“According to Riley, it was anonymous,” Glenn said.
“Bullshit…there is always a record of who files a report.”
“Not this one…that’s why Riley tagged it and thought it had to be someone playing a joke,” Glenn replied.
“It’s not a joke. Someone else knows about Kevin,” Smokey growled.
“Yeah…and that means they also know about his parents. We need to get them out of there immediately,” Glenn said.
“Fuck, this is just getting worse by the minute.”
“No fucking shit!”
Chapter 17
After giving a quick rap on Hope’s hospital room door, Willow entered and smiled at her friend. “Good morning, you look fantastic!”
“Sofia did my make-up this morning…my hands are still too shaky. When I tried to use eyeliner and lipstick I ended up looking like a clown.”
“Piff…don’t worry, I expect you to be doing it yourself shortly. Whenever you set your mind to something, you’ll do it.”
“I hope so.” Patting the seat next to her, Hope said, “Come sit down and tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Sweetie, you’ve always been that way, even back in grade school. Do you remember when Billy-boy bet you didn’t know how to climb a tree? What did you do…spit on your hand then shook his before climbing the big old oak tree on the playground.”
“I do…I also remember getting punished by my mother when I didn’t show up for dinner.”
“Yes, well, who knew you didn’t know how to climb down.” Willow laughed.
“I know. Once I was up there, I looked down at Billy and realized how high I was. Thank goodness he left before my father showed up and rescued me. My mother was so furious when she found out…of course I never told Billy.”
“But you did collect on your bet…what was it he owed you?’
“One of the cupcakes his mother always packed in with his lunch. Each day they were different…and so pretty. Iused to peek into his lunch pail every day just to get a look at them.”
“Was it worth the punishment?”
“Definitely. So scrumptious that after I ate it, I remember wanting to make some myself. From that time on, I pestered my mother to show me how to bake until she finally relented. My first batch of cupcakes were lopsided with some burnt edges, but I thought they were delicious.”
“And you never had to make a bet with Billy again.” Willow chuckled.
“Never did…but then I never stayed around after school to play because I was always in a rush to get into the kitchen to bake more cupcakes. When my mother suggested I branch out into making cakes and cookies, I was so excited. Looking back, I think my parents were tired of eating those cupcakes day after day.”
“Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret…my father loved it when you had dinner with us because he enjoyed your cupcakes so much. Whenever he drove me to school, his parting words were ‘why don’t you invite your friend Hope to dinner tonight’.”
Laughing, Hope said, “Whenever you did, my mother would pack up all the cupcakes I baked that day to take to your house to show my appreciation for the invitation.”
Willow smiled, then grew serious. “Do you miss baking?”
Sucking in a breath, Hope glanced down at her hands, wondering if they would ever work properly again. “I do…but what I miss more is cooking for my family,” she said softly. “I lost so much, Willow…I’m not sure what my life is supposed to be anymore.”
Taking hold of her friend’s hand, Willow said, “That’s true, sweetie…and I’m not telling you to forget your babies but you still have a life ahead of you…your sons need you and what about the grandpups? They need a grandma who will be there for them, someone who’ll keep all their secrets.”
Looking up, Hope found the understanding in Willow’s face she needed so badly. “Dakota said he expected me to teach his son how to make cookies for the Long Night Moon Festival,” she whispered.
“Just like you did for Dakota.”
Nodding, Hope squeezed Willow’s hands. “Dakota was my shadow in the kitchen…I remember how he sat at the island, doing any task I gave him. He was so proud when I gave him the job to make all the cookies for the upcoming festival. So serious as he went about measuring all the ingredients. He was amazing…and the flavors he combined were out of this world. That’s when I knew what he was meant to do in life.”
