She turned partly toward him and nestled into the corner. “Do you have a picture of Evan?”
“Sure.” It wasn’t her fault she didn’t know what a sore subject his son was. And in fact, it was niceto be able to talk about Evan for a change. The boy was on his mind, but Olivia and his dad were the only people who knew what was going on. Jeff dug out his phone and found the most recent photo. “This is almost five months old.” The last time he’d seen him.
Pushing aside the unwelcome reminder, he handed Tara the phone.
Her face lit up. “He’s adorable.”
“He takes after his mom.”
“Thatexplains it.”
Jeff chuckled in spite of himself.
She looked up at him with a twinkle in her eyes and…he wanted. Oh, how he wanted.
The phone buzzed and a text message appeared from Olivia.
You up?
Tara handed him the phone, the question clear in her eyes. She probably thought it was a booty call. Why else would a woman contact him at two in the morning?
“Give me a minute,” he said.
“Sure thing.” She sipped her tea and stared toward the small window over the sink.
Jeff let Olivia know he was awake. Her response came quickly.
We need to talk.
He glanced at Tara. What did it matter if she knew what was going on? He wasn’t going to make his call outside and wake the whole damn camp. And he was tired of keeping it all inside.
“This is my PI,” he said, standing. “I needto make a call.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Oh. Okay.”
He dialed as he moved into the bedroom. It wouldn’t really give him much privacy, but he wouldn’t have to face Tara as he talked.
Olivia answered on the first ring. “I found Bridget, but it’s not good news.”
Tara didn’t want to be relieved that this Olivia woman wasn’t looking for a late-night hookup, but she couldn’t help it. The wayJeff had lit up when talking about his son had stirred something in her. And made her want to soothe his pain at living so far away from Evan.
Because, yeah, that’s what she needed. To get involved with a guy with all kinds of baggage and a kid to boot.
Thank God she and Colin hadn’t had a child together. The idea of having to deal with custody issues with a man she never wanted to see againmade her shudder. Maybe Jeff’s relationship with his ex wasn’t so contentious, but it didn’t sound great. What kind of woman gets pregnant and doesn’t tell the father until after the baby’s born?
Maybe the kind who wasn’t sure if he actually was the father?
Hush, brain.
But then why did he need a private investigator?
Tara wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but the RV was small and Jeff’s voicecarried easily in the small, quiet space.
“Oh, fuck,” he said. “What about Evan?”
The pain and fear in his voice made her heart squeeze.
“Do the police have any leads?”
