was taken care of. So that’s why I’m here.”
Astrid was silent, her expression unreadable.
Abruptly, she shoved back the chair with a screech and stood up, moving over to the window that looked out over the boardwalk and the river. She stood there with her back to him, the sunlight falling over her blond hair, turning it brilliant gold. Tension rolled off her in waves, as well as a bristly kind of energy. Like a cat sensing a threat to its territory and raising its fur.
He had the oddest urge to lift his hand and stroke her to soothe her.
Hell, why had Cal chosen him to handle this? Silas would have been the better choice. Silas was a man of few words, but he knew how to do serious. Plus, he was also from Deep River and knew how the place worked. He knew Astrid too.
You know why Cal chose you. Because you were once a father.
Once. Not now.
The dull ache that he always felt when he remembered Ella shifted behind his breastbone, but he ignored it. He didn’t have time for old memories.
“I’m sorry,” he said into the silence. “I know this is a—”
“Shock?” she finished for him without turning around. “Yes, you could say that.”
Damon studied her tense back. Cal hadn’t offered much in the way of information about her, only that she’d lived in Ketchikan and they’d both gone to the same high school, getting together at a party when they’d both been seventeen. He’d refused to take responsibility for the pregnancy, telling not a single soul about it, hiding it from everyone, including his parents. Then years later Astrid had contacted him again in dire straits and he’d given her and Connor a place to stay. Cal hadn’t mentioned what those dire straits were, only that Astrid had never forgiven him for abandoning her and his son. Which meant that trying to make up for his mistake had been difficult.
Given her reaction just now, Damon had a suspicion that it was still going to be difficult and he hoped it wouldn’t end up becoming a problem. He really couldn’t stay here any longer.
Come on, what did you think was going to happen? Did you really think this would be easy? You should have tackled this days ago.
His jaw tightened. Yeah, he should have, but he hadn’t. And actually, what he’d hoped was that Astrid would smile, tell him she and Connor were fine, and send him on his way. That would have been the best outcome all around, especially given what was happening with his mom.
Except it didn’t look like that would be the case.
He stayed silent, giving her a couple of moments to process what he’d said and trying to quell his own impatience. To pass the time, he took a look around the cluttered little office, noting the ramshackle wooden bookcases pushed up against the walls and the old-fashioned metal filing cabinets, the photos of previous mayors on the walls. One of them appeared to be a goat. There were also a few Alaska tourism posters featuring the usual moose, bears, mountains, whales, and the odd dog sled. One was slightly different. It looked hand drawn and encouraged people to “find love in the middle of nowhere!”
Everything was very, very tidy. Even the pen discarded on the desktop was straight.
Was that her? Did she like to keep things neat? She certainly seemed to be the kind of cool, precise woman who liked to make sure everything was in its place.
Why do you care what she’s like?
He didn’t care. He was simply passing the time.
“Why do you know about Connor?” she asked eventually, still looking out the window. “I mean, why did Cal tell you about him?”
A fair question. But he wasn’t going to get into details, so all he said was, “He told me while we were on deployment, just before a big operation, and I think it was just in case he didn’t come back.”
She didn’t reply, staying very still, her attention remaining on the river outside.
Then suddenly, as if a switch had been flicked, the prickly aura around her vanished, the tension bleeding out of her posture. She looked at him, her pretty face composed, gray eyes cool mist once more. “Well, it’s nice that he thought of me and Connor, but help isn’t necessary. We’re doing just fine on our own. My son’s future is well taken care of, thank you very much.”
It was exactly what Damon had hoped she’d say and