Page 37 of Cupcake of the Month (Just Add Peaches #2)

Son of a bitch.

God damn fucking son of a bitch.

And the horse he rode in on.

Josh trimmed the skin off the squash and dropped it into the food processor, feeling much like the orange gourd did at this moment. Shredded into pieces.

He had kept everything from her in college because he had hoped the investigators were wrong, that he was wrong and Marian and Clint would have an explanation for everything. They said the truth would come out in court, and then they jumped bail.

It was good Jordan was leaving. He could keep figuring out his life with Zach, anticipate a new job once Ms. Eulalee returned from Paris, not be pestered by the constant reminder of Jordan’s presence.

He wouldn’t have to see her every morning and wish away his need to see her smile and brighten the world around her.

Fuck. Pushing her away last night had taken everything he had.

He hadn’t burdened Jordan with it eight years ago because he had believed Marian and Clint and their claims everything would be resolved, that it was a misunderstanding.

When it became obvious they had broken the law, he couldn’t face the betrayal he had meted out to his own family.

Until Clint had called in the middle of the night and told him they were leaving.

Without Zach. And that the house had been part of the bail collateral.

Josh had to say goodbye to his old life, knowing the cloud of suspicion and scrutiny that would always follow him.

His cell phone rang with an unfamiliar number, bringing him back to reality. Maybe this was a call from one of the multitude of restaurants he applied to. Maybe something good was finally coming his way.

Not likely, but maybe.

“Mr. Revere?”

Zach’s last name. His mom’s married name. This did not sound good. He took off his hat and swiped his forehead with his arm. “Who is this?”

“This is Beau from Basset Busses in Macon. I’ve got young Zach with me here. Now, he’s fine, but he’s in a mite bit of trouble.”

The man’s words chilled Josh’s blood.

He ran into the dining room and down the hall, stopping when he saw Jordan lingering at the doorway to the ballroom. He snapped to get her attention. Her eyes narrowed at the summons, but he couldn’t do anything about that. He covered the receiver with his hand. “Get Wendy.”

“What’s going on?” Jordan asked.

“Just get Wendy. Please.”

She searched his face for a second, then nodded and hurried down the hall.

“What happened?” Josh asked Beau as he rushed back to the kitchen. And why the hell was Zach in Macon? How did he even get there?

“Well, sir, what happened is he tried to buy a bus ticket to Jacksonville, Florida. When he couldn’t prove he was seventeen and could travel alone, he tried to stow away.”

Vines of frustration curled around him. This went far beyond anything he thought Zach might do.

“He gave us this number for you,” Beau continued. “We won’t call the police if you or his mom can come get him now.”

Josh pulled off his apron, not bothering to correct the assumption. “I’m about an hour or so away. Let me talk to him.”

Muffled voices came through the phone until Zach spoke. “Josh?”

“Zach. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Josh assessed his brother’s tone. Not scared or worried. Slightly defiant. “How did you even get there? Why are you trying to buy a bus ticket?”

“Does it matter? I wasn’t able to do it anyway.”

Maybe the rest of this conversation should happen when Josh picked him up. “I’ll be there in about an hour, buddy.”

“Whatever. Bye.”

An announcement of a bus leaving sang in Josh’s ear while he waited, his body heavy.

“Mr. Revere?” Beau said.

“I’m heading out now.”

“That’s fine, sir, just fine. We’ll be waiting.”

Shit. Josh stuffed his phone in his pocket as Wendy came bustling into the kitchen, Jordan right behind her. Like she had her friend’s back. One day he’d like someone in his corner. Just once, someone on his side.

“I have to go,” Josh said to Wendy. “Family emergency.”

“Of course you have to go,” Wendy said. “We’ll be fine here.”

“Is everything okay?” Jordan asked. “Can we help?”

“No. I need to get to Macon. There’s squash in the food processor, but I’ve done nothing else for Anthon. I was going to make a souffle. The recipe card is on the counter.” He grabbed his cursed backpack and paused. “Thank you.”

Josh raced to his car. What was in Jacksonville? Nothing came to mind other than the naval base, beaches, and the airport.

Of those three, the airport seemed the most likely culprit.

He slammed the car door closed behind him, turned the key in the ignition and waited for the engine to turn over.

And waited.

The mechanic had warned him the fix was temporary, that he needed new parts, but Josh hadn’t thought temporary meant three hours. He tried again. This time the engine caught, and then died. When he tried a third time, the car didn’t make any noise at all.

“Fuck.” He slammed his palm against the steering wheel, his body buzzing as the adrenaline urged him to do something. Anything.

He took a deep breath and attacked his immediate problem.

Barb could come get him, but it would take at least half an hour.

And that’s only if she wasn’t busy. Maybe he could get a jump from Wendy.

Or Rob. But that hadn’t helped yesterday.

Nothing extraordinary had happened in the last twenty-four hours to make his car work today.

Of course nothing extraordinary had happened. Because this was his life, where nothing extraordinary was the norm.

A car started somewhere close, mocking his predicament. Wendy’s car pulled alongside his, Jordan at the wheel.

“Get in,” she said through the open window. “I can drop you off in Macon on my way to Atlanta.”

Son of a bitch. Being trapped in a small space with Jordan Shoenover within reach but completely unreachable was far down on his list of ideal solutions. At the moment, however, there was no other choice.

He snagged his backpack and got into the passenger seat and buckled up as they headed down the three-quarter mile drive. Words stuck in his throat, but he forced them out. “Thank you.”

Jordan kept her attention on the road. “It’s not really that far out of the way.”

“Yeah.” He settled in to the seat, his thumb tapping his phone. “Didn’t you have to pack your stuff or something?”

She indicated the back seat with a wave of her hand, showing Josh her suitcase and a laptop bag.

“Wendy and Rob were going to drive to Atlanta in a couple of days to get her car back, but you can go the whole way with me and take it back if you want. If not, I’ll be stranding you in Macon.

I have to catch my flight. Besides.” She shot him a sidelong glance, but he kept his view straight ahead.

“Spending time in a car with someone who wishes he never had to see me again will make my court appearance as easy as cupcake.”

“Glad I could be of service.” Josh closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat, trying to distance himself from Jordan’s scent. No use. It wrapped itself around him, sinking into his brain and his blood.

He took a deep breath and gave up fighting. They rode in silence, Jordan completely focused on the road.

Josh’s mind kept returning to his Marian and Clint as the only explanation, the only reason for Zach to bolt. But Josh had been so careful, hiding the mail key, checking Zach’s email account, keeping investigators informed of anything new, watching for tails anytime he drove home.

Apparently not careful enough.

He fished out his phone and used the parental safety controls on Zach’s email and social media to see if he had mentioned running away to anyone. Nothing. His chest tightened, making breathing difficult.

It was hard being cooped up in the car. Every nerve in his body screamed for a release. He realized he was clenching the seat and loosened his grip.

He snuck a glance at Jordan, all calm in a blue and white nautical shirt and a pair of soft grey slacks. Her hair was pulled into a bun and her glasses perched on the end of her nose. It was enough to ground him and give him focus, making drawing a breath a little easier.

He wiped his hands on the thighs of his jeans. “Zach was trying to buy a bus ticket to Jacksonville.”

Jordan furrowed her brows. “What’s in Jacksonville?”

“I’ve been asking myself that same question.” He sighed and leaned against the headrest. “The only thing I can come up with is something with his parents.”

“It had nothing to do with you?”

He forced down the flare of anger. “No. No chance. I’ve done everything I could to give him a good home. He never showed any inclination of wanting to run away.”

“I’m sure you’re an amazing guardian.” Jordan’s voice turned soft and she rested her hand on his.

He gripped her fingers before he realized how tight his hold was and relaxed. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m not enough.”

The admission left him weak, and he leaned forward, head in his hands. He had to be enough. There was no one else.

Jordan turned into the bus station and pulled into a space in front of the brick building. The walls were composed of windows, and Josh strained to see Zach inside. All he saw was a ticket counter and people milling about or seated. One body looked much like another.

“Thank you. Really.” There was so much he wished to say. He longed to take Jordan’s hand and caress her skin, touch her one more time. She’d never allow that. Not after what she said last night. Not after all he kept from her.

She gripped the steering wheel and nodded.

Josh picked up his backpack and got out of the car. He stared at the building, his body pulled tight, then leaned over. “Want to come in with me?”

She turned to him and he met her serious gaze straight on, and as open as he could, while every nerve in his body shrieked to be with her, for her calm control.

She reached over for her purse. “Let’s go get your brother.”

She locked her car door and walked with him to the terminal. His fingers sought out her hand and held on tight, anchoring himself to her nearness. She didn’t say anything, only curled her fingers around his and matched his pace.

Some of his tension slipped away with the contact, and he grounded himself with her touch.

The attendant inside pointed them down a hallway where they were met by a bald man in a black polo. His lips tightened into a straight line.

Josh took in the man’s expression and brushed past him to the opened door. The hairs on his neck tingled at the sight of the empty office and he whirled around, his breath lodged in his throat. He ground out the words. “Where’s my brother?”

“Mr. Revere. I’m Beau, the manager here. I’m sorry. Zach slipped away without us seeing. He’s gone.”

***

The manager’s voice faded into a background buzz in Josh’s head while disbelief crashed over him.

An overhead light flickered, casting the stark white hallway into intermittent shadows.

He clutched Jordan’s hand. She was the only stable thing keeping him afloat as the beacon flashed off, then on again.

Why didn’t anyone fix it? It wasn’t that fucking hard to change a lightbulb.

“Josh.” Jordan nudged the elbow of their joined hands.

He sucked in a breath and concentrated on her touch before glaring at Beau. The man stumbled backward.

Josh’s voice went dangerously low. “Why weren’t you watching him? He’s only thirteen, for God’s sake.”

“We had him waiting in the office on a comfortable chair, going through his backpack. ‘Bout ten minutes ago he started coughing, so we got him some water. He wasn’t in the office when we got back. Thought he was in the bathroom. I finally sent someone to fetch him, but he wasn’t there.

” The man lifted his arms as if that explained everything.

Josh took a step forward, his muscles bunched and ready. He’d get a better explanation out of this man if he had to punch it out of him.

Jordan held fast and anchored him, preventing his advance.

“Which way did he go? Do you have security cameras or something?” Why was the man standing there when Zach was all alone in an unfamiliar place?

“We do, but it’s unmanned and I don’t have access to it. I had my assistant ask if anyone saw him walk off.” Beau trudged back to the terminal. Josh followed, still holding onto Jordan, rubbing his temples with one hand extended across his forehead. If something happened to his brother…

He didn’t finish that thought.

The hum of conversation washed over them as people hurried by the small group. Others sat on benches, playing on phones or laughing with a companion. Announcements blared on the speaker, reciting departures in a tinny voice that bounced around the room.

“Wait here.” Beau went to speak to an attendant.

“I need to make a call. Hang tight, Josh.” She gave his hand a squeeze, then stepped away.

While the man talked with the employees, Josh dialed Berry. He explained the situation and asked him to search Zach’s room and their apartment. Maybe he could find a clue as to what his brother had planned. Worry and fear swelled with every word.

Jordan stood a few feet away from him, her phone already put away. She bit her bottom lip as she watched Beau traverse the terminal. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, then put them on again.

That simple action of her concern brought a sudden tightness in this throat.

Love caught him in the chest, a kick that made his heart beat faster and his blood surge.

She gave him way more than he deserved, and he needed to let her go, let her get back to Connecticut and wrap up her case. Let her be free of him.

“You should leave,” he said after he hung up with Berry. “Maybe you can still make your flight.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” she responded.

Beau came back with an attendant in tow. “Tristana saw Zach leave.”

“Yes, sir. I was helping a customer and he walked out that door.” She pointed across the terminal. “Going south. Keep in that direction and it meets a state road.”

“When?” Josh asked.

“Ten, maybe twenty minutes ago.”

He muttered his thanks before bolting out the door and into the cooling fall air.

How far could he have gotten in only ten minutes? Josh would be able to catch up with him, easy. Unless any number of jackwads were there to advantage of a young boy far from home. All it would take was the wrong person to convince him to get into a car. Like with an offer of a ride.

No. Zach was smart. Josh would find him.

“Hey!” Jordan shouted. She jogged over and matched his pace. “Where are you going?”

“To get Zach.” Wasn’t it obvious?

She held up the car keys. “Wouldn’t it be more efficient if we drove?”