Page 34 of Fake It True

I’d known my dad would struggle with this. He’d been horrified by what happened to my sister. He couldn’t even believe my sister had gotten addicted to anything. He didn’t understand addiction and how it affected people. He thought she’d been too strong for that to happen.

“Believe whatever you want. I’m confident Nathaniel is going to be proven guilty. I won’t be surprised if he cuts a plea deal. If you want to honor Callie’s memory, maybe you should think twice about who you believe.” With shaking hands, I ended the call.

I missed Leo. I would’ve given anything for his strong embrace right now. I was relieved for work and the escape it offered. We were getting busier by the day. Janet had warned me I might think winter was busy, but once the tourists started pouring into town, the pace would increase exponentially.

Luna couldn’t even keep up with the donut demand. At the end of another crazy day, I locked the front door and turned on some music while I cleaned. It was quiet, and Leo strolled into my thoughts. It was late evening after closing time when he’d stopped by for that late coffee and spilled it all over me.

I’d give just about anything to see him right now. When I fetched my purse from the back and checked my phone, I felt as if I were falling. There was a slew of text messages from Nathaniel. While he didn’t directly incriminate himself, he was furious I’d spoken to the police. His final message was like a blast of icy cold water.

You’d better not testify against me. You’d better fucking tell them you must’ve misunderstood. You might be far away, but I can make things really uncomfortable for your parents. It’s not what you think.

My hands were shaking when the back door to the café opened. Josie poked her head in, her brown curls bouncing around her shoulders as she smiled over at me. “Hey, what—” she began.

She stepped inside, quickly pulling the door shut when she saw my expression. “What’s going on?”

I burst into tears. I’d been doing that frequently ever since the phone call from Officer Blankenship. Josie got me some tissues and sat me down in the break room. She already knew the outlines of the situation, so all I did was show her the series of texts.

After she read through them, she looked up, fury flashing in her eyes. “Fuck him! He can’t do anything to you.”

I held her gaze and took a slow breath. “I know, but he can make my parents miserable just by messing with their guilt and the fact that they love him like a son.”

“Maybe so, but eventually, they’ll believe it. The courts don’t approve warrants unless they have a good case. Who gives a shit if he’s out on bail? He’s threatening you because he’s worried. It’s not like they built their case on your information.” She held my gaze and reached for my hands. “This is going to be okay. Callie is going to have justice.”

I breathed in slowly, almost feeling as if I was inhaling her strength as she squeezed my hands. “Okay.”

“Your hands are freezing,” she pointed out.

“I get cold when I’m anxious.”

“This calls for a steaming hot cup of coffee or tea,” she announced. “What’s your preference?”

I blinked away my tears and looked at my friend. “Chai tea.”

“Coming right up!” She bounced up and hurried to the front.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

LEO

I dropped my heavy bag of gear on the ground beside a fallen log and sat down with a sigh. Resting my elbows on my knees, I glanced over at Hudson and Graham. “We made it.”

Graham chuckled, offering a tired smile. “We always do.”

Hudson kicked his feet out in front of him and reached for a water bottle on the ground, taking a long swallow as he nodded.

“Any idea when we might get picked up?” I asked.

Graham lifted his gaze to the sky. “Sometime,” he quipped.

A weary laugh rustled in my throat. I whisked my gaze around the sky. There was still some smoke in the distance, but the remains of the fire were smoldering on the now-wet ground. We’d been out here two full weeks. Dry weather and wind had continued to whip the fire up, while we stayed busy cutting lines of protection and trying to box the fire in. A conveniently located river and some welcome rain for the last two days had finally helped us finish the job.

The fire was considered fully contained now and would be monitored from the air. Although the vast wilderness of Alaska offered plenty of places for fires to burn wild, there were small planes crisscrossing the skies here daily. Between those and drones, they monitored the backcountry and reported on fires.

“You ready to get home?” I asked Graham. “How do you manage being gone with a toddler at home?”

Graham finished chewing a granola bar before tilting his head to the side as he considered me. “Well, I have Madison at home. And, Allie,” he said, referring to his college-aged daughter. “It was just me when Allie was younger, so I was on the town crew. You’ve got your parents, so I’m sure that helps a lot.”

“I don’t know. Even though I have my parents to help when I’m gone, this whole thing is unexpected. I want her to feel like I’m there for her.”

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