Jennifer Greene - Irresistible Stranger

It was always there, the knowledge that fate could suddenly step in and rip out everything from beneath you.

Lily said, “My plan today is to hit the social service office. I don’t know if the social worker is still there who had our case, but it’s really bugged me. Why were the three of us separated? Doesn’t have anything to do with the fire, I guess-but I want to know how it was decided that we sisters should be split up.”

“Good,” Cate said thoughtfully. “And then…did you happen to look up the old high school yearbooks?”

Lily frowned, looked into her empty cup, and ambled back to the kitchen with the cell still glued to her ear. “Why?”

“You pinned down a reason for fires. Something we never had before. A girl who was jilted or hurt. The year of the fire-and maybe the year before? So, if she was a teenager, maybe her picture will be in the high school yearbook.”

“I can’t imagine that I could conceivably recognize anyone.”

“Probably not.” Cate sighed. “It’s just grasping at straws. But even if the faces mean nothing to you, maybe a name will ring a bell. Or something could be familiar.”

“Okay. No harm in trying.” She heard a door open, saw Griff emerge from the hall, his hair sleep-tousled, his chin beard-bristly. Barefoot, wearing nothing but cutoffs, she thought he looked downright edible.

“Then get out, Lily. I mean it. I admit, I’m glad you went there. Sophie is, too. You uncovered a bunch of things that we never expected to know, and we all wanted that. But no ‘closure’ malarkey is worth your being in danger. Cross your T s, see if there’s anything else to find, but then, for Pete’s sake, pack up.”

“Hmm.” She watched Griff pause in Jason’s doorway, peer in, and then make a beeline straight for her. Didn’t look right or left, didn’t notice the day or the darkening sky or the mess in his kitchen. He pounced. Pressed a kiss tight to the top of her head. Then zoned for the coffee machine.

“Lily, are you listening?”

“Yes.”

“You’re at his house, aren’t you.”

“Yes.”

“Stop saying ‘yes’ or I’m flying there as fast as I can buy ticket. How far has it gone?”

“As far as anything in my life,” Lily said simply. She hung up. Not intentionally. She saw Griff had filled his mug and had already put it down, was aiming for her again. Without thinking about it, she put down the phone-just in time to lift both her arms. Griff slid right between them, and hooked her into a good-morning kiss. A serious good-morning kiss this time. A life-altering good-morning kiss.

“Hey,” he murmured. The light in his eyes was strong enough to burn.

“Hey right back.”

“I have an idea.”

She laughed, shook her head. “We both have major agendas today. No time for ideas, big guy.”

“I’m fast.”

“Last I noticed, you were dazzlingly slow. But a far more immediately important agenda issue is walking up beyond you, handsome.”

Griff arched an arm, felt even before he saw Jason edge out of the hallway shadows, hustle to take a quick place against his side. Griff gently squeezed a hug, then let him loose. Lily watched him take a long look at the young, battered face.

“We’ve got some things to take care of, my main man.”

“I’m up for anything you are,” Jason said, and offered a hesitant smile to Lily.

“You guys aren’t going anywhere without a decent breakfast. Don’t even try,” Lily warned them.

The day’s plans were aired over scrambled eggs and guava-jam-covered toast. Griff had running around to do, organizing the cleanup of his shop, a little real work, some ordinary chores. “Jason’s hanging with me through that. But after lunch, we’re going to make a stop at social services.”

“No,” Jason said immediately.

“I didn’t say you’d be stuck there. I said we’re going in there together. Loreen’ll take pictures. And you’ll go back to your mom’s-if your dad’s in custody.” Griff fielded his dishes to the sink. Jason did the same.

“It sounds like we’re going to run some parallel paths,” Lily admitted. She was headed back to the B and B first for a change of clothes, then headed for social services herself, to see if there were records from twenty years ago on the disposition of her and her sisters. After that, she wanted to track down high school yearbooks for the two years before the fire.

“At soc services, ask for Loreen. She’s sharp, good lady. She’ll do you a favor if she can.”

They made a tentative plan to catch up predinner, but Lily wasn’t taking odds on that happening and told him so. “You’ve had days since you had a chance to get into your own office here. You need and have to get some time to yourself.”

“No, I don’t,” he argued.

“Well, we’ll see.” She wanted to be with him-more than he knew. But there was no guessing how long Jason would be with him, and no forecasting how long either of their days would be. “Call my cell if you want to cancel out-or if you have stuff to do and you just want me and Jason to hang out. At least, if that’s okay with Jason.”

It wasn’t quite. She could still see wariness in Jason’s eyes. There was only one person the child really trusted, and that was Griff. But he agreed-where Griff didn’t. Griff insisted on their catching up via cell several times during the day. And she couldn’t escape until she’d agreed to the tyrant’s demands.

Naturally though, nothing went as planned.

It was almost noon before Lily located the old Department of Social Services building. Louella had held her up for the better part of an hour, wanting to gossip, hoping for more information. She’d changed clothes to a sleeveless shift, pale pink and white, as cool as anything she owned, and tried winding her hair with a clip on top of her head. The temperature by the time she returned to her rental car was the usual-hot, wet and steamy.

She’d have made it to the Department of Social Services building a good half hour earlier, if she didn’t make a couple wrong turns-and then had to fill up with gas. Finally, though, she located the flat-topped brick building on the far side of the railroad tracks. Once inside, everything got easier. She only had to ask for Loreen.

Griff’s contact had chocolate caramel skin, wore a print dress a size too small for her ample curves, and the tired face of a woman who’d seen it all. “Griff said you might stop. Heaven knows, I’ve been curious to lay eyes on you. Whole town’s talking about you and these fires. Come on back. I’ll get us both some sweet tea.”

“Oh, I don’t need-”

“ I do. And from everything I’ve been hearing, you need all the sweet tea and sympathy you can get.”

Loreen’s office was jammed. File cabinets and desk overflowed with paper. The walls had pictures of missing kids, framed diplomas and credentials, schedules. One corner of the desk was reserved for a pitcher of sweet tea, cold and sweating on a tray with paper cups. “You just missed Griff by two shakes, was in here with the boy. Jason, his daddy’s bad to the bone. Got a nice smile, a nice look. It’s gonna kill me-and it’s gonna kill Griff worse-if the kid ends back in that house again.”

“I’m guessing you’ve tried to rescue him before.”

“So many times, I lost count. I guess I could send him to Alaska. But I swear, he’d run off and find his way back to his mama, no matter where I sent him. Has before. Three times. He thinks his daddy’s gonna kill his mama if he isn’t there. And I think he’s right.”

“You’re not serious.”

“Welcome to my world, honey. I can always get the dog put in jail. Just can’t get him sent up the river for good, when the only witnesses keep lying in court. Anyhow… That’s not what you’re here for.”