“This is the right move for all of us. I can feel it in my bones. And it’s so great to see Caleb inspired again. He was struggling a bit even before he got blocked. I haven’t seen him so happy in years.”
“Does my dad know?”
“Caleb told him first thing this morning. He actually cried. Things have been better between them for the past week or so—ever since they realized your dad was dealing with abandonment issues. Thank you for that, by the way.”
“I’m just glad they’ve sorted things out. It’ll be so wonderful having the family together again.”
“Just think... We can have girl time anytime we want.”
Shelby couldn’t stop the smile that split her face. “And you have a babysitter at your disposal.Twobabysitters.”
Liddy’s eyes twinkled. “That definitely weighed in.”
Shelby’s phone buzzed with an incoming call. The screen lit up with Gray’s picture. All previous thoughts washed away at the sight. “Sorry, I have to get this. It’s Gray.”
“Go ahead.”
Shelby accepted the call. “Hey.”
“Is everything okay?” Gray asked. “I swung by your house and you weren’t there.”
“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m at Latte Da with Liddy. How’d it go at the station?”
“About as well as can be expected, I guess. Thank you for giving yourdad and brother a heads-up. I’m not sure I would’ve gotten an audience with Jameson without them.”
“I was afraid you’d be mad about that.”
“Exactly the opposite. It was nice to have people who...”
“Have your back?”
“Yeah, that.”
Her insides clenched. How sad that it was such a rare occurrence for Gray. She’d love to change that. “Do you feel like he’ll do anything with the information you gave him?”
A pause ensued. “I don’t know,” he said finally. “He said he’d check into it.”
“But...”
“But... he’s up against a brick wall. The Remingtons are a force in this town and I’m sure Chief Jameson likes his job.”
And who was Gray Briggs but an ill-reputed loser who didn’t even live here anymore? Shelby’s stomach dropped. “I hope he has more integrity than you’re giving him credit for.”
“I hope so too. Is that Ollie I hear?”
Shelby pressed a kiss to the baby’s head. “He says hello.”
“Give him a kiss for me. I’ll let you get back to the snuggles. I’m at the store. Thought I’d work on a newsletter, try to get people back into the store.”
“That’s a great idea. I’ll swing by when I’m finished.” They said good-bye, then she ended the call.
“That didn’t sound particularly hopeful,” Liddy said.
“Maybe Dad and Caleb will have a different take. Gray’s not exactly used to things going his way around here.”
“True.” Liddy checked her phone, her expression falling. “It’s Caleb. He says the chief promised to investigate it but didn’t seem all that inspired by the facts presented.”
Shelby’s heart plummeted. “I wish just for once something would work in Gray’s favor.”
