“Sammy, this is Albennie,” Lia said. “She’s going to show you your first exciting job of the morning. Measuring out ingredients.”
“Whatever,” Sammy muttered.
Albennie sent Lia a look, but Lia ignored the clear disapproval in it. Albennie was all talk anyway. She’d be nice and patient with Sammy, because that was who Albennie was under that tough outer shell.
A pair of softhearted women was what they were.Recipe for absolute disaster.
“Follow me, Sammy,” Albennie said, waving Sammy back into the kitchen.
Since Gard was still standing there, Lia stayed put. “You want a cup of coffee? To go,” she clarified quickly.
His mouth curved a little, like he knew that little tack on was because he made her…nervous.Ugh.
“No. Thanks.” His expression sobered. “Listen, I don’t suppose there’s any way you could keep her around until three?”
Lia frowned at him, and she had to actually tilt her head up a little. She was tall for a woman, so she wasn’t used to having to look up at people too often, but he wastall.
And built.
Notthe point of anything right now. “You want me to babysit? I thought you took the afternoon off to come by and pick her up.” He’d told her that when he’d called the bakery yesterday to confirm their plans.
“You’re the one who insisted she work here. Look…” There was something in his eyes then. Expression carefully blank, but something in those deep blue depths. She couldn’t have put a label on it, but it had all thatsoftbubbling up.
Oh, she was in some trouble.
Gard leaned forward, lowered his voice, and the fact her stomach jittered in ways it shouldnotonly verified trouble was in the offing.
“I just have to…” He trailed off like he wasn’t quite sure how much to give away. “I can’t trust Sammy on her own right now, and I have to… I have to make sure Sammy’s mom isn’t in more trouble than usual. I know you don’t owe her or me a damn thing, but you’re the one sticking your nose in and giving her a job. So, I figure this can’t be asking too much. Put her to work.”
“And if she wreaks havoc?”
Gard’s mouth quirked up on one side, a lot like he expected Sammy to do exactly that. “I’ll owe you one.”
How he made that seem…serious but also kind of flirty—which she wasnotresponding to—Lia wasn’t about to parse.
Lia crossed her arms over her chest and sighed gustily. “Fine.”
“Thanks. Really. I’ll owe you one anyway.” He glanced beyond the counter where Albennie had taken Sammy. Then that direct, blue gaze was back on Lia. “She’s a good kid. I know I’m biased, but sheis. She deserves some kind of break, and I don’t know how to give her one.”
That soft heart Albennie accused her of having fluttered, because it was just so clear hecared. And that was not something Lia had seen very much of. Particularly from the male species—in and out of a uniform.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Chapter Four
Gard’s first stop after he dropped Sammy off in Hope Town was to head to the sheriff’s department for roll call. Then he’d work half his shift before taking off at noon like he’d originally planned. Because he hadn’t canceled his afternoon off. He was going on a little recon mission.
Sure, Dani had likely fallen off the wagon, so to speak. Maybe she was hiding out because she was embarrassed. Maybe she was just “enjoying life” as she’d so often put it in the past. And maybe, he should justlet her, but he couldn’t. He had to know for sure, then make a decision with all the pertinent facts. Because Sammy needed alegalguardian if Dani wasn’t going to be around to be that.
At times, Gard had been that, so he knew what steps to take, but if this was just a little one-off, just a little…mistake on Dani’s part… He had to know for sure before he moved forward.
So, he was going to look into it. Just try to figure out where she might have gone. Even if it was to get high and ruin her life,again, at least he’d know she wasn’t just…dead in a ditch. Gone forever. Lost forever.
He shook off the worst-case scenarios. He saw plenty in his job, so he could hardly pretend they didn’t exist, but he didn’t need to reimagine old events in his professional life with his sister’s face on the victims.
On his way out of the building, he happened to pass by the detective bureau’s office and caught sight of Laurel sitting ather desk. The other two detectives, including his neighbor Hart, were not in there with her.
He shouldn’t do it. He should let this be, handle it himself if he was going to be pathetic, but… He poked his head in her office. “Detective. You got a minute?”
