Page 20 of Blue Norther
“Mrs. McNally, I appreciate that feedback, and I’ll be sure to tell the Sheriff about your suggestion. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
I nodded at Jonesy as I walked out of the station. I’d read the report in the morning. Right now, all I could think about was how I was supposed to get through dinner with Jessie and Hawk without losing my mind, worrying about Violet.
Because I was worried. For someone who lived with a deputy for years, for someone who I fucking taught self-defense to when we were in high school, she was acting like leaving New York solved all her problems. And maybe it would. I fucking hoped whoever was bothering her stayed right where they were.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket, cursing when I saw it was set to silent. I had a message from my sister waiting for me.
Hey! I bumped into Violet at Montgomery Defense today! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me she was back.
I’ve only known a few days. I just haven’t wrapped my mind around it.
God, took you long enough to reply! You’re going to be late if you don’t get your ass home now.
We can eat quick. I really just want some time with Beckett.
He’s excited to see you, but I figured you’d want to get home before Vi gets here.
What?
I told her she had to come. To meet Beckett and Hawk.
I threw the phone down in the passenger seat and closed my eyes.I could do this.Hell, I wanted another chance to talk to her. To ask her to reconsider staying at the cabin on her own. Maybe I could rope Jessie into it, too.
“Supper smells good,” I called out as I walked in the front door of my house. It always made me laugh that Jessie wanted to do dinner at my house. When Vi and I first got divorced, my sisterspent nearly every night eating with me when we weren’t having supper up at our parents’ house. When she had Beckett and told me she wanted to start doing it again once a week, I couldn’t really say no.
“Coco! Coco!” My nephew ran down the hallway right into my open arms.
“Hey, Beck! Were you a good boy today?”
“Res!”
I chuckled. Poor kid didn’t have the best grasp of his words yet, but he was working hard on them.
“Okay, Uncle Coco has something for you then. Ready?” He nodded, his eyes going wide as I fished around in my shirt pocket. “Here you go! An honorary deputy badge sticker!”
“Ticker, Mama! Ticker!”
Jessie laughed as Beckett ran into the kitchen, waving the sticker around.
“Hey, Hawk.” I held my hand out to shake my brother-in-law’s as soon as I walked into the kitchen.
“Hey, Colt. Want a beer?”
“From my own fridge?” I joked. “Sure, I’d love one.”
Hawk laughed. “Actually, I put a new six-pack in there. Nash brought down this IPA from a little brewery startup back in Montana. Figured you might want to try it out with me.”
His buddy, who was actually my good buddy now, too, split time between Silver Springs and a small town in Montana where he was expanding a Montgomery Defense program. “Yeah, definitely. Thanks.”
Hawk handed me a can from the fridge, and as I set it on the counter in front of me, I could feel Jessie’s eyes on me.
“You need to go get changed,” she scolded. “Vi will be here any minute.”
“And?” I grabbed Beckett as he ran by, hoisting him upside down in front of me and tickling his belly, absolutely fuckingthrilled with the string of giggles I got out of him. “She already saw me wearing this today. It’s fine.”
“Colt. Go. Get. Changed. I bet Vi is wearing something different from what she had on earlier.”
“It’s not a first date, Jess. She’s my ex-wife.”
