Daddy Next Door - The Complete Series Box Set (A Single Dad Navy SEAL Romance)

by Claire Adams

  “Indeed,” I mused, as I tried to think of all the places where high school kids hung out. “Did you try the back of the Mall?”

  “Yep, and the arcade, that dump of a convenience store over on Lincoln, and the high school parking lot,” he said wearily. “No luck.”

  “What about her phone? Did you try to find it?” I asked.

  “The cops did a search of her number and tried to use the Find My Phone feature, but apparently she turned it off,” he said.

  “You want me to come over?” I asked.

  “Nah, you’ve got school, and I’ve got to get to the station,” he said.

  “Blake, your daughter is missing,” I said softly. “I’m sure they’d give you a day off, if you asked.”

  “So I can do what? Sit around the house and be pissed at myself for going out last night and pissed at her for being so goddamn irresponsible?” he shouted into the phone. “No thanks!”

  “You don’t have to yell at me,” I said quietly. “I’m just trying to help.”

  “Yeah, I know,” he sighed. “I’m sorry.”

  I waited for him to speak again, but as the silence lengthened, I began to wonder if he’d hung up.

  “Blake?”

  “I can’t believe I’m such an idiot,” he said. I could hear the emotion in his voice. “I should have stayed home with her and talked it out.”

  “You had no way of knowing she would leave the house,” I reminded him.

  “But I knew she was upset!” he yelled. “What the hell kind of parent am I that I leave my child alone when she’s upset?”

  “The same kind of parent as everyone else,” I said. “She’s a teenager. They’re moody little beasts sometimes. You can’t stop living your life simply because they get upset. You had no way of knowing she was going to do this.”

  “Her mother is going to remind me that I should have known,” he grumbled. “She’s going to have my ass when she gets back.”

  “Deal with it when it happens,” I said. “For now, we need to focus on finding Nina.”

  “What if we don’t?” he said quietly. “What if something terrible happened to her and I wasn’t there to protect her?”

  “Do not go down that road right now, Blake,” I warned. “It’s way too early to think that way, and it won’t do you or Nina any good.”

  “I know, that’s why I need to go to work,” he said. “I need to keep busy, or else I’ll go crazy.”

  “Okay, well, I’ll grill the kids in Nina’s classes and see if I can come up with anything on her whereabouts,” I said. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  “Emily…” Blake said, letting my name hang in the air between us.

  “No, do not think that,” I said, in my most stern teacher voice. “I won’t allow it. We will find her.”

  “I hope you’re right,” he sighed.

  “I am. Of course, I am,” I said, projecting a confidence that I didn’t entirely feel. I told him I’d call later, and hung up hoping that I hadn’t made a promise I couldn’t keep.

  After each class I taught that day, I kept the girls after and grilled them about Nina’s whereabouts. They all gave me the teenage shrug before saying that they knew nothing about her or where she’d gone. I wasn’t entirely convinced, but I knew that badgering them wasn’t going to produce any better results.

  “All right, ladies,” I said to the groups of Nina’s friends who’d I’d retained after History class. “If you have nothing to report, that’s fine, but please keep in mind that if Nina is actually in danger, and we find out you did know something about where she was, you can be charged as an accessory to a crime.”

  I had no idea if that was true or not, but I knew that if any of the girls was at all wavering, that might push them over the edge and give us a clue as to Nina’s whereabouts. The girls filed out of the room, assuring me that if they found out anything, they’d let me or the principal know. I knew it was a long shot because I still clearly remembered how much information I had withheld from my own parents when I was their age, but I figured it was better to try than to not try.

  After school, as I was cleaning up my desk, the classroom door opened and Emma Langdorf slipped into the room. She quickly moved away from the door and pressed her back against the wall as she looked sideways to make sure no one had followed her.

  “Miss Fowler?” she whispered softly.

  “Emma? What is it?” I said, looking up from my desk.

  “Shhh, please don’t give me away,” she pleaded.

  “Okay, but you have to tell me what’s going on,” I said, looking back down at my desk and shuffling papers so that anyone walking by wouldn’t know that I was having a conversation.

  “Miss Fowler, I think I know where Nina is,” Emma whispered urgently. “No one wants to rat her out, but I think she’s got a boyfriend over at Waltham College.”

  “Why do you think that?” I asked, not looking at her.

  “She’s been texting a boy for a long time,” Emma said. “She wouldn’t tell any of us who it was, but I saw her phone last week, and someone had texted her a picture of the library and another building, and told her that they’d meet her there on Valentine’s Day.”

  “I thought you said you didn’t know who it was,” I said, wondering how much of Emma’s story was truth and how much was a desire to be part of the drama.

  “I don’t know who it was,” she said. “I just saw her phone, and at the top of the screen, it said The Boy. I think that’s the guy from the college, but I don’t know for sure.”

  “Emma, why didn’t you tell the police?”

  “I don’t want the other girls to think I’m a rat!” she cried softly. “They’d never forgive me if they knew I was telling you this, but I’m worried about Nina. I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”

  “Okay, I’ll let the police know, but you’re going to have to talk to them if they need more information,” I warned.

  “Can you tell them to come to my house, not school?” she pleaded. “Please, Miss Fowler! Don’t let the other girls know I told you anything!”

  “I’ll do my best, Emma, but this is out of my hands,” I said, feeling both sympathetic to her plight and pissed as hell that she’d sat on such important information for so long out of fear of being outcast.

  “I have to go,” she said as she peered out the window on the door, quickly pulled the door open, and scampered out into the hall.

  I dug my phone out of my purse and called Blake. He didn’t answer, so I left him a message and went to find the police officer who’d been questioning kids all day.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Blake

  I pulled into the station parking lot just before Tony came roaring down the road. He screeched to a halt and then slowly pulled into the space next to me with a huge grin on his face. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before grabbing my bag and exiting the truck.

  “Good morning, old man!” Tony said, as he slapped me on the back.

  “What’s gotten into you?” I said, shooting him a warning look. “Your wife let you back in the house or something?”

  “Better than that, she agreed that we need to have more sex,” he grinned. “Last night was the first of what I hope are many more nights of hot and spicy horizontal mambo sessions!”

  “What are you — in high school or something?” I said disgustedly.

  “Who pissed in your cornflakes, G?” Tony asked, dropping his voice.

  “Fuck you,” I muttered, as I marched into the station and went to store my gear. I knew it wasn’t fair of me to be pissed at Tony, but I also knew that as my best friend, he’d take it better than some of the other guys.

  Tony followed me into the locker room and waited silently as I stored my stuff. He sat on the bench across from my locker, playing with a yo-yo. I turned and watched him toss the spinning orb and yank it back on its string a couple of times before I spoke.

  “Nina’s missing,” I said fl
atly.

  “Holy shit, G! Why didn’t you call me?” Tony said, as he tucked the yo-yo in his pocket and stood up. “How long she’s been gone?”

  “Since last night,” I said. “I went to the Celtics game with Emily, and when I got home, Nina was gone.”

  “You sure she’s not at a friend’s house?” he asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

  “Yeah, I called every girl she’s friends with,” I said. “None of them know anything about where she is.”

  “That’s bullshit,” Tony protested. “Girls always know what other girls are doing!”

  “Not this time, my friend,” I shrugged.

  “Called the police?” he asked.

  “Yeah, they know,” I said. “Put out an Amber Alert this morning on the off chance that she was actually abducted, but there’s not much else they can do.”

  “Why did you come in?” Tony asked. “I mean, Chief would have given you the day off.”

  “If your daughter was missing, would you want to sit around useless while other people searched?” I asked.

  “Good point,” Tony said. “Gonna tell the other guys?”

  “I don’t know,” I sighed, as I reached up and rubbed the stubble on my cheek with one hand. “I don’t want anyone thinking I can’t do my job.”

  “They won’t think that, man,” Tony said, draping an arm around my shoulder. “They know you better than that.”

  “I don’t know where my daughter is, Tony,” I choked out the words. Tony nodded and squeezed my shoulder, but thankfully remained silent as I did my best to swallow my fear.

  “They’ll find her, G,” he said quietly. “You just have to trust that they’ll find her.”

  “Find who?” Cal asked, as he entered the locker room.

  “Shut the hell up, Rookie!” Tony yelled. “No one invited you into the conversation.”

  “Jeez, just trying to be friendly,” Cal said, as he pushed his bag into his locker and slammed it shut with a bang that reverberated through the tiled room.

  “My daughter is missing,” I said plainly.

  “Oh man, I’m sorry, Blake,” Cal said.

  “What the fuck? I thought you weren’t going to tell anyone!” Tony said, as he dropped his arm and backed away.

  “Yeah, well, the more people who know, the better chance we have of finding her, right?” I shrugged. “I don’t fucking know, Tony. I’ve never lost a daughter before!”

  “Fine, do whatever you want,” Tony grumbled, as he turned and walked out of the room.

  “How long she’s been missing, Blake?” Cal asked.

  “Since last night,” I said. “No idea where she went. None of her friends have seen her, and I didn’t find anything when I went to check out the hangouts in town.”

  “My brother goes to Waltham College,” Cal offered. “I could text him and ask him to keep an eye out, if you want. I mean, if you think it might help. Text me her picture, and I’ll forward it to him.”

  “The more eyes we have, the better it is,” I agreed. I pulled my phone out and texted Cal a photo of Nina I’d taken the weekend before. She was bent over a large stack of pancakes holding a fork in each fist as she prepared to dive in and eat. She was smiling and looked genuinely happy. Or had she been covering something up?

  “Got it,” Cal said. “I’ll see if my brother recognizes her.”

  “Thanks, Rookie,” I said with a small smile.

  I joined the rest of the crew in the dining area where they were passing around platters of bacon, eggs, and toast. I poured myself a cup of coffee and took a seat at the end of the table. All around me, the guys were talking and laughing.

  I’d never felt so alone in my life.

  There were no calls all morning, so we spent our time cleaning and inventorying the gear. Tony managed to keep questions from the other guys to a minimum by crowing about his renewed commitment to monogamy. This stirred the pot and gave the guys a chance to blow off steam as they told jokes about their own lack of a sex life.

  Late in the afternoon, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out and found a message from Emily telling me that one of Nina’s classmates had come forward and confessed that she knew Nina had a crush on a college boy, but that she didn’t know the boy’s name. Emily said she’d try to find out more, and that she’d call me later to let me know what she’d learned.

  I was tempted to call and grill her about what the girl had said, but a call came in, and I stashed my phone and ran to the truck to pull on my gear before we headed to a warehouse fire that occupied the rest of the evening. It was well after 10 when we pulled back into the station, and we were all worn out, dirty, and starving.

  I checked my phone, but there was no message from Emily, so I showered and changed before I went to help with dinner preparations.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Emily

  After leaving Blake a message about Nina, I drove over to his house to check and see if Nina might have returned home. Emma’s disclosure had made me wonder if Nina’s desire to live with her father had more to do with a boy than it did with Nina clashing with her mother. I thought back to my own high school days and how I yearned to get out of my parents’ house and away from my oppressive family, but when I compared my teen years to Nina’s, I couldn’t find a commonality between our situations.

  Nina had parents who loved and supported her, and despite the fact that Remy tended to be too strict and Blake too lenient, between the two of them, they seemed to be doing a good job of raising a healthy, happy teenager.

  I rang the doorbell and waited, and when no one answered, I walked around back to see if I could peek into the kitchen and see Nina. I knocked on the back door and, again, waited, but there was no answer there, either. I walked back around to the front of the house just as a large white sedan pulled into the driveway next to my car. A woman who looked like an older, more elegantly dressed version of Nina exited the car and started up the walk.

  “Who are you?” she asked, looking me up and down. She was so perfectly coiffed and elegant looking in a winter white suit that probably cost more than my entire month’s salary that I felt intimidated.

  “I’m Emily Fowler,” I said, after clearing my throat. “I’m Nina’s History teacher. You must be her mother.”

  “I am. Remy Gaston,” she sniffed, without offering her hand. “I expected someone more…teacher-like.”

  “Yes, well, you know what it’s like on a teacher’s salary,” I offered weakly.

  “No, I really don’t,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

  “Oh, I was checking on the house for Blake,” I said, quickly trying to shift the subject away from Nina as I realized that Remy had no idea her daughter was missing, and I definitely didn’t want to be the one to break the news to her. “I stopped by to drop off some things for him.”

  “Is Blake dating a teacher?” Remy said, with a surprised look on her face. She laughed a little and then said, “Well, that’s a new one for him. Slumming it, again, I guess. He likes his women to be dependent on him, you know. How long has this been going on?”

  “We’ve been seeing each other for a few months,” I said, hesitating to give her any more ammunition. I could feel my heart beginning to speed up as she continued to stare at me as if I were some exotic animal in a zoo.

  “Huh, that’s interesting,” she said, looking up at the house. “Neither he nor Nina have mentioned it to me. I guess it’s not that important to either of them, is it?”

  “I wouldn’t know,” I said through clenched teeth. Remy’s way of using manners to cover her venomous intentions reminded me of my mother, and it raised my ire. “But we did spend Valentine’s Day at a Celtics game, thanks to his dad.”

  “Alan gave you tickets to a basketball game?” she said with a furrowed brow. “He’s a notorious cheapskate. He must have a thing for cute little teachers.”

  “Yes, he gave me his season tickets,” I said, twisting the knife a little de
eper now that I knew where her weak spot was. “I’ve been spending quite a bit of time with Blake and his family. They’re such great people.”

  “Are you sure we’re talking about the same people?” she laughed. “The stingy, judgmental Alan and Ellie Gaston?”

  “I wouldn’t know that side of them,” I said, wondering how Remy could have seen them as anything but kind and generous.

  “No, I’m sure you wouldn’t,” she smiled, then quickly changed the subject. “So, where are Nina and Blake?”

  “Not home, I guess,” I said, without commenting further. If Remy didn’t know what was going on, I wasn’t going to tell her anything, but I was going to warn Blake. “I need to get going. It was nice to meet you, Remy.”

  “Nice to meet you, too, Ella,” she said, as she pulled out her cell phone and checked the screen before punching a few numbers and turning her back on me.

  “No wonder your daughter doesn’t want to live with you,” I muttered once I was safely enclosed in my car. “You are a snob, Remy Gaston.”

  I stopped at the store to pick up a few things for dinner and another bag of cat food for Howard before driving home. In the parking lot of the grocery store, I quickly texted Blake to warn him that Remy was back in town and looking for him and Nina. I waited a few minutes to see if he’d respond, and then went in and did my shopping. It was well into the dinner hour when I returned home and started cooking.

  Howard hopped up onto the counter as I chopped onions and stared at my hands as I cut the crisp white rings. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I chopped, and I kept up a constant stream of chatter telling Howard all about my day. He gave me the same detached look that he always did when it was close to his meal time, but he didn’t hop off the counter.

  “I tell you, that woman is a menace,” I said, as I added the onions to the pan on the stove and listened to them hiss as they hit the hot oil. “She tells me that I don’t look like a teacher. Can you believe that? What the hell is a teacher supposed to look like?”

  Howard blinked twice and then shifted his gaze to the window over the sink as I began chopping the peppers and garlic. Soon the smells of sautéed vegetables permeated the kitchen, and as I added the crushed tomatoes, I concluded that Blake had left Remy because she was such a pretentious social climber.