Page 67 of Catch
“Go for it.”
I held the grater twelve inches above the pie and gently shaved the cinnamon across the top.
“Perfect.” Grams clapped, then wrapped her arm around me in a side hug that hit me right in the heart. My eyes prickled, the warmth of it catching me off guard. “You grab the pie. I’ll get the dessert plates.”
We returned to the dining room to a round of playful applause. I placed the pie in the center of the table like it was a crown jewel. When I sat down, Miles leaned over and kissed my cheek.
Everyone noticed.
No one said a word.
Instead, the chaos returned with arguments being made for who got the biggest slice, who was doing dishes, and whether or not I should be in charge of dessert from now on.
Chapter Thirty-Six
MILES
Just as wewere getting ready to leave Sunday dinner, my phone rang. When I pulled it out, I saw the call was coming from Fiddlers, which was strange because the only time I’d ever gotten a direct call from Blue was when the Murphy brothers were there causing trouble. But this wasn’t their usual hour, weekend nights weren’t really their style. They preferred mid-week, day drinking.
So why was she calling me now? Especially knowing I wasn’t on duty.
“Let me take this,” I said, backing away from the group as everyone was saying their goodbyes. “Hello?”
“Hey, Miles,” Blue whispered. Her voice was low, almost hesitant. “I’m sorry to call you, I know you’re not on duty. But… do you think you could come down here?”
My posture straightened immediately. “Is everything okay?”
“I… I don’t know. Nothing major has happened, but there’s this guy here having some drinks. He’s from out of town, which isn’t weird, but… he keeps asking if I know who you are.”
“Did you get his name?”
“I tried to, but before I could, he knocked over two glasses of beer. Smashed them right on the bar and glass and foam wenteverywhere. I had to clean it up. And honestly? It didn’t feel like an accident. It felt deliberate.”
“Alright. I’ll head down,” I said, already turning toward the door. I glanced up to find my family no longer chatting but quietly watching me, concern written all over their faces. “But I’m out at my grandparents’, so it’ll take me about thirty minutes.”
I hung up and slipped my phone into my pocket as West stepped forward. “Everything okay?”
“The bartender at Fiddlers. Blue. She called.”
“Blue?” Easton asked, raising an eyebrow. “Something going on?”
“I don’t know.”
“You want me to go with you?” Easton offered. He and I had logged plenty of hours at Fiddlers. We both knew the place and the people.
I shook my head, eyeing the sleeping three-year-old in his arms. “You just get him home. I’ll drop Lox off at my place and then head over.”
“We both have our cars here,” Jesse offered. “I can take Loxley home and Easton can take Max. That way you can go straight to Fiddlers.”
“I don’t mind going with you,” Loxley said suddenly, her voice a bit nervous.
“Lox—” I started, already shaking my head.
“We’ve all agreed to keep it a secret that you’re here,” Jesse said gently but firmly, turning to Loxley. “If you walk into Fiddlers, everyone’s going to recognize you. Changing your hair doesn’t change your face.”
I didn’t say it aloud, but I shared Jesse’s concern. Whoever was down there asking about me, it might have something to do withher. I didn’t know how this guy had my name or what hewanted, but until I did, I wasn’t bringing Loxley anywhere near it.
“Yeah, Lox,” I said, giving her a tight smile. “Let Jesse take you home. That way, I can get there faster and be back sooner.”
