Prologue #2
When April’s Uber pulled up to the curb, she got into the backseat and said a quick “hello” to the driver. Then she fastened her seatbelt and dialed her best friend, Zara Montgomery.
Zara lived in a posh area of Los Angeles where she was a highly sought-after esthetician to some of the world’s A-list celebrities. Their moms had been best friends, and they’d grown up together, seeing each other through so much that they were more like sisters than friends.
“Hey, you’re up late tonight? How’s our girl doing today?” Zara’s sing-song voice always made April smile, even on her worst days.
“I ran into him,” April said, cutting to the chase and ignoring her friend’s question. She still couldn’t believe how tonight had unfolded.
“Who?” Zara asked. “Are we talking about a football player, a celebrity, or some famous chef I don’t know about?”
“Tanner Rhodes,” April said plainly.
There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the line, and then, “Whaaaat? Oh my God, what was he like? Is he as cute as his picture?”
April smiled. He was better than his picture. “Zara, you know that doesn’t matter.”
“It matters,” Zara insisted. “So, tell me about him. Is he a possible solution to your major dilemma?”
April sighed. “I don’t know. He seems nice. He bought me a drink.”
“That’s more than Troy has done for me in the last five years. Here I am dating Mr. Let’s Go Dutch over here, while you get a sexy cowboy straight out of the gate. I’m kind of rooting for this Tanner guy now.”
“You have very low standards, Z,” April teased. “I told you five years ago to dump that loser. Oh, and Tanner gave me his business card with his cell phone number on the back.”
“Get out of town! Did you tell him?”
April’s heart sank. She knew exactly what Zara was asking. “No. Of course not.”
“April, the man has a right to know about his daughter. Especially if he’s a nice guy, and it sounds like he is.”
“I thought Ned was a nice guy once upon a time,” April said.
“And don’t forget what Tanner did to Casey.
She came to him seven months pregnant and he turned her away.
” The more April thought about it, the angrier she got.
Tanner really did seem like a great guy.
Why would he turn his back on his own child?
“I know, I’m sorry. You’re between a rock and a hard place, and we can’t trust just anyone with our Violet. But he has to be a better choice than Ned, right?”
“I don’t know,” April said, nearly on the verge of tears. “What if he turns out to be worse, or what if he doesn’t care? And let’s not forget that Ned has been paying cops off lately to do his dirty work.”
“You think Tanner is one of them?” Zara asked.
April shrugged. “Who knows. It’s the one thing I haven’t been able to find out or figure out. The latest private investigator I hired couldn’t give me a definitive answer, and I was going broke, so I had to let him go.”
Zara was silent for a long moment. “Men can be such jerks. Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out. Tell me, how’s Violet doing? Is she still writing new stories?” Zara’s sudden change of subject was a welcome one. April could talk about her niece endlessly and never get tired of it.
“She’s okay. I think she misses her mom though. She came up with a story the other day about a baby duck who lost its mom and was raised by a cat.”
“Sounds like she’s been watching too many animal shows,” Zara laughed. “When do I get to see some of these stories? I bet I could get them in front of an agent. I can think of at least four that come in regularly for facials and other treatments.”
“Violet would love that,” April admitted, sadly. “But if Ned ever caught me taking anything out of DynaTech, I don’t think I’d ever get to see Violet again. I can’t risk it.”
“I understand. Hang in there. Something’s gotta give, right? And maybe you running into Tanner tonight was a good thing. It could be the beginning of something incredible.”
“I’m not trying to date the man,” April insisted, sounding more defensive than she’d meant to.
“I know. But what better way to get to know a guy than to go out with him a few times.”
April hated to admit it, but Zara made an interesting point. “You really think I should go on a date with him?”
“He gave you his number, April. I’m pretty sure that’s what he had in mind.”
“Maybe,” April conceded. “But only for Violet’s sake. I’m not actually looking to date anyone right now.”
“Of course not,” Zara said in a somewhat mocking tone. “Because why would my beautiful, brave, and smart as hell best friend want to find someone to share her life with?”
“Whatever,” April chided. “I can’t think of Tanner as a dating prospect. I have to stay objective about him.”
“Then stay objective and let the man treat you to dinner. What could be the harm in that?”
April couldn’t believe she was actually considering this. “I’ll think about it.”
“Good. Give Violet a kiss from me when you see her in the morning, and tell her I can’t wait to read her stories.”
“I will. Thanks for cheering me up, Z.”
“Anytime. Let me know how your first date goes.”
April rolled her eyes. She hadn’t looked for Tanner Rhodes because she wanted to date him. Besides, a man like that would never date a woman like her. Not after he found out what she’d done. No, this was all for Violet. “Good night, Z.”
“Night, Ape.”
April cringed at her best friend’s annoying nickname for her and ended the call.
Tanner could be the key to ending Ned’s reign of terror over her niece, or he could be the flake who didn’t want his own daughter and was now under Ned’s thumb.
There was no way April would trust the guy with Violet’s safety and future until she knew for sure.
Soft music filled the otherwise quiet Uber, and April’s thoughts drifted to her brief encounter with Tanner. She couldn’t deny the attraction she’d felt for him, but that’s not what this was about. She needed to find out if he was -
The loud ringing of her phone caught April off guard and made her jump.
It was coming from an unknown number, and April wasn’t expecting any calls this late at night.
She nibbled her bottom lip, debating on whether or not to answer.
Just before it went to voicemail, she touched the green button on the screen and brought the phone up to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hi Aunt April,” Violet’s sweet little voice said. “Don’t be mad that I called, okay?”
April wasn’t mad. She was shocked. “I could never be mad at you, Sweetie, but how are you calling me?” As far as April knew, her niece didn’t have access to any technology that could be used to communicate with the outside world. Not even an internet connection on her computer.
“I stole one of the soldier’s phones,” Violet said matter-of-factly. “He left it on a table and it didn’t even have a lock on it, which means I can play his games, too.”