LUKE HAD NEVER been good at standing on the sidelines. Even as a wild kid, he’d wanted to be in the lead, not waiting at a safe distance while all the action took place in front of him.
That made Friday night a long night.
“It’s never quite as interesting as you think it will be, police work,” Davy murmured from his spot in the driver’s seat of the squad car. Luke had managed to catch up with him before the Austin team of detectives and gang task force members had shown up. Then they’d led the way to the trailer park and stood back as they watched the Austin team take the initiative. When Red’s girlfriend had answered the door, Luke wondered if they’d blown their best shot.
Then she refused to let them in to take a look around, a classic sign that whatever they might be searching for was in plain sight.
She’d tried to slam the door closed, but Luis Perez, the guy he’d contacted to find out about Red, was prepared for that. One hard boot jammed the door open and half a second later, the police were inside. He and Davy had waited tensely while the shouting went on, but in a blink, Red was on the front porch, his arms in cuffs, and the officers were leading the girl to the car.
“We should be glad it went down without a fuss,” Davy added. He didn’t sound glad. He sounded like a man who’d missed the party.
“Yeah,” Hollister said as Perez headed slowly toward their cruiser. He slid out to meet him in front of the hood. “Everything secure?”
“We’re going to let you guys make sure the trailer is locked down. We’ve done a preliminary scan, scooped up a couple of handguns, what looks like the animal shelter’s cashbox and enough meth to make a solid case against him.” He propped his hands on his hips. “We’ll notify the schools, as a courtesy, that we’ve made this arrest. They’ll need to be on the lookout for lower-level guys who might be carrying Red’s stuff. Wouldn’t do to let them get a toehold in a nice town like this.”
Perez offered Luke his hand. “Thanks for the tip. We’ll make sure you get full reports on the stolen goods from the pawnshop and anything else inside the trailer so you can close this case.”
In an effort to pretend to be the bigger man, Luke shook his hand easily. “Sounds good.”
Perez nodded. “Heard you might be planning to move back soon. Could use a good detective on the task force. I’d be happy to put in a good word whenever it’s time to come back to the real world. Austin misses you.”
The insinuation that Holly Heights was less than Austin was nothing he hadn’t thought himself a few times every day since he’d moved here, but out of Perez’s mouth it was an insult he didn’t want to let slide. But now was not the time to rock the boat. “Just keep us updated on this case. And if you hear any rumblings about the schools here, I’d like to know. I have a brother and sister to watch over.”
Perez walked away.
One glance at Davy convinced Luke that the conversation wasn’t over.
“You’re planning to go back? Doesn’t surprise me.” Dave marched back to the car and slid inside.
Twice as irritated now, thanks to his partner’s moodiness, Luke wanted to go home or with the Austin cops or anywhere except back inside the squadie. But he didn’t have much of a choice.
He quietly closed the door and propped his elbow on the armrest. “I haven’t been looking or applying or anything, but I told my old chief I was going to want my spot back. You know how departments are. Every cop is a gossip. Every single one. That’s all Perez was referring to. Nothing’s changed for me.”
Davy raised an eyebrow. “You think I haven’t been able to tell ever since you walked in that you were anxious to step right back out?” He shook his head. “If I put my mind to it, I can list a few advantages to being a cop in a big city, especially for a man with a chip on his shoulder who wants to be a hero.” Adams all but sneered as he spoke. It was easy to see he didn’t think much of those men.
“Real cops are heroes just by being real cops. Kids see them and trust them and need them, Hollister. And you, you’ve got enough hero work to do. Those brothers and sisters need you more than ever. You could be a hero here if that was what you wanted. No, you want glory. That’s a different thing altogether. That’s what gets good cops killed, too. If you don’t learn a single thing while you’re in Holly Heights, think on that. Whatever happens next, watch the chasing-glory bit. That family would be devastated to lose you, no matter how impressive the headlines that accompanied your death might be.”
“Want to tell me why we’re being so serious and forward thinking, Davy? I haven’t changed a single thing since this morning.” Luke relaxed his jaw and tried to get comfortable in the passenger seat. He hated taking second chair, but more than that, he hated being talked to like a kid. Like he was Joseph and needed to be told how to live his life.
The lightbulb that came on was upsetting. He’d lectured Joseph the same way Davy was lecturing him. The kid had absorbed what he was saying, as well.
“I’d hate to see you get hurt chasing the wrong thing, that’s all,” Davy said and then waved as the Austin contingent rolled out of the trailer park. “Let’s go in and lock up.” Their job was to secure the scene. The end. After the five minutes that took, checking windows and door locks, and closing up the place, he and Davy headed back to the car.
“Now that the excitement’s over, you want to stop over at Piney and grab a drink?” Davy asked as he started the engine.
“I would, but I’ve got to get home.” He hadn’t stopped speculating about how well Joseph and Jen had gotten along since he’d backed out of her driveway. He was worried about the kid. That took some getting used to. The woman? Yeah, the amount of time he spent thinking about her would never seem normal. He wasn’t sure where the urge to kiss her had come from, but something about standing next to such a vibrant, feisty woman ready to haul him to the carpet in defense of his brother was too attractive. Like, a woman you’d grab and hold on to attractive. Since he’d never thought that about any other woman, it made perfect sense he’d need some time to work it through.
“You sound like a family man,” Davy said with a laugh and after the quick trip through town, they went their separate ways. Driving into his neighborhood immediately turned up his energy level. That would also take some getting used to. Her house was dark, except for the floodlights that lit the front. Almost eleven. That whole thing with Red had taken longer than he’d expected. He might be in trouble.
Luke closed his car door quietly and headed up the walk. His own house was dark except for the kitchen. He could try to pretend he didn’t see that his mother was waiting up for him like she always used to do when he was a kid and sneak off to bed. But avoiding whatever conversation she wanted to have with him tonight meant he wasn’t going to sleep well.
When he turned the corner and saw his mother and his sister Camila both there, cups of coffee cradled in their hands, almost like matching bookends with one chair right in the middle, the dread he’d been ignoring solidified in his stomach. “You’re up late.”
“Have a seat, Luke,” his mother said as she straightened her shoulders.
He turned to Camila. Her tight expression matched his mom’s scowl perfectly.
“I told you I was going to work late tonight.” He waved his phone and set it on the table between them in no-man’s-land. “You got my text, right? I dropped Joseph off and went back to work.” He picked up his phone to check whether he’d missed an emergency.
“Yes, Camila and I came back from setting up for the dance rehearsal to pick him up.” His mother slowly sipped her coffee to give him a chance to process her words.
“The dance recital? That was tonight?” Mari had been taking tap dance ever since they’d moved to Holly Heights. Tonight was the first show. He’d promised solemnly not to miss it.
And then he’d missed it.
“Yeah. Tonight.” Camila didn’t sip. She slurped. Since that was an angrier sound, it matched her expression better. “Mari was heartbroken.”
From the ache in his chest, Luke thought he might know something about how that felt. He’d missed the first one. For what? A job no one needed him to do.
“I’m sorry. We had a chance to catch the kid involved in the shelter break-in, so I went to help out.” That sounded almost like the truth. Telling them that his part had been to stand in the background and clap when it was all over would not help his case.
Camila sighed. “Yes. Your job. It is important, but that little girl is, too, Luke. It’s okay if you can’t make it to her events, just don’t make her promises that you can’t keep. I want her to trust family above all else. You and I were lucky to have that. I want the same for her.”
The bitter taste in his mouth was impossible to ignore. “I’m not good with kids. I get that.”
Camila laughed, her mouth dangling open. “Are you kidding me? With her, you’re magic. She loves you, idolizes you, wants you above all else. I hope that someday there will be another man to stand in where her father should be, but until then, you are it. And you are good at it. You forgot. It’s okay. But you have to decide whether you’re going to be the guy who forgets all the time and let that be who you are to Mari or…not. She will love you either way, but what she learns about people from you will be a factor.”
Camila stood up and punched his arm before she hugged her mother’s neck. “Thank you for making it, Mom. It meant so much that you were there to help her with her hair. You know I’m a disaster.” Camila stretched. “Now, I’m off to bed. I’m headed in early to work. I’m guessing this job might stick.”
Whatever he’d done in his life, he’d faced the consequences head-on. This time, he wanted to slink away. Hurting someone he loved was unacceptable. “I’m sorry, Mom. I won’t forget again.”
One side of her mouth curled up. “Oh, you will. We all do, Luke. No parent is perfect.” She held up her hand. “You don’t have to remind me that you aren’t her parent. I get it. And you don’t need to be. Camila is doing fine on her own. No one is perfect, I should have said. If I know Mari, you’ll be even sorrier before you’re forgiven. People will disappoint her. And she will pick herself up and move on, stronger than she was.” She sighed. “Even good men who love her more than life will make a mistake. Sometimes they even die entirely too soon. But we go on. That’s all we can do.” Her tight grip on her coffee cup made her knuckles white. Luke wiggled the cup out of her hand and wrapped his hand around hers. He didn’t know the right words. Someday he’d get used to that.
“I’ve messed up, too, Luke. I’ve let this grief keep me down for too long.” His mother stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You should have seen Mari’s face when she saw me with my curling iron. It was like the thing she’d been afraid to wish for had come true. All it takes is showing up. Tomorrow we do better.” She smiled. “I’ll do better for all my kids. I promise. It’s time. You’ve been too patient with me.”
Luke wanted to argue, but he was so grateful to hear her sounding more like the woman he knew, he couldn’t. Maybe he had been too patient.
That would be the first time he’d ever been accused of that.
And possibly the last.
The thing about Mari was that she didn’t have to make a sound for the air in the room to change. Luke glanced at the doorway and saw his tiny niece standing there, tears still drying on her cheeks. On any other night, she would have launched herself into his arms. Tonight, she clung to the doorway and glanced from his mother to him and back. Camila stepped up behind her. “Another nightmare.” She squeezed Mari’s shoulders. “She insisted on making sure you were both okay.”
Luke felt the pinch in his chest again. When he’d imagined nightmares, he’d thought she had to be running from silly monsters that eventually disappeared and that was a good thing.
Now he understood that disappearing was what Mari feared the most. She’d already taken that step outside childhood. “You miss Papa?” he asked and held out his arms.
“We all do, cielo,” his mother murmured and ran a hand down Mari’s tangled hair. When Mari traced the edge of the doorway and watched him with big brown eyes, Luke sighed. “I’m sorry, Mari. I didn’t mean to miss your dance recital. I will watch the video with you twice tomorrow. Okay?”
She pursed her lips and then checked over her shoulder at her mother who shrugged. Then she narrowed her eyes at him and held up three fingers.
“Okay, three times.” He waved his arms. “May I please have a hug now? I have missed you so.”
In the manner of a queen who is condescending to forgive a peasant, Mari sailed around the dining room table, her button nose raised in disdain. Luke carefully wrapped his arms around her and kissed the tip of her nose. “Thank you, Mari. I am very, very sorry.” She rested her head on his shoulder and nodded. “I’m sorry you had a nightmare, too.”
As if that was exactly what she was waiting for, she blinked slowly up at him. “Snuggle?” That was her code word meaning I’d like to take over your bed and kick you all night long. You’re okay with that, right? And he was.
Luke squeezed her tightly. “Definitely.”
Camila was laughing as she stretched her arms luxuriously. He thought she muttered, “Bed all to myself” as she wandered off, but he was going to give her the benefit of the doubt.
“I don’t know what we’d do without you, Luke,” his mother said softly as she squeezed his hand.
That was one of the questions that would keep him awake all night. That and Mari’s foot. “Maybe we should make a call about the fence. I think it’s time.”
His mother dipped her chin. “You think a p-u-p-p-y will get you out of the d-o—” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “Out of trouble. You are a smart man.”
He shrugged the shoulder Mari hadn’t collapsed against. “More than one of those houses, probably.” He stood and lifted his niece, who sighed happily, content and back in control.
“Could be. We could go to the shelter in the morning, take a look around.” His mother tried for innocent but there was no way he was buying it.
“If we go, you know how it will end.” They’d be lucky if they were able to pick only one dog. “Do you think Camila will approve?” Didn’t matter much, but as long as she was camping out with their mother, she would complain loudly if they didn’t check.
“That’s what we were discussing before you got here. What sort of p-u-p-p-y would work best and how we could take care of it until the men I hired today get the fence put it.” She waggled both eyebrows at him. She was so sweet in her satisfaction and it had been so long since they’d seen any of her spark that Luke couldn’t even be mad that they’d made the plans without him.
“What did the kid have to say about his tutor?” Luke said in a quiet voice as he and his mother walked down the dark hallway.
“Not much, but he was smiling when he got in the car to go to the recital.” His mother sighed happily. “If the crazy lady can do that, I will overlook the fence. I mean, I worried he would never settle in.”
“Do you ever think about going back to work?” Luke asked and shifted Mari, who got heavier as she grew drowsier. “When I was at the school with Joseph, it was clear they needed help. A secretary.”
His mother tsked. “I have no experience. Surely they have more qualified applicants.”
Maybe. Luke wondered if anyone needed another reason to get out of bed as much as his mother did. “You should at least consider it. You have so much experience working with kids. I bet it would be a good fit. The principal was going to advertise soon.”
“Perhaps. If we get Joey settled.” His mother grimaced. “Joseph. He doesn’t like nicknames.”
Luke grinned. “He’s a smart kid. Once he sees how awesome it is to be a Hollister, he’ll be like the rest of us. You haven’t been able to get rid of one of us yet.”
She ducked her head and he wanted to kick himself. Had he made her think of Alex?
“You know, you all think you’re so smart. The truth is, you were mine all along. I just had to find you.” She squeezed his shoulder. “Now that your father is on the job, looking for more of our kids, in his own special way, there’s no telling what we can do.”
Did she mean more kids? The weight that had eased off his shoulders immediately returned.
That must have shown on his face. He’d never once given the idea of adoption or having his own family much thought. His purpose was police work. He shifted Mari closer and smiled as she muttered in her sleep.
“Not to worry, son. This generation of Hollisters is set, but your generation, now there is where we could do some good things. Find the woman meant to be by your side and then we’ll start growing this family.” She was humming as she stepped inside her bedroom and closed the door.
Mari didn’t move after he set her in the pile of blankets that she claimed as her own. The rest of his room was in dark plaid. Her fleece was purple and pink and it had dogs wearing crowns on it.
Whatever happened tomorrow, he was satisfied at how the night had turned out. He’d made some mistakes. Trying to force Joseph to be the kind of kid he wanted was at the top of the list and he still had to straighten that out. Convincing Jen to help was a good move. And he and Mari were okay. Tomorrow he’d be her favorite person in the world again.
As for tonight? He had plenty of time to decide what to do with the rest of his life. Although his mother was already planning the next generation of Hollister fosters.
Now he could picture what his family might look like. Babies were too much for him. Every future kid in the Hollister clan would have to pass the sarcastic teenager threshold. Those kids were easy to picture in his head. Then he glanced down at Mari, who’d already kicked one leg wide across the bed.
Well, he didn’t have to figure it all out tonight.
That would give him some time to investigate why, in his imagination, all those future sarcastic kids were gathered around a mean redhead.