by Laura Scott
Too bad Devon didn’t care about her in the same way she cared for him.
And when he left the townhouse, shutting the door quietly behind him, she collapsed into a chair and covered her face with her hands.
Sebastian was safe there was no reason to cry.
But she couldn’t hold back the tears that trickled down her cheeks, anyway.
Devon left Janelle’s townhouse feeling as if he’d been kicked in the gut.
When his cell phone rang, he answered it with a growl. “Armbruster.”
“Hey Dev, I’d like your statement before you head home,” Sheriff Torretti said in a tone that didn’t leave room for argument. “We found Grant Gardner’s body and are sending it to Dr. Hauf, the medical examiner.”
Duty calls, he thought with a sigh. “Sure thing. I’ll get right on that.”
“By the way, Captain Mark Anderson from the Madison PD called asking me to give you a reference,” the sheriff continued. “Of course I gave you high marks.”
The news should have cheered him up, but it didn’t. “Thank you, sir.”
There was a brief pause, and Devon stood by his squad car, waiting for the sheriff to finish up the conversation. “I’m sorry to see you go, Armbruster. I’ll miss having you on my team, you’re a good cop.”
Dev rubbed the back of his neck. “Thank you, sir. I want you to know that I’ve enjoyed working for you.”
“Then why are you so anxious to leave?”
He repeated what he’d told Janelle just a few days ago. “I guess I feel like I should be making a bigger difference in people’s lives. You’re a good sheriff Hope County doesn’t have a lot of crime.”
“But we have some crime, and you might want to think about the fact that helping people you know on a first name basis can be more rewarding than helping strangers,” Sheriff Torretti pointed out. “In fact, I’m not sure what would have happened to Sebastian if you hadn’t known where to look for him.”
He thought back to how chilled the boy was when he’d arrived. What if he’d been a few hours later? He didn’t want to think about the fact that Sebastian may have died.
“Someone else may have thought of that hiding spot, too,” he said breaking the silence.
“Not sure I agree with you on that. Zack grew up here, too, but he didn’t know anything about that crevasse in the side of the hill. Frankly, I have no idea how Gardner managed to stumble upon it.”
Dev was shocked to hear that Zack Crain didn’t have any knowledge of that area of the woods. “Pure luck, probably,” he said in response to the sheriff’s comment about Gardner. “I’m on my way to headquarters now,” he said, changing the subject as he slid behind the wheel. “You’ll have my report tonight, sir.”
Another slight pause, before the sheriff responded. “Thanks, Devon. You did a good job, tonight.”
The sheriff disconnected from the call before he could respond, and Devon set his phone aside and turned the key in the ignition.
As he drove, he kept thinking about what Sheriff Torretti had said about helping people you know being more rewarding than helping total strangers.
Was he right about that? Hadn’t Janelle mentioned something similar?
The thought nagged at him as he drove into the parking lot and trudged into the building. When he booted up his computer, he was surprised to see that he had a message from the Madison Police Department, asking him to call them as soon as possible if he was still interested in the position.
And he was interested, wasn’t he?
He stared at the e-mail, belatedly realizing that he hadn’t checked his computer prior to responding to Janelle’s panicked phone call. Of course, it was too late to do anything about the message now. He’d have to remember to call first thing in the morning.
And do what? Agree to take the job if they offered it to him?
He couldn’t believe he was having second thoughts about moving away from Crystal Lake. He’d sent out his resume months ago. He’d be foolish to turn down the opportunity.
But truthfully, he wasn’t nearly as thrilled with the idea of moving any longer not since getting to know Janelle and Sebastian.
His heart clenched in his chest. He hadn’t intended to fall in love ever again. So why was he picturing a future with Janelle and Sebastian?
Ignoring the message wasn’t easy, but he needed to write up his report for the Sheriff. When something this big happened in their small county, he knew that there would be lots of scrutiny on how they’d handled the case.
Devon couldn’t deny there were a few things he could have done differently.
But he didn’t have many regrets, since he’d found a way to deliver on his promise to bring Sebastian home to Janelle.
And she’d turned around and refused his offer to watch Sebastian over the weekend while she went to work.
Maybe he was fooling himself, thinking that he had a reason to stay here in Crystal Lake.
He finished his report, printed it out and set a copy on the Sheriff’s desk.
And as he drove home to his dark, empty house, he tried not to think about the fact that if he took the job in Madison, he’d just be trading one dark, empty, lonely house for another.
Chapter Fourteen
Janelle didn’t sleep well that night, thanks in part to the way Devon had left so abruptly when she’d declined his offer to babysit over the weekend. In the early morning light, she found herself second-guessing her decision not to have Devon stay with Sebastian while she went to work.
She wanted to do the right thing for Sebastian. He was already emotionally attached to Devon, would one more weekend hurt? Even if Dev did get another job he’d have to give a two week notice to the Sheriff, wouldn’t he?
The thought of not seeing Devon again after a few weeks, filled her with sorrow. Not just because she’d miss his friendship and support, which she would.
But she’d miss his hugs, and his kisses, even more.
She gave a little sigh, wishing she’d gotten rid of Lane long before Sebastian came into her life. Maybe she would have noticed Devon earlier, and gotten to know him better, before he’d made the decision to move on to a big city.
Although truthfully, she had no reason to believe Devon felt remotely the same way about her. She knew from Josie just how much Devon had loved Debra, his fiancée.
“Mommy?” Sebastian’s weak voice calling her from his bedroom interrupted her thoughts.
A warm glow settled in the region of her heart at the way he said Mommy, and she hoped he’d continue calling her that from now on. She hurried down the hall to his bedroom. “Good morning, sweetie, how are you feeling?”
“Hungry,” he said rubbing his eyes with his chubby fists.
She lifted him up and gave him a hug and a kiss, which he returned enthusiastically, before carrying him into the living room. There was no reason he couldn’t walk, but she wanted to keep him close after everything that had happened the night before. “What would you like for breakfast?” she asked as she placed him on the sofa.
“French toast, please.” He gazed up at her, his wide blue eyes filled with hope. “Is Dev here, too?”
She was caught off guard by the question, why would he think Devon stayed here over night? Maybe Sebastian’s memory was a bit fuzzy. “No, he went home last night after he rescued you.” She hadn’t asked Sebastian about what happened, figuring that he’d tell her when he was ready to talk. The last thing she wanted to do was to bring up bad memories. “Dev has to work again today, so I don’t know if he’ll have time to stop by.”
Sebastian’s expression reflected his disappointment. “Couldn’t you call him?”
She hesitated, unsure of the right approach. Last night she’d wanted to protect Sebastian from getting even more attached to Devon than he was already. But was it better to wean him slowly over the next few days? Or cut the ties cold turkey?
Janelle knew that if she called Devon, he’d come to see Sebastian, regardless of ho
w they’d parted last night. He’d never let his anger keep him from seeing Sebastian.
Just one of the many reason’s he’d be a great father.
“It’s too early to call him now,” she said. “But maybe later, okay?”
“Okay,” he said in a dejected tone.
Janelle felt bad for him, and toyed with the idea of asking Devon to stop by for a few minutes before work. Not long enough to play a game, but to at least say hi and maybe toss a few baseballs. Maybe he’d even bring his nephew’s baseball mitt over.
Warming to the idea, she headed into the kitchen to begin making French toast, deciding to wait until after breakfast to do Sebastian’s exchange in order to get him back on a reasonable schedule. From what she could tell, the little boy hadn’t suffered any ill effects from the delay in his exchange last night.
Thankfully, no nightmares, either.
Once breakfast was finished and she’d completed Sebastian’s exchange, Janelle decided to try calling the teenager, Tina Jamison one more time. The girl hadn’t returned her call, which wasn’t too encouraging. But it was possible that she’d been busy with homework, or after school activities.
“Oh, yes, I’ll get Tina for you,” her mother said. “She’s off school today and tomorrow.”
After a minute a young woman’s voice came over the line. “Hello?”
Janelle drew a deep breath and tried to think of the best way to get the girl to agree. “Hi Tina, my name is Janelle Larson and I left your mother a message about possibly doing some babysitting for my son, Sebastian. He has kidney failure and needs peritoneal dialysis exchanges three times a day. Since I knew you recently passed the certified nursing assistant program in Madison, I thought you might be interested in putting some of those patient care skills to good use.”
“Oh, yes, my mom just told me you called last night. I would love to help you out, I’ve recently been accepted into UW Madison starting this fall and I’m hoping to get into the nursing program.”
Janelle perked up at this news, even though obviously having Tina babysit was little more than a short term solution. “I love nursing,” she confided. “I work in the ER here at Hope County Hospital.”
“Really” Tina sounded excited. “I’d love to get a nursing assistant job there for the summer.”
“I could give you a reference,” Janelle offered, even though she knew that if Tina did get a nursing assistant job she might not have any time to help her out with Sebastian.
“That would be awesome, although I’m sure you’d have to wait and see how well I do with Sebastian first.”
Hope bloomed in her chest. “So you’ll do it? You’ll learn how to do Sebastian’s exchanges and maybe watch him on the weekends?”
“Sure, I could even do some evenings if needed,” Tina agreed.
Janelle did a quick fist-pump. “Great, thank you so much! I need to work this weekend, is that too soon?”
“Just a minute,” Tina said. In the background Janelle heard Tina talking to her mother as they discussed the weekend plans. “I can do Saturday if that helps,” Tina said.
“Saturday is perfect. But I’ll need you to come over sometime today or tomorrow to learn how to do his exchanges. You’re off school, right?”
“Yes, we’re off school, but I have plans today. Can I come over tomorrow, instead?”
“Sure.” Janelle couldn’t believe how things were falling into place at least temporarily. She made plans to meet with Tina tomorrow at one o’clock in the afternoon and then broke the news to Sebastian.
“Tina? Not Mrs. Alice?”
She hesitated, wondering if she should give the retired nurse another chance. “You might need both of them to alternate,” she admitted. “I know you don’t like Mrs. Alice so I promise I’ll keep looking for someone to replace her, okay?”
“Okay,” he said, surprising her by his acquiescence. “What happened to my daddy?”
Janelle sucked in a quick breath, unprepared for that question. “I’m not sure,” she hedged. “I think he might be sick.”
Sebastian’s stared at her. “He wasn’t very nice to me,” he confided. “I was hungry, but he didn’t have any food. He kept telling me to shut up and be quiet.”
Her heart squeezed in her chest and she quickly crossed over to sit beside him on the sofa. “I’m sorry we argued, Sebastian,” she said, hugging him close. “But I want you to know that I love you, very much. I’ll never hurt you, but sometimes I will make you do things you don’t like to do.”
Sebastian burrowed close. “I luv you too, Mommy. And I’m never going to leave you again.”
Her eyes went misty with emotion as she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. He’d called her Mommy, again.
She hoped and prayed he’d never stop.
There was a knock at the door, so she regretfully pulled away from Sebastian to answer it. Her pulse jumped when she saw Devon standing on her front porch.
She was a little surprised he wasn’t wearing his uniform. He looked so wonderful in a pair of black well-worn jeans and a white button down shirt with the cuffs rolled up, exposing his tanned forearms. It was all she could do not to throw herself into his arms.
“Hi Dev,” she greeted him in what she hoped was a casual tone. “Come on, in.”
He nodded and stepped over the threshold, glancing over her shoulder at where Sebastian was seated on the sofa. The little boy was playing the racing game, and didn’t seem to realize Devon was there. “How is he doing?”
“Pretty well,” she informed him. “Do you want to talk to him?”
“If you don’t mind.”
The hesitancy in his tone made her wince. “Listen, Dev, I’m sorry about last night,” she said softly. “It’s just that Sebastian idolizes you so much, I’m worried how he’s going to handle it when you’re gone.”
“I know,” Devon said, tucking his hands in his back pockets. “Madison offered me a job this morning.”
Her stomach sank to the soles of her feet, although she did her best to paste a smile on her face. “That’s great news, Devon. I’m so happy for you.”
His deep brown gaze searched hers. “I didn’t accept the job, yet.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You didn’t? She echoed in shock. “Why not? I thought that was exactly what you wanted.”
He shrugged. “To be honest, another opportunity has come up that I’m considering as well.”
Hope deflated quicker than a popped balloon. “Oh, I see. Well, it’s good that you’re taking your time and considering all your options.” She hoped her keen disappointment wasn’t too obvious.
“Dev! You came!” Sebastian finally noticed they had company and slid off the sofa to come running toward Devon. The way Dev picked up her son and held him close made her throat tighten with emotion.
“Did Mommy call you?” Sebastian asked.
Devon glanced at her in surprise. “Uh, no, she didn’t. But I do have a couple of questions for you, Sebastian. Do you mind talking to me for a few minutes?”
A tingle of alarm skittered across her nerves. “What do you need to talk to him about?” she asked.
“I’d like to ask him what he remembers from last night,” Devon admitted. “It’s not my intent to upset him, you can listen in if you like.”
Knowing this was a professional visit instead of a personal one stung. But of course she couldn’t blame Devon for needing to tie up loose ends from last night, either.
Her problem, if she wanted something more than he was willing to give.
Devon searched Janelle’s face, trying to figure out how she felt about his dropping by unexpectedly.
Sheriff Torretti had asked someone else to work his second shift duties, so that he could finish up the investigation against Grant Gardner. In addition, the sheriff had asked him to talk to the Feds about the possibility of collaborating on an anti-drug task force they were creating which was part of the reason he hadn’t accepted the job in Madison yet.
&nb
sp; The task force sounded intriguing and would span multiple jurisdictions, including their very own Hope County.
But if he were honest with himself, he’d admit that the real reason he hadn’t accepted the Madison job was because of Sebastian and Janelle.
He cared about the boy, but it was Janelle that he couldn’t seem to get out of his mind.
Had he imagined the flash of relief in her eyes when he told her he hadn’t accepted the Madison job yet?
He forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand, dreading the need to ask Sebastian about what he remembered about last night.
Janelle hovered close, and he didn’t blame her. Sebastian admitted that he’d gone along with his daddy when Grant tapped on his window. From there, Sebastian pretty much confirmed their working theory that once Grant had the boy he dragged him out into the woods, claiming they were going camping.
When Sebastian said that his daddy was mean to him, Devon had to work hard not to show his anger. There was nothing he could do about it now, especially considering the fact that Grant would never hurt anyone again.
“Where’s my daddy, now?” Sebastian asked. “He’s not coming back here, is he?”
“No, your daddy can’t come here ever again,” Dev assured the boy.
“I don’t wanna live wif him,” Sebastian persisted, his gaze earnest. “I wanna stay wif my mom.”
Dev glanced over at Janelle, who looked as if she might burst into tears any minute. “Sebastian, your daddy is gone forever, so you don’t need to worry about him, okay?” He sent a helpless glance at Janelle, unsure of how to tell the boy his father was actually dead.
“He’s up in heaven, Sebastian,” Janelle spoke up, coming to his rescue.
The boy seemed satisfied with that response. Dev closed his notebook. “That’s all I needed, thanks.”
“Do you wanna play a game wif me?” Sebastian asked, picking up the controller.
“Dev has to work today, remember?” Janelle said quickly. “Maybe some other time.”
“Okay.” Sebastian picked up the controller and went back to his racing game.