Page 58 of Catch
LOXLEY
After throwing on one of Miles’shirts, I crept down the hall, straining to hear the conversation at the front door. My heart pounded, half-expecting to hear Sam’s voice, convinced he had finally used whatever powers he had to track me down. But instead, I heard a woman’s voice. It was warm, familiar in a way that I couldn’t place. It was immediately clear that it was Miles’ grandparents, and relief flooded me, followed by another wave of nerves.
Should I show my face? Especially after I heard his grandma mention the condoms she’d left on the counter. My cheeks burned. What would Miles want me to do?
“Grams,” Miles groaned, and I could hear the thud of him collapsing onto the couch. His grandparents followed him, but from my hidden vantage point, I couldn't see if they sat down as well.
“You better just let her know if she needs to send out Save the Dates,” his grandpa teased. “You know she’s ready for one of you boys to get hitched.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Miles grumbled. “Easton’s the only one of us even close to making that kind of mistake.”
“Marriage and love are not mistakes,” his grandma scolded sharply.
“Whatever,” Miles sighed. “You two have to stop assuming that just because I’m screwing around with someone, I’m gonna get married.”
The words landed like a punch to the gut. I wasn’t naive enough to think we were heading down the aisle, but the way he dismissed me so easily, so bluntly, stung more than I expected.
“Well, this is the first time I’ve ever seen any evidence of a woman in this house,” his grandma said pointedly. “It’s an easy leap to make.”
“It’s just part of my job,” Miles snapped. “Captain has me keeping an eye on someone. It’s supposed to be top secret, but I can’t keep any secrets in this town.”
Wait. Was that true? Did his captain actually know I was here? My stomach twisted.
“Mind your manners,” his grandpa piped in. “We have every right to stop in and check on our grandson when you’ve been so dodgy lately.”
“I’m a cop,” Miles said, his voice calmer. “You know how much this job means to me. It’s everything I have, and sometimes that means keeping things to myself. If that means not telling you two everything, then I need you to accept that. It’s supposed to be over on Monday. I’ll let you know more next week.”
My heart was racing. The sting of Miles’ words still lingered, but my mind was racing toward something else. Had the police known where I was all along? Was this a setup?
There wasn’t much I could do about it at that moment, so I slipped back to my room, yanking off Miles’ shirt and getting properly dressed. If he wanted to act like I was just some mission, fine. I’d turn the tables on him.
Once I was sure I looked put together, I strode out of the bedroom and into the living room, shoulders back, head high.
Miles and his grandparents all turned at once. Miles’ eyes widened, his expression unreadable, almost… scared? His grandparents, on the other hand, lit up like Christmas morning, as if they had been waiting to meet me all along.
Then I focused on his grandma. My rigid smile faltered as recognition settled over me, but before I could process it fully, she opened her arms and pulled me into a warm hug.
“Oh dear, it’s so good to see you again,” she murmured, rocking me side to side. When she pulled back, she smoothed my hair and sighed with pleasure. “Oh, I love this color on you. How did that apple pie turn out?”
I blinked, trying to keep up. “Good,” I said, nodding. “I grated the cinnamon over the top, just like you suggested.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Oh good! I was hoping you would. When I found Miles’ keys among the apples you were trying to hold, I tried to find you in the store again.”
My jaw dropped. “That was you?”
“Of course! And it was easy to figure out whose keys they were. I made that keychain he keeps them on in a craft class one day. I’d recognize my handiwork anywhere.” She beamed. “And then you said you were making apple pie—that’s Miles’ favorite. I know how to put two and two together.”
“What the hell is going on?” Miles’ voice was loud and exasperated, dragging our attention back to him.
I quickly explained how I had met his grandma at the grocery store the day I bought the apples.
“I didn’t want Easton teasing you about seeing anyone, but I knew he’d get your keys back to you, so I handed them to him at the station and the rest is history.”
His grandpa chuckled. “Well, the rest isn’t completely history.” He came forward, pulling me into a warm hug as well.When he stepped back, he gave me the same kind smile, making me feel welcome. “We still don’t know how you got home that day since you had been borrowing Miles’ Jeep. What’d you do, run away?”
Oh boy.
“I, uh… ran down the road to the police station to find Miles. He drove me home and got the Jeep later.”
