Chapter Two

  Ericka consumed one slice of pizza. Despite the little boy wanting to be called Rex, they dubbed him Bud. He seemed to be like a little Buddy. He also seemed to be starving. He’d had about three slices of pizza to her one. Although he did refuse to eat the crust because it wasn’t filled with cheese. That could be why he ate so much.

  “And then this one time, I played with my wrestling men and pretended that they were on an alien planet. And you know what?”

  “What?” Greg seemed really into this kid’s stories.

  “Well, there weren’t any dinosaurs there, but I really wanted them to be.” Underneath the table, he slung his legs back and forth, back and forth.

  “I see.”

  The boy picked up another slice of pizza. Ericka worried about his stomach. It didn’t seem big enough to eat all that he was stuffing in there.

  And why was he talking so much? It was as if he’d had to hold back everything he wanted to say and now it was all bursting forth at once.

  And what did he mean he played, but his own alien planet couldn’t have dinosaurs? It was his made-up world. It could have anything he wanted, right?

  Flashbacks of living with Cecila Drust raced through her memory. Someone had donated a doll house to the Drust household. Ericka remembered playing with a few of the other kids imprisoned there. One of the walls of the house was broken and she’d wanted to have a tiger repair it. Her toy tiger was confiscated and never seen again.

  One of the older kids asked why a tiger. She told them it was the only figure she had had.

  She’d never found out where that tiger had gone.

  Ericka stomach clinched as Bud continued to tell stories about his playtime. The fact that he didn’t remember his real name. The idea that he couldn’t have the freedom to imagine. All these things reminded her of her own experiences.

  After they finished eating, Greg turned on some silly kid cartoon. She’d slipped down on the couch while Bud and Greg were laughing. After the first seven-minute episode, she rose to her feet, dusted off her hands, and motioned for Greg to follow her to the kitchen.

  “Give me just a minute and I’ll be right back.” He walked over to Ericka. “What’s up?”

  “He’s a foster kid or maybe he’s been in the system, or something. He acts like someone who has had to hold back a lot of his thoughts and feelings.”

  Greg looked over his shoulder then back at her. “Are you sure?”

  “I think so.” It was a feeling she had; one she couldn’t really explain.

  Greg sighed. “My friend who is coming sometime tonight works for social services.”

  “You called social services?” Ericka would have screamed the words, but she didn’t want Bud to know.

  “I didn’t know what else to do. We can’t keep some strange kid that showed up in the back of our car.”

  “Why not?”

  “Why not?”

  “Yeah, why not? I’m a decorated military veteran and a cop and so are you. Why aren’t we safe enough to keep a kid until we find his family?” Ericka crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. She hoped he saw her serious stance. Because she was serious, and she wasn’t backing down.

  Not all foster parents were bad. Like not all people were bad. But a few rotten apples could poison the entire pot. This boy needed a family, but he didn’t need a family that would let him slip off.

  Ericka relaxed her posture. She grabbed Greg’s hand and squeezed. “I’m not saying that we keep him forever, just until we find his family.”

  “You know we’re supposed to go back to work tomorrow. The auditors are coming, remember? They are going to evaluate the entire Police Assistance Unit to see if we even need to exist.”

  “I know. But we can work around it. How do other parents do it?”

  “Are we playing parent now?”

  She shrugged. “Sure, why not? It won’t be the hardest thing that we’ve done. We just spent several days jumping from planes.”

  He laughed. “I’d say that parenting is infinitely harder.”

  “Will you call your friend back? Please?” She leaned in and still held his hand tightly.

  He laughed again. “All right. I’ll call. He doesn’t seem to be headed this way anyway.”

  “Hey, guys! Look the bunny is so funny!” Bud scooted to the edge of the chair and giggled.

  Child giggles were cuter than puppies.

  Ericka felt her lips twist into a grin.

  ****

  Greg let the warmth of Ericka’s hand run over his whole body. Since she’d taken his hand, she hadn’t let go. He didn’t want her to let go. But he would need to call off Jake.

  It could wait maybe for a second longer.

  They walked back to the couch together, still connected. When they reached the couch, Ericka dropped his hand and a tiny flush of red peppered across her nose. She even turned one shoulder toward him as if showing a shy side of herself.

  She didn’t have a shy bone in her body.

  That much he knew.

  She snuggled next to Bud. The little boy didn’t resist. They laughed together at the antics of the bunny.

  He stood and slipped away. The phone to his ear, he called Jake.

  “Hello?”

  “Jake?”

  “Oh, no! Greg, I’m sorry man. I fell back asleep. My wife just had our third child and there is no sleeping in this house.”

  “No worries. I was going to ask, um, what would be the harm in letting the boy stay with myself and Ericka for a few days. I mean, give us some time to find his family before he is thrown into the system.”

  There was silence on the other end.

  He jumped in. “Ericka has firsthand experience with the system. She looks at the kid and sees herself. I-I don’t think she is going to let him go.”

  Jake groaned. “Do-gooders.”

  “So, what is the process?”

  “I’ll call you two in the morning and see if you still want to keep the kid. I have my suspicions you’ll want a reprieve by tomorrow. But if not, I’ll see what I can do about getting you a temporary way to keep him. But it would only be for a few days, you understand, right?”

  “I understand. And Jake?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you.”

  “Yup.” In the background the sound of a tiny cry could be heard. “That’s for me. Talk to you tomorrow.”

  Greg heard the phone hang up. Jake had three little girls. He’d seen the other two on a social media post. They were downright adorable. They reminded him of his nieces when they were that age.

  The laughter from the other room increased. Greg turned and leaned against the doorjamb. This was what he’d always envisioned his life to be like. A wife, a child, and lots of laughter.

  Often the woman he saw in the vision had been Ericka. A smile teased his lips. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped at the sound of a knock on the door.

  Ericka and Bud never moved. They kept up the rolling laughter as he walked behind the couch and toward the door. A swish of blond hair showed through the glass pane. Greg stopped before he reached the door.

  Heidi.

  Officer Heidi Goodall. The woman he’d thought about for days while she was in the hospital, then when he left to help Ericka, he’d not thought about that much at all.

  What was she doing here?

  The knock sounded again.

  “Aren’t you going to get that, Greg?”

  Ericka would ask.

  “Yeah, I’m getting it.” He opened the door.

  “Hi.” Heidi’s grin went from ear to ear. “I see you made it home in time for our date.”

  “Our date…” He’d forgotten.

  “Oh, you forgot?”

  “No, I just, well I had an unexpected visitor.”

  “I see that.” She cast her eyes toward the couch.

  Ericka turned. She looked up and then down. Then she rose to her feet and grabbed Bud’s hand. “Why don’t you come over to my house for a while?”

  “Your house? Do you have the bunny?”

  “Well, no, but maybe we can find something else you like just as much.”

  Greg would have protested, but she was already on the front porch and almost dragging Bud down the steps.

  And then there was Heidi. She made herself at home as she moved farther inside.

  “I like your place. It’s not quite as manly as I thought it would be, which is nice.”

  Greg eased the front door closed. “Yeah. I have a sister. She helped decorate.”

  The words left his lips and he remembered that he hadn’t told Ericka about her house yet. He whispered a prayer that everything was as it should be within. Before he could have a second thought about furniture or wall hangings Heidi demanded his attention, and he was on to other things.

  It really was going to be a long afternoon.

  Chapter Three

  It took Ericka a moment to dig her keys out of the bottom of her purse. She was glad that she’d grabbed the bag from the table near Greg’s door. The last thing she wanted was to have to return to the little lovefest that he and Heidi might have going on. Why did the thought bother her so much?

  Bud had stopped bouncing and now just swayed from side to side. He seemed to have finally lost some of his restless energy. Since she was set to have him the rest of the afternoon that was a good thing.

  The door opened and she stepped in first. Inside the house, she flipped on the light. The house had a new smell. The couch color looked slightly off, and the walls didn’t match the color from before. Some of her pictures were in the wrong place.

  She wasn’t worried about it. Maggie had called to explain everything so that she wouldn’t be surprised when she came back home. She’d figured that Greg would do his best to put everything back in order, but like most men he wouldn’t realize what was out of order.

  Overall, he didn’t do too bad.

  She went to the kitchen with her shadow in tow. She grabbed a couple bottles of water out of an almost empty fridge. Now that she was back in town shopping was in order. Maybe she could order some food to be delivered.

  “This house looks exactly the same, except you have more pretty colors.” Bud rotated around and around with his head lifted to the ceiling.

  “Well, thank you.”

  He stopped, slightly wobbling, and asked, “But you don’t have the bunny?”

  “Sadly, no. I don’t watch television that much. I do have a few stations where we might be able to pull up some cartoons.”

  “Okay.” He walked to the living area and flopped down on the couch. He yawned behind his hand then slowly laid down on the thick couch cushions. Before his head touched the pillow, his eyelashes touched his cheek.

  Ericka smiled as she grabbed a cover from the back of the couch and dragged it over his tiny frame. His chest moved up and down in the rhythmic manner of sleep.

  Ericka took a seat opposite him on a plush chair. It matched her new couch, but she hadn’t had a chair before. It was nice and comfortable though, so she wouldn’t complain.

  She took a sip of the cold water. Officer Heidi Goodall. Thankfully, Maggie had mentioned her as well.

  The lady had shown up unannounced. Blond hair and blue eyes. Why wasn’t she surprised? Greg had dated a couple of ladies that looked exactly like her. He had a type.

  Ericka tried but she couldn’t fight temptation, and she turned her head ever so slightly. A gap in her new curtains left a direct line to Greg’s living room. She should turn away. What if she saw something she didn’t want to see?

  Like Greg kissing Heidi…

  Honestly, she didn’t need that in her life. She’d had enough trauma for a while.

  She turned away and rose to her feet. She eased closer to the window. Why was her body making her go in the direction she didn’t want to go?

  The buzz in her pocket had her digging for her phone. The initial sound was quiet but as the phone continued to ring the volume would increase. She didn’t want Bud to wake up. At least not yet.

  She put the phone to her ear as she walked toward the kitchen.

  “Hello?” Her whisper sounded forced and hoarse.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Tito?”

  “Yes. Why are we whispering?”

  “Long story. Did you finally make it home?” Ericka peeked back at the couch. Bud hadn’t moved an inch.

  “I’ve been home. I was calling to see if you finally made it home.”

  “Oh, yeah, just a few hours ago.”

  “Again, why are we whispering?”

  “Because Bud is asleep on my couch.”

  “Bud? How is it possible that you’ve only been home for a few hours, and you’ve already got another guy sleeping on your couch? Is this another long-lost foster brother or something? I’ve heard all about Harrison. I’m assuming there are others?”

  Ericka drew her brows together. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about trying to control my jealousy because every time I get up the nerve to ask you out, you have some other guy in your life.”

  Ericka chuckled under her breath.

  “This isn’t funny.”

  “Well, it’s a little funny. Bud is six.”

  “What?”

  “Do me a favor? Go pick up some popcorn in microwave bags. Ooo, and some of those candies that are popular at movie theaters and come over. Bring a Looney Tunes movie if you have one. And a DVD player. I don’t have one of those either. I think I did before, but I can’t remember any more.”

  “You want me to come over?”

  “Are you bringing the things I requested?” She leaned her hip against the counter. She was seriously playing with fire. Sure, she liked Tito, but romantically?

  She had no idea how she felt about him. She liked Greg, but he’d moved on. So, why not?

  “Then I guess I’m coming over.”

  “Good. Come over. I’ve never been alone with a six-year-old and I may need assistance when the monster wakes up.”

  Tito’s laughter flowed over the line. “I’ll be right there. I can’t have you dealing with a monster alone.”

  The phone line went dead, and Ericka stared at the screen as she leaned back against the kitchen counter completely. So, calling Tito over probably wasn’t the best idea. He’d seemed too willing. But truthfully, she didn’t want to be alone. Not right now.

  Maybe never.

  Too much had changed over the last few weeks.

  Knowing that she was truly alone was making it harder to actually be alone.

  ****

  Tito grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, patted his back pocket to make sure he had his wallet, and took his keys from the keyholder on the wall. The list of items Ericka wanted sounded like they were going to be watching a movie with a kid.

  She had said there was a six-year-old at her house. He wasn’t sure if he believed that or if it was a ploy for him to come over and visit without her admitting it. Either way he wouldn’t miss the opportunity.

  Two steps out the door he stopped.

  The DVD player.

  He snapped his fingers and skipped back to the living room. He unplugged his, careful to grab all the necessary cords, before preparing to leave again. He had no idea where he was going to purchase some kind of Looney Tunes cartoon movie like she’d said. Perhaps the store would have one. Although it seemed dated.

  The DVD machine stowed in his backseat, he pulled out into traffic and headed to the closest department store. Once parked, he stepped from the car and walked toward the building.

  People milled around and stopped in front of him on multiple occasions. He’d stopped going to the store because of the crowds. He preferred to order everything online. It was quicker. And it didn’t matter since he rarely ate at home.

  He found the items that Ericka had mentioned and put them into his shopping cart. He rolled to the front of the store, weaving around people like he was on an obstacle course. Finally, when he reached the front, he chose a line and stood.

  There were fifteen registers according to the numbers on the signs above them.

  Three were open.

  Three.

  People stood in front of him. People stood behind him. People looked like they intended to pass him, but he narrowed his eyes and came just short of growling.

  The line moved forward. Still at least five people were in front of him. He would have gone to one of those self-checkout things, however, the line for them was just as long or longer. One young girl ran back and forth between each machine as they rang over and over when a customer needed help.

  Or maybe they pushed that button for fun.

  The poor girl.

  It was uncalled for, but there wasn’t anything he could do but wait.

  Tito tapped his foot.

  He twiddled his thumbs.

  He hummed.

  The person at the front of the line had chosen an item without a tag. Tito rolled his eyes then took a glance at his watch. By the time he reached Ericka’s house she would be on to other things or maybe asleep.

  This was intolerable.

  ****

  Robert reached the state line and pulled over at a cheap motel. The lights in the name winked off and on in random patterns making it unclear what the name of the motel truly was. The name didn’t matter to him. Just one more day and he’d be with his daughter.

  He leaned down and grabbed a grocery bag from the floorboard of the car. When he straightened, he saw a blue sedan pull into the lot. There was a distinct scrape along the side of the door and a dent in the bumper.

  He’d seen that car before.

  Several times when he stopped, and also on the Interstate that car had been close by.

  He was still being followed. He’d thought he’d lost them, but apparently not.

  Robert leaned his head against the headrest and sighed. He wouldn’t be able to go straight to Ericka now. If he did, he might be putting her in danger.

  Why was it every time that he got close to working everything out, something else happened? No matter what he did, he couldn’t seem to make a fresh start or make things right.