Page 46 of Faking I Do
“Are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. What’s wrong?” Something had to have happened. Why else would she be calling from a strange number? Come to think of it, why would she be calling at all?
She took in a ragged breath. Her voice came out shaky. “I’ve had a bit of a misunderstanding.”
It didn’t take a cop’s intuition to know something was wrong. Very wrong. “Are you okay? Where are you?”
“Well, that’s the thing,”—she let out a shaky laugh—“I’ve been arrested.”
“Arrested?” The chair screeched on the tile as I stood. She had my full attention. “What the hell happened?”
“Um, I’ve only got three minutes so I don’t think I can cover it all. Is there any chance . . .” She paused, clearing her throat.
My entire body tensed while I waited for her to continue.
Her voice came out quiet and small. “Do you think you might be able to come get me?”
My pulse thudded through my temple as I tried to wrap my head around what she said.
“I’m so sorry. Never mind. I shouldn’t have called. I just didn’t know who else to try. I’ll figure it out.”
“Wait.” The line went dead. Now what was I supposed to do? How did Lacey go from dress shopping with Adeline to sitting in a jail cell in Dallas somewhere?
“Can y’all excuse me for a minute?” I left my dad and pops sitting at the desk. As I made my way to the door, I tried to call back. After too many rings to count, the call flipped into an auto-answer. I navigated through the voice mail system until I found someone to talk to. After verifying my credentials, the clerk on the other end of the phone line was able to confirm that Lacey was being held in a station on the west side of Dallas. I called to let them know I was on my way. What else could I do? She didn’t have anyone else. It’s not like Luke would swoop in and save the day. And Mr. Cherish was restricted to house arrest.
Dammit, arrested. The one thing Lacey was most ashamed of—her dad’s arrest—had happened to her. She must have been going through hell. Which meant the sooner I got to her, the sooner I could figure out what had happened and how to get her out of the mess she must have found her way into.
I ducked back into the office. “Can we finish this later? I’ve got to go.”
“Cherish girl got your boxers in a wad?” Pops asked.
I didn’t have time to argue with him. Not with Lacey waiting. “This conversation isn’t over.”
Over four hours later I sat on a plastic chair in the soulless lobby of the Dallas police station, waiting for Lacey to be released. I’d gone over the details of the night with the arresting officer. She wasn’t going to face charges as long as I promised to take responsibility for her until she left the Dallas jurisdiction. I stifled a yawn as I cut my gaze from the door to the clock. The second hand ticked. It was after one in the morning. The smell of burned popcorn hung in the air from someone’s late-night snack. If she didn’t come out soon I might fall asleep right there on the unforgiving, bright orange chair.
A door squeaked open. Lacey emerged, arms clamped around her middle like she’d just survived a traumatic experience that would haunt her for days.
“You okay?” I jumped to my feet and rushed to her side.
She nodded.
“Okay, let’s get out of here.” I put an arm around her shoulders and steered her toward the parking lot.
She followed my lead, her head tucked against my shoulder. The night air was a welcome change from the stale interior of the station. As we walked toward the truck, I pressed the fob to unlock the doors. I wasn’t going to force Lacey to talk; I’d wait until she was ready.
I held her door and helped her climb in. She seemed so fragile. What had happened to the woman who’d told me to “back the hell off” a few weeks ago? She had to be in there somewhere. Maybe a good night’s sleep would help. By the time I’d walked around the truck and climbed in, she’d buckled her seat belt and stared straight ahead. Her shoulders slumped, her chin didn’t hold that same confident angle I’d grown accustomed to.
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to make the drive back home tonight. How do you feel about finding a room here in town and we can head back first thing in the morning?”
She nodded.
Okay. I pulled out of the parking lot and pointed toward home. On the outskirts of town there was a decent hotel I’d stayed in before. If Lacey didn’t offer up any opinions, I’d take charge. She might bust my balls tomorrow but in the state she was in right now, she didn’t appear to have the energy left to give me a hard time.
We drove in silence until I stopped in front of the hotel. “So, is one room with two beds okay or do you want your own room?” I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. The idea of sleepinganywhere near Lacey almost made the enchiladas I’d scarfed down for lunch reappear. Not that I was opposed to sharing a room. But Lacey wasn’t the kind of woman I could mess around with. Even if she was, knowing her brother would kick my ass for touching her would ensure I kept my hands to myself.
“One room is fine. I don’t have the cash to cover my own.” She tilted her head but didn’t meet my eyes. “Two beds, right?”
I bit my lip and nodded. “Yep. Two beds. You want to come in with me or wait in the truck?”
