Page 27 of Final Approach

“Of course.”

“Want to meet me there after your meeting? I mean, technically, I’m not allowed to do the search, but no reason I can’t watch.”

“I can do that. I’ll text when I’m on the way, but it could be a couple of hours.”

“Okay, I’ll wait for your text, then see you when you get there.”

“Talk soon.”

They hung up, and Kristine took a deep breath and reentered the room to tell a woman who desperately didn’t need more bad news that her son had disappeared.

ANDREW HUNG UPfrom the call to Kristine and made his way to his parents’ bookstore, Pages & Prose. He hated that Jacob had run away, but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. Officers were looking for him.

He had to focus on what hecoulddo. And right now, that was talking to his parents about their decision to let Corey come live with them.

Temporarily. Because he just needed a place to stay, not money.

Right. Andrew hated to be so skeptical about a relative, but ten times bitten and all that...

He pulled into a parking space in front of the store and stepped out of the car. Movement to his left caught his attention, and he noticed a man in a hoodie standing on the curb across the street, hands in his pockets, watching him. Andrew couldn’t make out his face, but he could feel his gaze.

Or was the guy debating about crossing the street to visit the bookstore? Or waiting on someone to join him?

Andrew stood a moment longer, just watching. A woman walked between them and the man turned to fall into step beside her. She said something to him and he laughed.

Andrew shook off the moment, twisted the knob, and pushed the door open. The little bell announced his arrival. He shut the door and sucked in a slow, deep breath. No matter how often they opened a new place in a new city, it always smelled the same. The smell he grew up on. And he had to admit, he never tired of it. The store was quiet, only a few customers browsed the aisles. Andrew found his father sitting on a stool behind the counter, reading a book.

He looked up and smiled. “Andrew. You should have called and let me know you were coming. I would have put a fresh pot of coffee on.”

“That’s what the Keurig is for.”

His father grimaced. “Coffee in a plastic pod. I don’t understand your generation.” He walked around to give Andrew a hug.

“Instant gratification at its finest.” Andrew patted his dad on the back, then nodded toward the stairs. “Mom upstairs?”

“She is. She wanted to throw a load of clothes in the washer and make the bed in the room Corey will be using. What’s up?”

Corey. Ugh. “I had a few minutes before I have to meet someone and was hoping to catch you alone and talk to you about something.”

A frown creased his father’s forehead. “About what, Son?”

“You already mentioned him. Corey.”

“Ah. Yes. I thought you might have more to say about the idea of him staying here.”

They fixed their coffee and moved to the table behind the counter, where his father could keep an eye on the register but sit across from each other to chat. “What are your thoughts on that, Dad? What do you really think, because you and I both know Corey, and there’s no way you can think this is a good idea.”

“Well, I understand your concerns, of course, but I also understand your mother’s need to help him.”

Andrew nodded. “She explained. But his track record isn’t the best. In fact, it’s really bad.”

“I know that.”

Of course he did, but still... “And if he steals you blind?”

His father cocked his head at him. “You really think I’m not going to take precautions?”

Huh. Okay. “Like what?”