Page 16 of The Fall Back Plan
I only make it a few steps before she calls me.
“Sheriff.”
I stop and turn.
“When you pulled me over last week, were you out that way because you live over there?”
“I do.” I don’t generally advertise where we live because there’s plenty of former guests of the county jail who’d like to know. But it’s not secret either, and whatever else Jolie is, she’s not someone that I worry about knowing my address.
“With your dad?”
She’s watching me, her eyes making small tracking movements like she’s synthesizing the bits of info she’s picked up and confirming her conclusions with my expression.
I shake my head. “Pops is my grandfather, Brooklyn’s great-grandfather. But yes, we live with him. We moved in when I got custody of her.”
“I live on White Pine.” She pauses, then adds, “I need to go home and get ready for the day. I can drop Brooklyn off on my way.”
That’s unexpected. “You don’t have to do that.”
She looks at me likeObviously.
“I mean that it’s nice of you to offer, but Pops will come get her soon. He’s just on his morning walk, and he’s opposed to cell phones. Besides, this is the third time in two weeks she’s had me pick her up for a ‘headache.’ Probably do her some good to be bored in my office for a bit until he can come get her.”
She glances toward the station. “You don’t believe her about her headaches?”
I sigh. “That sounds bad, doesn’t it?”
She shrugs. “Not if you’re sure she’s faking.”
“It’s kind of a new thing, but yeah. She is.” My gut instinct is strong on this one. “Anyway, thanks again for the offer, but it’s not urgent.”
She nods and walks off, leaving me to wonder whether I’ve been extended an olive branch. Jolie McGraw had never been easy to read, which was probably why I worked so hard to upset her back in the day. But she’s even more of a mystery now.
I watch her go until I realize my eyes are fixed on the view of her backside. Yeah, the sheriff can’t be standing around ogling women. Better get in the office before I’m on the Harvest Hollow Happenings Instagram.
It’s the bane of my existence. I can imagine the caption.Sheriff keeps an eye on crime—if crime lives in the yoga pants of Sullivan’s new owner.
It’s the worst—and I check it as religiously as the account’s other eleven thousand followers. Whoever runs it has a way of capturing exactly the things you don’t want it to.
But I still can’t resist stealing one more glance Jolie’s way before I head back into the station.
It’d be a crime not to.
Chapter Nine
Jolie
Iwalktomytruck at a fast clip, a scowl back on my face, because my stone-cold heart went ever-so-slightly squishy when I found out Lucas Cole is a dad.
Sure, guardian,legally.But he’s already doing way more for Brooklyn than my dad ever did for me. He’s a parent, period.
I don’t want my heart going even remotely squishy unless it’s for my people. And I’ve already got one—Ry. That’s more than some people get. Mrs. Herring flashes through my mind. Maybe two. But that’s definitely as much people as anyoneneeds.
Ry is already working on the spray paint on the walls when I walk up.
“Fix your face, cuz,” Ry says. “We’ll have this cleaned up soon.”
I smooth away the scowl. “Sorry. Ran into Lucas again.”
