Josie glared at him. “She’s the best person I know. She’s kind and caring and generous and too good for mortal men.”
“Jesus, Quinn,” Turner said, full-on laughing now. “I was just looking for a name.”
“Bullshit.”
He shrugged.
Together, they watched Harris join the fray, throwing himself into his mother’s lap and letting the goats nudge and lick him.
“Don’t worry, Quinn,” Turner said. “I’m not interested in dating anyone. I’m in the middle of a divorce.”
She’d assumed that Dani’s affair would be the final nail in the coffin of their marriage, but he hadn’t said one way or the other until now.
“I’m sorry,” Josie said.
His fingers tapped against his thigh. “Yeah, me too. But hey, I’ve got my kid, and that’s all that matters.”
“I guess she knows about Dani,” Josie said, lowering her voice.
“Yeah. Kind of hard to hide it when your manstress kidnaps you.”
“Is she upset? About the divorce?”
“Hell, no. She’s happy we won’t be fighting anymore.”
Josie wasn’t surprised after having read all three of their text messages and other communications, and having a bird’s-eye view of the dynamics of their family.
Turner watched as Cassidy talked animatedly with Wren and Erica, a look of profound gratitude on his face. Josie knew the feeling. She still paused to stare at her husband the same way even ten months after his abduction.
The melodic sound of a young girl’s voice floated toward them. Turner searched it out and when he found its source, his mouth dropped open in shock. Then he clamped it shut and glowered at Josie. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing, Quinn?”
Zara and Penny approached, clad in yoga pants and tank tops, their hands linked between their bodies. From where she stood, Josie couldn’t hear Penny’s words, but she could tell thegirl was chattering to her mother. When Zara spotted Turner, she smiled.
His return smile was strained. Josie knew by the way he tugged at his beard that he was freaking out. From the corner of his mouth, he said, “I’m serious, Quinn. You don’t know what I had to do to make sure they were safe. You can’t just invite them around whenever you want. Emmer is still out there. Still a threat. And Cass?—”
He yanked two more times on his beard as he looked back toward Cassidy.
Josie knew she was crossing a line here and that it could go horribly wrong but truthfully, she didn’t care. Secrets and miscommunications and Turner’s utter inability to defend himself and face his fears head-on had been a factor in everything that had happened to his family. If he had any hope of moving forward and being the dad that Cassidy needed—again—then he needed to address the issue of Zara.
“Annette is keeping an eye on Emmer for the day,” Josie told him.
She happened to know that Annette had returned to Alden a few days earlier, secure in the knowledge that Dani was recovering well from her ordeal. Dani’s parents were staying longer. Annette was more receptive to helping both Zara and Shitbird once Dani confessed the truth of her affair with Griffin.
Annette had been only too happy to track Dustin Emmer for the day. She was determined to be there the next time he so much as littered. Although Emmer was still walking free, Griffin Holt was still behind bars. The homicide charges had been dropped. He had agreed to plead guilty to kidnapping Dani and Cassidy. With input from Milo and Reina Torres as well as Dani herself, the prosecutor was amenable to ensuring he received whatever mental health treatment was available to him after his sentencing.
“I guess Annette will keep Emmer in line,” Turner mumbled. His relief did little to decrease his beard-pulling as he frantically looked back and forth between Zara and Penny and Cassidy. “This is a goddamn train wreck, Quinn,” he added for her benefit only.
Josie shrugged. “Maybe.”
Zara and Penny were only feet away when Cassidy drew up beside Turner. “Dad, next weekend Wren and Erica are going to— Oh, hey! It’s Zara, right?”
Josie’s mouth dropped open. When she orchestrated this meeting, she had not anticipated that the two women had already met. Clearly, neither had Turner, if the wide-eyed look of shock on his face was any indication.
Zara grinned, playing with one of Penny’s braids as the girl pressed into her mother’s side. “You remember! It’s so nice to see you again, Cassidy. How are you doing after everything?”
Turner’s gaze flicked back and forth between Zara and his daughter as if he were watching two strangers.
Cassidy glanced back at him. “I’m doing really well. Thank you for asking.”
