Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

NOVA

Desi had approached me while I was trying to peek at the auction slip for my cookies. Could you blame me for hoping someone would want them? I was prepared to write a fake name and bid ten bucks myself if it meant they didn’t sit on the table all night, unwanted. Instead, I saw Dusty had started the bidding at $100, and the rascal had already been outbid. He must have done it while setting up. These people really had come in clutch to support the team. We all knew that was why the bids were so high, and it warmed my heart.

I scanned the crowd, half-listening while Desi talked about the latest drama with the elementary school’s spring carnival. I couldn’t see Dusty anymore. He had been talking to Tucker and June a minute ago, but he must have excused himself to make that phone call.

“What do you think?” Desi asked.

Shoot. What had she been talking about? The carnival, right? Gosh, I hope she wasn’t asking me to join the committee. “Sorry, I was distracted.”

Desi looked like she could see right through me. “A girl’s night. We could throw on an old romcom or go to Beeler for dinner.”

Oh. She wanted to friend-date me. The part of me that desired friends of my own wanted to eagerly leap at this opportunity. She embodied the police family I’d left behind in New York, which was obviously a draw. To say nothing about how well Kendall and Alice got along. But it was important to be honest with her. I’d meant what I said to Dusty earlier. If we were going to become friends, I had to tell her how I felt.

“I’ll never date Chad,” I said, holding her gaze.

Desi looked thrown off, her brows drawing together. She shifted, the motion making her perfectly highlighted blonde hair sway like a shampoo commercial. “That’s okay.”

“Kendall told me and Alice what you said, that Chad could become my husband and we could all be friends.” I put my hand up to stave off her explanations. “I’m not mad, and I totally get it. It’s so convenient having couple friends when you get along with both people. But he’s just not…” How did I finish that sentence honestly? A good person? Not a good idea. “I’m not interested in him. I don’t want to lead you on if that’s your end game here.”

Desi took my arm and pulled me away from the tables until we were alone near the wall. “I don’t blame you. He can be kind of a tool. Please don’t let my stupid daydreaming come between us. I’m sorry I said anything around Kendall. I know how kids can talk.”

She was so honest and forthright I found myself believing her. Desi had accepted me from the minute we’d met and, despite my disparaging the PTA, she still invited me to her house and offered me friendship. My walls had been up, but had hers? I began to wonder if I’d projected my assumptions onto Desi this entire time. She wasn’t Trish. Being well dressed in Arcadia Creek did not make her into all the frustrating moms I’d left behind in New York, either .

“I’d love to do a girls night sometime,” I told her, and I meant it.

Desi’s face lit up.

“Maybe you can come over one night after all our kids are in bed,” I said. It meant I needed to buy a TV if we were going to be watching romcoms, but the kids were tired of watching movies on my laptop anyway. It was worth dipping into savings or trying to sell some cookies.

“That would be great. I’ll look at Travis’s schedule and text you later to nail down a day.”

“Okay.” I tried to sound like it wasn’t a big deal, but inside, I was glowing. Warmth blossomed in my chest and made me giddy. Coming here hadn’t just meant pulling my kids away from everything they’d known; it had meant tearing myself away from the places and communities I’d spent my entire life in. Maybe I hadn’t grow up in Manhattan, but I’d built a community there the last ten years. I missed my neighbors and friends. My family home in Brooklyn was only on the other side of the water, which meant I had seen my parents and brother often.

It was nice pulling Blair up on FaceTime every few days and letting the kids chat with their cousins, but that wasn’t the same as dropping by their apartment or meeting at the park. We missed them, and it had left a hole in my heart. This invitation seemed to shove Play-doh in that hole, filling it a little with the female companionship I hadn’t realized I’d been missing.

Between Desi and Kendall, Pete, Gigi, and now Dusty, and all the people they were introducing me to, I was building a new community here. It wasn’t my old familiar group, but it was worn and comfortable still, like my blue couch from the yard sale—comfy and loved and ready to bring me in.

“I talked to Ashley about throwing an end-of-the-season party together for the football team and the cheerleaders,” Desi said. “Maybe we can invite her and make this a party planning meeting.”

Bonus. Two friends. “We should do that. Ben and Alice would both love it.”

“Hey,” a warm voice said behind me. Dusty slid an arm around my waist and smiled at Desi. That sense of community and home grew warm and fuzzy, the pressure of his arm anchoring me to Texas. “I need to talk to your husband. Is he around?”

It took a moment to realize he was addressing Desi.

“He took Kendall to the bounce houses,” she said, looking as curious as I felt. Her eyes dipped to his arm around my waist and her eyebrows seemed to say she knew exactly why I wasn’t interested in Chad.

But my cozy feeling evaporated. Dusty had come here looking for Travis. Seeking out a police officer right after trying to locate one of his students didn’t seem like a good sign. I tried to look up and read Dusty’s expression, but it was guarded. I could sense strain in the feathered lines around his eyes.

“Come on. Let’s go try to find him,” Desi said, sensing he needed Travis now .

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“No, but I’m hoping it will be.” He looked like he wanted to say more. We wove through the crowds together and funneled outside. The football field was still crawling with people. Desi called Travis’s phone, but it still took a while to find him. Once we did, Dusty offered his hand. “How’s it going, man?”

Travis shook it. His red hair looked vibrant under the floodlights. “Good.”

They seemed a little stiff.

Desi noticed the same thing. She raised her sleek blonde eyebrows. “You in trouble, Dusty?”

“No, not me.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and glanced around, satisfied we were far enough away from other people to talk freely. “One of my boys. I think he’s getting knocked around at home.”

Travis’s face darkened, his mouth tightening. “Do you have proof?”

“Besides bruises? I don’t know. I want to know what my options are, mostly. The dad just got out of jail.”

“Does the kid live with his mom? The parents divorced?”

“Mom’s long gone. Kid lives with the grandma. They put a restraining order on the dad a few years ago. Is that enough to take him in?”

Travis folded his arms over his chest, planting his feet. “It is, if they renewed it. When was it filed?”

Dusty’s face fell. “No idea.”

“Who’s the kid?”

There was only a slight hesitation before Dusty said, “Brody McAllister.”

Travis nodded. “They renewed. The dad’s out of jail, then? I know Patty was in the courthouse late last year making sure it was still valid.”

So she was worried she would need the restraining order, then. That made my stomach sick. I wanted to find that boy, pull him into my arms, and give him the longest hug. “What can we do?” I asked.

Dusty looked sharply at me. “You aren’t going near them. The man is violent.”

I didn’t want to jump into an altercation, but I wasn’t going to sit back and do nothing.

“Can you come with me now?” Dusty asked Travis. “If we take him by surprise, you can catch him breaking the restraining order.”

“I’d better call Hank. We need someone on duty. But yeah, I’ll come.” He looked at his wife. “You okay if I take off, babe? ”

“Of course,” Desi said without hesitation.

Dusty looked at me with the same question.

“I’ll stay in the truck,” I promised. “But let me come.” I cared about Brody too, and I couldn’t just sit here and wait.

He hesitated. “Okay. Let’s go.”

We went straight for Dusty’s big black truck, but Travis took a detour and met us there. I climbed in the back seat, and the men took the front, discussing their options. Travis made a phone call and spoke to someone about the situation for a minute. Dusty watched me in the rearview mirror, his eyebrows pulling together.

“We can’t go in guns blazing,” Travis said, putting his phone away. “The guy just got out, so he won’t go back in easily.”

I was guessing he meant jail.

“How long can you put him away for this time?” Dusty asked.

“If we can prove abuse, this just became a felony,” Travis said. He let out a breath. “Not my favorite part of the job.”

“Can Brody stay with his grandma?” I asked.

“That shouldn’t be a problem. No one’s saying she’s endangering him.”

She hadn’t called the police about her son staying at their house, but I wouldn’t mention that right now. The woman was probably scared.

Dusty pulled along a dark road of houses separated by chain link fences. They were similar to most of the houses I’d seen closer to the heart of town, but looked more neglected—overgrown grass and weeds, discarded rusty cars. “It’s the blue one,” he said, pointing ahead. The lights were on and an older Toyota sedan sat in the driveway. He parked and shut off the engine.

“Let’s wait for backup. We can knock first and offer to take Brody to the event so we have a reasonable excuse to be there. Hopefully Patty will answer the door and provide permission to enter. It shouldn’t be too hard after that. Our priority is getting both of them out of the house first.”

“Got it,” Dusty said. “Just tell me what to do.”

I looked between the men in the front seat, then at the house, and closed my eyes. There was no way this would go as easily as that. Anxiety roiled in my gut, and the pleas I’d silently repeated the whole way here felt useless against real violence. I pulled out my phone and texted my mom. At least it was late enough here that they were probably having breakfast by now in the Philippines.

Nova

If you’re praying this morning, will you add my friends to your list? I’m watching a domestic situation unfold that is unsafe, and these guys could use all the help they can get

Mom

Can I call?

Nova

Not right now. I’m safe, don’t worry. The kids are with Gigi

Mom

Okay. We’re on it. Be safe and call me later, please.

Nova

Of course. Love you both

Mom

We love you too.

Travis put his phone away. “Hank is pulling up now. He’s going to park down the road and turn his lights off. If we can get Brody and Patty into the truck, then I want you to come with them.”

“I’m trained?—”

“You aren’t a police officer. We each have our parts to play. ”

“Okay. True.”

I had the sense Dusty was just grateful Travis wasn’t making him wait in the truck, too. I could sense it was important to him this was done right.

“Ready?” Travis asked.

Dusty reached back and squeezed my knee. “Yep.”