Chapter Eight
They walked out of the restaurant stuffed, and Gard had been able to mostly forget the phone call from Dani’s former manager.
He had a name for the customer who’d gotten Dani the alleged new job. What he’d wanted to do was ditch dinner. Honestly, if Lia hadn’t come, he would have hurried Sammy along and done just that. But the presence of another person had made him think twice.
And reminded him that Sammy was his priority. Not maybe tracking down whatever hole Dani had jumped into of her own accord.
So, he owed Lia his thanks, even if she didn’t know it. And it had been…nice. To not just be the two of them. Sammy kind of performed for him, but with another adult there she had relaxed more into herself.
Or maybe just with Lia there, she relaxed more into herself.
Outside, the air was cool. Fall would turn into winter in the blink of an eye, that was for sure.
“You know what?” Sammy said. “I need to go to the bathroom. You guys wait here.”
Gard watched her go back into the restaurant. He didn’t buy that for a minute. But he couldn’t exactly call her on it. He looked back at Lia, who was also frowning at Sammy’s retreating form, like she also knew what the girl was up to.
But then her gaze met his. Considering. “So, a lawyer, huh?”
He didn’t wince, exactly. “That was the path.” Sometimes, he could see it so clearly—walking in his father’s footsteps, caring more about how he appeared and what his bank account said than who he was as a man.
Scared the hell out of him, and since he didn’t want to think about that, he turned it around on her. “And what were your plans?”
Lia looked out at the setting sun. She blew out a breath. “I’ve pretty much had two plans in my life,” she said, clearly contemplating. “Escape. Survive.” She didn’t meet his gaze, but she was clearly being honest.
“Sounds rough.”
She shook her head, as if shaking the seriousness away. She smiled. “I guess I’m doing more than survive these days. Just…took me a while to realize it.”
“I get that. Probably not for the same reasons, but when Sammy was little everything felt like just…making it to the next day in one piece.” And even when he hadn’t been in charge of Sammy, he’d worried. So there hadn’t been a reprieve, really.
“She’s very lucky to have you,” Lia said very seriously, making it crystal clear that she’d been a runaway teen because she hadn’t had anyone.
“Well, I failed her mom pretty big-time, so we’ll call it even if I can get her to graduation in one piece. And not pregnant. God, I’ve just tempted the universe by saying that out loud.”
Some of Lia’s seriousness lifted into humor. “I think you’ll be okay. She’s hurting, but she loves you. She wants to make you proud.”
Gard wasn’t sure that was fully true, but it wasn’t fully untrue. More than that, he didn’t want Sammy to worry about making him proud. “As long as she’s proud of herself, that’s what matters.”
Lia didn’t say anything to that, but her eyes got kind of shiny, like a person’s did when they were about to cry. And while he dealt with tears at work, with Dani, with Sammy, he wasn’t sure he was in a place to deal with Lia’s tears.
“Sounds like you two have gotten to be friends,” Gard said, changing the subject. Wanting to see her smile.
“I like to think so.”
“And it sounds like you think I make Sammy happy.”
Lia’s eyes narrowed, like she knew where he was going with this. “You do.”
“So, if I make one of your friends happy… Sounds like you might be forced to like me in spite of my uniform.”
“Hmm,” she said.
But she was messing with him. He could see it in her eyes. And since she was… “Being a guardian is ninety-nine percent worry, so if I let Sammy go to this sleepover, I’m going to need something to…distract me from thinking about her being at a party. With boys.”
Lia studied him. “Maybe you can go to work,” she offered, and he knew she was purposefully ignoring his hint. Messing with him a little bit. Because if she was uncomfortable with the hint, she wouldn’t be looking at him with that half smile on her face.
“Maybe. Maybe you could have dinner with me. Get me through the coed portion of the night.”
She didn’t answer right away. He hadn’t really expected her to. Lia was too complicated for a simple yes or no. Something that should probably send him running. Didn’t he have enough complications?
But he could hardly help it if he was drawn to them.
“You know, I once made a promise to myself to never date cops,” she said.
“Sounds like the kind of promise made to be broken.”
This time she did laugh. He liked her laugh. It always started soft, and then she’d lean into it, as if being reminded she did know how.
He had the very strong desire to remind her. Over and over.
“Maybe.” She studied him critically. “Tell me one thing. What was that work phone call about?”
He glanced back at the restaurant. Sighed. “If I tell you, you have to be cool with not telling Sammy.”
She wrinkled her nose. “It was about her mom?”
“Sort of. Nothing bad. Nothing, really. Just…”
“You trying to find her even though Sammy doesn’t want you to?”
Yeah, that was pretty much it. “I love Sammy, and I’d do anything for her, but Dani is my sister.
I’m trying really hard to put Sammy first, because it’s what she deserves, and what Dani would want, but…
I wasn’t there when Dani was first starting to struggle.
I was off at college enjoying all the perks of being Gardner Elliot Fairhurst the Fourth.
I can’t fail her like that again. I can’t just let it go she’s out there ruining her own life again. I have to try to…do something.”
“You don’t have to justify it to me, Gard,” Lia said softly.
But at the same time Lia was saying that, loosening something tied tight inside of him, he heard Sammy’s voice. He turned toward her hurrying out of the restaurant.
She looked pale. Gard’s heart dropped. He moved toward her immediately.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay? Did you get sick?”
She just held out her phone. He looked at the screen in confusion. It was open to her text messages. And at the top of the list was one from Mom.
Gard’s heart pounded in his ears. Dani had finally reached out. She was okay. He wanted to feel relief. And he did, but there was a twinge of anger with it. Because all Dani had texted was: sorry.
“It’s just my mom. Finally texting me,” Sammy explained to Lia.
Her voice was a little overloud as she rolled her eyes, but they were shiny and the way she shrugged was jerky.
A lot more than her usual teenage disgust. This was hurt.
“Whatever.” She grabbed her phone from Gard then marched away, toward Gard’s car.
Gard raked a hand through his hair, blew a shaky breath out. Dani was okay. Okay enough to text. To communicate. God, his knees felt weak.
Lia reached out, gave his arm a squeeze. “I’ll see you tomorrow when you drop her off.”
Gard managed to nod. Wished he could hold on to this moment, but he couldn’t. He had to hold on to Sammy while she worked her way through this. “Yeah. Tomorrow.”
Lia hadn’t slept well. She’d tossed and turned, worrying about Sammy and Gard. She’d written—and then deleted, unsent—multiple text messages to both of them.
She’d also spent an obscene amount of time talking herself out of googling Gardner Elliot Fairhurst the Fourth. Law school. Plans. She’d maybe assumed his life had been a little hardscrabble, but with a name like that and a past like that?
No, she knew the type a little too well. It should be yet another turnoff in a long list of them.
Somehow it wasn’t.
Lia got up when her alarm went off, groaned even though she’d been awake anyway. The mornings were getting close to frigid, so she drove over to the bakery rather than walking. The lights were on, Albennie already working in the kitchen, headphones on.
No breaking the no-talking rule this morning, which was good because Lia was grumpier than usual, wrung out with anxiety. She was worried about Sammy and Gard, and until she saw them this band of anxiety was going to be wrapped around her.
Instead, it got tighter and tighter, because Gard was always on time, but the clock kept inching past six. Later and later and later.
Maybe she should call. Or maybe they’d overslept. Maybe they needed the time. Maybe—
“Uh-oh,” Albennie said softly. Lia looked to where she was gesturing.
Outside the storefront window, illuminated only by the streetlight and the light above the bakery exterior door, Gard and Sammy stood. Clearly arguing.
Lia’s heart ached.
“You don’t look surprised,” Albennie said. “When I’ve never seen them fight.”
“They had a rough night,” Lia managed to say. “Stuff with Sammy’s mom.”
“You’re awfully involved.”
Lia tried not to feel defensive. Failed. “I’m just being a…friend.”
“To which one?”
Lia couldn’t quite take her gaze off them. Sammy was gesturing wildly. Fury was written all over her face. Gard was still, calm, maybe stoic even, but Lia could see the muscle tick in his jaw. “Both.” No use denying it. Besides, she could be friends with both. She could…worry about them both.
“Well, I’ll be in the kitchen. You can deal with…that.”
Sammy threw her hands up in the air one more time and then stormed inside. She said nothing to Lia standing there behind the counter, but when Gard tried to say something to her, she didn’t let him even get half a word out.
“I hate you,” she yelled. Sammy slammed into the back room. Gard winced. Then looked apologetically at Lia.
“I’m sorry. Maybe I should have let her stay home…” He trailed off, raking a hand through his hair. “I just don’t want her alone right now. I know that’s not your responsibility, but—”
“It’s not my responsibility because it’s my pleasure,” Lia said firmly.
Gard snorted. “I can guarantee you it won’t be a pleasure today.”
No, probably not. Lia skirted the counter, feeling like she needed to…help somehow. “She doesn’t hate you.”