I made a move to open the envelope.
"Hey, not in front of the kid," Grandma said.
I glanced past her, into the cottage, where Josh still was still sitting at the kitchen table. He caught my eye and grinned. The way it looked, Grandma's secret message wasn't as secret as she seemed to think.
"I'll open it when I get back," I assured her.
"Good girl."
When I pulled into the Parkers' driveway twenty minutes later, I couldn't wait a second longer. I opened the envelope and pulled out what was inside.
As I looked down, I couldn't help but smile.
It was a single sheet of lined notebook paper. Pasted crookedly across the sheet were a series of capital letters, obviously cut from the local newspaper.
Unable to resist, I read the ransom note aloud in my best tough-guy voice. "Pay up, or the dog gets it."
I was still laughing when I walked into the house.
Chapter 53
It was just two days before Thanksgiving and almost a month since I'd seen Lawton. My days hadn't changed much, but at least I had other things to worry about.
The Parkers' next payment never arrived, just like Grandma predicted. And even after multiple phone calls, I hadn't heard a single word back from either Mrs. Parker or her so-called financial manager.
In a desperate bid to forget all my troubles, I loaded up Chucky and took him to the park. It was freezing cold and gloomy as hell, but it was better than sitting around someone else's house moping all day. Or at least, if nothing else, it was a change of scenery.
I was walking Chucky around the nature trail when I spotted a familiar form up ahead. My heart flipped, and my breath caught. I'd recognize him anywhere, even in the dark long-sleeve shirt and silky black running pants.
Lawton. He wasn't walking. And he wasn't running. In fact, he wasn't moving at all. He stood, utterly still, in the middle of the trail.
I stopped in my tracks. He met my gaze, his expression anguished. I glanced over my shoulder, back toward my car. I could scurry back to it and leave right now. But then what? I'd have to face him sooner or later. So I squared my shoulders and marched forward.
His dark hair was a tousled mess, and his eyes were haunted as he watched me approach. He said nothing, but his gaze said it all.
Desperation radiated off him in waves. I'd seen him in virtually every scenario, not just in person, but on the Internet too. I'd seen him flirty. I'd seen him sexy. I'd seen him beat some guy twice his size to a bloody pulp.
I'd never seen him like this.
Out in front of me, Chucky was going nuts, straining at his leash and whining for Lawton's notice. Slowly, Lawton's gaze dipped to Chucky, and I saw the barest hint of a sad smile.
When Chucky barreled into Lawton a moment later, there wasn't much I could do, short of yanking Chucky backward and prying him loose.
But somehow, I just didn't have the heart. So I stood, silently off to the side, while Lawton crouched down and ruffled Chucky's fur.
A moment later, I heard the crinkle of packaging and joyful yips that somehow managed to tear my heart out. He still carried doggie snacks, even after all this time?
But true to his promise, Lawton didn't say a single word or give me so much as a wave.
Gently, I picked up Chucky and cradled him against me, meeting Lawton's gaze one last time before continuing down the trail with Chucky in my arms and his leash dragging behind us.
When I rounded the bend a few minutes later, I saw Lawton out of the corner of my eye. He still hadn't moved. He stood, facing the same exact same direction, the empty doggie-treat bag hanging loose from his fingers.
When I'd moved beyond the line of sight, I set Chucky down and trudged forward once again, feeling hot tears slide down my cold face. When I completed the circuit, Lawton was gone.
When my phone rang later that afternoon, I couldn't help but dive for it. I wasn't sure what I expected. A return-call from the Parkers? A call from Lawton after all? Or maybe just Keith, calling me into work or threatening to fire me again.
But when I checked the display, what I saw there made me groan aloud. It was Loretta, again.
