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I scoff. He has a lot of nerve. “And then what happens when you leave town again? I mean, I’m assuming you’re not planning to stay here after you finish your business.”
“Then I’ll keep in touch with him.”
Shaking my head, I splay both hands on the bar in front of him. “No. Sorry, Jarred. You cannot see our son. He’s perfectly happy now, and meeting you will only confuse him. Especially when you leave again.”
Jarred leans closer to me. “You can’t keep me from my son.”
I’m not going to let him intimidate me. I lean closer to him until our faces are only inches apart. “Yes, I can.”
Jarred smirks, and I want to punch the smug look right off his face. Instead, I hold my ground and don’t break eye contact with him. If he thinks he can just stroll back into town and get whatever he wants, he’s sadly mistaken.
He finally sits back on his stool, crossing his arms once again. “Okay, we’ll see about that.” I stand up straight as he gets out of his seat. “I’ll see you around, Shawna,” he says before walking toward the exit to leave.
I watch him walk out the door, then I stand there for a moment in shock. Did that really just happen? Jarred reappeared after seven years and wants to see Noah. No fucking way. Over my dead body will Noah meet his low-life father.
“Hey, boss, you okay?” asks Kyle, one of my bartenders, pulling me out of my reverie.
Forcing a smile, I reply, “Yeah, sorry, I’m fine. I’m heading home now.”
“Okay. Have a good night!”
“Thanks, Kyle. You, too.”
I drive home in a daze. I should’ve called the police. They could’ve come to the bar and arrested Jarred there on the spot. Now, I have no idea where he is. What would I even tell the police if I called them? Fuck.
When I walk in the door, I can smell the dinner Mom’s cooking wafting from the kitchen. I walk to the back of the house and find her putting a salad together and Noah playing in the family room while watching TV.
“Mom!” Noah says as he jumps up to give me a hug.
“Hi, buddy. How was your day?” I ask, trying to act completely normal despite feeling on edge.
“It was fine,” he says as he goes back to his toys on the floor.
I turn my attention to Mom. “How about you? Did you have a good day?”
“Yeah, it was good. I got some paperwork done, and I put in that order of liquor you asked for.”
“Oh, thanks,” I reply. I’m grateful to have Mom’s help with the business. She’s always ordered the supplies for the bar ever since Dad was alive, and I wouldn’t have a clue how to do it all.
“Is something wrong?” she asks. “You seem on edge.”
I raise my eyebrows, surprised she caught onto how I’m feeling. I glance at Noah, playing happily on the floor, then I move to the other side of the kitchen, farther away from him so he can’t hear. Mom follows me, and I talk low. “Jarred showed up in the bar before I left.”
Mom’s hand flies to her mouth. “What? Did you call the police?”
I shake my head. “No, but I talked to him. He wants to see Noah while he’s here.”
Mom’s eyes get bigger, and she shakes her head. “No. He can’t.”
“That’s what I told him.”
“We need to call the police,” Mom continues. “If he’s a wanted man, we have to turn him in.”
“I don’t know where he went, though,” I say, mentally kicking myself for not calling the police in the first place.
“Still. You need to alert the police that he’s in Port Townsend. They can look for him.”
Nodding, I glance over at Noah, still playing and watching TV. He has no idea what we’re discussing. He’s oblivious to the fact his father is back in town, wanting to see him. Hopefully, he’ll never know. This won’t end well if Jarred gets his way.
I look back at Mom. “I’m going to go outside to call the police. That way, Noah won’t hear me.”
“That’s a good idea. Go ahead, and I’ll watch him in here.”
I turn to head outside and make the phone call. Hopefully, they have the means to find him quickly. I shouldn’t have blocked and deleted Nate’s number last night. I should be calling him right now, not the police.
Fuck.
