3. Missy
Missy
I blink gritty eyes open to sunlight streaming through the blinds. My heart is beating fast, and my breathing is ragged. An overwhelming sense that something is wrong has me on my feet in an instant.
I glance down at the car seat, where Daisy is sleeping peacefully. She had a rough night with her teething, and I was jumping at every noise. We were quite a pair. It wasn’t until dawn that she went to sleep in her car seat. Sometimes, she won’t sleep in her crib, no matter what I do.
Once she was peaceful, I collapsed in exhaustion. I slept in the faded armchair in the corner of the bedroom, with Daisy on the floor in her seat.
There’s a scrape on the front porch. It sounds like something metallic is being dragged along the concrete slab, and I realize that’s what woke me.
Someone is here.
I grab the baseball bat I keep nearby and ease toward the front of the house. I’m careful to avoid that one spot in the laminate flooring that always creaks. Swinging the door open, I’m faced with the view of a ladder, and blue jeans. My gaze travels higher as I tighten my hold on the baseball bat.
The fear recedes the moment I look into Griffin’s face. He’s not my past come back to haunt me. He’s on my front porch on a ladder.
“What are you doing here?” I demand, my voice croaky from lack of sleep and too many late-night lullabies.
He holds up his hands. “Careful there, slugger. I’m installing some cameras.”
I glare at him, wondering if my landlord is going to charge me for what Griffin is doing. My lease said I would make no changes to the property. “Who said you could do that?”
He climbs down the ladder and scratches the beard on his face. It’s so wiry and bushy. I wonder what it would feel like underneath my fingertips or against my skin. Nope, I can’t be thinking like that. The lack of sleep must be getting to me.
He gestures to the security camera that’s dangling by the wires. “Hale Evans told me to do this. He owns the property.”
I cross my arms over my chest, all too aware that I’m in a skimpy T-shirt and my underwear in front of this rugged cowboy. “Why?”
“Haven’t you heard? The raccoons around these parts are vicious.” The slight tilt of his lips lets me know he’s teasing. He nods to the camera. “After this, I’m headed to work. I have to drive right by the diner on my way. If you’d like a ride.”
The thought of not having to walk to work while juggling the car seat and diaper bag is a relief. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
He shrugs like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “When I offered the other day, it was a round trip.”
I fight to hide a smile as a warm glow fills me. He’s kind and hot, a nearly irresistible combination. “Give me a few minutes.”
“Take your time. I still have to get the system online.”
I hurry through my morning routine because I don’t want to keep Griffin waiting. Not because I secretly want to spend as much time with him as possible.
When I climb into Griffin’s truck half an hour later, I glance back at Daisy. She’s drooling on the teething toy I gave her.
“You look beautiful today,” he says as he starts the engine.
My face warms. Other than Daisy’s father, I’ve never been with anyone.
Brent was a guy I only dated for a few weeks, and we slept together once.
I guess that first time was enough because nine months later, my baby girl arrived.
Not that I’m complaining. Daisy is the best thing that ever happened to me.
I can’t let her grow up in foster care the way I did.
I want her to have a stable life filled with all the love and nurturing I missed out on.
Griffin passes me a bag with a logo on it for Courage Cookies. I’ve heard of Haley Taylor’s bakery, but since I’m trying to stretch every penny as far as it will go, I haven’t stopped there yet. He taps a coffee cup in the holder. “You had a long night. Figured you could use a pick-me-up.”
I wonder how he knows it was a long night. I open the bag and inhale the freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. It’s larger than my hand. I break off a tiny piece and nibble on it. “Is the exhaustion that evident?”
“Looks like someone is teething,” he answers as he turns onto the road into town. I don’t like being by myself at the edge of town. I chose to rent the house because it has three easy exit points. If I need to grab Daisy and run, I can do that.
The warm cookie melts in my mouth, the texture light and airy. I wash it down with a sip of sweet coffee, thankful that he bought me breakfast. “Do you have any kids?”
“Nope, been waiting for the right girl.”
I don’t know why the thought makes me sad.
Probably because I know the right girl won’t be me, which is crazy.
He asked me out, and I turned him down. He doesn’t need to get involved with my complicated world, and I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about dating a cop. “She’s the best part of my life.”
“Seems like you’re alone. Are her grandparents around?” He glances away from the road to look at me.
“No, I was a foster kid. I was on my own by eighteen. It wasn’t all bad.
I have a best friend.” I pause and swallow.
I’m still so angry and yet my anger wars with my grief.
If she were alive, I’d yell at her. I’d scream about the stupid things she’d done that destroyed both of our lives. “I had a best friend. She passed away.”
He covers my hand with his. “I’m sorry.”
His big, rough hand is gentle against mine. It sends tingles down my arm to have him touching me. I wonder if he touched me in other ways if I would feel this tingly.
I can’t be thinking about him touching me right now. I definitely can’t have him looking into Shelley. If he does, he might connect the dots. “Do you have family nearby other than your aunt?”
He pulls into the parking lot of Ernie’s Diner.
Lorna’s sky-blue Mustang is already in the parking lot, which means they’re both here.
They always seem to be together, to be so in sync with each other.
I wonder what it’s like to have that with another person.
To be with a man you can always count on to have your back.
“We’re here,” he announces rather than answer my question.
“Thanks for the coffee and the cookie.” I reach into the diaper bag and try to find my last five-dollar bill. I was saving that for gas money, but it doesn’t matter anymore. The repair will probably be more than I can afford.
He puts a hand on my shoulder before I can give him the crumpled bill. “I don’t want your money. Maybe you’ve never had a good man in your life, so let’s get one thing crystal clear: I spoil you , not the other way around.”
Before I can even respond, he’s out of the truck. He unbuckles Daisy from her car seat easily, cooing down at her as he does. How is he so sexy? Why is he interested in me? Surely there are dozens of women that would be happy to go out with him.
I get out of the truck, juggling my bag and looking around for my car. I didn’t try to get it towed because I was sure that Ernie and Lorna wouldn’t care if it sat here overnight.
“I’ve already got it in the shop,” Griffin answers easily. He bounces Daisy in his arms, smiling down at her when she pats his face. She gives him one of her toothless grins and lets loose with a squeal.
My shoulders slump under the weight of another heavy financial burden. I don’t know how I’m going to work it out with the mechanic. Maybe he’ll take payments. Maybe I can move enough money between my two credit cards to make something work.
“Don’t worry about it. Cord and Zane owe me a favor,” he says as he walks me in. “I’ll be by after your shift to pick you up.”
He follows me to the office where Daisy’s crib is. The room seems so much smaller with his hulking frame next to me. I set down the car seat and diaper bag and try to ignore the spicy scent of his cologne in the confined space.
He passes me Daisy. I take her hand. “Wave goodbye.”
She gives him another grin.
“See you soon, Daisy,” he promises before he leans in to kiss my forehead. His gentle kiss gives me butterflies in my belly. He has this way of making me feel cared about and protected. It’s crazy because I hardly know him.
My day passes quickly. There are too many customers for me to spend time thinking about Griffin. I check in on Daisy frequently, often stopping to play with her for a few minutes. She sleeps a lot more than usual today, probably because she was up all night.
I stifle a yawn when the dinner rush is gone, and I’m down to my last two tables. My feet hurt, and my back aches. When I can afford it, I’m going to upgrade to some comfortable sneakers with the cushioned soles.
I hurry to the corner booth, my heart skipping a beat when I see Griffin. I shouldn’t feel so happy or so safe, but now that he’s here, my tense body relaxes. “What can I get you?”
He smiles at me. “Are you ready for that date yet?”
I shake my head rather than speak. If I open my mouth, I’m going to tell him yes. That would be a terrible idea. A woman on the run should not date someone in law enforcement. There’s no way it will end well.
He grabs the menu and toys with it, not even opening it. “Fair enough. We’ll get your car as soon as you’re free to go.”
I bring Griffin a slice of Lorna’s warm peach cobbler, and he devours it while I clean up the lobby.
The entire time he eats, he watches me. I feel like a helpless house cat being stalked by prey.
Much bigger, hungrier prey. The thought makes my nipples sharp points beneath my apron while something low in my belly pulses.
By the time I’m done cleaning, I’m aching, and it has nothing to do with my feet anymore. I wish Ernie and Lorna good night then leave with Griffin. Fortunately for my self-control, the drive to Zane and Cord’s mechanic shop is a short one.
“I thought there was an all-female mechanic shop here,” I tell Griffin.
He nods. “Yep, I called Gabby, but she didn’t have the parts. Your car is considered…”
“An old clunker, I know,” I answer, forcing a chuckle I don’t feel. Being an unwanted foster child has always meant having the worst of everything. It doesn’t bother me. Except that, in front of Griffin, it kind of does.
“I was going for vintage,” he says.
“I like that word,” I admit quietly.
“It’s what Zane and his brother specialize in. They do work for collectors more than general repairs. I think there are a few guys working out of the shop now. It’s really grown,” he says as he parks.
A guy covered in tattoos ambles out and gives Griffin a nod. “It’s over there. All gassed up and running again.”
“Oh, thank you! What do I owe you?” I managed to check my credit card balance during my break. It wasn’t pretty, but I can figure out how to make it work.
Zane and Griffin exchange a look, then Zane rubs the back of his neck. “Don’t worry about it. We…uh…get a tax write-off for the work.”
He passes me the keys and quickly disappears back into the mechanic shop.
“I’ve never had someone tell me that,” I mutter, sending a suspicious look Griffin’s way. I have a feeling I know exactly what happened.
He shrugs. “What can I say? The people of Courage County have generous hearts. I’ll follow you home, make sure everything is working right.”
“I’m not sure what to do about this guy, Daisy,” I tell her once we’re settled in my car and on the road to the rental. I’ve never had someone look out for the two of us. “It seems too good to be true.”
She makes a noise that I take as agreement. I don’t know what I’m going to do about this crazy cowboy. But I know one thing for sure: I can’t possibly date him.
I give myself a stern talking to on the ride home. The entire time I’m listing all the reasons that I can’t possibly go on a date with Griffin, I’m watching his headlights in the rearview mirror.
By the time we get there, I’ve made up my mind. I need to let him know that we can’t possibly be anything more than friends. Maybe not even that. Maybe people that have a passing acquaintance. Yep, that’s going to be best for all three of us.
Griffin holds Daisy’s car seat while I unlock the door. He passes her to me, and I set her inside the entryway.
Then I turn to him, gathering my resolve.
I don’t want to have this conversation, but it would be cruel not to.
Taking a deep breath, I tell him, “Look, I’m really grateful for the way you’ve helped me over the last two days.
But I’m not your problem.” I gesture toward the car seat. “We’re not your problem.”
He leans close, so close that I can see the few gray hairs that are starting to dot his beard. The beard I desperately want to feel between my thighs. “Well, too late. I’ve already decided I want you both.”
I swallow hard, my mouth dry. “Griffin, there are things in my past.”
He doesn’t flinch or move away. “Everyone has a past. I’m not scared of yours.”
I sigh softly, the sound barely audible on the summer breeze. “Well, you should be.”
Without another word, I step inside. I close the door, leaving the cowboy with the very kissable lips standing there.