Chapter 1
One
P resent day…
It took everything Margot Gaultier had not to drop to her office floor in a heap. Her hands shook, and she clenched the phone to her ear to stop the tremors. She rolled her lips inward, bringing a halt to their quivering.
One of her daughters squealed and waved her toy, showing off the “You did it!” message, telling her she’d matched all the shapes correctly.
Margot forced a smile, then turned so Emily couldn’t see her face. The little girl didn’t need to see her mother on the verge of a breakdown.
“I know this is a shock, but the sooner you can come, the better.” The detective kept his voice soft and polite. Margot wanted to reach through the phone and shake him and ask him why his world wasn’t tipped upside down too.
Instead, she forced herself to be civil. “I understand,” she replied quietly. “It’ll take me a day or so to get there.”
“If you could keep me informed of your plans, that would be great. I want to stay available for when you arrive. Hopefully, we can make this process as quick and painless as possible.”
“I’d like that too.” She closed her eyes, blinking back the moisture gathering there.
“All right. I’ll see you soon, Mrs. Gaultier. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Margot wanted to scoff, but held back. She’d suffered the loss a long time ago, just in a different way. “Thank you. Goodbye.” She hung up and squeezed her eyes shut. A single tear slid free. She swiftly wiped it away before the girls could see.
Emily squealed again, closer this time. A moment later, Margot felt a tug on her pant leg. She glanced down, forcing a smile for her daughter’s benefit. “Did you match them again?”
“I matched. All by myself!” Emily held the toy up.
“I see. Good job, sweetie. Do you want to try again?”
The little girl bobbed her head and sank to her butt, engrossed in her toy.
Margot inhaled a steadying breath. She needed a moment.
“Sweetie, you stay here with your sister.” Margot pushed back from the desk. “Mommy will be right back.”
Emily didn’t even look up. Margot glanced at Lily, who sat beside the desk with a box of giant crayons and a coloring book. Both girls were content for the moment.
Getting up and crossing the small room, Margot left her office, closing the door behind her, and went next door to Annabeth’s office. She was thankful they were still in the building phase of their little clinic. Focusing on patient care would be nigh on impossible after that bombshell.
She rapped her knuckles on the wood as she stepped into the doorway. “Hey, do you have a minute?”
The smile of greeting on her friend’s face swiftly died when she took in Margot’s expression. “What’s wrong? Sit. Where are the girls?”
“They’re next door. I—” The sudden lump in her throat cut off her words. She sank into the guest chair as she swallowed hard and tried again. “A detective just called. From North Dakota. Tad’s dead.” She’d never expected to see her ex-husband again after the way he left, but knowing it was now a certainty brought out all the emotions she’d buried fourteen months ago.
“What?” Annabeth breathed, her eyes growing round. “What happened? And what was he doing in North Dakota?”
“They’re not one hundred percent certain it’s him, but they found a set of keys on a body that matched an abandoned vehicle.” She glanced down, picking at her hands. “Something in the car gave them a name, I guess. The—the detective asked if I could come up and help them identify the body. I guess they’re not sure it’s him.”
“Oh my God.” Annabeth stared at her with wide eyes. “I’m assuming they found his driver’s license online, if they knew to call you. How are you supposed to ID him if they can’t tell it’s him from his license?”
“The detective wants me to look at the personal effects. He said there was a car key in his pocket that goes to a car they found months ago, abandoned. The vehicle was full of stuff. Like he’d been living in it. He also asked me to submit a DNA sample from the girls.” She dropped her head into her hands. “Oh, God, Annabeth. I don’t want to do this.”
Annabeth got up, moving around to sit next to her. She laid a hand on Margot’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Margot. What do you need from me? I can go with you. Or Dean can. We both could, if you want.”
“Um…” Margot threaded her hands together and stared at them. Her mind swirled with a million thoughts, but one thought screamed louder than the others. She didn’t want to take the girls with her. “Actually, could you and Dean watch the girls while I’m gone? Traveling with them is a nightmare, and they don’t need to be exposed to the situation.”
“Of course we can watch them. But you’re not going up there by yourself, are you?”
Margot shrugged. She hadn’t had time to figure out what she was doing.
“Take someone with you. Max would go, I’m sure.”
A pair of lovely, silvery blue eyes popped into her mind. She knew Annabeth was right; he’d help her in a heartbeat. But he already did so much for her and the girls, she didn’t want to impose more. That was the very reason she had the girls with her today after her sitter called and said she was sick. She’d become too reliant on Max and wanted to break the cycle. He wasn’t her husband or her significant other. It wasn’t his job to rescue her all the time. She was grateful he was her friend, but she didn’t want him to think she only hung around for what he could do for her. She liked him for so many more reasons than that.
“Don’t.” Annabeth aimed a finger at Margot’s face.
Margot frowned. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t take the choice away from him. I know you think you’re imposing, but Max would do anything for you. Let him help. You shouldn’t do this alone. No one should.”
A bang and a screech from next door propelled Margot to her feet. “I’ll think about it.” And she would, but she’d never ask him to go. It was one thing to ask him to babysit or to come fix something at her house. Flying to North Dakota on short notice to confirm her ex-husband was dead was on a whole other level.
“Let me know when you need us,” Annabeth called.
Margot gave her a thumbs up as she hurried out of the office. After she rescued her daughters from each other, she had a lot to think about.