CHAPTER 58
Seven days had passedsince everything had happened.
The world kept going, and somehow so had Naomi.
At the moment, she stood on the porch and watched the mist lift off the valley below.
Grace was still sleeping, so Naomi had stepped outside with the baby monitor to get some fresh air.
Good Boy and Hamilton were nosing along the tree line. The two dogs seemed to suddenly be BFFs.
Every few minutes Good Boy lifted his head to check on her. Then he went back to whatever he was investigating.
She drew in a deep breath and let herself think.
There was still a lot to sort through—legally, emotionally, in every direction. Naomi had made peace with the fact that this wasn’t over.
She’d made peace with a lot of things this week.
More than anything, she knew she’d been led here to Refuge Cove. She still believed that. She hadn’t been running from something in New York so much as being guided toward something she couldn’t have seen from where she was standing.
Just as God had been teaching her, coming here was a gift of grace God had extended to her. She was so incredibly thankful for that.
Just then, a vehicle appeared at the end of the drive.
Micah.
A few moments later, he appeared on the sidewalk with two paper cups in hand.
“Coffee . . . ?” she asked.
“I thought you could use some.” He climbed the porch steps. “Jess at The Grind House told me which drink was your favorite. Caramel latte with one less pump.”
“Perfect.” Naomi took the cup he offered and made room for him beside her at the railing.
He leaned toward her and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.
Her heart went crazy—as it always did when Micah was near.
Then he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and they stood together watching Good Boy and Hamilton complete another circuit of the yard.
Finally, she asked, “Any updates?”
She asked that question almost every day, but eventually, Micah really would have an update.
“DA’s office is still reviewing, and there’s some jurisdictional sorting to do.” He paused. “But I do have a couple of updates I can share.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Go on.”
“First of all, Gary Lee Foster broke. He’s talking. He told us that Dale hired him to get the dog from you. Apparently, Gary has a drug habit that Dale learned about, and he was holding it over his head.”
“I’m so glad Gary told the cops that. What about the kidnapping?
“They’re still working that angle.”
“Does that mean Dale has been arrested?”
“He’s being held while the DA decides how to file it.”
