Page 44 of Forbidden Secrets
“Fine, I like her.But don’t go blabbing everywhere, okay?I’m only getting my head around it myself and have no idea if she’s interested.”Except that she’d kissed him.That gave him some idea.
Keeley’s face lit up so brightly it was like she had emoji hearts in her eyes.“I’m so glad, Gage.You need someone and Melanie is a good person.Since we’re not in junior high, I won’t tell my besties, but you should definitely work with her on the investigation.”She glanced around.“Seeing Walker and Sawyer on their way out, I’m deducing you’re including all our dudes.The women shouldn’t be shut out, not only because you’re not a sexist jerk and shouldn’t act like one,” she said sweetly, “but because Delaney and I were at the bootlegger and we know just about everyone in town.We’ll help with anything that brings Melanie justice.”
Which only confirmed Sawyer’s advice.He pinched the bridge of his nose, then speared her with a look.“I’ll talk to Melanie.But Keels?If things get dicey and there’s a threat to any of you, the women are out.”He pointed a finger at her when she opened her mouth.“That’s not me being sexist.That’s me being trained and realistic.You’re pregnant.The others are mothers.None of you have law enforcement training.”
“He’s damn right about that.”Owen’s tone was dead serious.
Keeley nodded slowly.“Fair.But Gage, make sure you don’t protect her so much that you take away her power.That man took something from her.Don’t take her agency too.”
Gage left them at the table, Owen and Keeley murmuring to each other like they were on a date.At the bar, Jen rang up his tab.He paid, left a generous tip, and stepped out into the crisp autumn air.
He had a lot to think about, including a conversation with Melanie.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Gage unlatched Pancake’s harness from the seatbelt in the backseat of his SUV.The dog scrambled out and over to the dirt where she squatted.She had a bladder the size of a peanut.He grabbed his laptop case and duffel from the back and stepped out of the garage and into a brisk wind.Clouds gathered to the west.His weather app had shown rain heading toward Sisters.He punched the button on the control panel and his garage door rumbled closed.
Being pulled into an unexpected trip to the Bay area had put the conversation with Melanie on hold.He could’ve called, but he wanted to talk with her face-to-face.
Dinh had called Tuesday evening.
Working for Gage allowed Dinh to supplement his retirement income while enjoying the perk of taking time off when he needed it.Time he used searching for his birth mother.He’d been brought to the U.S.in the 1970s, one of thousands of orphan children born to American GI fathers and Vietnamese mothers during a senseless war.
The phone call?Dinh had located a woman who might be his aunt.Someone who could possibly help him find his mother.As a result, Dinh needed to move up a planned trip to Ho Chi Minh City, which meant Gage had to cover a scheduled training for a new client plus an on-site assessment for another.Both were in San Francisco.
That had given Gage the opportunity to stay with his mom and Stuart in Oakland.He’d crashed in their guest room last night, Pancake snoring beside him on the ridiculously cozy bed Judy had made: layered blankets stacked like a throne littered with about a half dozen toys.
Lying in bed, Gage texted Melanie to let her know he and Pancake were out of town.Nothing more than a simple courtesy.He wasnotchecking in like they were in a relationship.
She’d replied with a thumbs-up.
That should’ve been the end of it, until she sent a picture of Addy and Olivia holding wooden pails stamped with the Cider Mill Farm logo.The buckets were full of apples, and also twigs, leaves, and acorns.He’d responded with a picture of Pancake eating pancakes because, again, his mom.
He’d spoken with Luke so he knew he’d been out to Melanie’s house to assess her security needs.Gage texted asking her about the meeting, and was relieved to learn she was leaning toward the system he thought would work best for her.
Melanie’d followed that up with pics of her and Addy assembling the desk.He grinned at the one of Mel using Gage’s screw gun, which she’d captioned “girl power.”
Then he got pissed because the kid who’d been harassing Addy had, as Melanie put it, “accidentally on purpose” spilled milk all over Addy’s clothes.The texts kept flying, drifting from topic to topic, until Melanie finally signed off with a sleeping emoji.
He’d been shocked to realize he’d spent nearly an hour texting with her.
Now he was back home and wanted to check in with them.Make sure they were okay.See the desk in person.Pretend he wasn’t falling for them both.
With the dog at his heels, he lugged his gear to his backdoor.Kid voices carried from the creek.Pancake froze, ears up, then went charging down the slope and through the trees.That was followed by excited shouts and Pancake barking her head off.
A glance toward the house had Gage stopping in his tracks.Yeah, Melanie was there, leggy and gorgeous as usual.It was the A-frame ladder she was carrying down the driveway that put him on alert.He disarmed the alarm and stashed his bags inside the door, then moved down his own driveway to see what she was doing.
She set the ladder under the eaves at the front of her house.It was made of wood and had to be decades old.She moved it around to stabilize it.Even with the distance he could see the ladder was wobbly, but she put her foot on the first rung and climbed right up.
“Oh, fuck no.”He headed for the trail across the creek.Kids and dog were at the bridge.
“Hi, Gage.Pancake is causing mayhem.”Addy gave him her dimpled grin, Olivia at her elbow.“Olivia and me are making fairy boats, but Pancake sank Jordy’s.”
Pancake sat on the sandy bank of the shallow creek, paws muddy and showing no remorse.The girls both wore rainboots while Jordy’s sneakers were coated in mud.
Jordy looked up from where he knelt next to the grinning dog.“Pancake didn’t mean to sink my boat.She got excited.”
Olivia held up a mess of twigs and leaves.A plastic doll with a tiara sat on top.“This is the fairy princess.Her name is Keyara and this is her boat that will carry her to fairyland.We’re almost ready to sail it.”
