Jarrad cleared his throat. “Nothing. Just talking about taking some time off in the next month.”
“Time off for what?”
Jarrad’s jaw visibly tightened, and Eastern got the feeling the guy wanted to say it was none of his business. He didn’t. “Family stuff.”
Eastern lifted the mug, tempted to tell the guy he’d already gotten plenty of time off during his suspension, but just held it in.
He didn’t like how Jarrad acted as if he was above the law because he was a deputy. Eastern got the feeling he’d entered law enforcement solely because he liked the power and not to serve and protect the town.
“Submit the request.” He stepped out of the kitchen with his coffee and moved back toward his office.
Jarrad didn’t like Eastern either. But that had more to do with Eastern being elected town sheriff over him than anything else.
In his office, he lowered behind his desk, and his gaze immediately went to the framed photo of his daughter. That’s when every bit of tension in his body leached out. He’d doanything for the kid. She had his whole heart, and not a day went by when he didn’t put her first.
Without his permission, his thoughts shifted to Sadie. To the way she’d hidden behind him and Cody and babbled about…hell, he still didn’t even know what.
She’d given him her number at the grocery store last week. Should he use it? Call her and ask her to sit for Avery? His daughter would love it.
Why was he so damn hesitant?
CHAPTER 3
“Did you put olives in the pasta sauce?” Avery asked as she slid into the seat opposite Eastern at the table.
“Emptied a full jar. Can’t you see them?”
His kid beamed at him. The little olive nut. Not the green Sicilian olives though. The last time he’d offered her one of those, she’d looked at him like he was trying to force poison down her throat. Actually, poison probably would have been more welcome than green olives.
“Yum!” She scooped up a big swirl of pasta onto her fork and put it into her mouth, groaning as she did. “It’s good, Daddy. Really good.”
Great, because he’d hidden a whole lot of vegetables in that sauce, something he’d gotten good at during his time as a dad.
He wasn’t a great cook, but he wasn’t bad either, just…ordinary. Did she love his cooking because she hadn’t gotten enough home-cooked meals with her mother?
Fuck…his intrusive thoughts.
He needed a distraction. “How was school, princess?”
“Good. I finished three books during reading time, and Miss Davies said I might be able to move to the next reading level soon.”
Damn, this kid was something else. Despite her mother’s drinking and leaving town without notice, Avery hadn’t missed a beat at school. “I’m proud of you, Ave.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”
Her little nose scrunched. That meant she was thinking about something and a question was about to come. He didn’t have to wait long.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah, princess?”
“Have you called Sadie?”
He should have been expecting that. Every day, he waited for his daughter to ask about her mother. About whether she’d called or whether she was coming home. She never did.
The only person she asked about was Sadie.
“I haven’t called her, but I ran into her today.”
