Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37778 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37778 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Before I get out, I run the plates, and I’m surprised to see I recognize the name. Owen Monahan. The man whom, with his wife, Leah, took Savannah for themselves when she needed us most.
What’s he doing on our side of town?
I climb out of the Explorer and make my way over to his vehicle. He only rolls down his window after I bang my knuckles on it.
“Is there a problem, officer?”
The cool disdain in his voice irritates me. I may not be rich like him, but I have a respectable job. I’m important to this community.
Does your community know you’ve been lusting after sweet, young Savvy?
I grit my teeth long enough to keep my expression free of shame. When it’s passed, I ask for his license and registration. He sighs heavily as though his breaking the law is somehow my fault.
“You know what a stop sign means?” I ask, inspecting his license and memorizing his address in case I need it for later. “It means stop.”
Someone laughs from within the vehicle. I bend down so I can have a look. A young teenage girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a school uniform grins my way.
“You must be Addison.”
Her eyes widen comically. “How do you know that?”
I’m pretty sure he recognizes me from Savvy’s guardianship hearing, but he doesn’t help his daughter out.
“If I’m getting a ticket, go ahead and issue it to me so I can be on my way. Time is money, officer.” He smirks at me. “At least in my line of work it is. I suppose you get paid the same no matter what.”
What a prick.
“Seriously, though,” Addison asks. “How do you know me?”
“Savvy,” I say in a bland tone that doesn’t match my racing heart. “Sit tight. This will only take a minute, Mr. Monahan.”
He grunts as I walk back to my vehicle. A quick check of his record shows he’s squeaky clean. I’d assumed he’d have to be in order to be a foster parent. Because I can be a dick too, I take my time typing up his ticket.
When I return, he’s impatiently drumming his thumb on the steering wheel while texting on his phone with his other thumb.
“Daddy said you’re the cop guy, Cole, that Savvy went to live with. I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” Addison says, pouting. “Here’s my number. Tell her to text me.”
I take the scribbled number on notebook paper and stuff it into my pocket. I’m not keen on Savvy still having contact with these people, but Addison was her friend. I won’t take that from her.
“Make sure you fully stop next time,” I say gruffly as I hand back over his identification, documentation, and one-hundred-ninety-five-dollar ticket. Not that it’ll make a dent in his finances. It’s the fact of the matter.
He drives off without another word, kicking gravel up and a dust cloud around me. I’m tempted to follow him, pull him over again, and give him a ticket for reckless driving.
It’s his lucky day, though.
I’m feeling generous.
By the time I get home later, after a long day of work and a couple hours at the shooting range with Rick, my boss, and his buddy, Brandt, I’m beat and ready for bed. Travis’s truck isn’t here and neither is Savvy. I’ve missed a few texts from an unknown number.
Unknown Number: This is my new number.
Unknown Number: It’s Savvy.
Unknown Number: Are you still mad at me?
Unknown Number: Can you be un-mad at me for five seconds to come pick me up from Smoke & Sugar? My shift is almost over, and I can’t get a hold of Travis.
Unknown Number: Never mind.
Before I can text her back, headlights flood the living room. A quick peek out the window and I recognize Travis’s truck. Tension bleeds from me when I see Savvy climb out of the passenger side.
She’s wearing black pants and a black shirt which must be a requirement of Smoke & Sugar because it doesn’t look like typical teenage attire.
Adult attire.
Savvy is an adult now.
Travis notices me spying on them and grins. I retreat from the windows, and busy myself with a pile of mail on the bar that wasn’t here earlier.
“Hey,” I say to them, casting a quick, benign look their way. “What’s up?”
Savvy glowers at me as she passes and tromps up the stairs. Travis stares after her and then sighs, shaking his head.
“What?” I grumble. “She still pissy from earlier?”
His eyebrows pinch together as he frowns. “I still see you’re being a douchebag. What crawled up your ass anyway? You’re not making this transition easy on any of us.”
He’s right.
I wish I knew how to fix it.
“Fuck,” I hiss. “I’m sorry. It’s just been a bad day.”
“Yesterday was bad, too. Maybe the bad is you, not the day.”
I flip him off, earning a halfhearted grin.