Page 118 of Riding the High

“I’ll be making the announcement that you’ve left our district first thing in the morning. Feel free to go somewhere else. If another county is stupid enough to hire you, you’re their problem,” I lie. There’s not a shot he’s working as a cop anywhere again. I’ll see to that. But I need something from him first. “I expect all copies of my property back before you go. You can set up a time to clear out your office, supervised. Aside from that, I don’t want to see you again.”

It’s now that Gemma decides to come storming out of the kitchen, cutting Brent off from leaving.

“You son of a bitch,” she shrieks at him. “You weren’tsupposed to do anything that would hurt Mabel. You said you would get him outfairly. This isn’t fair.”

She pushes at his chest and he swats at her hands to move past her.

“She never would’ve known. And you’re the one that told me I’d make a good sheriff,” he says, before blasting through the front door, leaving us with a “fucking shithole town.”

I breathe a slight sigh of relief when I hear his Bronco start up. I look down at Gemma who is crying, or doing a good job of pretending to. At least she doesn’t appear to have been in on the blackmail plan, although I’m pretty sure she was involved in the rest of it. It’s not about her fear of being a shitty mother; she just hates that the town knows she’s one. When it comes to Gemma, it’s always about winning. Nothing more. Nothing less.

“I didn’t know, Cole, I swear. I had no idea that he would try to blackmail you or involve Mabel finding out—” she says through her tears.

I turn to her. “I don’t give a shit about your domestic issues, Gemma, or what you did or didn’t know,” I say, my voice raised but steady. “But Mabel is going to have some new structure in her life now, and that fucking guy—or any guy like him—betternotcome anywhere near my daughter.” I point at the space Brent just left moments before.

“I’m done babysitting you where Mabel is concerned,” I say, more calmly now. “I won’t keep you from seeing her, but I’m only giving you one more chance. If you don’t start showing up to your afternoon visits every week, consistently, and really put some effort in, or if I find out you say one negative thing about Ginger to her, I’ll be filing to restructure.”

“I’m just … not … I’ve never been good at being a mama, Cole,” she says, fiddling with a loose thread on her shirt.

I realize it’s probably the most honest thing she’s ever said to me. But it’s not enough, and she’s not my problem.

“Youchoosenot to be a good mother, Gemma. There’s a difference betweencan’tandwon’t.” I pat her shoulder as I say, “It’s up to you how you move forward. Mabel has to be the priority, or you’re done seeing her.”

I push her screen door open and breeze through it, feeling more free than I have in, well, maybe ever.

You can cancel that press conference.

BEV

On it, boss. You better find a way to thank that lovely wife of yours.

Oh, I’m going to. Every day. For the rest of my life.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

Ginger

13 days to go

“Ithink we can dunk Daddy if we try,” I say to Mabel quietly, almost two weeks after my father’s election. We’re deep in a game of Marco Polo. It’s Saturday, Cole has taken the day off, and Mabel is going to Ernie and Trudy’s tonight for her last sleepover before school starts, with the promise from Gemma that she will be going for dinner there.

Cole and I are heading to the big house after Mabel leaves, to let Cole’s whole family in on our little secret. After nearly two idyllic weeks of just existing together, we’ve really found our rhythm and I think Mabel suspects we might be more than friends.

Brent came into the office with his tail between his legs the day after Cole found his proof. Cole has heard since he’s on a bender, apparently unable to secure any kind of transfer. Probably because Sheriff Ashby has talked with every local county head and is working to have Brent stripped of his badge.

The bulbous, almost red tomatoes in the garden remind me every day that we need to have a talk with Mabel soon. But I’m following Cole’s lead on this. All that matters, in this moment, isthe three of us, swimming lazily in the hot August afternoon. It’s as easy as it always is. It’s a little piece of heaven.

“Okay,” Mabel giggles, not so inconspicuously, as we start to swim toward him.

“Marco,” Cole calls, his eyes closed, from the center of the pool.

“Polo,” I call back, trying to make my voice sound like it’s coming from much further away. This stunning man grins and his dimples appear, and I die a slow death at how incredible-looking he is.

But even his gorgeousness won’t prevent his demise as Mabel and I stalk toward him, look at each other and both take a shoulder, shoving Cole under the water then doing our best to swim away from him. He chases after us, catching Mabel in one hand, and me in the other. He kisses Mabel’s chubby cheeks into fits of giggles.

“It was Ginger’s idea!” she laughs as he turns to playfully kiss my cheeks while I yelp. This makes Mabel laugh even harder before he sets us both free.

“What happened to Daddy’s Girls? The team? The team doesn’t work against each other!” He grins as Mabel and I swim to the side. Mabel covers her mouth in an attempt to stop her laughter from spilling out.

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