Page 1 of When to Call a Blitz

1

EMMETT

I’m five minutes from finally fixing the wiring issue on my 1970 Plymouth Barracuda when my phone rings from across the garage. My oily fingers pause as I rest my head against the open hood, a groan ripping through me before I can stop it.

I’m pretty sure I know what this call is about, and I’m not going to like it.

Wiping my fingers off on the cloth hanging from the workstation to my right, I count the rings to keep my anxiety from skyrocketing.

When I finally reach for my phone, I watch as the call goes to voicemail. I know the number, and I know that in just a few seconds they’ll call again.

And like clockwork, they do.

I take a deep breath before answering.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mr. Gardner? It’s Trisha from Juniper’s school, how are you this morning?”

I grind my teeth, crossing my arm over my chest as I prop the phone against my ear with the other. “I’d be better if I didn’t know this wasn’t going to be a pleasant call,” I tell her a little too gruffly.

I can hear the older woman I’ve become all too familiar with smack her lips before she continues. “Unfortunately not, Mr. Gardner. Juniper was caught with a chipmunk in the school, which marks the third time she’s brought wild animals into the building. Unfortunately, we need you to come pick her up for today as we explore other disciplinary actions.”

“Let me guess,” I blow out a breath, “there was another kid involved in this plan too.”

Trisha’s silence is answer enough. After a couple beats, she continues. “We were hoping that it would end after they were caught trying to lure a deer into the back entrance of the school after recess a couple of months ago, but it has continued. We’re pretty sure that they were behind the birds in the gym two weeks ago but we cannot prove it. It would be lovely if you could use the time with her today to maybe go over why this is dangerous for the whole school.”

“The one chipmunk?”

“You’d be surprised how much damage a chipmunk can do, Sir.”

I roll my eyes, letting my arm drop as I prop myself against my workbench. “I’ll talk to her.”

“Great. She’s in the office for you when you get here,” she pauses, “the two are separated.”

“Thanks for the heads up.”

I end the call and plop my phone down on the table, rubbing my temples. My hands smell like oil, I look like absolute shit, I had a large checklist of things I had to do today, and now I have to go retrieve my daughter from her school because she decided that her sole mission in life is to save all the animals by bringing them inside.

Fucking wonderful.

With a groan I head back into the house to retrieve a shirt before grabbing my Timberlands, propping myself against thewall as I tie them up as I remind myself no less than five times that I wanted a daughter and she is my greatest gift.

Because she is. She’s the only thing that keeps me sane. Even now, as I’m climbing into my pickup truck to go grab her, she’s still holding me together.

A five-minute drive brings me in front of Juniper’s large school, the red brick reminding me of times in my life I wish I didn’t see every time I close my eyes, the memories feeling like a thousand pounds perched on my shoulders.

I’m putting the truck in park when I see the blonde hurrying across the parking lot, a frown on her face.

“Hey!” I call as I climb out, letting the door slam behind me hard enough to shake the vehicle.

She pauses, her wide brown eyes turning to meet mine. A wide grin spreads across her lips but doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Hey Emmett,” she say sheepishly.

I throw my hands up. “Why the hell is your daughter corrupting mine?” Briar bites her lip as she looks at her feet. I place my hands on my hips. “You know I’m joking, right?” I ask.

Her eyes scan mine for a beat too long, as if trying to decide if I’m telling the truth.

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