Page 1 of Found in Wild Sage

CHAPTER ONE

Evie

These hands might be the death of me.

I can hardly take a sip of coffee without it sloshing over the side of my mug. Granted, it’s not anywhere near warm. But I can’t stop the shaking—can’t control it ever since I met with my lawyer this morning.

I can’t make them. Usually, I breathe through panic. Usually, I pull myself together when I’m at work, so it feels like I’m at least a little competent and not a snowballing mess at all times.

But the news Davis gave me? I’ve been dreading it, a crawl of worry now sprinting straight for me.

My ex, who is out of jail early on good behavior, is filing for custody of our son.

This isn’t, in itself, what has me feeling like I may lose the half a peanut butter and jelly I choked down minutes ago after meeting at the law office. I’ve known my ex wants custody of Charlie for three months.

I’ve hoped the reality of our situation would win out.

He’s fresh out of jail after kidnapping not only me, but also America’s sweetheart and internationally renowned movie star Jack McKean. Yes, he convinced the judge he did this under duress because he had an incredible lawyer, but still. That should disqualify him, shouldn’t it?

It’s what I hoped and prayed and willed the result to be.

Today, Davis dumped the truth over my head in the nicest way possible.

“I’m sorry, Evie. I hate to say it, but he’s got a case.”

It doesn’t mean he’ll win. Of course it doesn’t. But the fact that he can even bring the claim at all is alarming.

Davis used phrases like long shot and unlikely and odds are against him, but all I heard was, “he’s got a case.” Even if everything else applies, the pit of dread threatening to swallow me up says I will take this seriously.

I should call Jack and let him know—my former boss and all-around good guy turned friend would help in a heartbeat, but he’d insist on hiring his lawyer to fight this, and I don’t want that. I trust Davis. He’s a good man and he knows our case because he dealt with all of it when I needed him about fifteen months ago just after I arrived in Juniper View.

The clinic office is quiet today. There’s no one in the cheery waiting room with teal industrial-cushioned chairs and a pleasant landscape photo on the wall behind. No kids to race the wooden train along the tracks or flip through Highlights magazines while they wait to see the doctors.

Only a week ago, it was nonstop with school and sports physicals. No time to worry or think.

But here we are… dead as my hope for a simple custody battle.

I wish it were packed so I could focus on scheduling and pulling patient charts instead of experiencing the full-body nervous system response grabbing hold of me now. I’m sweating, or shivering, or both. I’m a heartbeat of silence with my thoughts away from the mouth-watering sensation that harkens losing one’s lunch.

Can’t a girl get a round of Norovirus or a quick, mild strain of the flu at the elementary school? Where’s the annual back-to-school bug? Though it’s a touch early for that since school hasn’t started up quite yet.

What a sick thought. Clearly, I’m not at my best.

Dr. Ryan walks out from the back into the office, a folder in his hand, jerking me out of my dark thoughts.

Despite the nerves and nonsense roiling around in my head, my stomach still swoops low when our eyes meet as he glances up.

So I still have it in me for some nonsense. Good to know.

I set my mug of now-cold coffee down before I end up spilling it all over my keyboard. I probably shouldn’t be drinking caffeine except I feel utterly exhausted on top of the anxious energy.

“Is Charlie okay?” Dr. Ryan speaks with hardly any inflection, though his face features a furrow between his dark brows.

I’m hiding my angst perfectly well if he’s asking—super.

I don’t want to worry Declan—Dr. Ryan—so I rush to make sure he knows. “He’s fine, yeah.” I meet his stunningly blue eyes again and paste a smile on.

His gaze narrows. “What’s wrong?”