Page 10 of Saved By the Sergeant

“What do you mean?” She gets up, grabs the cobbler, and scoops more onto my plate.

“Let potential investors taste your food. They’ll pay cash with no questions asked.”

“Maybe one day.” She nibbles on her bottom lip.

I finish my tea and push the empty plate away. “I’m full.” I pat my happy stomach. “I’ll do the dishes. I just need a minute to digest all this goodness.”

“You’ll do no such thing.” Geneva waves her finger in the air. “I am going to earn my keep.”

“Sweetheart, that’s not necessary.”

She picks up my plate and heads for the sink. Her voice quivers as she turns her back to me. “Please allow me to do this. I need to.”

I don’t know who the joker is that messed with her self-worth, but I want to disembowel him with a shrimp fork. “I won’t get in your way.”

“Thank you” She sighs with relief.

“While you’re doing the dishes, I’ll go outside to clear a path to the generator.”

She spins around, twisting the dish towel into a pretzel. “Don’t you think you should wait till morning?”

“No, if we lose power and the generator doesn’t automatically come on, I’ll have to go outside and manually turn it on. Trust me, shoveling now is a good idea.”

Her hands start to shake. “Do you want me to come with you?”

I walk over to stand beside her. “You’ll be all right, sweetheart. Gizmo’s with you, and I’ll be right outside. You’re safe. No one knows you’re here. Unless…” I glance down at her wrist. Good. No smartwatch. “Do you have a cell phone with you?”

“No. I got rid of it.”

“Good, girl.” I pick up the bottle of whiskey. “Take a swig.”

“What? You want me to drink from the bottle?”

“I want you to let your nerves settle, sweetheart,” I say as I take a drink and pass her the bottle. “Your turn.”

She puts the bottle to her full lips and takes a shot.

“Good. I won’t be long.” I look down at Gizmo, who picks up on her energy. He’s right back at her feet again. “Keep an eye on her, boy.”

I work quickly to put on my winter gear and head outside. I don’t want to leave Geneva alone any longer than necessary. Something is festering inside her. Something that’s bubbling to the surface. I don’t have a damn clue what it is but I sure as hell know, whatever it is, I want her to know she’s not alone.

She needs a friend.

And I’m going to be the best friend she’s ever had.

5

GENEVA

I whipup a batch of pancake batter for tomorrow morning, finish cleaning the kitchen, and when everything is back in its rightful place, I walk into the living room to wait for Archer’s return. I stand beside the fireplace, peering out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. But all I can see is snow.

Staring at the frosted glass, my stomach starts to churn. My mind starts to race. A big gust of wind slams against the house, causing the walls to creak and groan.

Everything is fine.

He can’t find me… he doesn’t know where I am…

Gizmo pats my calf with his little paws as though he understands I’m starting to spiral.

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