Читать книгу Lakeside Redemption - Lisa Jordan - Страница 12

Chapter Four

With the sunshine warming her face and Harper by her side as they walked to Ian and Agnes’s house, Zoe refused to let anything spoil the rest of her day.

She guided Harper up the front steps to the cottage Ian had bought for his wife, Agnes, a little over a year ago as a wedding gift. Best friends for more than twenty years, the two of them had finally wised up to what everyone else had known for a long time—they belonged together.

Now they had everything they’d always wanted.

Would she ever find her dreams?

Ones that didn’t include Sully or his adorable daughters?

After she’d left his place, she had returned to Canine Companions. Leona approved her training arrangements with him and filed his paperwork. She did take a minute to caution Zoe about maintaining a professional distance. Zoe assured her she had nothing to worry about. Sully had his hands full with his daughters right now. The last thing he needed was a relationship with a convicted felon.

A shout sounded from behind the cottage. Zoe led Harper to the fenced-in backyard overlooking the lake.

Gray smoke plumed from the grill on the edge of the patio while the scent of barbecue drifted with the afternoon breeze. A picnic table had been covered with a blue gingham tablecloth while a canning jar filled with wildflowers anchored it down.

The one who attracted her attention was the nine-year-old boy dressed in an Iron Man T-shirt and black basketball shorts, with scruffy golden-brown hair that looked like it needed to be cut and green eyes with gold flecks like her own.

Her son, Griffin—the only decent thing she’d ever done in her life.

But she’d failed him, too.

Mom, Agnes and Griffin stood off to the side while Ian hefted a horseshoe in his hand, then pitched it. Metal clanked against metal as the shoe rung around the stake. He leaned back and let out a shout of joy, then high-fived Dad.

Dad walked to the opposite stake and gathered their horseshoes, then stepped off to the side while Mom, Agnes and Griffin lined up to throw their shoes.

Why did she always feel like an unwanted guest at her own family dinners?

Probably because she hadn’t felt like a family member in such a long time. Sometimes the James family expectations had her retreating inside her shell, wanting to be more of a guest than an actual participant. That way, her parents’ disappointment in her actions wouldn’t hurt so much.

Dad glanced up and saw Zoe standing by the gate. He nodded at her, then whispered in Mom’s ear. Mom turned and smiled, then beckoned her into the fence. “Zoe, come join us.”

Spying her, Griffin raced for the gate. He flung it open and hurled himself against her waist. “Mom! You made it.”

Zoe wrapped her arms around him. “Of course. How could I resist Aunt Agnes’s barbecue and dinner with my favorite guy?”

Griffin released her and smiled wide, showing a small gap between his top front teeth. He was growing too quickly, and she was missing most of it.

“So I come in second after the barbecue?”

“Priorities, dude. Priorities.” She ruffled his hair and made a mental note to call for an appointment to get it chopped before school started next week.

“Yeah, whatever. Wanna throw some shoes with us? You can be on Grandpa’s team.”

Dad would love that.

Harper barked and circled around Griffin’s legs. He dropped to the ground and buried his face in the dog’s black coat. “Hey, girl.”

He released Harper’s harness to allow her to run in the yard and handed it to Zoe. She wrapped the leash and harness and dropped them in the bag that held Harper’s food and dishes. She followed Griffin back to the horseshoe pit.

She hugged Mom and Agnes, then waved to Dad and Ian.

“How was work, honey?” Mom slid an arm around her waist.

“Good, Mom. Thanks.”

Agnes glanced at her watch, then handed her horseshoes to Zoe. “Throw for me. I need to get dinner on the table. I hope y’all are hungry. We have ribs and all the fixin’s.”

“Sounds great.”

Dad stood behind Griffin and covered his grandson’s small hand with his larger one. Together they swung their arms a couple of times to gauge the rhythm of the motion. Then Dad stepped back and nodded to Griffin.

Griff scrunched up his eyebrows and bit the corner of his lip as he stepped forward and focused on the opposite stake. He swung his arm back, then pitched the horseshoe.

It clanked around the iron stake, then thumped to the ground.

Griffin thrust both fists in the air. “Yeah!” He turned to her. “Did you see that, Mom? I did it.”

“You sure did, but then I had no doubt you could do it.”

Dad gathered the horseshoes, then ambled over to Griffin. “Way to go, bubba. You scored the winning point.”

“Yes!” He punched the air over his head a few more times to celebrate his victory.

A whistle pierced the air. Agnes stood on the patio and waved everyone toward her. “Time to eat. Let’s wash up, y’all.”

Griffin jumped to his feet and patted his thigh. “Let’s go, Harper.”

Harper barked in agreement, then raced Griffin to the house.

Once everyone had washed up, they formed a circle on the patio and grabbed hands for prayer. Zoe found herself between Griffin and Dad. As she held on to her son’s hand, which was almost as big as her own, she placed hers in Dad’s.

His warm, calloused fingers closed around hers. For a moment, she pretended all was right in the world, and she was Daddy’s little girl once again.

How many times had he reached out a hand to help her when she had fallen? How many times had he caressed her hair with those hands? How many times had he taught her how to do something, like he did with Griffin?

She missed his terms of endearment, the closeness they once shared. When she was released from prison, Dad claimed to have forgiven her—he’d even worked hard to help Mom and Ian get Agape House opened when a series of setbacks had threatened it. But did he truly forgive her—in his heart where it mattered most?

She’d hurt him deeply, and it would take time for those wounds to heal. She couldn’t erase the past, but she’d do her best not to repeat it. She’d earn back his pride and prove that she was worthy of loving.

And maybe that started with accepting Sully’s offer to help his daughters learn how to manage their new dog.

As soon as Ian concluded the prayer, Dad gave her hand a gentle squeeze, then released it.

“Wake up, Mom.” Griffin jerked on her arm, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Sorry, honey. Just deep in thought.”

“Yeah, I saw. How about getting deep in those ribs on the table?”

“Sounds good to me. Lead the way.”

She followed Griffin and sat at the opposite end of the picnic table from Dad. She glanced down the table to find him watching her, but the moment she caught his eye, he looked away. Folding her hands in her lap, she stared at the pattern on the tablecloth.

Nudging her, Ian handed her a paper plate. “You okay?”

She looked at him and smiled. “Yes, fine.”

He passed a platter piled with steaming, golden ears of corn. She grabbed the tongs and dropped an ear on her plate, then passed it across the table to Mom.

At her feet, Harper stirred. Her eyes perked as tires crunched in the front driveway. She barked and trotted for the front of the house.

“Expecting someone to join us, Ian?” Mom asked from across the table.

“Nope. Everyone’s here.” Ian stood and moved away from the table. “I’ll be right back.”

He followed Harper around the side of the house. Zoe buttered her corn and was about to take bite when Ian returned to the backyard.

But he wasn’t alone.

A police officer carrying a manila envelope followed him.

Dad shot a glance at her and frowned.

Zoe heaved a sigh and shook her head. Of course, if the police were involved, it had to have something to do with her. She dropped her corn on her plate and folded her arms on the table.

Ian’s lips thinned as he approached the picnic table. He exchanged glances with Agnes.

Agnes jumped up from the table. “Hey, Griffin. Wanna help me with the apple pie in the kitchen?”

Butter smeared Griffin’s lips. “But we just started eating.”

She smiled and nodded toward the house. “Let’s bring it out anyway. We can have it with our ribs and corn.”

“Works for me.” He wiped his mouth with his hand and hopped up from his seat.

Once the door to the house closed behind them, Dad pushed to his feet. “What’s going on, Ian?”

Ian jerked a thumb at the cop. “Officer Reynolds has something for you and Mom.”

“Us? How’d you know we were here?” Mom wiped her mouth with a napkin and left the table to stand next to Dad.

Officer Reynolds removed his sunglasses and hooked them on the breast pocket of his dark blue uniform. He crossed his hands in front of him. “I stopped by your house, but no one was there. Your neighbor—a Mrs. Kingsley—was in the yard and told me where I could find you.”

Agnes’s mom.

Dad folded his arms over his chest. “What can I do for you, Officer?”

“Sir, I’ve been directed to give you this.” He handed Dad the envelope.

Dad tore it open and scanned the contents. His gaze bounced off her and landed on Mom. Dad scrubbed a hand over his face. He crumpled the papers in his white-knuckled grip. “Are you serious?”

The officer held up his hands. “I was instructed to deliver the envelope. I’m unaware of the contents.”

“Right. Thank you.” Dad extended his hand to the officer.

The officer shook Dad’s hand, nodded to Mom, then turned to head back to the driveway.

Mom pressed her hand on Dad’s arm, a frown creasing her forehead. “What’s going on, Pete?”

Dad released his hold on the papers and tossed them on the table. “It’s a petition for custody of Griffin.”

“Griffin? Why, that’s ridiculous. By whom?” Mom picked up the papers, scanned them and then sucked in a breath. Her eyes darted to Zoe as her voice dropped to a whisper. “Davis and Marcia Jacoby.”

Zoe jumped up from her seat and snatched the papers out of her mom’s hands. As she scanned the legalese, her heart leaped to her throat.

This couldn’t be happening.

She forced back the acid burning her throat and searched Dad’s face for reassurance. “They can’t do that, can they?”

“I’m afraid they can.” Dad leaned against the table and wrapped an arm around Mom’s shoulders, drawing her to his side. “Doesn’t mean they’ll win. We’ll make sure of that.”

She hoped so.

Griffin had thrived in her parents’ custody while her morale wasted away behind bars.

He deserved so much more.

Because of the choices she’d made, their lives were drastically different than from the day she looked in his newborn eyes and promised she’d be the best mom she could.

She wanted to be the kind of mom who baked cookies and helped with classroom parties and served on the PTA. She’d been working hard to prove she could be the one who regained custody of her son, rather than grandparents who would do anything in their power to destroy her.

* * *

Was Zoe crazy to imagine their walk in the park wasn’t a training session but a family outing?

As Sully held on to the leash, Riley trotted at his side. Giggling, Ella and Ava ran ahead of them on the path that trailed along the river, their ponytails bouncing against the backs of their matching pink tank tops. They chased Griffin, who jogged ahead but kept looking over his shoulder to see how close they were.

Yes, definitely crazy.

And, for one thing, she was getting way ahead of herself. The last thing she needed was to confuse the boundaries between personal and professional. That wasn’t what Sully signed up for. Besides, he had his hands full with the girls and his job. And she didn’t need some guy to rescue her.

But Sully wasn’t some guy...

For a moment, though, she could pretend. Just for a moment she could pretend he was her husband, and the girls were hers, along with Griffin, of course.

In addition to being a dog trainer, she’d have a husband, a family. She’d belong. Without the baggage of her past holding her back.

When she’d arrived at Caleb’s for their session and suggested the park, he was all for it, even with Griffin and Harper joining them. And the girls loved the idea. After a week of training at their house, she figured Riley could handle the distractions in the park.

The morning sunshine cast a glow across the Shelby Lake River, bleaching the water and making it shimmer like polished silver.

A family of ducks swam to the bank and waddled to the grass, catching the girls’ attention. They hurried after them, causing the ducks to squawk and flap their wings.

“Girls, stay on the path, away from the bank.”

“Okay, Daddy.” Ella half turned and waved. She reached for Ava’s hand and pulled her back onto the gravel path winding along the riverbank.

Riley barked and tugged on his leash. Sully tightened his hold. “Riley, quiet.”

Riley looked at Sully, then back at the ducks, but he obeyed.

Sully stooped and petted his head. “Good boy.” He fished a small treat out of his pocket, commanded Riley to sit and then fed it to him. His dark blue Henley-style shirt stretched across his back.

Zoe hesitated, then placed a hand on Sully’s shoulder. “You handled that well.” She pulled her hand away before she did something stupid like run it across the sun-warmed fabric and into his hair.

He pushed to his feet and smiled at her. “Coming to the park was a good idea. Thanks for suggesting it.”

“You’re welcome. And thanks for letting Griffin and Harper tag along.”

“Hey, no problem. Your son seems like a great kid.”

“He’s the best. I figured the park offered many distractions, so it’s a great way to get Riley acclimated to new environments and follow commands outside of his comfort zone.”

The distractions for Riley were nothing compared to the ones she felt walking next to Sully. The scent of his soap lingered on his skin. The morning breeze ruffled his hair.

He bumped her shoulder with his. “You’re really good at your job.”

His praise warmed her faster than the rays of sunshine. Like Riley, she was eager to prove she could do this. “Thanks. I enjoy what I do.”