Say You Love Me (Welcome To Redemption #9) Page 3

  “I happen to know the convenience store has several video games. Couldn’t you have chosen another until they were finished?”

  Noah cast a sidelong glance at Mike. “I really wanted to play that game. It was Bonanza pinball.”

  “Ahh.” Bernie slanted her gaze back to Mike and whispered, “Bonanza was Dad’s favorite show when he was a kid.”

  Mike nodded his understanding and gave Noah a light thump on the back. “You’ll get a chance to play it, don’t worry. So, how about that cheeseburger? Best you’ve ever had, right?”

  Noah rolled his eyes, but a small grin broke free. “It was awesome.”

  Bernie’s chest ached as she watched the two form a tentative bond. A wave of guilt washed over her as she, yet again, second-guessed her decision to allow her father and stepmother to adopt her son. She’d done what she had to at the time; made the best choice she could—for herself and for her child. But watching them… If she’d stayed and had the baby in town, their lives would be so very different right now.

  But for the better…or for the worse?

  She put a hand on her son’s shoulder. “Hey, I was thinking we could drive into Green Bay for a movie, maybe dinner afterward if you’re up to it?”

  His eyes lit up. “Can I pick the movie?”

  “You bet.” To Mike, she said, “Thanks for everything. Hope you and your family have a nice Labor Day.”

  “We’re heading to Matt and Carrie’s Sunday for the barbecue. Mom can’t wait to promote her new pet store, and Maddie loves playing with Emma. I think she might have a crush on Max, too.”

  Bernie smiled over his less than enthusiastic tone.

  “What about you and Noah? I’m sure you must have been invited.”

  Damn. She’d been hoping he wouldn’t ask. Of course, she’d been invited. Matt Spalding was Lindy’s brother. And Carrie Lowell, who owned Coffee To Chai For, where Bernie stopped for coffee every morning on her way to work, had invited her as well.

  “I’m not sure what we’re going to do.”

  He nodded, but didn’t comment further. “Well, have fun tonight.” He gave Noah a pat on the shoulder, then turned and strode out the door.

  For that, she was thankful.

  * * *

  Just as Bernie figured, Noah dragged her to the new action flick. The theatre had been packed, but thankfully, the movie wasn’t long, which left plenty of time for dinner at Texas Roadhouse. They’d skipped the popcorn since Noah wanted to ‘gorge himself’ on their warm rolls and cinnamon butter. Not that she could blame him. She was looking forward to scarfing down a few of those herself.

  The waitress had just dropped off the bill when Bernie recognized a familiar figure heading their way. Her ex, Officer John Marone. With an inward curse, she shot a quick glance heavenward. Really? Who are you going to send next, the kid who threw dog crap at me in the fourth grade?

  She’d thought, at first, John might be the guy to help her move out of the past and into the future. Handsome, smart, charming, funny, he’d seemed to have a lot of great qualities. Everything she’d been looking for in a man.

  Until the night he got drunk and lost his temper.

  He approached, a hesitant smile betraying the confidence in his stride. “Hello, Bernadette.”

  “Hi, John.”

  He reached across the table and offered his hand to her son. “And you must be Noah. Nice to meet you.”

  Noah shook John’s hand, though he cast her a ‘who the hell is this guy’ look. “Thanks. Uh, you, too.”

  Crap, she didn’t have a clue what to say to him. They hadn’t exchanged words in almost a year and a half—since the night she’d broken things off. “How have you been?”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and slightly hunched his shoulders, as if feeling as awkward as she. “Not bad. Just busy with work. Put in some OT this morning with Chase out of town. How about you? I’d…I’ve been wanting to call you, but…”

  He left the words hanging, and they both knew why. The man had issues. And for his sake, she sure hoped he’d been able to work them out.

  A young lady walked up and stood beside him. Bernie’s mouth dropped open when recognition dawned. His daughter, Holly, who had to be just about Noah’s age. And wow, had she matured since the last time Bernie had seen her. Golden highlights mingled with her long, brown hair, and those pretty blue eyes now sported the lightest touch of makeup. She’d grown a good inch or so as well, not only in stature, but soft curves had replaced her stick-thin, pre-adolescent body.

  A quick glance at Noah confirmed he wasn’t immune to a pretty face. She almost laughed out loud as he sat up straighter and swiped his fingers through his hair.

  John put a hand on his daughter’s back as a proud smile lit up his face. “Holly, you remember Bernadette, don’t you?”

  She nodded, her smile shy as she met Bernie’s gaze. “Hi.”

  “Hello, Holly.”

  “And this is her brother, Noah. He’s from…North Dakota?”

  “Good memory,” Bernie confirmed. “Though he’s living here in Redemption now. Our father and Noah’s mother were…killed in a car accident about a month ago.”

  Shock and pity registered on both their faces. John slipped an arm around his daughter’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I know you were close with your dad.”

  “Thanks. Dad and Natalie were amazing people who are missed desperately.” She met Noah’s gaze for a brief moment of shared empathy. “We’re just taking it day by day.”

  John nodded his understanding. “So…any chance we’ll see you at Matt and Carrie’s Sunday?”

  “I’m…not sure yet what we’re doing. It’s the last day of summer vacation, so I thought—”

  “I wanna go,” Noah cut in, finally pulling his gaze from Holly’s face. “We can go, can’t we, Bernie?”

  She bit back a groan when she realized the young girl was staring at her as expectantly as Noah.

  “Um, yeah. Sure, we can.” She smiled at both of them. “Matt and Carrie throw the best backyard parties in Redemption.”

  “That’s for sure,” John chimed in. “And Holly here is going to bring a mess of her famous deviled eggs.”

  His daughter shot him an ‘oh, Dad’ glance and shrugged. “Actually, they’re my Nana’s recipe.”

  “I love deviled eggs,” Noah told her, earning another shy smile.

  Bernie just managed to hold back a snort. The little shit hated eggs of any kind. It would be worth going to the party just to watch him have to eat a few. Though, wasn’t it just like a guy to eat something he didn’t like to impress a girl?

  Mike had done the same exact thing back in high school after another boy tried to impress her by claiming he could eat a whole bowl of Hutch’s Five-Alarm chili without shedding a tear. Truthfully, it hadn’t been something she was all that impressed by. But Mike had dragged her to the diner after school that day to prove he could do it, too. And after two spoonfuls, he’d nearly choked, spewing chili all over the table and floor. Hutch had rushed him a glass of milk, and Mike refused to go back there for months, embarrassed out of his gourd.

  Dammit. There he was again, monopolizing her thoughts.

  Mentally shaking off the memory, Bernie pulled out her wallet. “So, I guess we’ll see you at Matt and Carrie’s then.”

  “Looking forward to it. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

  With that, John escorted his daughter from the restaurant.

  Bernie paid the check and tossed a ten dollar bill on the table. It wasn’t until they were in the car that Noah asked, “Did you used to date that guy or something?”

  She cast him a sidelong glance. “We dated for a few months awhile back.”

  “How come it didn’t work out?”

  Since she couldn’t exactly share the truth with him, she opted for, “We just realized we didn’t have very much in common.”

  Noah was quiet for a moment. “Do you know if Holly and I will be going to the same school
?”

  She smiled. “Pretty sure you’re the same age, so yeah.”

  “Awesome.”

  Chapter 4

  “Mike, I hate to bother you, but…I think there’s something you need to know.”

  Phone pressed to his ear to drown out the screeching of some belligerent woman Officer Cooper had just brought in to the station, Mike set his coffee down on his desk and leaned back in his chair. “Hey, Hutch. Sounds serious. Something wrong?”

  “I’m not sure,” the older man said. “The tip jar was missing this morning. I didn’t realize it until Tori asked about it.”

  Hutch’s newest waitress, Tori Phillips. She’d recently returned to town after living in New York for a few years. Mike had heard she was some kind of dancer, but an injury ended her career.

  “Probably got moved while we were cleaning yesterday,” he assured him. “I’m sure you’ll find it.”

  “That’s just it. We found it, but…it’s empty. And there was at least sixty dollars in there.”

  “Hutch, what are you trying not to say?” Though he had a feeling he knew.

  “I saw the kid pick it up yesterday. Didn’t think anything of it at the time, just figured he moved it to wipe the counter. But, us three were the only ones there ’til I closed, and the money was still in the jar when he picked it up.”

  Mike blew out a hard breath. “Listen, I’ll give Bernie a call, let her know what’s going on.”

  “It’s not about the money. I can afford to replace it. But if the kid is stealing, he’s on a bad road.”

  “I know. Don’t worry, Hutch, I’ll take care of it.”

  “I know you will, son.” With that, the older man hung up.

  He tossed the phone back in its cradle, massaged his temples for a moment, then picked the receiver back up. No point in putting it off. He knew Bernie would probably rip his head off for even suggesting her little brother could do such a thing. But he also knew Hutch would never have made the call if he wasn’t one hundred percent sure of what happened. Or, at least, believed he was sure. Either way, Mike had to look into it.

  He dialed the number he’d filed away in his memory after her brother had given it to him. She answered on the third ring.

  “Hello?”

  That sweet, sexy voice never failed to get a physical reaction from him. He cleared his throat. “Bernie, it’s Mike. I, uh…I’m sorry to bother you, but we need to talk.”

  A pause. “Mike, if this is about—”

  “It’s about Noah.”

  Another pause, longer this time. “What about him?”

  “I just got a call from Hutch. I hate to have to tell you this, but it appears Noah may have stolen the tip jar money yesterday.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” she said without preamble. “Noah’s a good kid. He’s never been in trouble in his life.”

  “Until yesterday.”

  She let out a huff. “Okay, so he got into a little power struggle with a couple of boys over a pinball game. That doesn’t make him a thief.”

  “’Course not. But Noah, Hutch, and I were the only ones in the diner yesterday, and Hutch saw Noah pick up the tip jar while he was cleaning, and the money was still inside. This morning, the tip jar had been moved from its usual spot, and the money was gone.”

  She was silent for a moment. “Look, I know my…brother, and he’s not a thief, dammit. There has to be another explanation.”

  “Honey, I wish there was. Noah seems like a great kid. But he has been through a major trauma lately. He just lost both his parents, and he’s been uprooted from his home. A little acting out isn’t exactly uncommon for a situation like this.”

  He heard a muffled sniffle, and it just about broke his heart. Last thing he wanted to do was add to her grief. Losing a father was hard enough, Mike knew that firsthand. But then having to take over custody of her adolescent brother, who was angry over being ripped from his home and his friends, had to be difficult at best. His heart ached for them both.

  But he also knew how bad it could get if Noah continued down the self-destructive path he seemed to be on. Hopefully, Bernie was right, and there was another explanation for the missing tip jar money.

  “Hutch isn’t worried about the money, he’s worried about Noah. So just…keep an eye on him.”

  “I will, of course. But I still don’t think he did this.”

  “And I hope you’re right. I…I’ll talk to you later.”

  Mike hung up and took a sip of his coffee. He felt oddly protective of Noah, which he knew probably had more to do with his feelings for Bernie than anything else. But the kid also reminded him a bit of himself at that age.

  Before he had a chance to dwell any further, the phone rang again. He snatched it up, more than ready for the weekend to be over. “Officer Donovan.”

  “Michael?”

  “Hey, Mom. What’s up?”

  “I just spoke with Gracie,” his mother announced, her voice brimming with excitement. “She’s moving back to Redemption.”

  “Really? But I thought Derek hated it here.” His sister’s fiancé had made it quite clear he had no intention of living in a small town. He’d been trying to get her to move to Chicago for the past year.

  “They broke up,” she informed him, her tone making it clear she was less than broken-hearted over the development.

  “No kidding. Did she say why?”

  “Just that they realized they wanted different things in life.”

  “I bet the scumbag cheated on her.”

  “Michael,” his mother warned. “This has been hard enough on her, so please keep your opinions to yourself. When she’s ready to talk about it, she will.”

  “I’m just saying, the guy’s a douche. Always has been.”

  “Well, I certainly can’t argue with you there,” she replied, a hint of amusement in her tone. “But I think this has something to do with her career. I don’t think the interior design business has been very prosperous for her lately.”

  “And Derek’s no doubt been throwing it in her face.”

  She sighed softly. “Gracie’s going to be staying at home for the time being, and I expect you to be compassionate and understanding, do you hear me?”

  He smiled. “Yes, ma’am. So, how are things going?”

  “Very well.” The excitement returned to her voice. “I’m having my very first sale starting Tuesday. Thirty percent off any one item, or fifteen percent off your entire order.”

  “Sounds great, Mom. Hope it’s a huge success.”

  “Thanks. Me, too. So, what time are you picking us up for the party?”

  “Us?”

  An impatient tsk. “I just told you, Gracie will be here.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Yes. She’s on her way right now, in fact. You’ll see her when you pick up Maddie.”

  Though Mike loved his younger sister, there had been a bit of tension between them over the past few years—mainly, because her idiot ex-fiancé didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut. He had an opinion about everything, especially things that were none of his damn business.

  Like the fact Maddie’s mother was serving a twenty-five year sentence for vehicular homicide down in Milwaukee.

  “Sounds good. I should be off by three. Do you want me to swing by the store, or will you be home by then?”

  “We’ll still be at the shop. I have lots of stocking to do, and Maddie loves feeding the fish.”

  “Mom—”

  “Oh, don’t worry,” she assured him in that sing-song way of hers. “I’ve already explained she’s too young yet for her own tank.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But I have a small litter of kittens coming in next Thursday, and for that, you’re on your own.” She chuckled and hung up.

  He groaned. Maddie had been begging for a pet of her own for months now. Kitten, puppy, fish, bird, she would happily take any one of them. It wasn’t that he was against having a pet; he just knew he didn’t hav
e time to properly take care of one. And at five, Maddie could only help so much. Cleaning a fish tank was out for sure. And birds, he knew, were dirty creatures. He wouldn’t mind having a dog, but as a single parent, he knew it wouldn’t be fair to have the poor thing locked in the house all day while he was at work and Maddie was at school. Which left a kitten, and Mike definitely had no interest in cleaning a litter box.

  Maybe he’d stop at the store on the way home from work and pick her up a new doll. That should buy him a little more time.

  * * *

  Sunday dawned bright and beautiful, which perfectly reflected Bernie’s mood. She sat at the kitchen table watching as the sun rose slowly from the eastern horizon, bathing the earth in its glorious light. Closing her eyes for a moment, she savored the warmth on her face.

  She and Noah were growing closer each day, bonding over their loss, but also discovering so many things they had in common. They were both huge football fans, though Noah’s favorite team was the Denver Broncos, while she, of course, was a diehard Packer fan. They both loved going to the movies—Noah preferred action flicks, while she had an affinity for romantic comedies. Both loved Italian and Mexican food, not to mention Texas Roadhouse. Yep, they were like two peas in a pod, her and her boy.

  Her brother…who was her son. She took a sip of her tea as she forced herself to steer clear of that particular fact. They were getting to know each other better, and that was enough for now.

  She heard footsteps on the stairs before Noah appeared from around the corner. He yawned as he plopped down on the chair across from her.

  “Good morning.”

  He grunted in response, which brought a smile to her face.

  “Hungry?”

  Another grunt. He folded his arms on the table and laid his head down. “Tired.”

  “Then why did you get up so early? I would’ve let you sleep a little longer.” She got up and poured him a glass of orange juice, then popped a couple of frozen waffles into the toaster.

  “Only two more days ’til school starts. Wanted to make sure I could sleep the next couple of nights.” He lifted his head long enough to take a sip of his juice.

  “That’s awfully mature of you,” she teased.