Page 77 of Rescued Heart

Zack sighed. “Mary gave up her parental rights to Eddie when he was a teen. In my opinion, he hasn’t forgiven her.”

“Is Eddie actually busy in the firehouse, or can I go tell him I’m sorry?”

Zack slid his hands in his pockets. “Probably a good idea to give him some time first.”

She sniffed. Time. She’d call Frances for prayers and wisdom. “Sure. Yeah. Obviously, you know him better than me. I understand. Thanks for explaining.”

Zack paused. “I hope you’ll get the entire story, but it’s not mine to tell.”

She glanced over her shoulder and spotted Grace waiting under a tree. “Thanks, Zack.”

Zack nodded and headed inside the fire station.

Grace walked over and handed Bianca a cup filled with blueberries. “What was that all about?”

Bianca rolled the blueberries around in the cup. “I led Eddie’s mother to him because she wanted to surprise him. But there are…issues.”

Much worse than her own.

Grace grabbed three blueberries from Bianca’s cup. “So headlines aren’t going to say ‘Hero Brings Bia to Meet His Momma.’”

The cup dropped out of Bianca’s grip, and blueberries bounced on the pavement.

Bianca’s stomach tightened as she scooped up the blueberries.

Grace squatted along with her, grabbed a few berries, and put them into the cup. “You two still have a deal, right?”

Eddie’s hurt expression as he’d stepped away from his mother made her heart ache all over again.

Bianca stood. Her legs shook, and she locked her knees. “Right now, I don’t even know if he’s okay.”

That mattered more than any deal.

Grace grimaced. “If you hurry, you probably have a few minutes to run down there. Leo wants to move up the afternoon scene to the park. We need you to get back to wardrobe and to Riley.” She put her hand on Bianca’s arm. “But you can take the time?—”

“Thanks, but he needs space.” It wasn’t about what she needed. “Can I get a ride back over in the limo?”

Grace checked her phone. “Perfect. I think Riley is going to ride over there with that group too, so it might be a tighter fit. We’re hoping to get there and wrap it up quickly before the protestors catch wind of where we’ll be next. I’ll text Justin and let him know you’re on your way to him.”

“Okay, thanks.” Bianca pulled off her heels. She didn’t know who in real life would wear heels when they were searching for clues about a jewel.

The grass between the fire station’s winding driveway and the sidewalk tickled against her bare feet. The limo was parked on the street. A group of boys was riding up the sidewalk in her direction. Three riders sat on the seats, and then two of the bicycles had a boy each behind the peddler, standing on the spokes.

The first set of boys sped past her. However, the second bike slammed on its brakes.

The teenager stared at her. “Are you Bia Pearl?”

She slipped her shoes back on. “Hi, boys. It’s good to see you guys out riding bikes in the fresh air.” The freckled-faced boy who had been standing on the spokes of the last bike hunched behind his driver. Wait. “Will, is that you?”

Will peeked out from behind the other boy. His freckles were on full display, but his gaze didn’t meet hers. “Hey, Bia.”

Bia, not Coach B or even Bianca?

The boy who had stopped first, who looked a few years older than Will, chuckled. “Who’s Will?”

Will shrugged. “Jimmy’s my nickname.”

Bianca tilted her head. She’d heard of Will being short for William, but Jimmy? Wasn’t that usually for James? “Why do they call you Jimmy?”

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