Page 38 of The Moment They Can Never Forgive
“About being a good cop? Absolutely. But the baking thing, I’m terrible at. I’ve never tried, possibly because I have Mom and Ryder, who are good at it, so I didn’t ever put much effort into it.”
Wiping her nose again, Leah turned, and those brown eyes were so sad, it made his own eyes itch.
“What were you trying to make?”
“Cookies, but I can’t find the baking powder.”
“Didn’t Ryder bring you food for us?”
Her sigh was pitiful, and it was possibly the first time he’d seen her completely beaten.
“I want to make something. I should be able to make something,” she said, louder this time. “Hudson deserves an aunt who can do that.”
“And this is making you panic?”
“It happens sometimes,” she whispered. “Since Cassie.”
“Which is entirely natural,” Dan said calmly.
“Is it?” She looked at him, eyes hopeful.
“Major change can produce panic attacks. Is that what you get, Leah?”
She nodded.
“Well, Dr. Hannah could probably talk to you about that. Maybe go see her, okay?”
She nodded again and then said, “C-Cassie could bake.”
Feeling like he was wading through something he wasn’t equipped to handle, Dan just nodded because she was at least talking to him.
One thing Dan had realized early in his life, having been raised by a mom and a really bossy sister, was that he didn’t always understand what the issue causing the meltdown was, but what he’d also learned was that listening was the best option every time.
“But she couldn’t sing, and you can,” Dan said.
She sniffed again. He leaned sideways and checked out the open recipe book on the counter.
“So you want to bake him some cookies?”
“Them,” she said, sending her hand in an arc that Dan guessed was meant to encompass everyone working outside.
He picked up the recipe book and started reading because he wasn’t sure what else to do. Dan could make a run for it and grab any of the women outside this house, hell, even some of the men, but he didn’t because this was Leah, and he’d never been able to walk away from her when she needed him. She was the one who’d done that.
“I don’t have baking powder,” she added forlornly.
“I don’t think you need it if you have self-rising flour because it’s already in there.” He picked up the packet. “It’s one of the things I remember because I once bought some of it when Mom asked me to get flour, and it was the wrong sort, so I got a lecture.”
This made her snuffle. “I didn’t know that, but I should have.”
“Not sure knowing about flours is a big deal when raising a kid, Leah. I mean, they have rolls of cookie dough that I eat direct from the package for a reason.” He read the recipe. “It says you need to preheat the oven and prepare a baking sheet.”
“Dan—”
“Do you want to make these damn cookies or not?”
“Don’t speak to me like that.”
He was pleased to hear the bite in her words again. Her breathing had settled into a regular rhythm too. Dan was glad because vulnerable Leah brought him to his knees.
