Page 84 of False Confidence

For a moment, everything but the head of the statue was still. Jazz followed it with her gaze as it rolled along the pavement and halted inches from two on-duty police officers.

Fuck.

Never in a million years could Liam have imagined hanging out with his dad while the two women they were head over heels for had a girls’ night at a college bar. Nor could he have imagined his dad, fifty-eight-years-old, sitting on the floor with a catnip mouse in one hand and a mini tennis ball in the other, playing fetch with an overexcited puppy and a cat who wanted nothing to do with him. Peach wasn’t happy about her new family member—her nephew, Liam supposed.

Anytime Bray got too close, she hissed at him. Bray, having never met a cat, had no idea what that meant. But his dad had found a way to occupy both of them and keep the peace. He was a professional negotiator, after all, but Liam thought it had more to do with the treats he had stashed in his t-shirt pocket.

Liam snapped a picture of his dad, Peach with two paws on his left knee, Bray copying her on the right. His dad leaned down, kissing them both on the nose. Liam took another picture and send them both off to the family group chat. His moms replied almost immediately:

Mom E

Always knew he’d been a good grandpa! (hint hint, Liam)

Mom D

Leave him alone, Liz.

You wait as long as you want to have babies, honey. Or don’t have them! No pressure from us. We love you either way.

Liam laughed and locked his phone, smiling at the picture of Jasmine snuggling Bray in bed that he’d taken the day before, and immediately set as his lock screen. She was grinning, ear to ear, her nose pressed to Bray’s with the covers crumpled around her. She had sheet marks on her face, and the nightstand on her side of the bed was cluttered with chapstick, her tumbler, his Kindle because she’s stolen it to read the steamy scenes in the book he’d just finished, a handful of loose bills, and a tiny lopsided cactus she’d bought at the grocery store and immediately dropped in the parking lot.

If someone who didn’t know them looked at the picture, Liam knew they would think she looked right at home. At his place, with him, and their puppy (that was technically his puppy, yes, but the details weren’t important).

They hadn’t heard from Jasmine and Maggie, beyond a few pictures when they’d arrived at the bar: a selfie of the two of them, and then almost identical pictures of the dark academia decor with two very different messages:

Maggie

Whoever designed this place didn’t have the eye you do for tasteful clutter and detail. Has no one here heard of mood lighting????

Jasmine ♥

This place makes me think of you. I love it :)

As much as he appreciated Maggie complimenting his eye for detail, it was Jasmine’s message that had made his heart damn near stop in his chest. He couldn’t wait to fall into bed with her later.

His dad’s phone lit up on the table, ringing loudly. Liam peered at it. “It’s an unknown number.”

“Can you put it on loudspeaker? It’s probably just a spam call, but it could be work.”

Liam answered the phone on loudspeaker. “Hello?”

“Liam?”

His dad was on his feet faster than Liam would’ve thought possible, considering his age, the second Maggie said his name, her voice shaking. Why was she calling from an unknown number, and why the hell did she sound so weary?

“Yeah,” Liam replied as his dad sat beside him. “You’re on loudspeaker. My dad’s here.”

“Are you alright, love? What’s going on?”

Maggie took a trembling breath down the phone. “I need you to come pick us up. We’ve been arrested.”

They were silent on the drive to the police station. Liam assumed, like him, his dad was torn between panic, not knowing what to say, not wanting to make assumptions, and just desperate to get his person back in his arms.

Was Liam surprised that Jasmine had been arrested? Probably not as surprised as he should’ve been. Was he surprised that Maggie had been? Absolutely. She hadn’t explained much on the phone, but he was sure it was over something small, and he didn’t care what it took to fix it as long as they were both okay.

He’d never been more grateful for his dad’s air of authority as he followed him into the Seattle North Precinct.

“Can I help you?” the smiling woman at the front desk asked, beaming at his dad.

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