Of course he did. I knew that more than anyone since he was my best friend. He put up with my zany family with very few complaints. Heck, he dealt with the whole crazy town without much grumbling.
Even if he got his uniform pants in a wad some days.
“That was very nice of him. I’ll make sure to send over a basket of cookies after lunch.”
Those guys would be ready to kill each other. Christian and Jared butted heads more often than not when it came to how they viewed their jobs.
Christian tended to be social and easygoing whereas Jared took his work very seriously. Sometimes too seriously.
“You’re a sweetheart, nena.”
I rolled my eyes. “Chocolate makes the sheriff much more amenable, that’s all.”
“Well, you would know.” My mother’s eyes twinkled in that way that made my spine itch.
“Mami,” I warned.
“What? I can’t help it. You two would be perfect together if you’d just open your eyes.”
Oh, my eyes were open, all right. That definitely wasn’t the problem.
“Hey, Gina. I could use a little help.”
I glanced over at the crowding forming near the door. Polly had three cups lined up at the soda station and an armful of water and silverware in deference to the half dozen people waiting. “Okay, out with you. I have to work.”
My mother patted my face. “Don’t work too hard, mija.”
Thankfully, the lunch rush didn’t give me time to think about Jared or babies. I was too busy passing out a million and one sausages, and none of them the fun kind.
By the time I finally got to sit down, my feet were throbbing like a bad tooth, and I was wearing half a plate of sauce, courtesy of an angry toddler. All I wanted to do was strip and climb into the shower after sipping one of those fizzy wine things Luna from Kinleigh and August’s Attic had gotten me hooked on. Unfortunately, I still had the dinner rush to go.
Polly pushed a chocolate shake in front of me without a word before resuming refilling the sugar dishes.
“Thanks. Do I look that bad?”
“A root beer Lifesaver isn’t fixing you today.”
I huffed out a laugh and took a straw out of my own apron and stabbed it into the heavily malted shake. “Aww, you really do love me.”
Polly just grunted and went back to filling.
I’d take the win. Since there was only one person in the far corner booth, I sneaked out my phone to check if there was anything interesting in the land of TikTok. Before I could get the app open, a phone call came through. That in itself was weird. That it was Jared—who never called me—was even stranger.
“Hello?”
“Thank God. Where are you?”
My heart skipped and promptly hit my toes. “I’m at work. Is everything okay?”
“No. No, it is not okay.”
I didn’t think I’d ever heard panic in Jared’s voice. I stood up. “Is it your brother? Your dad?”
“What? No. It’s worse.”
The piercing cry of a baby made me frown. “What’s going on?”
“I need you, Bee. Now.”
Two
If I’d considered the things I might say after I ended my shift that Tuesday night, “what do I do with a baby” was not one of them.
“I’ll have an ice-cold beer”—a definite possibility.
“Hey, Bee, I’ll take some of the sausage and peppers”—equally likely.
But anything related to a child, especially an infant, had not been on the table.
Or in the boat.
I stood in my living room, staring down at the ruddy-faced baby who was crying so hard her body was in constant motion. That was why I’d stuck her in the boat I’d had on the wall. I’d pulled the boat down first, since I didn’t think suspending her would help with her wailing. She’d quieted for a moment when I removed her from the basket she’d arrived in, but as soon as I placed her on the seat, she started screaming again.
Then I saw the note.
I hadn’t wanted to read it. When I opened my door to the chilly darkness, I hadn’t been expecting the basket on my doormat. My neighbors on this side of the lake weren’t all that close, but surely there was an explanation for a baby crying.
There was, just one I never considered.
“Jared,” Gina snapped into my ear.
I’d almost forgotten I was still on the phone. Terror-based inertia could do that to a man.
“Gina.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“You’re scaring me. And where are you? Why is that baby crying?”