Page 9

Stretching her arms out in a melodramatic manner, she used her news anchor voice to bellow, “‘Ladies, gentlemen, and distinguished guests.’” And there came that cute chuckle of hers. “See? Not just old guys.”

“Joke’s on you, I’ve never been a distinguished guest anywhere.”

“Not even as a CEO? You can’t tell me that doesn’t garner at least a little extra respect.”

I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. “Having that title doesn’t automatically mean I’m respected, especially after what the last guy in this role pulled.” I thought of Silas Brown’s unflattering mugshot after the embezzlement charge, and that gave me a small sense of satisfaction.

Even if the guy was probably going to evade prison time, at least he was in handcuffs. Once.

“Well,” Jill said, raking her fingers through her hair, which only fell across her eyes again the second she pulled her hand away. “I’ll make sure you’re honored as a distinguished guest at the Gardners’ next Friday night.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked with a grin, keeping my eyes on the road. I could feel her eyes on me.

“Especially if you take some of Xander’s money in poker. He’s been getting a little too cocky about his winnings.”

My smile grew. I could certainly knock Xander down a couple notches, if it were necessary. “I make no guarantees,” I said, stealing another quick glance at Jill’s thighs.

God, get yourself together, Harlowe.

I felt Jill’s gaze on me again, like she might have caught me ogling her legs. I cleared my throat, preparing to make a joke about how Xander could take her out for a nice dinner after taking my money next weekend, when my phone rang. Olivia’s name flashed on the screen.

It was 10:30. My heart leapt to my throat.

I accepted the call on the dash and cut right to the chase. “Olivia? What’s wrong?”

“Dad,” she sobbed, and dread took over every cell of my body. I imagined all the worst possible scenarios—her bleeding out in a ditch, making a final call to say goodbye, or sitting inside the police station with that idiot of a boyfriend. “Can you pick me up?”

“W-what’s wrong? What happened?”

“I just need you to pick me up,” she said between sniffles, and I picked up my phone so she could have some privacy. She was crying hard when I pressed the phone to my ear. “Please?”

“Of course I can. Olivia, are you okay?”

“Nothing’s wrong with me,” she said, and my fears began to subside. Still, my baby girl was crying and begging to leave whatever situation she was in. I wasn’t all that convinced she was actually okay. “I just need you to come get me.”

“From where?”

Olivia rattled off an address, which I repeated out loud. “729 Columbus Street. Got it.” As I spoke the words, Jill scrambled for her phone, opening up Google Maps. It was a good thing, too, because I was so frazzled I knew I wouldn’t be able to remember. “I’m coming for you right now, okay?”

“I’ll be sitting on the curb,” she said, sniffling again before adding, “Thank you.” And then she hung up.

“Oh my God,” I muttered, picturing my daughter sitting alone on a curb in the darkness.

“Is she okay?”

“I don’t know.” I licked my lips, noticing we were still several minutes away from Jill’s place, according to the GPS. Damn, she really did live clear on the other side of Woodvale. “Did you get that address?”

“Yes, and it’s not far.”

I nodded. “I should take you home first.”

“No, she’s closer. Go get your daughter, Graham.”

“Okay.”

“Turn left at the second stop sign,” Jill instructed, taking on the role of my navigator.

I sped through the residential neighborhood as she directed me where to turn.

I rolled through every stop sign without a care, imagining all the ways I could hurt Richie if he did something to my daughter.

I forced myself to take some slow breaths, realizing how absurd it was to be thinking about kicking a teenager’s ass.

Would my mugshot at least look better than Silas Brown’s?

“It should be in the center of this block,” Jill said, lowering her phone down between her knees. “On the right.”

And there was my daughter, standing up from the curb when she spotted my car approaching. She hugged herself tight, wearing a backpack, and glanced over her shoulder at the house behind her. There were a few other kids standing up there, a mix of teenage boys and girls. Watching her.

Why wasn’t anyone standing with her?

There were so many cars out in front of this house that I couldn’t find a place to pull up. I stopped my car dead center in the street and threw it in park. Olivia gave me a puzzled look as she approached the car when she noticed Jill in the passenger seat.

I got out, waving for her to come around to my side. Olivia scowled down at her feet as she walked. “Dad. Get back in the car,” she grumbled. “People are watching.”

Placing one hand on her shoulder, I said, “Did someone here do something to you that I need to know about?” I didn’t even know what I was asking, or what I even planned to do if her answer was “yes.”

Olivia looked up at me with her bright blue eyes filled with tears. “Dad, please,” she said through gritted teeth. “Get back in the car. You are making this worse for me.”

I clenched my jaw, letting go of her shoulder. I did as she said and got back into the car, glancing at her in the rearview mirror as she tossed her backpack into the backseat and slid inside. She didn’t reach for the seatbelt, so I waited.

“Oh my God, drive already, please ,” she begged, burying her head in her hands. “This is so embarrassing.”

My mind raced with questions, but I bit my tongue, deciding against pushing her for answers right now. Whatever this was, I’d get an explanation eventually. But for now, getting her home safe was the only thing that mattered.

The faint click of her seatbelt when I reached the end of the block gave me the tiniest bit of relief.

I let out a quiet exhale as Jillian caught my eye, giving me a warm, reassuring smile.

And then she reached over to give my arm a gentle squeeze, her touch sending a wave of calm over my entire body.

It was just a small, supportive gesture—but in that moment, it was exactly what I needed.