A knock sounded on her window, and she looked out to see her daughter grinning and waving.
Becs laughed, feeling lighter simply seeing her daughter. That was what Carly gave her. Smiles and laughter, something she wasn’t sure she could have with anyone else ever again.
“Hi,” she greeted as she opened the door. “What’re you doing outside?”
Carly pointed toward the porch where Sophia and Kaye stood, watching them.
“Kaye said we’re invited for dinner. Can we stay?”
Becs looked up at Kaye and noticed the other woman cocking one eyebrow as though daring Becs to say no.
“Of course we can.”
Granted, the only reason she agreed was because Evan wasn’t home. His SUV wasn’t in the driveway, so she took that to mean he was still working. If she were lucky, they could get through dinner before he got home.
“Come on, Mommy,” Carly said, grabbing her wrist and tugging.
“Okay, okay.” Becs laughed. “Let me get my phone.”
She grabbed her phone from the center console and got out of her car, locking the door with the key fob as she followed Carly to the house.
“We’re having fried bologna,” Sophia announced.
“We are?” Becs looked at Kaye, who was shaking her head.
“Theyare having fried bologna,” Kaye clarified. “Weare having grilled chicken salad.”
Becs wouldn’t pretend she wasn’t happy about that. Bologna, fried or otherwise, wasn’t high on her favorites list. In fact, it wasn’t on the list at all.
“Can we eat in the living room, Grandma?” Sophia asked Kaye.
“Yes. Set up the TV trays, and I’ll bring your plates.”
“Yay!” the girls squealed in unison.
“Evan called,” Kaye said as she moved around the kitchen, getting the girls’ food prepared. “He said you found JJ.”
“Yes.” She nodded, another sense of relief flooding her. Ever since she learned that JJ was back home safe and sound, Becs had been overwhelmed with gratitude.
When she heard that JJ was missing, she’d been flooded with panic and an intense need to solve the case quickly. Her impatience hadn’t fared well for her because she’d realized quickly that she was being short with the people she spoke to, almost as though they were hiding something.
It was a good thing she didn’t usually go into the field. Based on her reactions today, she would likely cause more problems than good.
However, while she was out helping to search, she’d managed to keep that panic at bay. Now that it was over, she had the strange urge to sit down and have a good cry. Of course, that couldn’t happen until Carly was asleep because Becs didn’t know how to explain that sometimes she cried because she was happy.
“I’m so glad,” Kaye said, using the spatula to get the round slices of bologna out of the skillet. “Would you like some wine?”
“Yes,” she said before she could think better of it. “I’ll get it.”
“The glasses are above the toaster.”
Becs knew her way around Evan’s kitchen as well as she knew her own. She’d had dinner over there plenty of times since Kaye started watching Carly. She told herself it was because she knew Kaye enjoyed adult conversation, but the truth was that Becs did it because she liked Evan’s mother. And yes, a few times, she had agreed to dinner because she thought she might get to see Evan.
That wasn’t the case now. She honestly wasn’t sure she could handle seeing Evan tonight. Her nerves were frazzled enough; spending time in his company would only unravel her more.
Becs kept herself busy pouring wine and cutting up cucumbers for the salad. Fifteen minutes later, the girls were settled in the living room, watching a movie and eating their bologna while Becs and Kaye were set up in the dining room.
No sooner did she pick up her fork than she heard Sophia shout, “Daddy’s home!”
