by Hope Ford
Katie’s arms are wrapped around my neck again. She’s nervous and ill at ease with all the tension her father brought with him.
Bart walks over to us and smiles easily at Katie. “Hey, Katie, I’m Bart. I’m an old friend of your mom’s.”
She looks up at me, and I nod my head in agreement. “He’s actually Carrie’s older brother.”
She perks up at that. She loves Carrie. Carrie has definitely won her over with all the sweet treats she brings us. “Hi, Bart,” she says to him softly.
Bart takes a step closer. He’s smiling easily, and it’s obvious that he’s trying to get her mind off everything that just happened. “Hey, do you want to see a magic trick?”
Bart is smiling at her and trying to soothe her. Normally, Katie would be out of my arms and ready to play. Her arms loosen around my neck, but she doesn’t try to get down. She only nods her head.
“See this quarter?”
Bart holds the quarter between his fingers, and Katie nods her head. He then flips his wrist, and the quarter disappears. Katie gasps and jumps out of my arms. “Where’d it go?”
Bart’s smile gets even bigger, and I swear my ovaries explode a little bit. He and Katie look around the floor, but neither one of them find the quarter. “Oh, I know where it’s at,” he finally tells her.
Kattie’s head snaps up to look at him. “Where is it?”
He puts his hand beside her ear, and she doesn’t move, already trusting her new friend.
“Right here.” He touches her ear and brings the quarter out to show her.
Her eyes get as big as saucers. She dives toward Bart, and he catches her in his arms. They’re both laughing, and I am so glad to have him here, and I can’t help but feeling that I wish someone like him were Katie’s father.
Katie runs back to her room to go play, and I can’t stop smiling up at Bart. I shouldn’t be smiling. Heck, I should be trying to figure out what I’m going to do about my ex-husband instead of mooning over a man that I can’t have.
“Thank you… for everything, Bart. You don’t know what that means to me to see her smile like that. She’s taken the divorce pretty rough.”
He nods his head and finally looks from the door Katie ran through and back to me. His gaze is curious, and I know he probably has a thousand questions. “Go ahead. You can ask.”
He clears his throat. “So you and David. I’m just wondering, well, it seems that he’s still in the picture…”
“He’s not,” I say and then backtrack. I mean, I just went on a date with him last night and even though I regret it, I still went out with him. “Well, uh, we were trying to—”
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. You don’t have to tell me,” he interrupts me.
“No, it’s fine, really. Uh, like I said, Katie’s had a rough time with the divorce, and David and I were going to give it another try for her sake. But well, after last night, I know that’s not an option. It was stupid of me to believe he’d changed.”
“You’re not stupid, Chrissy. It sounds to me like you’re a good mom.”
I realize as soon as he says it how much I needed to hear those exact words. Lately, I feel that I’m screwing everything up. I think instead of sticking to my guns and going with my gut, I did the opposite. Now I’ve brought David back into our lives, and obviously that was the wrong decision. “Thanks. It sure doesn’t feel like it.”
His hand goes to my shoulder, and I can feel the heat from his hand on my skin. It’s always been like this. Any time I’ve been around him, there’s an attraction that builds inside me. I can feel the pull in my lower belly just being this close to him. His voice is deep and gravelly. “You’re too hard on yourself. It’s obvious that Katie’s a happy child.”
I stare up at him and get caught in his gaze. The blues of his eyes darken, and his lips pull tight across his face. I can almost feel the chemistry sizzling between us, but the only thing that forces me to drop my gaze is remembering that this is Bart. I’ve had a crush on him forever, and of course I’m going to feel this way. It doesn’t mean he does too.
“Uh, thank you for coming by and well, saving the day.”
He drops his hand from my shoulder and reaches into his pants, pulling out his wallet. “Here’s my card,” he says, handing me a business card. “I want you to call me if you or Katie need anything.”
I take the card, making sure that our fingers don’t touch, and tell him thanks, even though I know I’m not going to call him. I’m not going to bring him into my drama. He’s already witnessed enough.
He holds on to the card, and he stands there until I meet his eyes questioningly.
“I mean it, Chrissy. Call me anytime.”
Only once I nod my head does he let go of the little piece of paper, and I hold it in my hand.
His hands go to his front pockets, and he tilts back and forth on his shoes. “I’m meeting Carrie tomorrow for drinks. She wants me to get to know the sheriff. Want to go with us?”
“Uh, I don’t know. I have Katie.”
“You forget I know your mom. I’m sure she’d love to watch her.”
I shrug my shoulders, not committing either way. He of course is right. My mom will watch Katie any time I need her to. “I’m sure you don’t need me tagging along with you.”
“I want you there. Plus, you know Carrie would appreciate it. She seems to think I’m going to give Scott a hard time or something.”
“He’s good to Carrie. Really good to her,” I tell him. And even I can hear the wistfulness in my voice, and I want to kick myself for it.
“I know he is. Look, come with us, and I won’t even be worried about giving the sheriff a hard time. You can keep me occupied,” he bargains as he walks toward the door.
When he turns back to me, awaiting a response, I finally give in. “Well, I guess I better. It sounds like my best friend needs me tomorrow—even if she doesn’t know it.”
He looks as if he wants to say something, but instead just nods his head. “I can pick you up—”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll need to take Katie to my mom’s. I’ll meet you at the Roadside.” I name the only restaurant in town that has a bar.
He walks out, and I watch him all the way to his car. He turns to me before he gets in and waves, and I can feel my face heat being caught watching him.
With a lift of my hand, I wave to him and then firmly shut the door. I do my best to put Bart out of my mind. I need to focus on Katie and everything else now. I definitely don’t have time for old crushes to resurface, even though it’s so tempting.
8
Bart
Driving through Forest Grove, I can’t get my mind off of Chrissy and Katie. Pulling away from their house was the hardest thing I’ve had to do in a while. There was definitely a vulnerability with Chrissy when I was talking to her.
When I walked into Chrissy’s house, for just an instant I saw true fear in her eyes as she stood there with Katie on her hip. She was literally frightened of David, and it instantly pissed me off. No woman should ever fear a man, especially when he is the father of her child. I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t walked in.
But I had to leave. I know there is work to be done. And I know the sooner that I get David put behind bars, the better it’s going to be for everyone.
I go to the car dealership where David bought the car. I noticed the sticker on the back when I walked by it, and it’s a car lot at the edge of town.
I no sooner get out of my car than a salesperson approaches me. “How can I help you?”
I hold up my badge. “I need to see the owner.”
He points inside the building. “Rex is inside. First office on your right.”
The salesperson walks away before I can thank him, and I walk inside to search for Rex.
“Hi. I’m detective Bart Baker.” I hold up my badge. “I’m inquiring about a silver Dodge Charger that was purchased here either late last night or today.”
Rex sorts through his papers on his desk and pulls one out. “Yep, sold it this morning. Sold to a David Kline, and he paid cash.”
“Can I see the paperwork and the cash he used?”
Rex stands up from behind his desk. “What’s this about?”
“I can’t really tell you that.” I reach for the paperwork, and Rex jerks it behind him.
“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to come back with a warrant.”
“I just need…”
“I know what you need, and then something’s going to happen and my cash is going to be held up in the courts as some kind of evidence. I’m not turning anything over without a warrant.”
I shake my head. “It really doesn’t work like that.”
“It does, and I know it does.” He points to the exit sign. “Now, you can see yourself out, and you’re welcome to come back when you have a warrant.”
I nod my head and leave. I can’t say I blame the man. There’s not a lot of people that are going to want to hand over cash to someone, even if it is a detective.
I pull into the Forest Grove Courthouse, and after finding where I need to go, I walk to the window and am surprised when I see Leah. I want to smack myself. She told me she worked at the courthouse when I saw her this morning, but it didn’t really register until I see her standing in front of me.
“Hey Bart, you here to take me up on my offer? It’s almost closing time, we can have dinner.”
This morning was awkward when I had to avoid her advances, but now it’s even worse. I wish I could have just avoided her, but that’s obviously not going to happen. “Thanks for the invite, Leah, but I’m actually here on business. I need a warrant.”
After giving her all the information, I can’t help but hope that Leah can keep everything on the downlow. Chrissy doesn’t need more unwanted attention in the form of gossip. I think she and Katie have been through enough.
She walks back to where I’m assuming she can talk to a judge, and I stand in the hallway waiting for her return. Minutes go by before she’s back, but she’s not handing me the paperwork. “So does this have to do with all the commotion at the gym this morning?”
“Well, you know as well as I do that I’m not able to discuss that. Just like you’re not able to discuss matters that come through your office either,” I hint to her, wanting her to know that I won’t appreciate her sharing anything she thinks she’s got figured out.
She tilts her chin up stubbornly and hands me the paperwork. “Sure.”
I thank her and head back over to the car lot. Rex is pulling back into the lot just as I get parked.
“Hey, Rex. Here’s the paperwork. Now can I see the cash and the paperwork, please?”
He shakes his head. “No, I’m sorry. We’ve already done our drop today. The money just got deposited into the bank. You’ll have to go through them to see it. I have the paperwork in my office, though. Let me go get it for you.”
I clench my fists at my sides. “I could get you for obstruction of justice.”
“Sure, if you think you should. I was just worried about having all that cash here, so I was concerned for the safety of my employees. I thought that was the best thing to do. You know, for the safety of everyone.”
I shake my head. Well, he’s not a stupid man. No one can argue with his logic, even if it’s only an excuse. “Let me see the paperwork.”
He grabs me the paperwork, and I look at it, noting that David used Chrissy’s address for it. Other than that, there’s nothing out of the ordinary. It says he’s self-employed, but since he paid cash, there’s really nothing that would have been questioned.
I hand him back the paperwork and go to my car. I refuse to let David get away with anything. I’m going to nail him on everything as soon as I get all my ducks in a row. But I know I’m going to have to come clean with Chrissy and tell her that I’m investigating her ex-husband for a number of crimes and see if she can give me any helpful information.
9
Chrissy
The day at the gym is hectic. But in a way that’s a good thing because if I wasn’t busy, I’d be thinking about going for drinks with Bart tonight. I wasn’t prepared for him to come back into my life. And now that I’m even more vulnerable than I’ve ever been, it’s going to be so easy to fall into my full-blown attraction to him. And then he’ll leave. Again.
It’s almost time for me to take Katie to my mom’s, and I’m about to cut out when the new big-time attorney comes by the gym. He already has a reputation in Forest Grove for being a hard-nose, and I have to admit I’m a little intimidated by him.
“Hello. I’m Chris Erikson.” He puts his hand out to shake mine, and I reluctantly take it. He doesn’t have to tell me, I already know why he’s here. I can tell by the way my stomach is turning. “I’m the attorney representing your ex-husband in the custody case.”
“Okay, so shouldn’t you be talking to my attorney?”
He smiles, but it’s not a warm smile. It’s an egotistical one that raises my blood pressure. “Maybe. But I always like to meet the spouse, or well, ex-spouse.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “You mean intimidate them?”
My smart-alec remark doesn’t even faze him. If anything, his smile gets bigger. “Well, I just wanted to meet you. I’m assuming you’re here at your place of business a lot, and I’m sure your hours are NOT conducive to a child’s needs. Plus, I wanted to let you know that I’ll be interviewing friends, teachers, family, and will also need to interview Katie at some point.”
I bristle inside, but I’m determined not to let him see me lose my cool. “You can speak to Katie, but only when I’m present. As for everyone else, feel free to talk to anyone. I have nothing to hide, unlike my ex-husband.”
The attorney shrugs off my remark. “It’s fine. I’ll wait until the day in court to talk to Katie. I’ve already talked to the daycare owner, and she mentioned that she misses getting to see her dad.”
I could retaliate and tell the attorney that David has never been interested in seeing Katie, not until now. It’s his own fault for not seeing her. But now, after the way I saw him yesterday, he’s going to be lucky if I don’t run off somewhere to keep Katie safe from him.
The attorney leaves almost as quickly as he arrived, and I realize he did it to rattle me. Well, mission accomplished. I’m completely stressed at this point. I am stressed out now more than ever having the attorney implying that he’s going to try and take Katie away from me.
Now more than ever, I need a hug from my daughter. I drive over to the preschool and pick her up. “Hey, pumpkin! How was your day?”
“It was so good. I tried and tried to show Maggie the magic trick that Bart showed me, but I couldn’t figure it out. Do you think the next time he comes over he can show me how to do it?”
I don’t have the heart to tell her that Bart is only in town for a little while, and we probably won’t see much of him while he’s here. I can at least ask him about it. “Sure, I’ll ask him about it.”
Katie starts to tell me about her friend Maggie and all the happenings of the day. She almost seems like her old happy self, and I can’t help commenting, “You seem happy today.”
I drive a few blocks before Katie responds. “So is Bart a policeman?”
“Uh, in a way he is. He’s a detective.”
“What is that?”
“Well, that means that he asks questions and tries to solve problems. He looks for the bad guys.”
I look at her nodding her head in the rearview mirror. It’s almost like I can see the questions forming in her head.
“So he stops bad things from happening?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Yeah, well, that’s one of the things I guess he does.”
“So he can stop my dad from taking me from you?”
As soon as her words are out, I suck in a breath. I try not to let her see how her words are affecting me. We pull up into my mom’s driveway, and I get out and
open the back door, kneeling down beside her. “Are you worried about that, Katie?”
Her lower lip pops out, and she slowly nods her head.
“First of all, I don’t want you to worry about anything. No one is going to take you from me.”
“Promise?”
“I promise you. But let me ask you, your teacher is telling me that you keep asking about your dad. I thought you were missing him.”
She shakes her head. “No, I don’t, Momma. I just ask about him because I don’t want him to pick me up. He always tells me that he’s going to take me soon, and I can live with him, but I don’t tell him I don’t want to, I’m scared.”
I pull my baby into my arms. “You don’t have to, Katie. You don’t have to go live with him, and I promise, I’m always going to be here for you. Please don’t worry, okay?”
“Momma, Bart told you that he will help you. Can he help us?”
I sigh and kiss the top of her head. “Yeah, honey, he’ll help us.”
I pull back and help Katie out of the car. My mom is standing beside us, and I can tell she wants to ask me, but I just shake my head.
“I’ll be back to get you later, okay?”
Katie nods her head. Normally she would beg to spend the night with her grandma, but tonight she only nods.
“Thank you, Mom, for watching her. I won’t be out late.”
She waves me off. “Don’t you worry, honey. I got dinner on the stove and then we’re going to make cookies.”
Katie pumps her fist in the air. “Yay, cookies.”
I laugh as they huddle together and all but run into the house.
I feel a little relieved to know what’s been bothering Katie, but I’m still stressed and worried. I have a promise to keep to my little girl, and come hell or high water, I’m going to keep it.
10