“I’ll be off around six tonight, and it’s almost noon,” he glances at the clock on the wall, folding his arms across his broad chest.
“Okay…”
“Take Elena and Tristan somewhere for dinner tonight. If I can’t find you by eight,” he mulls over his following words, “I’ll give you your phone and your truck.”
My eyebrows shoot up in excitement momentarily before furrowing in wariness. “Why do I feel like there is abutcoming?”
“Because there is. If I can find exactly where you are before then, I get to punish you any way I want for challenging me.” He smirks devilishly.
My breathing hitches.
Well, this is going to be fun.
There’s no way in hell he’ll find me; I will make sure of it.
I drag my bottom lip between my teeth. “Game on.”
THIRTY-ONE | TARYN
Elena’s tongue darts out, licking her lips hungrily as a massive pile of chocolate chip pancakes is placed before her. She swoops her finger through the whipped cream, unable to wait as the woman sets down Tristan’s crepes. She sucks her pointer finger clean with a contentedpopthat makes me smile.
She’s so easily entertained sometimes.
I’m hoping she’ll hit that sugar high and crash so she can sleep peacefully on the hour drive home while I gloat.
There is no way in hell Colten will find us here.
Before we left the shop, he tried to give me his work cell so I could contact him if needed and have access to navigation. I refused. I’m smarter than he gives me credit for. He could’ve easily tracked that phone, and I wasn’t about to hand over an advantage. Luckily, I remembered the route to Cascade Springs.
Our waitress returns with my French toast combo, and I glance at her IHOP name tag as she places it in front of me.
“Thanks, Melanie,” I say gratefully.
Yep. I chose IHOP for dinner because I highly doubt it would ever cross Colten’s mind to check a place like this. Plus, I am asucker for breakfast for dinner. The way the kids quietly indulge in their meals makes me think that’s something we all have in common.
Or it’s because I let them choose meals on the menu that are complete sugar bombs.
Either way, points to me for being the cool nanny.
Seeing them happy has warmth spreading across my cheeks. Jess may be gone now, but I’m hoping I can be enough of a fun distraction that her being gone will hurt them less.
I glance around at the other tables, some with families and others with elderly singles. I still have no idea why he created this competition in the first place. Cascade Springs is one of the bigger cities around Cedar Creek, and I could’ve taken Elena and Tristan anywhere. It hardly seems fair, but I want my phone and truck back.
The pathetic part is that I don’t even care to run. I just want to see if my parents have bothered to reach out. I would be perfectly content with one meager text asking how I am since they won’t ask about the new teaching position. Honestly, they don’t even know about it.
Or that I’ve moved.
I shouldn’t be surprised since it’s been three months since we last communicated, but the silence hurts.
Elena makes a humming noise of satisfaction as she reaches across the table for the syrup bottle. The drips cascade down the glass, creating a sticky ring on the tabletop.
She pulls it toward her, and I chuckle, popping a piece of fluffy egg into my mouth. “I don’t think you need any more of that.”
Tristan’s gaze snaps toward me. “I want more, too!”
Of course you do.
Raising a brow, I glance between the two sweet faces giving me their best begging eyes across the booth from me.
