Chapter 24

 

 

 

 

“MAGGIE, SET the table, please.”

“I’ll set a place for Aunty Tavey in case she comes home early from work.”

“Good idea, sweetie. Jarrod, will you fill water glasses for everyone?”

“Sure.” He’d been hovering near the window since he’d arrived home from school, looking anxious.

She ruffled his red hair. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled unconvincingly, then pulled glasses from a cabinet.

While the kids moved around the table, she worried her lip, wondering if Jarrod was still having trouble with the boy he gotten in the fight with.

“Both of you, go wash up. The lasagna comes out in thirty minutes.”

They ran down the hall, with Max trailing behind.

With no little eyeballs around to watch her, Linda gave in to the full-body ache that had set in since she’d listened to the message Sullivan’s girlfriend had left on his phone. She leaned over to grasp the counter wondering if it was possible to combust from emotional upheaval. When tears threatened, she blinked them back. She could cry later in bed when everyone else had gone to sleep.

The doorbell chimed, interrupting her mini meltdown. She straightened and cleared her throat, swiping at her eyes before she got to the door. But Jarrod beat her there, swinging open the door. Oakley stood on the stoop, dressed in his work clothes, his tie drooping.

“Hi, Jarrod.”

“Hi,” Jarrod said, but seemed disappointed to see him.

Linda’s pulse picked up. “Oakley, what a surprise.”

His expression was guarded. “Hi, Linda. Can I talk to you?”

“Of course.”

He shot a look toward Jarrod, then back to her. “Maybe we could talk out here?”

She nodded, then turned to Jarrod. “Will you keep an eye on dinner for me?”

“Yeah.”

She stepped outside, then closed the door and waited.

“Sit with me?” He lowered himself to the top step.

She joined him, wondering if Oakley knew that Sullivan had been cheating on her. It seemed likely… which made her feel like an even bigger fool. “What’s this about?”

“I want to apologize… again.” He shook his head. “I feel like lately I always say the wrong thing to you. It was easier when Sullivan was between us. Now I don’t know where we stand.” He wet his lips. “Tell me what you need from me.”

Linda sighed. “I need for you to support me in the decisions I make.” She gave him a wry smile. “Even when you think I’m wrong.”

He nodded. “Fair enough. And I want to support you.” He smiled. “I want to help you prepare for the exam, if you’ll let me.”

“I’d like that,” she said. “Do you want to stay for dinner? It’s just lasagna but there’s plenty.”

“Raincheck,” he said. “I have to get back to work a case. By the way, your yard looks great.”

“Doesn’t it?”

“Who, uh, cut it for you?”

She considered letting him think Stone had stepped in, then she smiled. “Jarrod did it.”

“No kidding? He’s growing up fast.”

She made a rueful noise. “Faster now.”

Oakley stood, then extended a hand down to pull her up. She put her hand in his and when he pulled her to her feet, their faces were close. The unexpected nearness was a jolt to her senses. Their gazes locked and time stopped.

The sound of a truck pulling to the curb broke the moment. She turned her head to see Eddie waving from a UPS truck.

“I should go,” Oakley said. “Talk soon.”

She didn’t trust herself to speak, just nodded.

Oakley strode to his department-issued sedan, exchanging hellos with Eddie as they passed.

Eddie fetched a big box from the back of the truck and carried it up the walkway.

She waved. “Hi, Eddie. What did you bring me today?”

“It’s not for you, Mrs. Smith. Delivery for Jarrod Smith.”

The door burst open, and Jarrod bounded out. “I’m Jarrod Smith.”

Eddie smiled. “Sign here.”

Jarrod excitedly signed his name on the handheld machine.

Eddie set the box on the stoop. “You all have a good evening.”

Jarrod pounced on it, ripping at the tape.

“What is it?” Maggie yelled from the doorway, jumping up and down.

He tore away packing materials, then reached in and pulled out a gadget the size of a microwave with propellors. “It’s a drone!” he said. “I wanted to surprise you, Mom. I won the riddle contest.”

Linda gasped. “I’m so proud of you!”

He beamed. “It has a camera on it. I thought maybe you could use it to solve cases now that you’re a P.I.”

Her heart expanded in her chest. “That’s a great idea, and so thoughtful of you to want to help me and your aunt like that.” She pulled him in for a hug and for once, he let her.

She closed her eyes. The men in her life—past and present—were giving her heart an aerobic workout.