AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tanner stared solemnly at him. “Don’t make work your entire life, John. Before you know it, she’ll be heading off to university and making her own way in the world. Make the most of having her with you.”
From anyone else, those words wouldn’t have had the same impact. But John knew about Tanner’s past, the heartache that had followed him to Montana. “I wish it was that simple.”
“It is.” Tanner waved John through the open door. “Sam’s waiting for us by the main reception desk. Don’t ask her how she’s feeling.”
John grabbed his jacket and left his office. “What happened?”
“She was supposed to go on a date tonight. The guy had a hard time believing that she couldn’t meet him for dinner.”
“Sounds like she needs to date a different person.”
Tanner grinned. “I told her the same thing. You don’t want to know what she said.”
John flicked the lights out in his office, locked the door and headed toward the front of the building. “Sam wouldn’t know how to be rude if she tried.”
A woman in her late twenties walked down the hallway, frowning ferociously at Tanner. At five-foot-five, the top of Sam’s head wouldn’t have reached John or Tanner’s shoulders. But size, in Sam’s case, meant absolutely nothing.
“I heard that, John Fletcher. Just because I’m quiet, it doesn’t mean I don’t get annoyed.” Her blue eyes were flashing fire. If he’d been a betting man, John would have put ten dollars on her trying to box his ears if she could have reached that far.
Tanner’s grin got a whole lot wider. “It’s just as well your boyfriend can’t see you now. He’d run straight toward the Rockies and never come back.”
Sam stuck her hands on her hips. “I don’t care if I never see him again. And he wasn’t my boyfriend. He was a friend of a friend.” Her nose tilted in the air. “It was a pity he didn’t have a few extra brain cells between his ears. I wouldn’t have canceled our date unless it was important.”
“That’s my girl,” Tanner said proudly. “Boot his sorry ass out the door and look for someone better.”
Sam sent Tanner a withering glare. “I’ve decided to take a vacation from dating. I’m surrounded by too many men all day and it’s damaging my ability to think rationally.” She turned her back on them and strode along the corridor.
Tanner turned to John and gave him one of his ‘I-told-you-so’ looks. John shrugged his shoulders. He was too surprised by Sam’s outburst to do more than follow her.
He might know about business plans, strategic warfare, and the latest surveillance techniques, but he was lost when it came to women.
Tanner lengthened his stride until he was walking beside John. “Was Bella looking forward to seeing Rachel today?”
John nodded. “She was dressed before six o’clock. When I left home, she was sitting in the kitchen with Patty, counting the minutes until Rachel arrived.”
Sam waited at the reception desk for John and Tanner. “I sent the images from Tony’s dash-cam to a friend at the FBI. He’s going to have a look at it tomorrow.”
John waved at a security guard as they left the building. “Thanks. You’ve both worked hard today. I appreciate what you’ve given up to stay here.”
Sam glared at Tanner. “Don’t say a word.”
“I wasn’t going to,” he said with a smile in his voice. “I’m going home to eat left-over pizza. Want to join me?”
Sam wrinkled her nose. “No, thanks. I need sleep more than cold pizza.”
John shook his head, too. “I’ve got a little girl to kiss goodnight. See you tomorrow.” As he left the parking lot, he went through the day he’d planned before Tony and his team had been ambushed. That’s when he remembered his promise to go to the mall with Bella.
With a sinking heart, he knew that he was heading toward worst dad of the year status. Instead of choosing a birthday present for Bella’s friend and eating hot dogs, he’d been buried in paperwork.
Tanner was right. Something had to change.
***
John tiptoed into Bella’s room, trying not to wake her. The nightlight shone with a soft pink glow. He stood where he was, watching his daughter as she dreamed what he hoped were sweet dreams.
As soon as he moved, his foot hit a squeaky floorboard and Bella’s eyes opened.
“Daddy.” She jumped out of bed and rushed toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “You were supposed to come to the mall with me.”
John hugged her tight. “I know, sweet pea. Something happened at work and I couldn’t make it. Mrs. Daniels said you went to the mall with Rachel and Tank. Did you have a good time?”
Bella let go of his waist and pulled him across to her bed. “It was awesome. We went there after we finished math. Guess what we found for Poppy?”
“A pogo stick with pink tassels?”
Bella shook her head. “No,” she giggled.
“A purple people eater with yellow spots?”
Bella shook her head again. “I’ll give you a clue. It makes noise.”
John hoped she hadn’t bought Poppy a puppy or a kitten. They might be making a trip back to the pet store if that had happened. “A soft toy shaped like a sheep that goes, baa?”
Bella wiggled off her bed and took a box off the dresser. “Close your eyes, dad.”
John closed his eyes and waited for Bella to turn the box around. She turned the lights on, then lifted something out of the box.
“You can open your eyes now,” Bella said from beside him.
John looked at his daughter, then across at the toy poodle sitting on the floor.
Bella put a remote control in his hands. “It’s a miniature Labradoodle. Once she gets used to your voice, she’ll follow all of your commands. Watch this…”
Bella took a step away from him and said, “Jasmine, heel.” The toy dog stood up and walked across to Bella, sitting in front of her with a little yip.
“Good dog,” Bella crooned. She scratched behind the toy’s ears, then said, “Jasmine, follow.” Bella started walking across the room and Jasmine followed her. When Bella stopped, Jasmine stopped.
John stared at the toy dog. “That’s pretty advanced technology for a nine-year-old’s birthday present.”
Bella grinned. “She poops, too.”
John looked at the remote control in his hands. Sure enough, what he presumed was a poop button was strategically placed at the bottom of the console. “How much did Jasmine cost, Bella?”
Even though they had a lot of money, he wanted Bella to appreciate life and work hard for what she wanted. She got pocket money each week, but she had a list of chores she needed to do to get it. John didn’t want her to grow up expecting life to come served on a silver plate. Or in this case, served to her friend with a battery-controlled remote.
“The lady in the store said it was the last one she had. It was the demo…demonstrating…the one that they show people. Jasmine had a broken leg, but Tank knew a man who could fix it. I didn’t think Poppy would mind if Jasmine had been to the robot doctor. She’s going to love her.” Bella looked worried. “Rachel thought it would be okay to give Poppy a dog. Jasmine’s not real and she doesn’t even need to poop because she only pretends to eat food.”
John looked into his daughter’s big brown eyes.
“Please, dad. It was only a few dollars over my limit. I told Rachel I would help Mrs. Daniels vacuum the house tomorrow and take the trash out twice. Tank said I could help him clean his truck.”
John was finding it hard to believe that the Labradoodle had cost only a few dollars more than Bella’s budget. Broken paw or not, the technology behind it should have made it retail for hundreds of dollars. Bella was waiting for him to say something.
He looked at the dog, then back at Bella. He felt guilty that he hadn’t gone to the mall with her. Guilty that he couldn’t spend more time with her each day.
He relaxed his face muscles and got rid of the frown that Bella thought was for her. “I think Poppy’s going to love her birthday present. It was a great choice.” He hugged Bella tight and thanked his lucky stars for Tank and Rachel. Bella had enjoyed her time with them and she didn’t think he was a jerk for staying at work. “What do you say about going to bed now?”
Bella picked the toy dog off the floor and flicked a black switch on its stomach. “Can you read me another chapter of my book?”
“Where are we up to?” He put the dog in its box and closed the lid.
Bella passed him her copy of Anne of Green Gables. “The last chapter. Why do you think Marilla was angry with John Blythe when she was younger? She really liked him.”
“I think she was trying to find her own happiness,” John said carefully.
“Just like us.” Bella got into bed and wiggled down until only her head appeared above her duvet. “I love you, dad.”
“I love you, too.” He sat beside Bella and opened her book to the last chapter.
As he started reading, he thought about the characters LM Montgomery had created. More than one hundred years after Anne of Green Gables had first been published, Bella was still able to connect with Anne and the ups and downs of her life.
