Page 6 of The Snuggle is Real
I frowned. These damn spam calls were getting out of hand. I pocketed my phone, but it started ringing again.
Persistent little shit, weren’t they?
Annoyed, I yanked my phone out again and snarled, “I’m not buying whatever you’re selling.”
“Good,” a crisp voice with a British accent answered. “I’m not selling anything, Mr. Donnelly. I left you a message last week. I’m Gwen Goetz, of the law firm Goetz, Blake, and Ives.”
I stopped short. “Law firm?”
“Yes, as I said, I left you a message. It’s regarding LuAnne Musk and her daughter, Charlotte Lee.”
My heart dropped. “Are they okay?”
“Yes, everyone is safe,” Gwen said. “But it’s urgent that you meet me at my law practice in Burlington, Illinois.”
That was a three-hour drive.
“We can’t settle this over the phone?”
“Unfortunately not. I’ve got some paperwork for you to sign?—”
“So overnight it.”
“—and Charlotte is waiting for you to pick her up.”
“Whoa, wait a second. I’m missing something.”
“Mr. Donnelly, LuAnne assured me that you’d consented to take temporary custody of Charlotte if she was ordered to rehab.”
“Rehab?”
LuAnne had always been a party girl, and she’d kept in only sporadic contact since our divorce. I tried to maintain a relationship with Charlie, but when LuAnne moved from town to town with new boyfriends, it wasn’t easy to know what was going on with them.
“Oh, dear,” Gwen said. “Didn’t LuAnne work this out with you? We hoped to get outpatient treatment, but the judge wasn’t having it. LuAnne caused an accident while under the influence. She was charged with possession as well, and not for the first time.”
“Oh god.” My stomach churned. “Was Charlie in the car with her?”
“No.” The lawyer’s tone softened. “Charlie is perfectly safe. But she does need a home, Mr. Donnelly, and LuAnne assured me that you could take care of her daughter.”
Charlie wasn’t my child, but I loved her like my own. When LuAnne moved away, it had broken my heart. I’d wanted them to stay closer, but as a former stepdad I had no rights.
But now Charlie needed me. It had been nearly six months since I’d seen her, and I’d never had sole custody of her. I had no idea how to take care of a little girl who’d just had her mama go away—and right before the holidays.
But damned if I was gonna do anything else.
I left the cart standing in the middle of the grocery store. “I’ll come right now. Tell Charlie I’m on my way.”
It was dark by the time I got to Burlington, but the law offices were still open. I went to the front desk to sign in. “I’m here about a guardianship case?—”
“Ford!” A weight slammed into my legs from the side. Skinny arms wrapped around my waist. “I was afraid you weren’t coming.”
I looked down into teary brown eyes. Charlie’s hair was a curly, riotous mess around her head.
“I’ll always show up for you, Charlie girl.”
She buried her face against my hip, and I patted her back. A smartly dressed woman with blond hair pulled back into a bun waited a few feet away.
When I made eye contact, she smiled apologetically. “I’m Gwen Goetz, LuAnne’s attorney.”
