Page 13 of Jasper (Guardians of the North #5)

VANESSA

“Erin, what’s wrong?” I ask my faithful assistant, gathering her into my arms as she sobs.

“It’s so bad, Vanessa.” She sniffles. In a mere whisper, she adds, “ So bad.”

“Whatever it is, we can fix it.”

She shakes her head against my shoulder vigorously.

A pang of guilt stabs me square in the chest. Though Erin is very capable, I knew better than to let her take on the responsibility of an entire town festival by herself.

Instead, I allowed Dad’s good intentions to give me the excuse I wanted to spend time with Jasper.

Even when I was still pissed at the man, I wanted to be near him.

Damn the man and his very talented tongue.

“Erin, talk to me,” I say, holding onto her shoulders and pushing her back so she’ll look at me.

“The admission money is missing .”

“How much?”

“ All of it.”

A pit forms instantly in my stomach, but I force my expression to remain neutral for Erin’s sake.

This is bad. Really fucking bad. If we don’t have the money to turn over to the town council, it won’t only be my reputation on the line, but Dad’s as well.

Not the note I want to go out on in my event planning career. “Tell me what happened.”

Erin sits on the edge of her bed, and I hand her a box of tissues.

“I called Amy,” she says of the woman who was responsible for manning the admission booth today.

“She said she left them money with me .” Erin explains, through a fit of sobs, that she walked away from the table for five minutes because she didn’t expect there to be any money just sitting out for anyone to take.

She expected her counterpart to keep an eye on it until she returned.

“When I came back, Amy was gone. The money was gone, too.”

“You don’t think she stole it, do you?”

“No, definitely not. She was just in a hurry to leave. Something about a sick kid at home.”

“Tell me, step by step?—”

A knock at the door has both our heads snapping toward it.

Is it possible someone already knows the money is missing?

Did someone tell Dad it was stolen? Are the cops here to question us?

This is so much worse than admitting to Dad that my time as an event planner has come to an end.

It’s quite possibly going out on a sinking ship that’s been set of fucking fire.

“I’ll get it,” I say to Erin, pretending as though I’m not on the verge of tears myself.

To think, I was almost convinced that I could move to North Haven and build a life with Jasper.

Almost .

With a shaky hand I fight to steady, I pull open the door. Remembering after it’s too late that there’s a peep hole.

Jasper stands on the other side.

“This is not a good time,” I hiss.

He holds up a navy blue bank bag, and I nearly crumble to the ground in relief. “Where did you find this?”

“Good Samaritan turned it in.”

“Good Samaritan?”

“My second grade teacher, actually. Mr. Clausen.”

Once again, I’m reminded that North Haven isn’t just a duty station to Jasper, but the place he grew up.

The place that shaped him into who he’s become.

Had it not been for that connection, the admission money might be lost—or stolen.

Never in a million years would I have been this lucky at an event in Houston.

Because I can hear Erin sniffling behind me, I resist the urge to fling myself into Jasper’s arms and kiss him until we’re both breathless. It shouldn’t surprise me anymore how quickly all can be forgiven when it comes to this man. “Give me two minutes?” I ask him instead.

“What happens in two minutes?” he asks, handing over the bag, our fingers grazing. A blazing trail of fire ignites inside me.

“You’re getting me out of here so I can thank you,” I drop my gaze purposely to his crotch. “ Properly .”