by Ann Omasta
“It’s my favorite,” I said before taking a tentative lick. My stomach was roiling, but I didn’t want to rudely ignore his generosity.
Gage let out a bark of laughter before saying, “You make me so nervous that I just blew on my ice cream as if it were piping hot.”
For the first time since he had joined my walk, I made direct eye contact with him. “I make you nervous? Why?”
It was his turn to look down. “I don’t know… I guess because I want you to like me.”
“I do like you. It’s just that I’m the absolute worst friend in the world.” The last word dragged out as tears began streaming down my face.
“What? No.” Gage said, obviously ready to jump to my defense.
Before I knew what was happening, I was blubbering and sharing the entire story of the custody battle and loss with him. I doubted if he could even understand most of my words through the sobs, but he listened intently as if he were hanging on every word.
“Now, sweet little Scout is stuck with his purple-haired birth mother that he doesn’t even remember, and my best friend lost her little boy… all because of me,” I concluded.
Gage narrowed his eyes in my direction. “The birth mother has purple hair?”
Out of everything I’d said, I was surprised this was what the man chose to focus on, but I answered, “Well, it was mostly bleached blonde, but she had the remnants of some purple dye on the ends.”
Gage’s eyes brightened at my answer. He quickly stood, took both of our barely-touched ice cream cones to the trash receptacle, and then reached out for my hand. “I have an idea. Come with me.”
I definitely needed some sort of distraction, so I placed my hand within his and followed him unquestioningly to his oversized pickup truck.
17
Gage
As we entered the honky-tonk bar on the outskirts of town, it was obvious by Avery’s pinched expression that she was regretting her decision to come here with me. I was sure the sticky-floored establishment, where angry brawls were the norm, was not a business she would normally frequent.
She had lived in this area her entire life, but had probably never stepped foot in here. I only liked coming here for dinner because it was the type of place where I didn’t stand out or get any side-eyed glances. In fact, I wasn’t even the roughest looking dude in the place, but I would show them my ugly side if anyone dared to bother Avery.
I led her to a table for two in the corner and was surprised when she followed me. I didn’t want to give her any false hopes, so I remained silent about the reason behind my decision to come here.
The table was comparatively quiet, but we still had to raise our voices to hear each other over the blaring country-western music. When the scrawny waitress with frosted blonde hair came to take our order, I requested water for myself and a Fireball shot for the lady.
Avery shook her head at me and said, “I’m not really in the mood to drink.”
“That’s precisely why you should,” I told her.
When the waitress delivered the whiskey, I handed her a hundred-dollar bill and told her to keep them coming.
Rather than putting up a further fuss about drinking, Avery sniffed the small glass before taking a tentative sip. It must have been to her liking because she stunned me by quickly tossing back the rest of it and slamming down the tiny glass.
After her third shot of the amber liquid, Avery began to loosen up. She leaned across the table and gave me an eye-popping view of her ample cleavage. “Tell me what it was like in prison.”
“It was as lonely and depressing as you’d probably imagine, until I discovered the twin joys of using amethyst cleansing crystals to balance my chakras and essential oils for healing aromatherapy to help turn my cell into a home.”
“Seriously?” she asked me with wide eyes.
“No, it was dreadful, like my entire life screeched to a halt,” I answered honestly.
She wadded up the paper napkin beside her on the table and tossed it at me. “I believed you for a second!”
I easily caught the napkin ball and squeezed it tight in my fist, enjoying the sound of her laughter as she shook her head and said in a low voice, “Amethyst cleansing crystals…”
The high-pitched giggle from near the bar caught my attention. Pointing in the woman’s direction I said, “Right on time.”
Avery turned to see who I was pointing at and rushed to stand up from her tall stool. Through clenched teeth, she asked me, “What is she doing here? Where the hell is Scout?”
I shrugged my shoulders as she processed what she was seeing. When she started to lunge in Angie’s direction, I grabbed her arm and said, “Be patient.”
Avery bugged her eyes out at me, obviously wanting to march up and read the woman the riot act, but my steady gaze worked to calm her. Eventually, she hopped back up on her stool.
Locking eyes with the beautiful woman across from me, I said, “If you look directly over my shoulder, you can see her in the mirror on the wall, right?”
She adjusted her position before nodding at me.
“Great. Keep a close eye on her and the bartender. I have my cell phone hidden under the table, so I can covertly record the deal when it goes down.”
“Deal?” Avery’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “She buys drugs here?”
Nodding, I confirmed, “Most nights.”
“Poor Scout,” she said a little too loudly. “How could the judge send that sweet little boy to live with her. She’s a hot mess!”
Trying to calm her, I stage-whispered, “That’s why we’re going to collect some evidence here tonight and present it to the judge before that train wreck tries to leave town with Scout.”
“You’re a genius!” She beamed up at me.
I was sure it was just the alcohol in her system talking, but I’d love to have her gaze at me like that when she was sober.
Deciding to share the rest of my plan, I asked her, “Do you happen to have any friends on the police force?”
“My sister-in-law’s little sister, Meg, is a police officer. We had some disagreements while she thought my brother, Alex, had harmed her sister, but we’re back on good terms now. Why?”
“How about if you give Meg a call and ask her to join us here?” I suggested. When Avery gave me a perplexed look, I added, “I usually end up staying here later than I want to in order to give Angie plenty of time to get off the roads. Most nights, she stumbles out of here and gets behind the wheel of a car.”
Avery’s eyes lit up with more vigor than she’d shown all evening just before she said, “We’re gonna get her!”
18
Avery
Meg was more than happy to show up at the seedy bar on her night off for the chance of making an arrest. The tiny, pushy woman arrived and scooted a bar stool that was almost bigger than her over to our table. Making herself at home, she reached over and grabbed a loaded baked potato skin from my plate.
“Help yourself,” I said, sounding more perturbed than I really was.
Completely unfazed by my snarky comment, Meg asked, “Is this all you’re having? I could take down an entire pizza all by myself.”
“Charming,” I muttered, but couldn’t keep from smiling at the petite, surprisingly tough woman with the hollow leg when it came to food.
She waggled a finger at Gage and boldly said, “I’ve been keeping a very close eye on you since your arrival in town.”
“Meg!” I half-shouted, stunned that the woman would be so openly rude.
“It’s my job,” she reminded me before turning back to Gage and continuing, “I’ll likely continue to watch you, but we have determined that you aren’t responsible for the recent crime spree.”
Looking at me, she added, “It was those Libby twins and their friends. They were bratty children, so I always knew they’d be trouble as teenagers.”
I hadn’t believed that Gage was behind the vandalism or thefts, but it was a relief to know the police
had officially cleared him. Perhaps now people would stop being so suspicious of him.
Not wanting to get distracted and miss something important with Angie, I glued my eyes to the mirror. When I heard Meg slide my plate across the table in front of her, I chanced a glance in her direction.
At my narrow-eyed glare, she asked around a mouthful of greasy bacon and cheese, “What? Takedowns make me hungry.”
“I’m not sure why. We’re just sitting here doing nothing. Shouldn’t we get over there and cuff her before she gets away?” Deep-down I knew that Angie hadn’t yet done anything that we could legitimately arrest her for, but I was growing impatient with the lack of concrete results from this stakeout.
Meg picked up my just-delivered shot glass and said, “Look, there’s two ways to do this… My way and the wrong way. We’ll stick with my way.”
Once she uttered the words with finality, she tipped her head back and easily downed the shot. She must have felt my gaze of disapproval because she bugged her eyes out in my direction and said, “I’m off-duty.”
“But we need you to be at the top of your game,” I hissed in her direction.
Without taking her eyes off me, she said, “Then tell Giant Romeo over there to start recording because the deal is going down right now.”
My gaze shot to the mirror. Sure enough, a covert exchange was happening between Angie and the bartender.
“Are you getting this?” I stage-whispered to Gage out of the corner of my mouth.
“Yes,” he answered as he adjusted the angle of his cell phone.
Meg rolled her eyes before saying sarcastically, “Very subtle.”
When Angie turned to leave, I grabbed my purse in preparation to chase after her. Meg gripped my arm with her small, shockingly strong hand before muttering, “Patience.”
“She’s going to get away!” I said in a too-high voice. Meg was always ready to arrest a wrongdoer, so it was beyond frustrating that she was stalling now.
“We’ve seen her drinking, and we know she has drugs on her,” Meg reminded me calmly.
“Exactly.” I bugged my eyes out at the stubborn woman, letting her know she was proving my point.
“I have plenty of eye-witness evidence to justify pulling her over. Driving under the influence will be an additional nail in her coffin when I arrest her,” Meg said before scraping the last bits of crumbled bacon from my plate and tossing them into her mouth.
Gage beamed at the other woman and said, “I like the way your mind works.”
The irrational flare of jealousy that burned hot in my chest took me by surprise. Meg was a happily married woman with a child, and I had no claim on Gage. My aching heart didn’t seem to recognize these facts, though. I wanted Gage’s kind words and warm looks to be reserved exclusively for me.
I didn’t have too long to worry about it because Meg suddenly hopped down from her barstool and said, “I love the smell of an impending arrest in the air.”
With that, she sauntered off with more confidence than any three people should have. Gage and I had no choice but to scurry after the outrageous woman.
19
Avery
After Meg arrested Angie, the tipsy woman became increasingly agitated. She yelled about how unfair this was and accused us of setting her up. It was tempting to tell her that she deserved to rot in prison for the rest of her life, but we still needed something from her.
“Angie,” I said firmly, looking directly into the woman’s droopy eyes, hoping she would realize how important this was. “Where is Scout?”
“Oh, he’s fine,” the woman blew off my concerns with the non-answer.
It took all of my restraint to keep my temper under control as I said, “I sure hope so. Who is watching him tonight?”
“He’s with the lady that runs the motel on the other side of town where I’ve been staying. She’s taking good care of him.”
I wanted to scream at her that she couldn’t possibly know that, but Gage’s warm presence by my side helped calm me as he reached down to take my hand within his large one and said, “Let’s go get him.”
We left Meg to deal with Angie, knowing that the overzealous cop wouldn’t let the inebriated woman get away with anything.
As Gage drove his truck across town to the motel, I wanted to thank him for his help with everything tonight, but couldn’t find strong enough words to properly convey my level of gratitude. After deciding I would find a way later to show my appreciation, I said, “Angie didn’t even know the name of the woman she left Scout with. What kind of horrible mother leaves her child with someone she doesn’t know? I hope he’s okay.”
“He will be, once we return him to where he belongs… with Molly and Grant,” Gage said with utter confidence in his tone.
I tried to let his calm reassurance sink into my bones, but there was still too much on the line to begin to relax.
The woman at the front desk of the motel handed the little boy over to us with very little explanation required on our part, which was concerning in its own right. Scout clapped happily as I picked him up and Gage gathered the child’s belongings.
Once the three of us were settled into Gage’s truck, I pointed up to the magnificent mansion on the cliff that looked out over the ocean and said, “Molly and Grant live up there.”
“Wow,” Gage said, sounding truly impressed.
I nodded before explaining, “The place had fallen into a state of disrepair from years of neglect, but they’ve completely renovated it and made it wheelchair accessible. They’ve brought it back to its former glory, but with modern conveniences and amenities added.”
When Gage started the truck, I hugged Scout tighter to me and said, “Please be careful. We don’t have a car seat. Normally, I would never do this, but this boy needs to be returned to his parents without any delays.”
“These are extenuating circumstances,” Gage agreed before adding, “But I would be careful anyway with the precious cargo I’m carrying. Besides, I sure don’t want Meg to arrest me. She’s scary.”
The surprised laughter erupted from deep in my chest. Scout giggled, too, as if he sensed that all was about to be right in his world once more.
After Gage pulled up their steep, narrow driveway and shut off the truck, I hurried with Scout in my arms to Molly and Grant’s front door. It was late for an unannounced visit, but I knew they’d be delighted by it when they saw their son.
I pounded on the large, wooden door and pressed the doorbell button repeatedly. Scout seemed to want to join in on the fun, so I leaned forward to allow him to use his tiny fist to rap on the door.
Molly opened the door with concern etched into her features. Grant’s chair was just behind her. “Avery, is everything ok––?”
Her question broke off and her mouth fell open as she caught sight of her son in my arms. The boy lunged in her direction. She gladly took him and squeezed her eyes shut as she embraced the little boy.
“Did you kidnap him?” She asked me just before she turned to settle Scout in his father’s lap. Grant squeezed the child as if he’d been gone for a year, rather than just a long, nightmarish day.
I chuckled as I realized what they must be thinking before rushing to explain. Gage spoke from just behind me, filling in some of the details of tonight’s escapade.
Grant and Molly thanked us for not giving up hope and for reuniting their family, then we made plans to meet at the courthouse first thing in the morning to explain the situation to the judge and beg her to change her mind about the custody arrangement.
Once Gage and I were back in his truck, I said, “I hope this works.”
“It will,” he said with a level of confidence I wished my frantic heart could match.
When he began driving back toward town, I said, “I’m too keyed up to go to my parents’ house. Perhaps we can go to your new apartment?”
I knew exactly what I was suggesting. By the long, steady look he gave me, it was obvious he knew precisely wh
at I was offering, as well.
“You’ve had too much to drink to make a decision like that,” he said.
“Meg drank my last shot. Besides, I’ve never felt more clarity about anything in my entire life,” I revealed.
The cab of the truck was filled with deafening silence as Gage pondered my bold offer. Suddenly feeling awkward about the unanswered invitation, I gave him an out by saying, “I would love to see little Scamp again.”
I wanted to see a lot more than just the ornery kitten, but I kept that naughty train of thought to myself as I texted my parents to let them know not to wait up for me.
Evidently having made his decision, Gage turned the truck in the opposite direction of my parents’ house and said in his rumbling, sexy voice, “As you wish.”
20
Gage
The nervous energy crackled between us as I drove Avery in the direction of my small apartment. Her delectable insinuated offer made my pants grow tight in the crotch. I couldn’t imagine anything in the world more tantalizing or invigorating than making love with the smart, kindhearted, funny, and magnificent woman beside me would undoubtedly be, but she would likely run far and fast in the other direction if she knew my secrets.
Deciding it wouldn’t be fair to claim her body as mine without at least partially filling her in, I cleared my throat and said, “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Uh oh, that’s never followed by anything good,” Avery said in an ominous tone before adding, “Look, I’m wearing my second-favorite bra, so I’m taking that as a clear sign that it’s time for us to fool around. Don’t ruin our night with too much honesty.”
“Save some surprises for later,” I teased her, utterly charmed by her revelation about her bra.
We beamed at each other, until I had to turn my attention back to the road.
