it, consider making up with him.” Gloria shook her head. “Who’d a thought he was an FBI agent?”
“Former. He says he quit recently. If you can believe a word that comes out of his mouth.” And the making up wasn’t happening. Only an idiot would go back for more heartache.
Meg reached into her purse for her phone and came up with Josh’s. She’d forgotten she still had it after confiscating it from him in church. She shouldn’t do it, but hey, he’d lied to her since they’d met. He deserved any snooping she could pull off.
She swiped the “slide to unlock” icon. The next screen asked for a password. Pondering for a moment, she typed in the name of the horse he loved, Charlie, but the letters on the screen shook back and forth, telling her no dice.
Next she typed “Haley,” but that didn’t work either, so she tried “Meg,” pretty certain her snooping would be shut down posthaste.
When his phone came alive, she grunted. He’d probably chosen her name because she was part of the case he’d been assigned. Not because he really cared for her or anything.
His conversation list popped up on the screen. A quick scan proved he’d been talking to people from his old job, just like he’d told her. He hadn’t lied about that. But how to separate the lies from the truth? It was as if he’d become a complete stranger to her in between heartbeats. Who was the real Josh Granger?
Overwhelming guilt for snooping poked at her conscience, so she quickly shut the phone down and put it back in her purse.
When her phone beeped with a text, she reached for it. Ryan, finally. Maybe she’d get some news about her dad. Josh is going to help. I’ll let you know.
She tapped back. Thanks.
She started to put her phone back when it beeped again. He was just doing his job, Meg.
Yeah, and part of that job was to play intense mind games with people. When necessary. And to lie so well that his girlfriend, who lived under the same roof, had never known he had a whole other life. How could she have been so freakin’ blind?
But worse, that instant mutual attraction she thought they’d both felt had been one-sided. The one thing that had made her let her guard down for the first time with a man. One who understood her and yet accepted her for who she was.
He probably had a complete file on her. How could she not have fallen for a guy who seemed to like all the things she liked, loved to do the same things she loved to do? Who understood her so thoroughly? He’d played with her mind just like he did with the criminals he dealt with.
What did she really know about him? Was he the intense guy like in Denver or the laid-back one of the last few weeks? Anyone could be mellow for a few weeks. But not everyone had the ability to lie like that.
The kids returned with the boxed pie. Haley said, “Can we go home, Mommy?” She rubbed her eyes.
Nap time.
They’d ridden over in Josh’s truck, so they didn’t have a car. She glanced at her phone to check the time. He was probably done clearing out his stuff by now.
“Let’s go see if Aunt Casey can give us a ride.”
Aunt Gloria appeared and held out a paper to-go bag. “For later. No one should have to cook dinner after a day like you’ve had.”
Grateful tears threatened to spill over, but Meg blinked them back. She accepted the bag and the hug her aunt offered.
While she wrapped Meg in her arms, Gloria whispered, “Don’t judge him by the other scumbags you’ve dated. He’s different. You know you’re still my favorite niece, Anderson blood or not, and that I love you, right?”
Not Aunt Gloria too. It was nice her aunt still loved her, but couldn’t anyone be on Meg’s side and understand how deeply Josh had betrayed her trust in him?
She could only nod, for fear she’d fall apart. She mouthed a “thank you” before she took Haley’s hand and headed for the door with Eric trailing behind.
As they crossed the park, a soccer ball zipped across their path. Eric trapped it with his foot, added a little hop and a flip, and then launched the ball like a rocket back to the kids on Toby’s soccer team who were practicing their drills. A wistful smile lit Eric’s face as he watched the ball sail through the air.
“Wow. That was fantastic, Eric.” Meg smiled despite her black mood. “Did you play on a team back home?”
He nodded. “I used to. Until . . .”
Until his whole life had been turned upside down.
As hers had in the last few days. They had that in common.
Toby had obviously seen Eric’s fantastic pass, because he was joggi
ng in their direction, his whistle bouncing off his chest. “That was impressive, dude.”
Toby nodded at Meg, then turned to Eric. “We could really use a guy like you on the team, bro.”
Eric’s face lit up as he turned to Meg for permission. “Can I stay and play?”
“Absolutely.” She turned toward Toby. “Can you give him a ride home when you’re done?”
“Yep.” Toby grinned and threw an arm around Eric’s shoulder. “Come meet everyone, buddy.”
That was the life Eric deserved. Soccer practice with great coaches like Toby encouraging him. Aunt Gloria was right. Meg needed to find a way to keep Eric longer than just the summer. Unfortunately, that would involve more dealings with Josh.
Tears burned her throat again as she picked Haley up and started for the hotel. She needed to hold it together. At least until she got home. When she was alone and Haley was asleep, then she could fall apart.
Josh hung up Ryan’s office phone after speaking to Watts. In the middle of Josh explaining the charges to Ryan, the sounds of a hysterical woman echoed outside of Ryan’s office. Sue Ann burst through the door with black mascara streaks running down her face. “You”—she pointed to Josh—“are the reason my husband is in jail. Figures Meg would bring trouble with her.” She planted her hands on her hips. “She’s going to have to deal with me this time.”
Ryan sighed. “Sit down, Sue Ann.”
Her fury switched to Ryan. “How can you ask me to sit in the same room as . . . him? He and Megan need to get their sorry asses out of town before I grab my gun and chase them both out myself!”
“You do that, and you’re going to jail too. And for the record, Meg had nothing to do with this.” Ryan stared at her until she huffed out a breath and dropped into a chair.
Ryan turned to Josh. “You were saying, Granger?”
“They can hold him longer than the standard forty-eight hours while deciding to charge him or not because of the fraud across state lines. When I told Watts I don’t think your father had anything to do with it, he said he’d take that into consideration.”
“Thanks. So what about Mrs. Duncan?”
“They’ve searched her home but came up empty. I guess she and her husband have been estranged for quite some time? He’s taken a job overseas, right?”
“Yeah. We haven’t seen Hal for three or four years. When he left, he told everyone they were taking a break.”
“Phone records show they don’t communicate, and banking records show Duncan has been living way over her means. She’s trying to pin everything on the mayor, saying because he lacked computer skills, he instructed her to do it. She’s using the ‘pact’ the town has made as her reason. Says she feared retaliation.”
Ryan winced. “Not a bad argument.”
Sue Ann jumped out of her chair. “Not a bad argument? Everyone in this town would be on welfare if it wasn’t for your father!” Sue Ann spun toward Josh. “What are you going to do about it?”
Ryan glanced at Josh too.
Apparently the ball was in his court. “Meg told me Duncan runs the town webpage and lives for gossip. Someone like that would need recognition for what she’d gotten away with. From someone she trusts. Does she have a best friend?”
Ryan and Sue Ann said in unison, “Barb Haney.”
Josh stood. “Then there’s your next move. Probably couldn’t hurt to use the power of the ‘pact’ on her when you question her. Miranda her up, then scare the crap out of her by telling her you already know Duncan has told her what she’s done. Get a full confession. But do everything by the book so it can be used in court.”
“Will do. Want to sit in on the interview, Granger?”
Josh shook his head. “Nope, I’m done with lying scumbags. You have good instincts, Ryan. You’ll do just fine.” He glanced at Sue Ann. “I hope everything works out, Mrs. Anderson.”
Her shoulders slumped as fresh tears filled her eyes. Seemed her anger had faded to worry for her husband again. She whispered, “It had better, or you’ll pay.”
What a piece of work.
Josh headed out the front door and down the stone steps. He needed to get his phone back from Meg so he could keep in touch with Watts about the case. But he dreaded looking into Meg’s big blue eyes again as they swam with the pain he’d put there. Maybe he’d give her a little more time. He refused to admit to himself that he was terrified he wouldn’t be able to convince her to forgive him.
He’d go talk to Zeke first. Make sure he still had a job.
He hadn’t realized just how much he wanted to take over Zeke’s business until now, when he might not get the chance. Looking back to when he was a kid, he was happiest when he’d gotten to leave the ranch to work at the garage in town. He’d been good with his hands, and no one gave him a hard time when he’d worked there. He’d gotten nothing but praise for a job well done.
Now he liked the challenge of puzzling out the problem and fixing it. Maybe he could find a way to work at the shop and help kids at the same time.
He walked slowly toward Zeke’s place, trying to figure out what he’d do without Meg if he couldn’t convince her to give him another chance. The thought of being with Meg again had gotten him through the last three years. His chest ached at the possibility he might never get her back.
He passed through the big double doors and found Zeke sitting at the long workbench, bent over a carburetor. It was the first time he’d ever known Zeke to work without music blaring in the background. That couldn’t be a good sign.
He’d come to care for Zeke too. He’d made more friends since he’d been in Anderson Butte than he’d had in the last twenty years. Zeke’s offer to hand over his business had been the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him.
Not sure what to say, Josh picked up a wrench and started where he’d left off on the engine he’d been working on before the disastrous weekend.
After a few minutes, Zeke stood and stretched out his back. “So, that was what you meant last night about seeing what the next few weeks bring before you accepted my offer, huh?”
“Yeah.” Josh laid his wrench down and wiped his hands. Here came the part where Zeke would probably tell him to hit the road too. “I couldn’t possibly accept your offer without you knowing the whole truth.”
“And you couldn’t tell me the truth.” Zeke scratched the stubble on his cheek. “That was the right thing to do. I’ll give you that. Wish you hadn’t hurt Meg in the process, that’s all.”
“Me too.” Josh joined Zeke at the workbench, leaning against it. “I understand if you’ve changed your mind.”
“Now, don’t be putting words into my mouth that aren’t there. I was only stating facts. And if you’ll recall, I gave you the job in the first place because I didn’t trust you and wanted to keep an eye on you. But, after what happened today, it does make a man wonder if you really have feelings for Meg. Because if you don’t, then I’ll have to ask you to leave town and let her and Haley be. Meg’s had some rough patches. She don’t need any more caused by you.”
“I love Meg. And I’m not going anywhere. I have Haley and Eric to consider. I may have failed with Meg, and I’m still hoping she’ll come around, but I won’t fail the kids.”
“That’s what I figured.” Zeke shrugged and sat down to work on his carburetor again. “The offer still stands, Granger. And just a piece of advice from an old man. Meggy is as stubborn as they come, but anything worth having is worth fighting for.”
The sharp click of a rifle cocking snapped Josh’s head around. Meg’s grandmother lifted her gun and pointed it straight at his heart. “You’re coming with me, boy. Now!”
With a sound-asleep Haley on her shoulder—and since when did Haley weigh so dang much?—Meg made her way down the long hall that connected the hotel with Casey’s living quarters. She’d checked Casey’s office first, and then the lobby, but she was nowhere to be found. It was her sister’s day off, so maybe she was at home for a change.
Meg said. “Take care of what? Who’s looking for me?”
Her sister crooked her finger and held the door open wider. “Why don’t you lay Haley on my bed?”
Meg followed Casey to her bedroom. After Casey lifted the covers back, Meg slipped Haley under them, then kissed her forehead.
When they were in the living room again, Casey asked, “So where’s Eric?”
“At the park playing soccer. Toby said he’d bring him by later. What’s going on, Casey?”
Her sister gave such an innocent shrug it had to be fake. “I just wanted to keep the kids so you could have the evening to yourself. I’ll let Toby know to bring Eric back here. Now let’s get you and your dinner on your way home.”
Meg let herself be dragged for a few feet until it hit her. “How did you know this was my dinner? Who were you talking to when I showed up?”
“Aunt Gloria.” Casey stopped pulling and huffed out a breath. “She was worried about you, that’s all. Now get going, would you?”
Something was up.
“Is it Dad? Have you heard something?”
Casey crossed her arms. “No. But before you hear it from someone else, I should probably tell you that after I heard Josh’s side of the story I let him have a room.”
Hot fury ripped through Meg’s veins. That’s why Casey was trying to get rid of her? “How the hell could you do that to me, Casey?”
Utterly betrayed for the second time that day, she turned to leave.
But Casey was quicker and wrapped her long arms around Meg’s shoulders to stop her. “I didn’t do it to you, I did it for you. I didn’t want you to push him away like you’ve done to every man who’s cared for you.”
Meg turned to face her sister. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Casey sighed. “You’d never fully commit to the men you dated, so of course they treated you the same. Or you’d pick a guy so wrong for you, it was for the best when he’d leave. You push men away so they can’t hurt you first. You’re not the hard-ass you like people to think, Meg.”