Chapter 11
Claudia held the hand of her very special date as she guided Tobi to the restroom at the back of the community center.
Tobi was more than just a little excited tonight.
She was practically bouncing off the walls.
Far more than her sisters. Of course, Claudia had taken her dress shopping by herself, while the rest of the girls had gone with Em and Junie.
Today had been Claudia and Tobi’s special day.
She and Tobi were pals. Auggie, Junie, and Em had asked her specifically to be ‘pals’ with Tobi.
They wanted the girls to each have a mentor to show them that women could be strong.
They wanted the girls to see women in the community making a difference helping people.
Cloe and Avril were paired up as Avril loved all things blood and guts.
Little savage. Sage and Jules were together, and Dixie with little Markie.
Clancy got the baby. The eldest girl was paired with their Aunt Pam.
January was already particularly close to the aunt who had found her that night in October, and as a nurse, Pam was a good example of someone who helped people.
Auggie had told her she felt January needed a significantly older woman as a role model more than one the same age as the sisters now responsible for her well-being. And January felt safe with Pam.
They wanted the girls to see women who gave to the community, in ways opposite of how their father and his associates had taken. That was important to Auggie and her sisters. They wanted the girls to grow up seeing the good that was out there.
Claudia was more than willing to help with that.
Claudia enjoyed her time with Tobi, too. Tobi remembered being rescued the night she’d been abducted. Remembered Claudia being there and feeling safe. That mattered to the little girl who would have those memories forever.
How could any little girl forget a grown man calmly discussing how he was going to kill her, right in front of her?
Claudia sent Auggie an email for Tobi almost every night, telling Tobi how she helped fight the bad guys that day.
So Tobi knew the world was a little safer each day.
She made sure to send good pictures every day, too.
Like yesterday’s had featured Zach getting Mrs. Gibson’s old tom cat out of a pine tree.
She’d sent Tobi lots of pictures of that grumpy old cat.
And that grumpy young Zach, too. Tobi was fascinated with Zach, the man who helped Claudia stop the bad guys.
Tyler little girls didn’t trust men very much. It broke Claudia’s heart to think about.
Hopefully, one day, with the counseling she attended at the new trauma center, Tobi would be able to put those memories into the proper perspective. But for now, they were all helping her deal with the trauma the best she could.
“Where’s my Mommy Aug?” Tobi asked. They’d spent the afternoon together, at the nearby county park.
Claudia had bundled Tobi up and taken her on a small hiking trail where they could just see the world together and enjoy.
But now, Tobi wanted Auggie. She’d been the first, Auggie had said, to call Auggie mommy.
Tobi had insisted on it. Tobi…got antsy…after being away from her sisters for too long. Especially Auggie. They all did. Tyler sisters stuck together. No denying that.
“She’s in here somewhere. We’ll find her.”
“No one taked her away?”
“No. No one took her away. There are just a lot of people in here tonight.”
“Okay.”
The kid lived in fear that someone would take one of her sisters away again. Just like she had been taken away. The way Junie had.
Claudia burned with rage every time she remembered.
Her hand tightened on Tobi’s, as she looked for the section that had most of the kids Tobi’s age. She suspected Auggie would be making her way there.
She couldn’t see her friends anywhere. Of course, with her at five-three, most of the crowd was taller than Claudia. She had just crossed the area filled with tables when she looked up into familiar dark green eyes.
Her heart rate settled when she saw the man smiling down at her now. He was so pretty.
Her eldest brother looked so much like her dad, only taller, broader, and stronger that she sometimes did a double take. Except for the hair—Cal’s hair was as dark as her own. Their father’s was pale blond. Cadell was right behind Cal—cranky as always.
Her father had emailed her from the prison that morning. Asking if she’d come visit him. Saying he loved her and was sorry for what he had done. That he just wanted to see her for a little while. And that he loved her.
She didn’t know what she felt for him. She hadn’t responded.
She probably wouldn’t this time either. She hadn’t spoken to him since the day she had stood there and watched him be arrested, watched friends she’d cared about be rushed off, covered in blood.
How could she forget the horrible questions that had come after?
He had always been a good father. A great one. That he had also been a criminal…she was still trying to accept that. He had almost killed one of her best friends in the world. Her relationship with Marin had never been the same since, and it never would be.
They barely spoke to each other now. It still hurt so much.
“Hey, I thought you had a special date today?” Calloway asked. Cadell just grunted at her. Something was stuck up his rear-end apparently. Cadell could be a bit of a grump sometimes. Especially in crowds. He was shy, under that scaly exterior of his.
“I did. This is my special date for the whole day. Isn’t Tobi’s dress beautiful?”
Calloway smiled at the little girl. “Yes, Tobi looks beautiful tonight. Very much like Mommy Aug, actually.”
Words guaranteed to win Tobi’s heart forever. All she wanted in the world was to be like Augusta. “You know where my mommy is, Mister Cow-way?”
Claudia snickered at the mispronunciation. Cal just took it in stride. Of course he did—Clancy used to call him that, too.
Tobi was actually talking to him, which surprised Claudia. Tobi hadn’t really spoken to many men in Claudia’s presence. They scared her. A great deal, now. Tobi saw every man as a threat. Except possibly Gil Tyler, Zach—and apparently Cal.
“Your mommy went that way, with the baby, and the little one with glasses. Toward the restroom. About five minutes ago. Em is dancing with Gabe Masterson right now.” Calloway had always been easier with children than Cadell. Probably because of dealing with Clancy.
“The one with glasses is Markie. Marchlyn. The baby is Maeya, but they call her Mae-Mae,” Claudia told him, absently. Looking. “Wow. That’s not Gabe Masterson Em’s dancing with. That’s…that’s Quade Davis.”
A popular Hollywood actor. One Claudia had drooled over herself multiple times. Multiple, multiple times. He was friends with Auggie’s cousin, she thought.
“I could watch a Davis brother all day,” she let slip out.
But…while Quade Davis was gorgeous, tall, lean, and dark-haired, it was another tall broad dark-haired, dark eyed man a decade or so older than Mr. Hollywood she couldn’t get out of her head.
She was going to have to find a way to deal with IA Commander Ransom Weatherby who thought he was God, soon.
The man was going to cause her some serious problems.
She’d gotten texts from a friend in Cheyenne that he was asking questions about her that morning. The man was definitely up to something.
“That’s Wonkus McBubbles! What if he’s being bad?” Just like that, Tobi took off. Fast. The little girl darted through the dancers. Straight toward her sister. Before Claudia could stop her.
Tobi threw her arms around Em’s knees and glared a long way up, at the man holding her sister.
“OMG. Em is so going to kill me,” Claudia said.
To her surprise, Quade Davis just smiled that extraordinary smile of his, and scooped Em close again—and the little girl Em now held on her own hip. And just kept dancing. With both of them. Tobi was giggling now.
“Wow. I’ll be Em’s in heaven right now. I would be, I so would be.”
When Cadell slammed his glass of soda on the table and stormed away, Claudia looked at Calloway. “Was it something I said?”
“Who knows? I think he got into it with Em again or something. He’s been cranky all night.”
Well, brothers could be that way. Auggie and Junie were right there—and they obviously had their hands full.
This was the girls’ first dance. They’d been excited—and nervous—all week.
Auggie probably needed another set of hands.
Or ten. Those girls could be chaotic. Claudia adored every single one of them.
Claudia headed toward her besties—besties made a lot more sense than brothers.