Page 79 of Lost and Found

They loaded into his truck and stayed silent until after they’d passed through the electronic gate.

She squirted hand sanitizer on her hands and offered it to him. “Where to now?”

He merged into traffic. “My hotel to pack up and check out.”

“Are you happy to be headed home?”

He realized how often he’d thought about that question today. He liked being home. Sure. Who didn’t? But the idea of bringing Bailey and Matt to Granite Creek thrilled him. He’d never thought about how great a little town it was before. Not in a way that made him mentally scribble a to-do list of the ice cream parlor, the specialty shops on Main Street, and the parks he’d only driven by. Not to mention, Wes worked with great guys who more than qualified to be solid role models for Matt.

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Yeah, I am.”

“Will we have to stay inside the entire time?”

He glanced over.

“I mean…” she started. “If we’re staying in one of Titan’s safe houses, are we supposed to stay inside and sneak around?”

“We’re not hiding you, exactly. More like controlling the environment while we figure out who’s stalking you. Don’t tell anyone that you’re leaving town. If I’m not around, someone from Titan will be with you. You can go to the park, take a walk, do your normal day-to-day, but where we can see you.”

“Will there be cameras like at Jennifer Yang’s?”

He chortled. “No. That was over the top, if you ask me. Part of me worried there’d be a camera waiting for me in the bathroom.”

Her muted laughter sounded worried. “What about in the bedrooms?”

He glanced over. Her eyebrows lifted, but she shrugged it off. Wes grinned. “No cameras to invade your privacy.”

“That’s good to know.”

He reached for her hand and laced her fingers with his. “Despite everything that’s going on, we’re going to have a good time.”

Somehow they’d managed to do everything they’d needed to before dinner time. Bailey had packed a suitcase for her and Matt and flagged everything she wanted Titan to move temporarily to Granite Creek. The police cruiser still sat in her driveway and would stay there after she left with Wes. They’d left his truck in a shopping center parking lot and covertly packed her Jeep, not tipping their hand in case her house was under surveillance.

“Who’s in the mood for cheeseburgers?” Bailey called when Wes signaled he was ready to roll.

Matt jumped up from the Legos. “Me! I am.”

She hummed, tapping her finger on her chin. “Where’s Matt? I thought Matt would’ve wanted a cheeseburger. Matt?”

“Right here. I want a cheeseburger! Mom! Mom.”

“Maybe he’s outside,” Wes suggested.

“Wes. I know you can hear me!”

Wes tossed Matt over his shoulder like a fireman and headed for the door. “Maybe we should just go without him.”

Matt giggled, kicking his legs, calling out, “I’m on your shoulder!”

Bailey held open the door and fell a little in love with Wes Wilder as he called Matt’s name and carried him to the Jeep. He opened the back door and lifted Matt over his head. “Found him. He’s been waiting for burgers this whole time.”

Matt squealed, laughing and wriggling, as Wes lowered him into the back seat. She saw Wes’s face. He was having as much fun as her son was, and that made her heart explode. Wes asked what she wanted, and it was this. A man who made her knees weak and drove her son into a fit of giggles. She wanted the silliness and the smiles. The memory-making. She wanted a partner like Wes.

The GPS displayed a fluctuating drive time to Granite Creek as rush hour kicked into full force. She battled stop-and-go traffic until she’d had enough and announced it was burger time.

A cheeseburger and fries were exactly what she needed. Afterward, Wes took her keys. She could’ve kissed him for taking over the drive.

The landscape changed from the rush and buzz she was accustomed to. Fewer cars. More fields. Mountains in the distance grew taller, and with the evening’s setting summer sun, she could see where the Blue Ridge got its name. “This is really pretty.”