“It was a while since either of us had a meal.”He topped off her coffee.
“We can use the to-go cups so we can get out of here and find your mom.”Did she dare wish her father would be with her?Or had they been separated?Maybe a better question would be, had they ever been together at all?The fake pic of Beau’s mother hadn’t included her father.
Had they hurt him or worse?Had they dumped his body somewhere?
The mental image sent her pulse racing.
“What’s wrong?”Beau asked, studying her.
“I was just imagining the worst-case scenario with my father,” she said.
He reached his hand and covered hers.His touch offered more reassurance than it should, but she didn’t have the strength or desire to fight it any longer.“I’d tell you to think positive if I thought it would help.Since I know how you’re feeling right now, I won’t go Pollyanna on you.This sucks.If you can wipe the image from your mind and replace it with something else, go for it.I couldn’t.”
“It does suck,” she agreed.
“You’ve lost the people closest to you.”His compassion was a balm soothing her soul.“It’s only human to fear the worst with your dad.”
She nodded.
“I’m here if you want to talk about it, or anything else.”
Right now, all she could think about was getting her father home safely.Then, she wanted to have a conversation about a possible future with Beau.Was he thinking along the same lines?
Something had shifted between them last night when she’d helped him undress.Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on and didn’t have time to analyze at present.She made a mental note to circle back.
“Let’s pour a couple of cups of coffee and get out of here,” she said.
Could her father be with Beau’s mother?
17
Beau remembered the apartment at Hollow Oak with its rust-worn balcony and the railing that sagged in the middle.Then, there were the faded stucco walls.The place was tucked behind a forgotten strip shopping mall and a shuttered laundromat.
A flickering neon sign now read “Low O” instead of “Hollow Oak.”Graffiti covered the community laundry room, which had only one working dryer.He remembered the regular police visits to various apartments and the fact that charges never seemed to stick.
Inside the apartment, there’d been peeling wallpaper in the kitchen and water stains on the once-white ceiling.The place had been a shitbox.
“Which one was yours?”Ivy asked.
“Unit 3C,” he said, pulling into the parking lot.He parked behind a dumpster to hide the truck as best as he could, given its size.In these moments, he wished he drove one of those two-door sedans.Sure would make tucking it away and hiding in a parking spot a helluva lot easier.
Then again, he hadn’t anticipated being in this situation or needing to hide in an urban environment.There’d been too much of that going on at the ranch.
“What’s more comfortable for you?Staying here or going with me?”he asked.
“I’m going with you,” Ivy said, no room for doubt in her tone.She couldn’t unbuckle fast enough.
“I’ll get the door for you,” he said, exiting on the driver’s side before circling the front of the truck.Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement coming toward them.Someone was hunkered down, moving in between vehicles.
When he reached the passenger side, he realized who it was.“My mom is coming toward us.”
Ivy’s gaze shifted to follow his.“Maybe we should stay put and give her time to get here.”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
“Is there anyone else?”she asked, casting her gaze to the floorboard like she couldn’t stand to be disappointed.
“I don’t see anyone…hold on…maybe.”He did see a male figure who was also hunkered down.He was moving not ten feet behind Beau’s mother.The question was whether or not this was Ivy’s father coming toward them.
