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I will.
She moved to Nancy Royce’s front window so that she could keep an eye on her car. She’d set the alarm, but a skilled operator could slip a tracker in a hubcap without setting it off.
Drawing a breath, she found her old boss in her contacts list. It was his personal cell, not the office phone. I should have kept in touch. But he wouldn’t be upset. He’d understood why she’d fled town three years before.
She tapped his name and held her breath, waiting for the call to connect.
“Thatcher,” he answered.
“Hi, Steven. This is Molly Sutton.”
She could hear the creak of his chair and pictured him leaning back as he always did.
“Well, well,” he said, warmth in his voice. “How the hell are you guys?”
“I’m okay. Chelsea and Harper are doing well. And you and yours?”
“Jenna’s great, as are the kids. Nicky’s headed off for college in a few weeks and Jenna’s already crying.”
Molly smiled. That sounded like Jenna. “Where’s he off to?”
“Duke, so he’s close enough to come home for supper sometimes. Seth is about to start middle school and has a girlfriend. That’s fun.” Clearly it was not fun. “Matt’s finishing his final tour in Iraq and will be coming home soon, which will be a huge relief. And Aunt Helen is still traveling. She’s in Egypt, having the time of her life.”
Molly missed them all. “And Brad?”
Steven hesitated. “He’s... engaged.”
She understood his hesitation, but there was no need. “I’m so happy for him.” And she was. “You know we were better as friends. I think we put off breaking up because we didn’t want to disappoint you guys.” And because she hadn’t wanted to give them up. Luckily Steven’s oldest son was as generous as his father. He’d understood that she’d fallen for his family, maybe more so than she’d cared for him. “Tell him that I can’t wait to meet her.”
“I will. We miss you. Maybe take a few days’ vacation and come see us.”
“I will. But now’s not the best time.”
“Okay. I’m guessing you didn’t call to catch up. What’s going on?”
She explained the situation, glossing over some of the details. “So I think this may have been a ploy to get me up there to take me out.”
“Assholes,” he grumbled. “So, you want us to check it out on the down-low, no records, and maybe we’ll get shot at. That about sum it up?”
She winced. “Yep. You can say no.”
“As if I would. I’ll do it myself. It’ll be good training for my newbie. I’ll let you know what we find. Be careful, Molly. You’re important to a lot of people.”
She swallowed hard. She’d loved her job with the North Carolina SBI. Loved her work family. Had hated to leave. “Miss you.”
“Likewise. You’ll always have a place here, but I get why you left. Next time, call me to shoot the breeze, okay?”
She smiled. “Yes, sir.”
She ended the call and nearly squeaked when Gabe moved in behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “You okay?”
She looked over her shoulder. “I’m fine. Is the water off?”
“Yep. Just waiting on Mrs. Royce to finish packing her suitcase.” He looked uncomfortable. “Can I ask who Brad is?”
“Yes. He’s an old boyfriend—the one before Jake’s best friend. Brad’s the son of my old boss. He’s also with the SBI, and we met when I was assigned to a team in Charlotte. We decided that we weren’t cut out for romance and we parted as friends. He’s getting married.”
Gabe visibly relaxed. “Thank you for telling me. So your old boss is going to help?”
