Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
Jonah wiped his hands on a dish towel before hanging it on a hook next to the sink. “More hot cocoa, Papa Earl?”
“No, thank you, son.” His lips quirked, one side drooping because of the stroke he’d had over the summer. “Two cups is all I can handle. Gotta watch my waistline.”
The older man cracked up and Jonah chuckled along with him.
Earl Sullivan had always been a jokester.
He was also rail thin. Too thin after the stroke, and could stand to put on a few pounds.
At eighty-four, his hair was more gray than black.
Lines etched in his ochre face spoke of happiness and hard work.
He’d spent decades working in a factory, raising kids, and taking care of his wife.
Since the passing of his beloved Mary three years ago, he’d been lost. Moving in with Marcus, Breanna, and baby Asher returned some of the sparkle to his eyes.
“How did your last doctor’s appointment go?” Jonah asked, leaning against the counter.
Papa Earl beamed. “Doctor says I’m a champion.” He thumped his chest with a shaky fist. “The most progress of any patient he’s seen this month. He wants me to continue on with my physical therapy though. Said something about gaining more function or something or other.”
“That’s great news. You’ll be running laps around us in no time.”
“You can bet on it.” His expression grew serious. “I heard about the murders at the park. Nasty business. How you holding up, son? Working a case like that must take a toll on a man’s spirit. Not to mention having Laney mixed up in all this. That makes it personal.”
“I’ll feel a lot better once the perpetrator is behind bars.”
Papa Earl studied him for a long moment. His dark eyes were pensive. “One thing about my stroke…I’ve stopped beating around the bush. How long are you gonna keep pretending you aren’t in love with that girl?”
Jonah stiffened and then automatically glanced over his shoulder.
Through a small cutout, he could see into the living room.
Music was playing. Laney sat on the floor gently rocking Asher, his sweet face half hidden by a pacifier.
Next to her, Breanna held a handful of paint colors.
The two of them were deep in discussion about the right color for the living room. Scout snoozed nearby.
He swung his gaze back to Papa Earl. “Laney and I are just friends. That’s all we’ve been for a long time.”
“Doesn’t mean you don’t want more.”
“She doesn’t.”
“You sure about that? People change. They grow.”
The old man’s comments brought to mind the way Laney kept sneaking glances at him when she thought he wasn’t looking.
Jonah hadn’t noticed until their awkward interaction in the car, when he thought something was on his face.
Laney’s blush had confused him. But since then, he’d picked up on small tells that ignited a bit of hope that was unwise to feed.
Testing the waters today by brushing the strand of hair away from her face…
hearing her breath hitch and seeing the way her eyes darkened… it was playing with fire.
“Laney’s not one to invest in romantic relationships.” Jonah gripped the counter. He’d already been a casualty of her inability to commit. “It’s not worth losing my best friend over.”
The older man grunted. Then he started to stand.
Jonah deftly stepped forward and moved his walker closer.
Papa Earl thanked him, gripping the metal frame tightly with his right hand.
The other drooped at his side. “I’ll tell you what, son, time doesn’t wait for any man.
And the worst thing you can have is regret.
Don’t let your fear be the reason you hold back. ”
Jonah’s brow crinkled, even as his heart skipped a beat. “Did…did Laney say something to you?”
“Heavens no. I know better than to stick my nose in women’s business. My dear Mary taught me that, may she rest in peace.” Papa Earl pegged him with a look. “But I've earned the right to meddle a little in a man’s business. Sometimes you boys need an old codger to point out what's plain as day.”
He laughed. The advice wasn’t something he’d take, but he appreciated how much Papa Earl cared. “Guess I should thank you for the kick in the pants?”
Papa Earl snorted, but his mouth twitched with amusement. “You won’t though. I was the same at your age. A know-it- all.” He shuffled toward the living room. “Time to take these old bones to bed. Goodnight.”
“Night.” He shook his head, bemused by Papa Earl. He collected the last of the dessert plates and mugs from the table. The sound of Earl saying good night to Breanna and Laney filtered through the cut-out.
While loading the dishwasher and wiping the counter, Jonah replayed the conversation with Papa Earl.
Clearly, he wasn’t doing a good job of keeping his emotions in check.
The last thing he wanted was for Laney to get a whiff of them.
It would send her running so far so fast, their friendship might never recover.
At the very least, it would make things incredibly awkward.
His focus needed to be on catching a killer.
Mind made up, he once again wiped his hands on the dish towel and hung it up before going into the living room.
Laney looked up as he entered, her soft smile warming him straight through.
She was still holding Asher. The infant was nestled against her chest, wrapped in a blanket with teddy bears marching across.
His dark hair was so similar to hers, Jonah’s mind momentarily imagined she was holding her own child.
Like an ice pick, the thought shattered his resolve. Would Laney get married one day? Have kids of her own? Surely she wouldn’t run away from romantic relationships forever. Her last relationship with Mike had lasted longer than the others. At some point, the right guy would come along.
The idea of her married to someone else…it hit hard.
“Earth to Jonah.” Laney snapped her fingers, a smile tugging at her lips, but there was concern in her eyes. “Are you sleeping with your eyes open?”
He blinked, belatedly realizing Breanna was at his side holding out two paint colors. Jonah scrubbed a hand over his face. “Sorry, I think I am. What were you asking me, Bre?”
“Which one?” She held out two shades of nearly identical gray swatches of paint.
Petite and dark-haired, Breanna was an interesting mixture of practical and whimsical.
She wore sensible jeans and sneakers, but had paired them with a flowing floral blouse and delicate silver earrings that caught the light when she moved.
“Uhhh, those colors look the same to me.” Jonah shot a questioning glance toward Laney who pressed her lips together to keep from laughing and shook her head. She tried to use the couch to get up off the floor, but tilted backwards. Without hesitation, Jonah caught her.
For a moment they were frozen like that—him leaning over her, his hands holding on to her waist, baby Asher safely secure between them.
Laney’s gorgeous brown eyes went wide as they met his.
Her lips parted, and he felt her sharp intake of breath.
Something flickered across her face—surprise, maybe confusion—before she quickly looked away and mumured ‘thanks’.
Jonah released her and took a giant step back. What was wrong with him? Exhaustion. That had to be it. He rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m fading fast.”
“We should head back. I’m tired too.” Laney handed Asher over to her sister. “Go with Mindful Gray, Bre. It has a touch of blue that will make the yellow in your wood floor pop.”
They said their goodbyes and stepped into the night.
It smelled like rain. The weather reports predicted thunderstorms over the next couple of days.
Jonah sank into the passenger seat, thankful he wasn’t driving.
He glanced worriedly in Laney’s direction.
Piney Woods was only fifteen minutes away, but she had be just nearly as tired as he was. “Sure you can get us home safely?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry.” She backed out of the drive and steered them back to Piney Woods. “It was nice to take a couple of hours off from the case. Thanks for agreeing to have dinner.”
“It’s not a hardship. Breanna and Papa Earl are like family, although I was sorry Marcus couldn’t join us.”
Marcus worked nights as a nurse and had been on duty. Jonah leaned his head against the seat rest. Behind him, Scout shifted in her crate before settling down with a sigh. “Did you tell Breanna about your potential promotion? The superintendent position?”
“No. I’m not sure I’m going to take it, and I don’t want to get her hopes up that I'll settle in town permanently.” A troubled look crossed her face. “It’ll be hard to leave if I decide to turn it down though. Asher is so cute and it’s been nice being close enough to see them all the time.”
Those sounded like two good reasons to stay, but Jonah didn’t want to add to her worries. There was plenty of time to discuss the promotion after the murder case was solved. “Bre seems really happy to me. Content. Motherhood suits her.”
“It does. And Marcus is a great dad.”
There was a hint of sadness in her voice he couldn’t quite place. Jonah wondered if she was thinking about her own father. Laney rarely talked about him, or the pain that followed when he left. In his opinion, Antonio Torres was a world class fool to trade his wife and daughters for a mistress.
They arrived at Laney’s cabin. The moon was hidden behind clouds, the only illumination from the light on the front porch.
Jonah scanned the surrounding area before escorting her to the door.
Laney was pensive. Unusually so. He had the notion that she wasn’t ready for him to leave yet.
“Any chance you could make me a cup of that sleepy tea? I had coffee at Bre’s and now I feel wired. ”
She flashed him a bright smile. “Of course.”
He halted her movement before she stepped inside the house.
“Let me sweep it. Just to be sure.” Jonah crossed over the threshold, hand on his holstered weapon, and paused.
He didn’t sense anyone inside the house.
Still, he went through the small cabin, checking closets and under the bed anyway.
The space was neat and simply decorated.
Two photos were on her nightstand. One of Laney with her mother and Breanna.
The other was of him and Laney, taken during a trip to the Grand Canyon the summer after he’d been injured in the line of duty.
Both of them wore sunglasses and wide smiles.
He remembered being thrilled that he’d made it up the mountain.
The doctors had worried the compound fractures in his arm and leg, earned while tackling a perpetrator, would leave him with permanent mobility issues.
He’d feared his career in law enforcement was over.
But Laney hadn’t let him give up. She dropped everything to take care of him, camping out in his living room and refusing to leave until he was—quite literally—back on his feet.
Setting the photo back on her nightstand, he went into the living room. Laney was talking to Scout in the kitchen. Jonah collapsed on the couch and turned on a basketball game, but left the sound off. He watched without really paying attention.
Moments later, Scout jumped on the couch next to him. She licked his face. He laughingly pushed her away. “Love you too, Scout.” He stroked her fur and she settled next to him just as Laney appeared, carrying two cups of tea. She handed one to him.
“For someone who doesn’t play sports, you sure watch a lot of them.” She tucked her feet up under her as she claimed the other corner of the couch.
“Habit. There was always a game on in my house growing up.” He blew on the tea before taking a sip. It was light and floral smelling. Jonah resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose. He wasn’t a fan of her sleepy tea, and had only used the suggestion as an excuse to stay until she was at ease.
“How is your family? You haven’t said much about them.”
“Same old, same old. Cathy’s team won state this year, so the university signed her for another million years, and Samuel saved about a thousand lives with his magical surgeon hands.
The July fourth family bar-be-cue was a torrent of accomplishments.
” He offered her a rueful smile to take the sting out of his words.
Jonah was proud of his family. He was. But being around them was a constant reminder of how different he was from the rest of them.
“I thought about sharing some of my murder cases, but it’s not polite conversation to have over brisket and cole slaw. ”
She chuckled. “I suppose that’s true.” Laney reached across and took his hand. “But I wouldn’t sell yourself short either. What you do is important, Jonah. It’s not flashy and it won’t make you rich, but at the end of the day, none of that really matters. What counts is the kind of person you are.”
“My family has never seen it that way.”
“I know. But it’s their loss. And I pray that one day, God will change their hearts. You deserve to be seen for the amazing person you are by the people you love the most.”
Jonah's throat tightened at her words. He was secure in his career, but in his personal life…he felt adrift. Confused. Never quite good enough. He looked down at their joined hands, the way Laney’s delicate fingers were so feminine next to his thicker ones.
The longing was nearly painful. But fear kept the truth buried, where it was safe.
He’d been honest when he’d told Papa Earl that whatever his feelings for Laney, it wasn’t worth risking their friendship over.
It was late, and Jonah knew he should leave, but now he was the one who wasn’t ready. “Watch the game with me?”
She gave a soft smile. “Sure.”
He leaned back against the couch, letting the weight of his exhaustion settle over him.
And then suddenly he jerked awake. His eyes struggled to adjust to the dark and his mind didn’t know where he was.
Jonah blinked. Laney’s cabin. He must’ve fallen asleep on the couch.
A blanket covered his body, and the television was off.
What time was it? A quick check of his watch confirmed it was almost five in the morning.
That’s when he heard it. The noise that must’ve woken him from a dead sleep.
Scout.
She stood in the kitchen doorway. Her body was tense in the dim glow from the nightlight in the small hall, gaze focused on the back door. She bared her teeth.
Her growl was low and threatening.