Page 38 of Honey Bee Library
I read it over a few times. That was how long it took for me to fully digest what he’d said. He mentioned Jasper, which would mean that he thought my son was with me. But was that just a tactic kidnappers used? Was he trying to throw me off the scent?
I couldn’t just stand here, trying interpret his words, so I kept the note clutched in my hand as I made my way back to the master bedroom and located my phone. I swept the screen on to unlock it and found Cole’s number. I pressed talk and brought the phone up to my cheek.
He answered after two rings.
“Willow?” he asked, his voice low and groggy like he hadn’t spoken in a while.
My body was shaking with adrenaline, but I forced myself to stay calm as I closed my eyes and asked, “Where is my son?”
12
COLE
I was grateful for Jasper.Our relationship was easy. He was a simple kid who spoke fish and cars—my native language.
Willow had left us to play cars in the spare room. When she checked on us fifteen minutes later, her hair was damp and her skin flushed from what I could only assume was a hot shower. My entire body responded at the thought of Willow in the shower…but I quickly pushed that from my mind. It wasnotwhat I should be thinking about.
It was evident that Willow didn’t like me. There was no way I was going to entertain the idea that she could be interested in me in the same way that I was rapidly becoming interested in her. I needed reality to slap me in the face. And I needed it to happen right now.
After Willow checked on us, I didn’t see her again. Jasper was busying building a roadway for his cars while I lay on the floor with my hands resting on my chest and my eyes closed when my phone rang. I shifted my weight and slipped my phone out of my back pocket and brought it to my ear.
“Hello,” I said, half expecting it to be Maddie with some Obsidian drama.
“Is this Mr. Watkins?” The voice was soft but forceful, and it had me sitting straight up.
“This is he.” My heart was pounding now as I waited for them to respond.
“Hey, Mr. Watkins. This is Penny at Seabreeze Memory Lodge”—I swallowed hard as fear wedged itself in my throat—“and I’m calling because Georgianna fell.”
I was up and pacing, my nervous energy needing somewhere to go. “Okay,” I said slowly.
“She’s okay. Got a little banged up. We have a doctor coming to take an x-ray.”
“X-ray?” I blurted out. Why on earth did this woman sound so calm when my grandma was going to need an x-ray?
The nurse paused. “We think she might have fractured her wrist.”
“I’m leaving right now. I’ll be in Miami by tomorrow morning.”
The nurse started sputtering, but I didn’t wait to hear what she had to say. I hung up and glanced over at Jasper, who was watching me with wide eyes.
“We gotta get you to bed,” I said as I slipped my phone into my back pocket and waved for him to follow. I was confused as to where Willow had gone. Was she in her room? Had she…I was standing in the doorway when my gaze landed on her bed, where she was fast asleep.
“She’s asleep,” I whispered to Jasper as I pressed my forefinger to my lips.
He giggled and nodded as we both rose up onto our tiptoes and walked past the bed. I had him go to the bathroom and change into his pajamas while I waited in the room. Once he opened the door, I helped him brush his teeth, and then we tiptoed back to the bed so he could climb in.
Willow was sleeping on top of the comforter, so I grabbed a spare blanket from the closet and shook it out on top of both of them. Just as I moved to tuck Jasper in, his gaze met mine.
“Are you leaving?” he asked, his voice soft and his eyes wide.
I reached out and tousled his hair. “I gotta go back home for a few days.”
He blinked a few times. “Are you coming back?”
I studied him before I slowly nodded. “Of course, kiddo. I just have a few things I need to take care of.”
Jasper narrowed his eyes as he kept his gaze trained to my face. I wasn’t sure why he looked so skeptical. In an effort to calm his worries, I gave him a big smile and a wink.
