Temptation Trails - Page 158
“He thinks I’m still too young to understand what’s going on. But I’m not. I hear what people say.”
“What have you heard?”
“That he’s losing it.”
“He’s not losing it. Who said that?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. People.”
“It’s probably hard to have a dad who’s a cop, isn’t it?”
“When I was little, I just thought it was cool. But what if something happens to him?” He turned toward me, meeting my eyes. “I don’t have anyone else.”
Tears sprang to my eyes and a lump rose in my throat. “I don’t want to even think about something happening to him either. But you’re not alone. You have this big, amazing family. And, you know, you maybe have me?”
He practically dove at me, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug. It was one of the most beautiful, overwhelming, heart-melting things I’d ever experienced. I held him for a long moment, cherishing every second.
I loved this kid so much.
Sugar cookies, I really did. I loved him.
He let go and stepped back. I tried to play it as cool as I could, but I couldn’t hide the fact that my eyes were misty.
“I’m glad it’s you.” His voice was quiet and he kept his eyes on the table. “Dad could have ended up with someone like… well, like my mom. I don’t think he would have, but it would have sucked. You don’t suck.”
I burst out laughing and a few tears trailed down my cheeks. “I’m glad you don’t think I suck.” I swiped beneath my eyes.
A sense of unease was growing in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to believe what I’d said. That Garrett wasn’t losing it and he was going to be fine. But the prickle on the back of my neck wouldn’t go away.
Still, I felt like I needed to be reassuring. “I’m sure he’s okay. He knows what he’s doing.”
“Yeah.”
Theo popped his head back in the room. I gave him a quick nod and he grabbed an orange.
“Chips and fruit?” I asked. “Are you bulking too?”
“It’s called balance, Harper.”
I laughed.
And chips did sound good.
“Harper, would you like something a little healthier?” Marlene came in with a bowl of blackberries. “I guess they did put out some fruit, but I have these from Gram Bailey’s garden. They’re early for the season, but still delicious.”
“Blackberries,” I said under my breath. The cookies. Were they burning in the oven, about to set the entire building on fire? How quickly could the fire department get there if the alarm went off? It had been so fast last time, but that had been unlucky. We hadn’t needed them and it had been so embarrassing.
The bad luck curse meant I probably had left the cookies in there. I’d locked the bakery with a batch of cookies in a hot oven, ready to burn. And if the curse was going to go out with a bang, that would definitely be one way to do it. Burning down my aunt’s bakery would certainly be the worst bad luck the curse had dealt me so far.
Garrett wanted me to stay at his parents’. But I had to make sure.
“Owen, do you want to run to the bakery with me?”
“Sure. Why?”
“I have a terrible feeling I left an oven on. With cookies in it.”
“That’s not good.”