31. Sarah
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
sarah
Every day over the next week was full of taking the boys to school, going to work, worrying about all of the things happening around me, and being coddled in the best way possible by two very hot men.
The cold had ended up skipping us, which meant our little town had raided the grocery store for nothing. But, it was good for business, and all of my shifts passed by quickly. The new shoes helped too.
I felt re-energized. Even though David was in town and that scared the hell out of me, I wasn’t alone.
I leaned over the kitchen counter and read through the recipe I’d written out. It was based on one Honey had given me long ago, but I’d made some adjustments. I was off today and had decided I’d spend the morning baking and trying out something new before my date this evening.
Honey bullied me (with love) into taking another night away from Davy and Jake. It had been too long since she’d had her grandsons for a sleepover. Now that we’d worked through our feelings, I was relieved to have her more in my life again. She had yet to pry about Sammy and Colt, but the smirk on her face when they were mentioned told me she approved.
It was hard to accept help, but I was slowly learning to trust those around me when they offered to help. For ten years, my default was to handle everything on my own. It had felt like a weakness to ask for assistance, but I was coming to realize that it wasn’t.
So, I’d bake something new, use my family as tastebud guinea pigs, and take my kids to Honey—and then see Sammy and Colt.
My date with Sammy earlier this week had just been us kissing in the car, so I was ready to spend more time with him.
Paws clicked on the hardwood. I looked up as Donnie came into the kitchen, his butt wiggling once he spotted me. I knelt down to pet him as Emma came in too, dressed in a suit and heels.
My brows shot up. “Okay, you look stunning. Who are you conquering today?”
She grinned ruthlessly. Her lips were painted bright red, the exact color of her heels. “I’m going on a date.”
“A date ?”
“Yep.”
“With who?”
“This guy I met at the grocery store. Which is not exactly how I pictured picking up hot guys, but this is a small town, so I’ll take what I can get.”
I snorted. “I have a hard time believing it. What’s his name?”
“Kyle,” she said. “He’s hot. We’re having lunch.”
I didn’t know a Kyle. I crossed my arms as she poured a glass of water and downed it. I wasn’t sure if I should pry more or not. Part of me really wanted to, but I didn’t want her to think I was unsupportive.
But also—unless Kyle was Superman, I doubted a Citrus Cove man could handle the raw power pouring off her.
A knock echoed from the front door and she held up a hand before I could move past her.
“I got it. I can answer the door from here on out.”
I sighed. “Emma, I can still answer the door.”
She was already leaving the kitchen. I heard the door open and a terse voice, followed by a grumble, and Emma’s snappy tone.
She came back into the kitchen with Hunter Harlow in tow, his eyes aflame. Seeing the two of them next to each other could have been the perfect picture of irony. He was wearing a backwards baseball cap, sweater, jeans, and boots that had been through the mud. Meanwhile, not a single hair was out of place on Emma’s head.
“You look like you’re about to take over the world,” Hunter muttered. “Who are you going to stab with those heels?”
“You?” Emma said sweetly.
I snorted and glanced at Donnie. He didn’t hate Hunter Harlow the same way Emma did. He sat, his tongue lolling out as he watched the three of us.
I pulled a bowl down as I spoke. “Hunter, what are you doing here?”
Emma crossed her arms. “He claims he’s here to add more cameras around the house and to fix the one on the porch since it failed. I think we should maybe get a professional to do it instead of Mr. Handy Hillbilly.”
Hunter’s jaw stiffened. “I don’t know how you live with her.”
“I live well with her,” I said defensively. “But Emma, Hunter is good with this stuff. He’ll get everything secure.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
“See, maybe you can be nice to others,” Hunter gritted out. “Instead of acting like a bratty only child.”
My heart immediately skipped a beat. Emma’s eyes darkened and her body language stiffened, but it was so subtle that Hunter didn’t catch it. But, I sure as hell did. A flare of temper creeped up my spine.
“I’m off to my date,” she said. “Good fucking luck.”
“Emma,” I said softly, but she was already out the front door.
Hunter crossed his arms and then relaxed. I shook my head at him and grabbed my wooden spoon, pointing it at him.
“That was mean,” I said. “And I didn’t think you could be like that.”
His lips parted in surprise. “I was teasing her.”
“No,” I said firmly. “That wasn’t teasing. You have no idea who Emma is and instead of making any effort, you’re constantly a dick. Emma was not always an only child, but she is now.”
His eyes widened. “Oh. Fuck.”
I continued to wave the spoon at him like I had countless times when I’d scolded my own boys. “Emma is the only reason I’ve remained sane for the last year, so I’d appreciate it if you stopped being a complete asshole, especially in my house. I’m happy to have you make sure the cameras are working and that we’re safe, but Emma is part of our family.”
He swallowed hard, his cheeks turning red. “Dammit,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, Sarah. I didn’t know that about Emma.”
“Don’t apologize to me,” I said.
He took a breath and held it for a moment before releasing, his shoulders deflating. “Something about her drives me insane. She gets under my skin so easily.”
“I don’t care,” I said. “I like you a lot. And I like your brother even more. But I will kick you out of my house next time you’re an asshole to her.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, wincing. He leaned against the fridge as I started to get the ingredients I needed out of the cabinets. “Whatcha making?”
“Muffins. I’m trying out something new. I’ll give you some if you can get it all working properly. Do you think someone could have tampered with the camera?”
“I think so,” he said. “Otherwise, the one on the front porch should have worked fine. We have Emma’s word that David showed up, but the fact that we don’t have it on camera is frustrating. I’m sorry, Sarah. I know it’s been a lot and it’s scary. I’ve scoured the whole fucking town for him.”
“It is scary,” I sighed. “But Colt and Sammy have been keeping me company.”
“Yeah. Makes me feel better, honestly.”
“Has there been any more information on Sammy’s apartment?” I asked. “Since you know everything.”
He chuckled. “Maybe not everything. But as far as I can tell, that woman left town. There was a room checked out under a fake name at the Citrus Cove Motel and they left the day Sammy’s apartment was broken into. Part of me wants to think it was a coincidence.”
“And the other part of you?”
He pressed his lips together and rubbed his jaw. “I don’t know. I have to wonder if David is somehow related to it all.”
“David? Why would he break into Sammy’s apartment?”
“Well, if he’s obsessing over you…”
I hadn’t thought about that. I crossed my arms and leaned against the counter, looking out the window above the breakfast table. The idea that Sammy and Colt could be in danger didn’t sit well with me.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Hunter said. “But this isn’t your fault, Sarah. He’s not a good person.”
“I worry that he might try to hurt Sammy or Colt.”
“And we all worry he might try to do something to you and the boys. And Emma.” He shrugged. “We’re in this together. I know I missed some of what happened last year by being gone, but I’m here to help. And I’ll do whatever I can for my brother and Colt, and for all of you too.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“I’ve got to say this, Sarah. I’ve never seen either one of them like this, especially Sammy. I mean, we’ve all known Colt has loved you for years. But Sammy has never been with anyone he cared about like this. Hell, the only reason my mom isn’t already on your doorstep making wedding plans is because Cam keeps taunting her with grandchildren.”
I grinned. “I need to go see her at some point. Are they okay with… the three of us?”
Hunter smiled gently. “I don’t see why not. I’m too possessive to ever share the person I love with someone else, but the three of you seem to be making it work. If anyone can make it happen, you can. And I think you deserve all the love. Mom and Pops will see that.”
My eyes prickled with tears. “This is the part of you I wish you’d let Emma know.”
He shook his head. “She wants nothing to do with me and never will. Not after...”
Hunter trailed off and I narrowed my gaze on him like a hawk. “Not after what ?”
His cheeks turned red. “Nothing. I’m going to get the cameras set up.”
“Hunter Harlow,” I said, picking up my spoon again.
He made a zip and lock motion with his hand and lips and glided past me. I shook my head. I was tempted to text Haley and ask what she knew about whatever the hell that was, but I also needed to get baking.
I decided to put a pin in it as the sound of power tools hummed through the house. I pulled out the rest of my ingredients and got started on making the batter. I was taking the pumpkin bread recipe I’d perfected and turning it into a muffin, but I wanted to add a crumble top.
Maybe it was stupid to entertain the idea of having my own bakery, but I found myself thinking about it again. Could I even find the time for that between raising two boys and dating two men?
The next couple of hours passed quickly as I baked. I got lost in the process, all of my stress melting. By the time Hunter was almost done with the cameras, a delicious pumpkin scent wafted through the warm kitchen.
As I pulled the trays out of the oven and placed them on the stove top, I glanced at the clock.
“Shoot,” I mumbled.
It was time to get ready. I made sure everything was turned off and ran upstairs to change. I decided I wanted to dress a little sexier tonight, and would have opted to wear something underneath that was outside of my norm too, but I didn’t own any lingerie.
But, it felt good to look sexy. I couldn’t think of a time before dating Colt and Sammy where I’d had the chance to.
I slipped on a black bra, black panties, and a snug sweater dress. I dug knee-high boots out of the closet and pulled them on, studying myself in the mirror.
Well, it would have to do. The dress hugged me a little more than I would have liked, but I felt good.
I went back downstairs and stopped in the kitchen doorway.
Hunter was mid-bite into a muffin, making eye contact with me.
“These are really fucking good,” he said, crumbs falling into the floor. “I’ll pick those up.”
I stifled a laugh. “Good enough to buy?”
“Hell yeah,” he said. “I’d buy them.”
I smirked. “Good to know. You can take a couple more, but the rest I'm taking to Sammy and Colt.”
“Lucky bastards,” he sighed.
A knock at the door made my stomach squeeze. Hunter was already moving as I opened the door.
The sheriff, Bud, stood there with a grimace, another officer by his side. “Hey, Sarah. Hunter. We need to talk to you if you have a moment.”
“What happened?” I breathed out.
“Well. It seems that David Connor is missing.”
Missing??
“Do you want me to call Colt and Sammy? Actually, nevermind, I’m already texting them,” Hunter said behind me.
My pulse raced. How could David possibly be missing?
All I could do was nod and step aside to let them in. I sat down on the couch across from Bud and the other officer, who was named Tammy. Hunter stood behind the couch, his arms crossed.
“If we could talk to her alone…” Bud trailed off, giving Hunter a pleading look.
“Nope. Her boyfriends are on the way too, so better get going before you have a full house.”
My cheeks turned bright red.
Tammy cleared her throat. “We need to know where you were Sunday.”
“I was here at home,” I said. “I worked an early shift and got off around six o’clock. I came home, made dinner for Emma and the boys, then went to sleep.”
“Can we talk to the boys and?—”
“This is absurd,” Hunter interjected.
Bud sighed. “We just have to check. Neither one of us thinks Sarah had anything to do with this. But with all the trouble recently, things are tense.”
“You can ask Emma,” I said. “But not my boys. They need to stay out of this. They’ve been affected enough by all that has happened. They need normalcy, Bud.”
Tammy and Bud nodded. “Alright,” Tammy said, making notes.
“Why do you think David is missing?” I asked.
“We found the car he’s been driving. It turns out he exchanged his truck with a man named Ron, who owned a small gray Toyota. He’s been staying in a motel south of Austin. He checked in Saturday night at a new place, but didn’t check out when he was supposed to. He’s just gone. We’re trying to find him.”
“Oh.” My shoulders sank.
“I’m sorry to ask, Sarah, but did you make something with pumpkin?” Bud asked.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Hunter asked.
“Nothing. It just smells good…”
“Oh for Christ’s sake.”
“They can have a muffin, I guess,” I said, looking up at Hunter.
“At least make them pay for it,” he mumbled, heading for the kitchen.
Bud sighed. “I’m sorry to add more stress. After what happened to your sister, it would be understandable if…”
I raised a brow. “If what ?”
Tammy and Bud looked at each other and I shook my head. Was I understanding what they were insinuating? That I had anything to do with David’s disappearance?
Fury came hard and fast. “You know what? No. No muffins for either one of you. You know where I was Sunday, so you can leave. If you’re insinuating what I think you are, you need to get out.”
“We have to cover our bases,” Tammy said.
“I would never harm someone,” I said, standing up. “That’s not who I am or who I’ve ever been. Bud, you’ve known me since I was a damn teen. You know I would never hurt someone.”
Bud winced and stood up too.
“I’ve got the muffins,” Hunter said, coming back to the living room.
“No muffins for them.”
“Oh. Perfect.” Hunter bit into the top of one, mean-mugging them both as I ushered them to the door.
“If you have any real questions, just call me to the station,” I said. “You have my number.”
I opened the door right as Colt and Sammy came up the steps. Bud and Tammy stepped past them.
“We need to interview them too, Bud,” Tammy sighed.
“Interview us for what?” Colt asked.
“David is missing,” I said. “They insinuated I killed him.”
“Now, Sarah,” Bud protested. “We just have to check all our boxes. That’s our job.”
“Don’t fucking ‘Now, Sarah’ her,” Sammy snapped, glowering. “Really, Bud? After all the shit that has happened? What night do you need to know about?”
“Sunday night,” Tammy said tensely.
“I was fucking Colt that night,” Sammy said.
Both of their mouths fell open and I stifled the giggle that bubbled up.
“Any more questions?” Colt asked sweetly.
“Nope. We’ll let you know if we hear anything else.”
I wasn’t sure if I’d ever seen Bud move so fast. We watched them get into the cruiser and drive off. And of course, some of the neighbors were eyeing us from their houses.
“Is that Rachel Jackson using her vacuum on the lawn?” Hunter asked with a mouthful of muffin.
We all looked at the woman on her lawn three houses down watching us as discreetly as she could.
“For fuck’s sake,” I sighed. “One of you might as well kiss me.”
Sammy grinned and grabbed me, planting a kiss on my lips. Then he handed me off to Colt, who did the same. I laughed as he released me and held up my middle finger as the two of them kissed.
“My god, Citrus Cove will explode,” Hunter said. “Also, my poor eyes. I’m going back inside.”
The three of us followed him and I sighed, plopping down on the couch.
David was missing.
Good riddance was my first reaction. The second was— why ?
“How are you feeling?” Colt asked, sitting next to me.
Sammy winked at us and went to talk to Hunter in the kitchen. I leaned against Colt and stared at the wall.
“I don’t know. If they found him dead, it would solve a lot of problems. But I don’t want that, I just want him out of my life.”
Colt nodded, running his fingers through my hair. He kissed the top of my head. “I’m sorry. My gut reaction was that I was glad, but…”
I nodded. “It’s just concerning.”
“I can swing by and try to get more information… ”
“No, I think it would be better not to… I’d rather think about our date tonight. Honey has the boys.”
“Oh, I know. I’m ready for our date too.”
“Let’s kick Hunter out, grab some muffins, and go to your house.”
“Sounds like a plan, sugar.”