Page 11 of All In Good Time

“Ohhellno. I’ll drive you to Madison, find someone else to watch those punks.”

“They’re not punks.”

“Whatever. I’ll be there in thirty.”

Becca breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Marty.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

The line clicked dead, and she hung up the phone. She was spoiled rotten in terms of friends. And now she really did need to find someone to watch the girls. She settled on a quick call to Winston’s house, where he picked up quickly. He always stayed up late watching the television and sitting next to the phone when he wasn’t working. A hazard of being sheriff is never really being off the clock.

She explained everything, and he understood. He would come get the girls, and they would spend the rest of the night at his place.

When she hung up, both Mal and Jane were awake and peeking around the corner at her expectantly.

“Both of you go gather your stuff up. Jane’s dad will be here soon.”

Jane left first, but Mal stayed behind. “Are you going to bring Derek home?”

Becca smiled gently. “I’m going to bring him back to Highburg. But I don’t know if he’ll be going home.”

Mal’s brow furrowed, a slightly angry look on her face as she crossed her arms. “So he can’t go home, but I have to? It’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not. That’s why you need to stay with Jane for tonight while we figure stuff out for now, okay?”

She didn’t look convinced. Becca sighed.

“It isn’t fair to you or Derek. Neither of you should have to put up with any of that. We’re going to try and help you.”

Mal paused, looking into Becca’s face, searching for something. Mal and Derek were not blood related, but there were some things similar about them. They both had that same stubborn streak and the same intuitive eyes.

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

“What was?”

“You called those people.”

Becca’s breath shuddered, because, for a moment, she expected the same reaction she got from Derek. She wouldn’t be able to stand it if Mal said even remotely the same words that Derek had.

But Mal and Derek were notthatsimilar.

“Yes.”

Mal nodded like she already knew that. “Then I’m expecting you to bring him back.”

Becca’s voice caught, and she didn’t answer, because she couldn’t give Mal the answer she wanted. She couldn’t promise to make sure Derek made it home…where his father was.

Mal turned and walked from the room to follow Jane, and Becca still couldn’t say anything.

* * *

When Winston arrived, he helped the girls load up what they had. The kiddish excitement over a sleepover had mellowed out to tired, serious faces. Becca was glad she at least knew that Mal would be safe with Winston, probably more than anywhere else.

Becca had no plan for when she got to Madison. She expected to drive around the entire city until she found Derek’s car, and if, for some reason, he didn’t have his car, as implausible as that sounded, she didn’t know what else would work.

She looked over Winston’s shoulder at the girls staring at her through the windshield. Jane waved. Mal didn’t.

“She has bruises up her arm, and they’re recent. You’ve got to be able to do something with that.”

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