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“I’m listenin’.”
“Do you know a girl named Molly? I heard she worked here, or she used to.”
“Molly? Yeah, she picks up some shifts, but not as many as she used to. She ain’t in no kind of trouble, is she?”
“Nope. Well I mean, not that I know of. She’s my sister, and I’ve been looking all over for her.”
The woman smiled. “I’ll let her know you’re looking for her when she comes back if you want me to.”
I pulled my little notebook out of my purse and scribbled down my number and handed it to the woman. She stuck it in her apron pocket.
“I’ll see that she gets this. I’ll be back with your order.”
The older woman sauntered off and I smiled once again, knowing I was so damn close to Molly even if I couldn’t see her. Not yet.
Too bad I didn’t know where she lived or who she lived with because then I could finish these delicious damn chili fries and keep looking. But the diner was my first and last line of inquiry. I called her old number three or four times, but it wasn’t her number any longer. Instead, it now belonged to some kid named Logan, probably a college boy with more money than brains.
I let out a long sigh. “It was worth a shot, I guess.”
I paid the bill, leaving a healthy tip for the busty old waitress, and headed back to my car, debating whether to drive around to see if she’d show up just as my phone rang.
“Hey, Cal, what’s up?”
“I need you to come home, Maddie.”
“What?” I looked around the tiny desert town just off the highway and gave a sad sigh even though Cal couldn’t see me.
“Why? Are you okay? Is it Ava?”
“I don’t want to talk about it over the phone. Can you please come home?” He sounded desperate.
“Okay, but I’m not even close to Glitz. I’m up here tracking down the info you gave me on Molly. I’d planned on waiting until the shift change to see if I could catch up with her. It’ll take me at least an hour and a half to get back.”
“I know Molly’s important, but I need you now. Just get here as soon as you can and be safe about it. I’ll wait.”
The call ended, and I sat behind the steering wheel, staring in shock at the black screen.
What in the hell was that all about?
The cruise home wasn’t a quick drive, but I made good time, and by the time I strolled up the steps into Cal’s suite of rooms, he was totally on edge.
“Maddie, thanks for coming home. I really appreciate it. Can you watch Ava for me?”
His hands gripped my shoulders tight, but it wasn’t painful, and the dude was seriously wound up like an old watch.
“You know I can watch her, but I need you to tell me what’s going on, Cal. You’re starting to worry me.”
“Don’t worry about me, Maddie. I can handle myself, and I will. Promise.”
“Okay. Fine. Go do whatever secret mission you’re on, and I’ll take care of your baby girl.”
“Just you, Maddie. No one else but you. You’re the only one I trust.”
He was dead serious about that and I nodded to assure him I wouldn’t let him down.
“Just me. Nobody else. Got it.”
I had so many damn questions but I didn’t ask any of them because I’d never seen Cal like that before. He didn’t even ask me about Molly. There would be plenty of time for all that later.
I hoped.
After bathing the baby, I settled in, propped her up on the floor, and then settled myself down next to her.
“All right, Ava the no-longer-stinky Rose, what would you like to do now that you’re fresh and clean?” I held her up and she kicked those chubby little legs as if she was going somewhere. “I know, plush puzzle fun!”
“Agghh! Ggaaggh!”
“Exactly,” I said, laughing. “Same thing I was thinking of, right?”
We sat on the floor for a while, and I watched with a smile at just how strong the little girl was these days. She could pull herself up with her own weight; she could sit up straight with almost no help, and her favorite activity lately, was to kick things over with her feet like a curious little kitten.
“Maddie, there you are! Damn, girl, I’ve been looking all over the place for you.” Maisie breezed in wearing a wide smile, her lips still a shock of red from her hours at the casino.
“Hey, Maze, what’s up?”
“Just checking on you. How are you? What’s been going on with you? I feel like we haven’t spoken in forever.”
“Not much, just working and keeping an eye on this little angel when I’m needed. How’s married life treating you?”
Her cheeks pinkened instantly.
“Wonderful. Or maybe it’s not wonderful and maybe I’m just drunk off all the little ways Virgil continues to romance me. Married life, I highly recommend it. Five stars.”
