Page 42 of Katherine's Last Hope
So much for keeping the conversation away from the little guy’s ears.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Katherine whispered. “Don’t you want to be out there with Owen?”
“Being with you right now is the only place I want to be,” Mike said.
Cody bit back a sigh. Having Mike in his house might not make him the most comfortable, but the older man needed to be with his child right now. He couldn’t be the reason to separate him from his family.
“Your dad and I can do some more leg work while Owen and Tommy are out in the field. It’d be good for me to pick his brain a little. Maybe over some lunch.”
“Yeah, I’m starving,” Ollie said.
The exaggeration Ollie put on the last word made them all smile.
“How about I pick up your favorite meal at Lulu’s, as well as food for the rest of us, and bring it over,” Mike said. “Send me your address. I’ll make sure I’m not being followed.”
Katherine locked eyes with Cody, an unspoken question passing between them.
He gave a subtle nod. This might not be how he’d hoped to spend his day, but it was the right decision. Besides, maybe speaking with Mike about the case could shake loose some information because sooner or later, something had to give.
It had to, because Katherine’s life hung in the balance.
Katherine pickedat the soft bun on the top of her burger. She should be hungry, and the smell of her favorite sandwich from Lulu’s tempted her to take a bite, but she feared her stomach would revolt. Between her frazzled nerves and lingering fear from knowing Ollie had been in the same room as a monster, food was the last thing she could handle.
“Not hungry?” her dad asked, frowning.
“Not really.”
Cody carried a bottle of water to the kitchen table and took the seat across from her.
“How can you not be starving? We haven’t eaten in hours.” Ollie shoved a fistful of fries in his mouth as he spoke.
She mustered a smile for Ollie. No reason for him to learn how close he’d come to danger today. “That breakfast you and Cody made earlier must have filled me up.”
Mike’s bushy eyebrows shot up. “Ollie cooked?”
Ollie’s chest puffed. “Yep. I’m a big help, right Cody? I even fed Bailey.”
At the sound of her name, the dog’s ears perked up, but she kept her head in Ollie’s lap.
Mike snorted out a laugh. “Your dog seems pretty attached to Ollie.”
Cody settled back in his chair, his own meal untouched. “The two have formed quite a bond. I’m pretty sure I’ve fallen to her second favorite person.”
Ollie giggled. “Yeah, she definitely likes me more than you. She even slept with me last night, Grandpa. But that might have been because she couldn’t fit with Mom and Cody.”
Humiliation scorched Katherine’s entire face. She might not care what her family thought, but that didn’t mean she wanted her father to know where she’d slept last night.
Especially since that had been snuggled in Cody’s arms.
Cody choked out a cough. “Hey, Ollie, I think Bailey needs to go outside. She was cooped up for a while. Do you want to finish your lunch on the deck? I don’t think she’ll go out if you stay inside.”
“Sure. Come on, Bailey.” Ollie braced his hands on the edge of the table to push himself up. “Can you help me?”
“Sure can.” Cody retrieved the wheelchair they’d brought back from the hospital and pushed it to the table. He looped onearm around the little boy’s back and helped him shift onto the chair then handed him the rest of his fries. “We’ll be on the deck if you need us.”
She waited for them to disappear on the other side of the glass door before meeting her dad’s blank expression.
“What are you doing, Kat?”
