13. Pecker
Chapter 13
Pecker
“I don’t know what else to do,” Colt sighs and runs a rough hand through his hair.
“I think the best thing we can do is wait this out and protect the girls the best we can.”
“I don’t think I can do that,” Colt growls. “If something happens to Leslie or Sophia, I’ll never forgive myself.”
“We won't let anything happen to them.” I tap my fingers on Colt’s desk, trying to think of another idea.
We spent our entire morning going from one business to another. We showed Jimmy’s photo to everyone in town and no one has seen him.
“Are you sure Snow couldn’t have seen an animal and it set her on edge?”
“No. Snow will bark if she sees an animal, but she doesn’t react like she did last night. I’ve never seen her behave like that. It freaked me out.” He scrubs a hand down his face and sighs.
My phone lights up with a text. I swipe it off of the desk, hoping there’s a lead on where Jimmy could be. I agree with Colt, Snow wasn’t flipping out over an animal, but I was hoping it was a possibility.
Sophia: I miss you.
My fingers fly over my screen as I type out my response. I know a big goofy grin is probably spread across my face, but I don’t care.
Pecker: I miss you too. When do I get to see you again?
Sophia: Maybe tonight?
Pecker: Can we turn that maybe into a definitely?
Sophia: I guess that depends on how quickly I crank out cookies. Skylar’s basically running a sweatshop over here and I'm the sole employee.
Sophia: image
I chuckle at the pictures coming through. There’s one image of cookies spread out on every flat surface in Skylar’s kitchen. Another of Sophia smiling, then one of her sticking her bottom lip out in a pout. The last is her with Riley, Tucker and Skylar’s little girl. They have flour smeared across their cheeks like war paint and they’re making funny faces at the camera.
She’s so good with kids. It makes me wonder for the hundredth time since last night, what it would be like to spend the rest of my life with Sophia. She’s going to be an amazing mom and I want to be able to witness that. I want to be the man standing at her side when she finally gets a family she’ll pour her whole heart into.
I can't tell her that though. Not yet. I know I’ve fallen hard and fast for her, but I'm not sure she feels the same way. Her first text this morning gives me a little hope though. Plus, her comment from last night about staying in Maple Springs for a while.
Pecker: Even covered in flour, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“What if we take the girls out tonight?” I blurt out before I can think this idea through completely.
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s go ice skating. It will be something fun for them and we can keep an eye on the surroundings. I took my niece and nephew last week. The rink isn't huge and there aren’t many places for anyone to stand around without drawing attention. We could keep an eye on the people there and maybe if Jimmy is here and sees you out with Leslie, it could draw him out.”
“You want me to use my girlfriend as bait?” He arches a brow.
“No, I want you to take your girlfriend on a date and we’ll both bring our guns. If he shows up and tries to make a move, we’ll protect her. Do you really expect to keep her locked in your house until Jimmy shows his face somewhere in this world? What if he isn't here? What if someone killed the sleazy idiot and they never find the body? She can't keep living a sheltered life.”
Colt’s quiet for a few minutes before he nods his head. “You’re right. I think that’s a great idea. Basically, the only places she’s going right now since school is on Christmas break is Skylar’s, the grocery store, and home. I don’t want her to stop living any longer for this guy.”
“Apparently Skylar’s put them to work today.” I flip my phone around to show him the dozens of cookies spread around the kitchen.
“Which means she’ll be going to the grocery store at some point tomorrow to get things for Christmas.” He nods and I can tell there’s a lot on his mind.
“Let’s take them out tonight and have fun. We’ll take this one hour at a time and change our plans accordingly. We’ll make sure to protect her without locking her away in your house.”
“Thanks, Peck. I appreciate your help.”
“Hey, beautiful,” I murmur as I tug Sophia into my arms while Colt and Leslie head inside the skating rink
“Hey, handsome.” She grins, standing on her tippy toes to press a kiss to my lips.
“How was your day?”
“Exhausting. Skylar’s such a mean boss when she’s stressed out.” She sticks out her bottom lip in a pout and I lean down and suck it into my mouth.
She lets out a moan and I almost regret doing it. I’m going to have a hard time keeping my hands to myself tonight, but I don’t think Sophia wants Colt and Leslie to know about us yet. I'm not upset about it, but it’s annoying to watch what I do or say around them. It’s probably a good idea to keep things quiet until we’re dating for a little bit. That way if things don’t work out, it doesn’t need to be weird between Colt and I at work.
“Let’s get inside before you turn me on too much and I can't hide it.” I place my hand on her lower back and lead her into the rink.
Once we’ve rented our skates and laced them up, we interlace our fingers and step onto the ice. At first, I have a hard time maintaining my balance. Sophia throws her head back and laughs, which makes me want to suck at skating the entire night. I love seeing her so carefree and happy.
“Do you know how to skate?” She giggles again as I pretend to slip again.
“Yeah, I just like to see you smile and laugh. It makes my entire day better.”
I stop trying to goof around and start skating for real. We go in circles, holding hands and skating around those who have fallen on the ice.
Colt and Leslie are skating slower than us. According to Sophia, Leslie wasn’t big on skating when they were kids. With Jax and Cody playing hockey, Sophia spent a significant time at the rink and she picked up skating fairly quickly.
“I think you should do figure skating.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Well, I’d love to watch you spin and jump in spandex.” I grin when she glares at me.
After skating with my girl for a while, my gaze snaps to the seats around the rink. I can't explain it, but I feel like someone’s watching us.
“What’s wrong?”
“I'm not sure. I'm going to quickly go talk to Colt. Keep skating like everything is normal. I’ll be right back.”
I skate off as quickly as I can. Colt and I told the girls the plan. They understand we need to keep acting normal, even though we’re all nervous. If Jimmy is watching us and sees us acting abnormal, he could make irrational decisions and we don’t want that.
Once I’ve spoken to Colt and find out they both feel like we’re being watched too, we decide to end our time ice skating. We got almost an hour in and honestly I'm not sure how much longer I’d want to skate anyway.
“I think it’s time to go, babe.” I interlace my fingers with Sophia as soon as I get close enough to her.
“What’s going on?”
“We all feel like someone is watching us. We don’t see anyone, but something feels off.”
“Ok.” She tries to sound like she’s ok with the idea of leaving, but I can tell she’s upset.
We quickly take off our skates and slip into our normal shoes. We’re waiting for Colt and Leslie to get ready to leave.
“Want to tell me what’s wrong?” I tug her over to the side and duck my head down until we’re eyelevel.
“I just… I wanted to spend more time with you.”
“I never said we needed to end our night, just our time skating. I planned on staying with you until you told me to go away tonight.”
“Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”
“Yeah, but I decided I’d rather be tired and get more Sophia time.” I kiss the top of her head and tug her into my arms.
“Are you guys ready?” Colt appears at our side with Leslie holding onto his hand with a death grip. He scans the area again, looking more intense than he ever does at work.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
We walk Colt and Leslie to their car and once they’re safely locked inside, I usher Sophia into my SUV. I want to get out of here and go somewhere safe. Anything to know she isn't in danger.
Colt’s focus is protecting Leslie and I understand that, but Sophia’s my main priority.
I scan the area, looking to see if anyone follows Colt as they pull out of the lot and onto the street. We wait a few minutes and when no car comes or goes, I call Colt and turn onto the road.
“What’s going on?” Colt answers immediately.
“I don’t see anything, Colt. No one has left here since you did. No one seems out of place and every person I’ve seen I’ve recognized as a resident of Maple Springs. I don’t know what to say.”
“Ok, maybe I was wrong,” he says, but I can tell he doesn’t believe his own words. “Sorry to cut our night short, guys.”
“It’s fine. We don’t mind.”
“Can I come to your house?” Sophia asks softly.
“Of course, let me just tell Colt,” I whisper before turning my attention back to my phone call. “Hey, I’ll drive to your house to make sure everything is ok, but then I’m going to take Sophia back to my place for a little while.”
“You don’t need to do that. I think we’re ok. No one is following us. Just stay on the line until I get home.”
“Sounds good.”
As soon as Colt says everything is safe at his house, I take the turn to go home. I know Sydney and the kids are out tonight. There’s some function at the school tonight and they won't be home until later. I know Colt said Leslie was supposed to attend, but Skylar insisted she should stay home.
After we’re inside, I check all the doors and windows. I know there’s no reason for me to be this cautious at my house, but I'm not taking any chances. Not with Sophia or my family.