Page 29 of Fool Me

Over my dead body.

“We’ll see about that. You know how hiring goes with municipalities—there’s all sorts of red tape. Things can take a while. Not to mention there’s not an opening.”

“Isn’t there?”

Fuck him and the insinuation that he knows something I don’t.

“Okay,” my dad says, holding his hands up, putting a stop to our bickering. “You need to get to your meeting.” He glares at me, warning me to keep myself in check. “And I need to get back to working on equipment testing.”

In other words, he’s sick of our shit and he’s kicking both of us out.

“Good to see you, James. Maybe we can catch up soon.” He leans forward, holding out a hand for my dad—I want to smack it away. Instead, I stick out my tongue behind his back. I never claimed to be mature.

My dad’s gaze shifts from my shenanigans back to Canyon’s hand. “That’s not a good idea. I don’t blame you for what happened on the mountain, that was an accident, but you hurt Harlowe, and until she forgives you for that, I can’t either.”

There’s a thick lump forming in my throat—I struggle to swallow around it. James Corbin has never been stingy withhis love, but his declaration of support hits me harder than I expected and makes the guilt of lying to him even heavier.

I give Canyon a look. He’s still here, but I want a moment with my dad before I head to our meeting. My glare does its job, and he heads for the door.

Bending, I wrap my arms around my dad, squeezing him tight. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

When I release him, there’s a teasing grin on his lips. “His brother?”

“What? I didn’t know he was a Kane when we met—not until you said something. And they’re nothing alike.” Another truth. I might not be able to tell him all of it, but I’ll give him everything I can.

“And this isn’t some weird revenge plan to get back at Canyon. The daughter I raised wouldn’t use another person in some game, or let the bitterness change her.”

“It’s not like that. Atlas is nice and I like spending time with him.” We are using each other, but he’s fully on board and getting credibility in town from this plan. “Besides, making Canyon jealous would be pointless. We’re long over and I couldn’t care less what he thinks of me.”

He studies me for a minute and I feel his scrutiny down to my toes. God, I hope my ears aren’t turning red—a dead giveaway I’m lying. “I better let you get back to work.”

“Uh-huh,” he hums, not sounding entirely convinced I’m not up to something.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say.

“Tomorrow, for birthday pancakes.”

“For birthday pancakes,” I repeat.

“Do you think Echo knows those pancakes are for his half-birthday?” my dad asks.

“You say that like your grandson isn’t the smartest dog ever,” I tease from the doorway.

“Be safe out there today,” he adds, his blue eyes soft.

“Always, Dad.” Not much bothers my dad, but every once in a while, I can see the worry in his eyes that something will go wrong on a mission. It’s always been there, but since the avalanche, I’ve seen it more, and I can’t help but wonder if Canyon being back has triggered the visible worry today.

Relief floods me when I step into the flexible space we use for these meetings and Canyon is gone. Travis is at the front of the room while the rest of the crew is scattered around. Some are on the couch, and some are at the table. Conrad is leaning against the counter.

There aren’t many spots left, so I take the spot next to my boss.

“Okay, we have a lot to get through before we head to Outlaw Falls, so I’m not going to waste any time with the fluffy stuff. As most of you know, I have been considering retirement for a while. When I took over this role for Corbin, I was already considering it, but . . .”

He lets the rest trail off. No one in this room needs a reminder of what kept him with the team. We all lived the aftermath of the avalanche in our own way. There was a very sudden, very large gap in leadership on the team. With my dad in the hospital recovering, me refusing to leave his bedside, and Canyon MIA, the team was shorthanded. On top of a lack of manpower, they were dealing with the investigation the county was running into the accident.

Not that it was well-run, but it still sucked up resources.

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