Page 49 of Heartbreak Hero

“Mom?”

“I’m here,” she said, a touch out of breath.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s cancer.” Her voice was thick with tears.

“Who?”

“Your father.”

He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to his forehead, trying to ease the building pressure.

“I’ll be home after I close this case. It shouldn’t be too much longer,” he promised her.

After a few more moments of talking, she hung up and he stared out over the manicured lawn. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked.

He didn’t normally do regrets, but in the face of his father’s illness, it was another story. And while he didn’t regret standing his ground, he did regret the growing distance between them.

It was sad that it took his father getting sick for him to realize he could never make up for missed time.

Neither of them could.

Wednesday…

Aknock sounded on Sara’s hotel room door, so she raced over and yanked it open.

She didn’t need to check to see who it was because she’d just gotten off the phone with the lobby.

Anastasia Dupont and Carla Bettencourt stood on the threshold.

Ana was a force when she swept inside and pulled Sara into her arms. Carla followed them and closed the door before flipping the lock.

Sara clung to Ana.

Ana was their rock and leader of their band of girlfriends and had been since college.

“Tell me who to have arrested,” Ana ordered, putting Sara at arm’s length.

Ana was one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the United States, and her words made Sara choke on a laugh.

“Nobody,” she said, her voice watery with tears when she gave a half-sobbing laugh.

“Then stop your crying,” Ana scolded.

Carla stepped up and Sara hugged her other friend tightly.

“How are you feeling?” Sara asked thickly.

Carla had gotten the flu and hadn’t been able to make it to Seattle during Lily’s nightmare. And even though Sara didn’t wish being sick on her friend, she was glad that Carla hadn’t been there during that time. Lily had been physically abused by her husband, plus had a stalker on top of it, and the whole ordeal had been hell on earth for a while.

“I’m all better. I did make it out there by New Year’s, but you were already gone,” Carla said.

Sara smiled regretfully. If she added up all the time between visits, it would be about two years since she’d last seen Carla, but the lovely blonde was still as beautiful and gracious as ever.

“Let’s not stand in the entryway.” Ana caught her arm and guided her farther into the suite.

“I didn’t even know you’d left Seattle until you called me,” Carla pouted, giving her a hug.

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