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“Not your fault.” Her lips lifted into a smile. “I didn’t expect him to help, but I can tell you really want to. Thank you, Jamie.”
Relief swept over me like a warm breeze on a spring night. “Yeah, you’re welcome, Madds. Feel like some ice cream?”
She smiled as her shoulders relaxed. “I could go for a frozen Bailey’s.”
“Let’s go.” I’d find another way to help her find her sister. I had to.
CHAPTER NINE
Madison
A knock sounded at my door, and I looked up to find Cal standing there with Ava Rose in his arms, a sheepish smile on his face. “You coming down for dinner?”
I nodded, feeling exhausted and out of sorts. “Yeah, I just need to finish up a few things, and then I’ll be down. You need help?”
He turned to Ava Rose’s sleeping form, her little fist tight around the fabric of his t-shirt and smiled. “Nah, I got her. Just checking in on you and making sure, you know, that we’re good.”
“We’re good, Cal. I promise.”
“All right, see you down there.” He sighed heavily before walking away as if he didn’t want to go down for Sunday dinner any more than I did.
Ten minutes later, I entered the dining room where everyone else had already gathered. Everyone but Bonnie that is, and her chair was conspicuously missing. Weird.
“Glad you could join us.” Sadie’s tone was even enough, but that knowing look she sent left me feeling even more unsettled.
“Sorry, I’m late. There was a problem with gate entry for one of the girls’ appointments, and I figured that was more important.” I kept my tone even, but however subtle, over time, the point had been made that this was a family dinner, and I wasn’t family, at least not by my definition of the word.
“Good thinking,” Jasper said, either because he believed it or to diffuse the budding tension as Sadie and I stared each other down. “Have a seat,” he added, “I’m hungry as fuck.”
I sat at the far end of the table beside Kat and Terry and across from Vanessa and Emmett. They had only recently started coming to Sunday dinner regularly. I wondered if it was because Sadie felt guilty about Lance’s death.
Hah! Sadie didn’t feel guilty about anything.
I kept my mouth shut while the dishes went around the table, taking a little bit of corned beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, and of course, sourdough bread. Sunday dinner at Ashby Manor was always a feast and the main reason I didn’t find something else to do on Sunday evenings.
Dinner with the Ashby family was a hell of a lot better than the lonely dinners I’d had in San Bernardino after Molly left for greener pastures. But lately, these meals made me realize that the more shit changed, the more it actually stayed the same.
My bedroom was nicer, and my bank account had a higher balance than it used to, but nothing else had changed. Well, my location changed.
“Any word on who’s handling Bonnie’s investigation?” Frustration threaded through Cal’s voice, but it started a family conversation I didn’t really care about.
“Metro. Glitz doesn’t have the manpower or experience to handle it,” Jasper said, his gaze trained on Cal’s. I guessed he was looking for any hint of–hell I didn’t know what–only that he was studying his brother like he had him under a microscope. “But I’ve seen more than a few Feds crawling around Vegas this week.”
Since I didn’t care much about this part of the Ashby business, I pulled my phone out and texted Jameson.
Madison: How’s cop life? Busted any bad guys this week?
His reply came immediately, and I grinned.
Jameson: No bad guys, but a few public drunks and college kids fighting. Exciting, right?
I rolled my eyes and shoved a big hunk of corned beef in my mouth.
Madison: Sounds like you’re living the dream. Did you at least get to slide across the hood of your patrol car yet?
Jameson: Sadly, no reason to do it yet.
Madison: Bummer, I shot back with a sad face emoji.
Jameson: Right?
Talking to Jamie, even through text, was exactly what I needed after another week of no progress in finding Molly, Cal’s attempt at a kiss, and all the tension building around this big ass house.
Madison: Maybe next week?
Jameson: Fingers crossed, he replied with half a dozen fingers crossed emojis.
“What’s going on with you?” Sadie’s sharp tone cut through my thoughts, and my smile faded as I looked up. Oops. Sadie was talking to me.
I blinked innocently, but I had no idea what she was talking about. “Nothing. Why?”
“You’re quiet and clearly that phone is more interesting than family dinner.”
“The dinner is delicious,” I assured her. “But the rest of this,” I motioned around the table to all the family members gathered and sighed, “isn’t really my business. Is it?”
She gave a short, displeased nod at my words. “I suppose not, but that doesn’t answer my question. What’s going on with you, Madison?”
