Page 9 of Anchor Point

Somehow, between now and when I got home, I had to piece together how this stroke of bad luck had happened and how I was going to handle it. It was just a matter of time until she found out the truth.

And I prayed that she could handle it.

I also prayed that he would accept meeting her once he found out the truth. But this was fine, just a small complication.

“Rosie, sweetheart? I’m home,” I called as I let myself into our new townhouse. The rental was nice enough. Good neighborhood, close to work, good school district.

Everything had moved so swiftly since Rosie tipped me off to the job opening and I had applied on a whim.

At the time, I’d been so relieved that everything had fallen into place. The job interview had gone well, and we’d found a nice place to live, just in time for Rosie to start her freshman year of high school.

Looking back, her overzealous attitude and total acceptance of uprooting our lives was… unusual. I’d expected some pushback over her having to start a new school, and high school at that. But my precocious daughter had been elated.

Now, as she be-bopped into the small kitchen and greeted me with a hug, I realized how completely she’d played me.

“How’d it go today, Chief?” She’d started calling me Chief instead of Mom the moment I got the job offer like she was proud of me. What I’d once considered a sweet sentiment suddenly seemed all wrong.

“It was a good day,” I replied, dropping my work bag to return her hug. Despite everything, she was the love of my life, and no matter the circumstance, we were in this together. I pulled back, cupping her face. “How about you? Did you have a good day at school?”

Her steel-gray eyes flitted away, and she pulled away from me, heading to the fridge, where she searched the contents for something to magically appear.

“Meh. It’s high school, I guess. Did they get you a car today?”

Rosie had started dreaming of driving over the summer, yearning for freedom while stretching every boundary I set. While I’d agreed to loosen the reins on her in safe situations, I wasn’t used to dropping her at the movies or letting her hang out unsupervised.

She was still my little girl, and I wasn’t ready for her to grow up. “Not yet. Cathy, my new assistant, tells me it should be here soon.”

A small squeal pealed through the kitchen, echoing off the bare walls. My daughter, so fiercely independent and ready to tackle the world on her own. Apparently, it was a given that if I had a department-issued car, she would get mine.

I kicked off my shoes at the table and plopped onto the couch. We didn’t have much in the way of furniture. Aside from her bedroom furniture, a couch, an oversized chair that Rosie had labeled her reading chair, and a small coffee table were all that we had managed to move with us. We didn’t even have a television.

I’d wanted a fresh start for Rosie and me after the divorce, but establishing a new home was expensive, and it was taking some time.

I propped my feet on the coffee table and relaxed.

“Don’t get so excited, sweetheart. You still have nearly two years until you turn sixteen. And we still need to check the state requirements on learner’s permit requirements and how long you have to wait after that to get your license.”

The refrigerator door slammed shut, the few bottles in the door rattling. “I know, Mom.” She plopped next to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

“So did you have to go all badass on anyone today?” She pulled my hand into hers, absently tracing the lines of my palm with the tip of her finger. Memories of another set of hands identical to hers, except more masculine, doing the exact same thing the night we met roared to life. Was it possible that they had the same soul? Now that I’d been face-to-face with him, I recognized so many similarities in their mannerisms. What I remembered of his, anyway.

“No, sweetheart. And I don’t think I’ll have to.”

Quietly, she traced my fingers, turning over my hands, fiddling with my rings, especially the new turquoise-and-silver band I’d bought to replace my wedding set. She had a matching one on her finger.

“Did you get to meet the rest of the department?” Prior to today, I wouldn’t have thought anything of her innocent question. But now… I had my doubts as to how innocent my daughter actually was. My heart broke a little.

“I met my captains.” Rosie tensed up beside me. A definite tell if I’d ever seen one. I continued as if I hadn’t noticed. “I’ll meet the rest of the crews starting tomorrow and spend the next three days meeting everyone.”

I pulled my hand from hers and wrapped my arm around her shoulder, snuggling her into my side. It wasn’t often that I got to snuggle my baby girl anymore. Resting my temple against her silky hair, I breathed in her scent, cherishing the moment. The floral shampoo she’d always used a familiar balm in a sea of unexpected events. “What about you? Did you meet some new friends today?”

“I met a girl named Shae. She seems really nice and had the prettiest braids. She sat next to me in art class.”

She plopped her feet next to mine on the table, playing footsie as she told me all about her new friend and her awesome art teacher. I wanted so badly to interrogate her, find out if my suspicions were accurate. If she knew about her biological father.

The week with Mac had been so much more than anything I’d ever experienced. The deepest connection, the most fulfilling experience of my life, aside from the angel I’d been gifted to raise.

“So this move has been a good one?” I asked. If I could just keep her talking, maybe she’d give me the opening I needed.

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