Page 99 of Sugar
It’s completely possible that this goes nowhere, that I’m opening myself to the risk of being hurt by this man all over again. But I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I’d deeplyregret not trying. This, at the very least, is something I can offer to himandto myself: it’s a chance.
I take a deep breath, and then pull open the door.
The first thing I see when I walk inside is a long desk. A pretty woman with dark hair smiles at me from where she sits behind it, leaning forward to get a better look at me. “Good afternoon, can I help you?”
I give her a polite smile. “Hello. I’m here to see Sheriff Joe Jones. Is he available?”
Her brows pinch. “Is he expecting you?”
I shake my head. “No, but . . . I’m his daughter, and I was just hoping I could drop by and steal some of his time.”
“Oh!” Her face lights up. “Well, isn’t that just peachy keen! Let me phone his desk line and see if he’s in his office—just one moment.” I watch her pick up a corded phone and tuck it between her ear and shoulder, dialing the extension to my father’s office. And then she pauses, looking some place out the window while she waits.
I hold my breath.
“Good afternoon, Sheriff—I have a visitor here for you. It’s your daughter! Isn’t that nice? Anyway, I just wanted to check that you were in before I send her up.” A pause. Her eyes flash to mine, and my stomach sinks with lead. “Of course. Absolutely. Yes, sir. Okay.” She hangs up the phone, and I can barely contain my nerves.
“Is he available?” I ask, hands sweating.
“He’s in the middle of an evidence review but is just wrapping up.” She waves a hand toward a collection of half a dozen chairs against the wall of the lobby. “Why don’t you have a seat? He’ll be down in just a minute.”
I nod, and my heart does a somersault. “Sure, thanks.”
“Can I get you something to drink? Bottle of water? Cup of coffee?”
“Oh, that’s okay,” I say. “I appreciate it, though.”
She smiles. I sit down.
And I wait.
I distract myself with my phone, opening my text thread with Kasey.Checking in, I write.Missed you last night.
His response comes in immediately.Come home, sugar.
I smile. Home . . . what a concept.
“Ava?”
I look up, finding my father in the mouth of the long corridor behind the reception desk. Stuffing my phone back into my purse, I stand. “Hello. Sorry for dropping by unannounced. I hope this is okay?”
His eyes flick to the woman at the desk before moving back to me. “No problem at all. Why don’t you come with me?
I nod, following him up to his corner office on the second floor. I spend a good few minutes looking at the view from the huge window that takes up half the wall, eyes catching on the trees in the distance, knowing that just a few miles farther, my cowboy waits for me.
“Everything okay, Ava?” my father asks, pulling me back into his office, where he stands just behind me.
I turn to face him, forcing a wide smile. “Yes,” I say.
He frowns. “Look, if something’s happened, you can tell me, sweetheart. I’ll make sure you’re not wrapped up in any of it?—”
“Dad,” I cut him off. “It’s nothing like that. This is . . .” I waver, fidgeting with my fingers. “This is about us. You and me.”
His brows arch high. “Oh.” He nods once. “Okay. Come have a seat.” He pulls out a chair in front of his desk and waits for me to sit before pulling out the second for himself. I’m surprised he doesn’t take his seat on the other side of the desk. Our knees are mere inches apart as he looks at me carefully.
“Thank you,” I say, “for seeing me. I, uh—I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry, for not coming to you before the wedding.I realize that I probably should have made a real attempt to let you know what was happening. I can’t imagine finding out about something like that from someone else, and it wasn’t fair to you.”
His eyes widen in surprise as he leans back into his chair. For a while, he just looks at me. But eventually he says, “Thank you, Ava. It means a lot to hear that from you.”
