Unexpected Love
Page 28
“May I help you?” the woman asked.
“Yes. I’m Andy Hendricus. I’m here to see Lieutenant Xavier; she’s expecting me.”
The woman stopped what she was doing and raised her head to look at Andy and the two people standing beside him.
“Mr. Hendricus, I’m Lieutenant Xavier. I’m the one who called you.”
The woman took a step back and vanished through the doors behind her. A moment later, there was a buzzing sound and one of the doors to the left of the trio opened. Andy, Stephanie, and Hunter walked toward the door, and as they were about to walk into the corridor behind it, Lieutenant Xavier asked, “And who are these people?”
Andy turned around, but before he could say anything, Hunter looked to the woman and said, “I’m Hunter … his boyfriend.”
Andy felt the wide smile brush over his face, and as the woman turned to Stephanie, Andy continued, “This is Stephanie. I was attacked outside her bar. She ...” Andy tried to restrain himself, and clasped his hand over his mouth. The Lieutenant looked at the three of them and ushered them inside.
They walked down a short corridor, then stepped inside one of the tiny rooms. There was a table in the center and a chair on either side of it. In the center of the table, was a manila folder and a pen.
“Take a seat, Mr. Hendricus,” the lieutenant offered.
She took the seat on the other side of the table, while Hunter and Stephanie stood behind Andy.
“Mr. Hendricus, I know how difficult this must be for you. If at any time you wish to stop, you’re free to get up and leave, and we can continue when you’re ready.”
Andy turned and looked at Hunter, who gave him a reassuring smile. He then turned to Stephanie, who returned a smile of her own.
“Are you ready to begin?”
“Yes,” Andy whispered, and he felt Hunter’s hand on his shoulder.
The woman opened the folder in front of her, and one by one, she placed photographs in front of Andy to look at. With each photograph, Hunter and Stephanie held a breath as Andy shook his head. They watched as Lieutenant Xavier sorted through the large pile of photographs.
“No,” Andy told the woman, as she picked up the current photo in front of him.
They’d been sitting in the room for almost fifteen minutes when Lieutenant Xavier picked up the final photo and placed it in front of Andy, who looked down at it. Andy’s eyes widened, and he raised his hand and placed it on the one still resting on his shoulder. He turned to look at Stephanie, who grabbed his hand with her own.
“Andy? What is it? Do you recognize the person in the picture?” Lieutenant Xavier asked.
Andy nodded.
Hunter’s eyes widened as he looked down at the photograph in front of Andy. “Andy, are you sure?”
Andy nodded again. Hunter turned and looked at Stephanie, and then the Lieutenant.
“Do you know the person in this picture, sir?”
With a shaky breath, Hunter replied, “he’s my father.”
Tonight, I Celebrate My Love ~ Roberta Flack & Peabo Bryson
Everywhere You Look (The Fuller House Theme) ~ Carly Rae Jepsen
Xanadu ~ Delta Goodrem*
Physical ~ Delta Goodrem*
Hopelessly Devoted to You ~ Delta Goodrem*
You’re the One That I Want ~ Delta Goodrem*
Rewrite The Stars ~ Zac Efron & Zendaya
*Songs by Olivia Newton-John, covered by Delta Goodrem for the TV mini-series, Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You (2018).
I don’t have the flexibility to be able to stay at home and write full time. I wish my life could accommodate that, but when I do get the opportunity to put words into a story, I only hope they’re magical. Writing this story came with the help of so many inspirational and talented people.
Bree: Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to portray a character based on you. Your constant support and interest in my work is appreciated. Thank you so much for always being there for me.
My work colleagues: Thank you all for being such a spirited, and fun bunch of people to work with. Thank you for your support, advice, and for allowing me to bounce my ideas off you. Most of all, thank you for wanting to read my stories.
Bec: Thank you for taking a chance with this story, even though you’d never read anything else of mine. Thank you for being my plot buddy, and sharing your ideas with me. Thank you so much for your good eye and your efficient responses and quick turnaround so that I could publish this book.
Lisa: Thank you for all the final eyes you put into this project, and cleaning up my mess. Thank you for your prompt service and as always, wonderful advice with my writing.
My Beta Readers: Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for making this a truly amazing story. Without you, it would not be the work it is today. I thank you with so much love.
Aria: Thank you for all the final words you put into this project and for being the eyes I could never see.
Ria: You don’t realise this, but you are, and will always be, the backbone to my writing. You’re my rock and roll in book world, as well as my travel companion here and afar whenever we have the opportunity to travel. This past year has been my toughest, and as always, you ALWAYS help me through it. Thank you for being a kind, loyal and dedicated friend.
The Readers: Without you, there simply wouldn’t be any words. None of this would ever be possible for an author, if we didn’t have the readers to share our words with. Thank you for taking me into your homes, and into your lives. Thank you for reading my words and all your wonderful support. THANK YOU with all my heart for all the love xx.
Stay connected with J.O at these online retailers.
Goodreads
Add my books to your TBR list.
Click here
Amazon
Click here
Twitter
Click here
Instagram
Click here
Email
Click here
Facebook
Click here
J.O Mantel was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. As a child, J.O loved reading, and his favorite authors include Roald Dahl, Robin Klein, and Morris Gleitzman. He began writing in 2016 and released his first novel, First Crush in the Dark Falkon Series that same year. When he is not writing fictional stories, J.O works full time and lives a quiet life on a rural property in Melbourne's northern suburbs.