Page 1 of Just Like That

ONE

HAZEL

I lost the kid.

Four months into being his caretaker and I lost the damn kid.

I swallowed the panic that clawed at my throat as I scanned the bustling sidewalk of a town I had never been to before. Summer was waning, but apparently Western Michigan hadn’t gotten the memo. My armpits were sticky, and the thick strands of my hair were clinging to the back of my neck.

Think, think, think, think, think.

If you were a seven-year-old boy in a cutesy little town, where the hell would you go?

The town itself was picturesque. Off in the distance, about a half mile down the road, Lake Michigan sparkled, with the roadway cutting through the quaint little tourist town. Mom-and-pop shops dotted the sides, shoppers filtered in and out of the businesses, and storefronts had signs and sandwich boards enticing people to come inside to shop.

It would have been idyllic had it not been rapidly turning into the third-worst day of my life.

My eyes bounced across the storefronts that dotted the main drag in downtown Outtatowner, Michigan. I quickly dismissed the library, general store, and hardware store as I strode down the sidewalk with the sole purpose of finding my nephew. Crossing the street, I absently waved to a car that honked at me and continued peering through the bodies of people milling around each storefront.

“Teddy?” I called out. My heart rate ticked higher as I looked through each window in search of him.

A neon sign with a grinning skeleton and a beer in its hand gave me pause, but I doubted a lone child would go unnoticed in a local dive bar. I called out anyway and looked around the concrete planters along the sidewalk. “Teddy!”

A bit farther down was a small bakery, and I scanned the large picture window, hoping the sweet smell of cinnamon and sugar had enticed my nephew.

Beyond that, the tattoo parlor was an unlikely choice.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Universe, please point me in the right direction.

When I opened my eyes, I squinted against the sun and looked down the sidewalk.

Oh, hello.

Outside the tattoo parlor were two men. One was laughing, heavily tattooed and seemingly lost in conversation, but the other ...

The other was dressed in a bespoke navy suit. His watch glinted in the sunlight, and the dark sunglasses perched on his nose only highlighted his chiseled cheekbones. I swallowed hard and blinked rapidly.

What the hell, Universe? I need to find Teddy, not a midday orgasm.

I huffed and pushed the handsome stranger to the furthest recesses of my mind.

I looked beyond the downtown area toward Lake Michigan. Dread pooled in my stomach when, in the distance of the scenic town, my gaze landed on the lighthouse at the end of a pier.

He doesn’t know how to swim.

“TEDDY!” Fear laced with desperation as I screamed his name.

“Whoa, hey.” A woman stopped my forward progress. Her light-blond hair fell down her back, and her dark-brown eyes were kind, yet concerned. “Can I help you with something?”

Tears pricked at my eyes. “I lost him. I can’t believe I actually lost?—”

“Shh. Okay.” She held a hand up as she pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed. Looking at me, she continued, “Give me the details. Name and age. Any idea what he was wearing?” Her attention was drawn to the other end of the phone as I struggled to recall the information she needed. “Hey, Amy, it’s Sylvie. I have a tourist here who’s lost a kid. I’m getting the details.”

She looked at me as my brain scrambled. “Um, his name is Teddy. He’s seven. About this high.” I held out my hand. “Black hair, bluish-green eyes. He was, um, wearing a plaid shirt—blue plaid with a little black bow tie and jean shorts.”

The woman’s eyebrows raised slightly at my description, but I continued looking over her shoulder and through the bustling crowd for my nephew.

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