As Penelope makes her way to the door, she calls out to Kailee. “Bye Kailee. Have fun with your dad today. I’ll see you tonight.”
“You’re leaving?” Kailee gasps, turning away from the mirror.
“I have to work today at the hospital.”
“Oh okay, but first—“ Kailee runs over to the nurse. “—let me hug you goodbye.”
They’re so great together. I hope one day Kailee calls Penelope mom.
When Penelope leaves, I go to the fridge to see about breakfast possibilities when my phone rings. It’s Paul.
“Hey, Harper. Just calling to check on you. How are you doing?”
“I’ve seen better days. Apparently some nut job wants me and the other guys at the station dead.”
“Are you serious?”
“Unfortunately, yeah. I am.”
I tell him the whole story. Paul is stunned into silence for a few seconds. A rarity.
“I-I’m sorry to hear that, Harper. That’s just terrible. In any case, this is definitely something the judge should know about. It could be grounds for a postponement of the trial.”
“Postponement? Is that something we want?” I’m not exactly relishing the prospect of this dragging out any longer than is absolutely necessary.
“Definitely. A postponement will give me some more time to gather testimonies and build your case. I want to make sure we bring the hammer down at the trial. I know the waiting game is no fun, but this could be a good thing.”
“Right,” I say. “Gotcha.”
“Great. Well, hang in there, Harper. Let me handle the trial, and you just focus on you and your daughter’s safety.”
“Will do. Thanks for the call, Paul.”
“My pleasure. Oh, and one more thing—if you can think of anyone who might be able to provide useful testimony at the trial, let me know. This case could come down to the strength of a few key character witnesses.”
“Actually, I have been spending a lot of time with Penelope. We met at the hospital. She’s seen me with Kailee quite a bit, so, I don’t know, maybe she would—”
“Great!vAnyone who’s seen how great you are with your daughter, and is willing to speak from the heart, could really help. Maybe bring it up to her, see if she’d be willing to do it.”
“Sure thing.”
19
Reaction To Action
It’sMonday morning and as I enter the station, the guys look at me grinning.
“There he is,” Joey says.
“Look at that pep in his step,” Manny chimes in.
“And the spring in his cock—I mean walk.”
Jax smiles stupidly. “You’re glowing, cupcake.”
“What the hell are you guys talking about?” I say, hanging my jacket on the hook.
“Come on, dude,” Jax says. “We know you’re staying with Penelope.”
