Page 4 of Just One Kiss

"I'm hungry."

"Well, let me see what's here to eat." She got to her feet and moved into the adjacent kitchen. There was a bowl of cereal on the table as well as a glass of milk and another glass of orange juice. They were untouched.

Brett ran into the kitchen. "Did you make me cereal?" he asked.

"It was already here, Brett. Your mom must have left it for you."

He scrambled into the chair. "Can you pour the milk into my cereal?"

"Sure." She poured some of the milk over the cereal and left the rest for him to drink.

As he started to eat, Jake came out of the bedroom and motioned to her.

She joined him in the living room. "What's going on?" she asked in a quiet voice, not wanting to alarm Brett.

"You need to see for yourself." He led her down a short hallway into the one and only bedroom. There was a small suitcase on the bed that was open but completely packed. On top of the neatly folded clothing was a note.

She picked it up and read aloud, "Please watch over my son. I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't call the police. He won't be safe if you do." She met Jake's gaze, her stomach churning. "What the hell is this?"

"Trouble," he said, meeting her gaze.

She thought so, too.

"And by the way," he added, "the hot water works just fine. It was just a ruse to get you out here."

"But this woman had no idea how long it would take for someone to come up here. He's a small child, and she left him alone."

"What are you going to do?"

She looked at the note once more and frowned. "She says not to call the police, but I have to." She lifted her gaze to his. "Don't I?"

Chapter Two

Hannah didn't needJake to answer that question, because she already knew. "Of course I have to call the police. I'll reach out to Adam or Brodie. They'll know how to handle this and keep Brett safe. I trust them."

"That's the right move," he agreed.

She took her phone out of the pocket of her jacket, relieved to see she had a signal. "Phone is working again."

"Good."

"Jake, I may need you to give both me and Brett a ride into town."

"Absolutely."

"What about your friend?"

"I'll check on him now. What do you think will happen to Brett?"

"Child welfare services will be called," she said slowly. She hated the thought of that sweet little boy spending Christmas in foster care.

"Maybe the mom will be back soon."

That was Jake, the eternal optimist. He always looked for the bright side, and while she'd really liked that about him, there had come a time when she'd also hated the fact that he couldn't seem to understand that not everything would be all right. But this wasn't the time to get into the past, so she simply followed him into the living room. She wanted to check on Brett once more before she called the police. Maybe he could tell her something about his mom.

After Jake left, she sat down at the kitchen table across from Brett and gave him a smile. He'd eaten every last bit of his cereal, leaving behind a milk moustache. She picked up the napkin that had been set next to the bowl and wiped his mouth.

As she did that, she couldn't help thinking about the little details that had been carefully planned—the folded napkin, the fact that the milk had not been poured into the bowl so the cereal wouldn't get soggy, the warmth of the cabin, the bright lights, the television, and, of course, the note. It all seemed to imply that Brett's mother had spent some time planning her exit. She'd tried to think of everything, but she'd left the biggest thing to chance, and that was who might respond to her call about a broken water heater.

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