“Hey, we came for this walk to get away from it all. Let’s not talk about that, now. Let’s just enjoy the afternoon. Okay?”
“You’re right,” Ryan said, and that charming grin, the smile she’d fallen for, in the beginning, cropped up on his handsome face. “This is great. It’s good to be out in the wild again.”
Dave barked his agreement. And then he barked again, and again.
“Quiet down, you,” Heather said, tugging the leash, gently.
But Dave wouldn’t quit. He rattled off a volley of ear-shattering barks, his tail wagging in circles at an incredible rate.
“Heather,” Ryan said, tone deepening.
She looked up and gasped. Lilly Jones streaked towards them, arms pumping back and forth, cheeks red from the exertion. She lived on the other side of Hillside, in the new development are.
“Lilly?” Heather stepped forward.
The little girl struck her in the middle and flung her arms around Heather’s waist. She sobbed and sniffled.
“Lilly, what’s wrong?” Heather asked.
Dave licked at the girl’s legs, still wagging his tail, but whining each time Lilly let out another sob. Her breathing slowed, and she detached from Heather’s middle after a few seconds.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I hope I didn’t scare you.”
“What happened?” Heather asked, dropping to her haunches in front of the child.
Ryan followed suit, fished a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over.
Lilly accepted it and wiped her forehead and cheeks, scraping at the tears and spreading a mixture of dust across her skin.
“It’s my dad,” she said.
“What about him?” Heather asked, skin already crawling at the mention of Larry Jones. He’d been commanding with his daughter the last time. And Lilly had mentioned being kicked out for forgetting to clean her shoes.
Heather touched the girl on the shoulder, and she jumped at the kindness.
“I’m scared of him. He’s bad. I don’t want to be there anymore,” Lilly said, gulping for air. She looked from Heather to Ryan and back again. “Please, get me away from him. I don’t want to live in that house anymore. He’s so mean to me. Please.”
“I’m calling Pamela,” Ryan said, rising from the ground. “She’s a social worker. She’ll handle this.”
Heather drew Lilly aside, and brought Dave along too, while Ryan made the call.
“It’s going to be okay, Lilly. When the lady comes to talk to you, you need to tell her exactly what’s going on, in private. She’s going to help you out. All right?”
Lilly pressed her lips together and rubbed at her eyes with the backs of her hands. “All right.”
“We’ll be with you the entire time. We’re not going anywhere until she arrives. You’re safe with us. My husband over there, Ryan? He’s a detective at Hillside PD.”
Lilly relaxed visibly. She sat down with her back to a tree and put her legs out straight. “Okay,” she said. Dave crawled into her lap right away and settled in it. She stroked him and shut her eyes.
Heather stayed by her side, even though Lilly didn’t want to talk.
Ryan whistled and beckoned for Heather to join him a short way off, and she rushed over.
“What’s going on?”
“Pam’s on her way. But I’m going to check out this complaint myself. I want to see what Larry has to say about this,” Ryan said.
“Maybe that’s a good idea,” Heather replied. Guilt had already surfaced in her thoughts, the memory of Lilly running off to give her information about Foster stuck out. What if this was her fault somehow.
No, if Larry had scared Lilly this bad, it wasn’t because of anything Heather had done. It was because he wasn’t a good father. And that was why Pam was the best equipped to deal with the situation.
Heather looked at Lilly.
The girl had her arms wrapped around Dave’s furry body, while he licked her face.
Chapter 15
Heather readjusted the stool behind the counter at Donut Delights and leaned her head on her bestie’s
“You’re right,” Ryan said, and that charming grin, the smile she’d fallen for, in the beginning, cropped up on his handsome face. “This is great. It’s good to be out in the wild again.”
Dave barked his agreement. And then he barked again, and again.
“Quiet down, you,” Heather said, tugging the leash, gently.
But Dave wouldn’t quit. He rattled off a volley of ear-shattering barks, his tail wagging in circles at an incredible rate.
“Heather,” Ryan said, tone deepening.
She looked up and gasped. Lilly Jones streaked towards them, arms pumping back and forth, cheeks red from the exertion. She lived on the other side of Hillside, in the new development are.
“Lilly?” Heather stepped forward.
The little girl struck her in the middle and flung her arms around Heather’s waist. She sobbed and sniffled.
“Lilly, what’s wrong?” Heather asked.
Dave licked at the girl’s legs, still wagging his tail, but whining each time Lilly let out another sob. Her breathing slowed, and she detached from Heather’s middle after a few seconds.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I hope I didn’t scare you.”
“What happened?” Heather asked, dropping to her haunches in front of the child.
Ryan followed suit, fished a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over.
Lilly accepted it and wiped her forehead and cheeks, scraping at the tears and spreading a mixture of dust across her skin.
“It’s my dad,” she said.
“What about him?” Heather asked, skin already crawling at the mention of Larry Jones. He’d been commanding with his daughter the last time. And Lilly had mentioned being kicked out for forgetting to clean her shoes.
Heather touched the girl on the shoulder, and she jumped at the kindness.
“I’m scared of him. He’s bad. I don’t want to be there anymore,” Lilly said, gulping for air. She looked from Heather to Ryan and back again. “Please, get me away from him. I don’t want to live in that house anymore. He’s so mean to me. Please.”
“I’m calling Pamela,” Ryan said, rising from the ground. “She’s a social worker. She’ll handle this.”
Heather drew Lilly aside, and brought Dave along too, while Ryan made the call.
“It’s going to be okay, Lilly. When the lady comes to talk to you, you need to tell her exactly what’s going on, in private. She’s going to help you out. All right?”
Lilly pressed her lips together and rubbed at her eyes with the backs of her hands. “All right.”
“We’ll be with you the entire time. We’re not going anywhere until she arrives. You’re safe with us. My husband over there, Ryan? He’s a detective at Hillside PD.”
Lilly relaxed visibly. She sat down with her back to a tree and put her legs out straight. “Okay,” she said. Dave crawled into her lap right away and settled in it. She stroked him and shut her eyes.
Heather stayed by her side, even though Lilly didn’t want to talk.
Ryan whistled and beckoned for Heather to join him a short way off, and she rushed over.
“What’s going on?”
“Pam’s on her way. But I’m going to check out this complaint myself. I want to see what Larry has to say about this,” Ryan said.
“Maybe that’s a good idea,” Heather replied. Guilt had already surfaced in her thoughts, the memory of Lilly running off to give her information about Foster stuck out. What if this was her fault somehow.
No, if Larry had scared Lilly this bad, it wasn’t because of anything Heather had done. It was because he wasn’t a good father. And that was why Pam was the best equipped to deal with the situation.
Heather looked at Lilly.
The girl had her arms wrapped around Dave’s furry body, while he licked her face.
Chapter 15
Heather readjusted the stool behind the counter at Donut Delights and leaned her head on her bestie’s
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