Lockwood Creek Book Three - Can be read as stand-alone.
Dr Chris Chambers had no intention of settling down, he loved the chase too damn much. Or so he told himself. And love 'em and leave 'em were words he swore by. And so what if names like play...
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~ ~ Beth ~ ~
By the time we arrived at Chris's to pick up my truck, I'd practically chewed a hole through the squishy flesh of my inside cheek. My shoulders tightened even more when I saw a car parked next to his.
Did it belong to that woman from the other night?
"We don't have to stay long," said Cal, cutting the engine. "Go in, grab your keys, that's it." He gave me a reassuring smile. "You don't have to talk if you're not ready. Okay?"
He was referring to my trip down to the Sheriff's office for questioning.
My stomach twisted into a tighter knot. Being asked if I'd hurt Chloe was right up there in my top ten worst experiences. As if I could?
The mere thought of hurting her or Dillon. Hell, any child was sickening to me and when they'd asked about a bruise to the back of Chloe's leg. I'd explained how she had jumped off the swing the day before and not gotten out of the way fast enough before the swing seat had caught her just behind her knee.
But apparently, Chloe had told her parents, which I didn't believe for one second, I had kicked her.
The Sheriff asked me the same question in many different ways to confuse me, but I stuck to my guns. In the end, it was their word against mine and without proof, they couldn't do much else. And they weren't even interested when I'd told them what Mr Thompson had tried to do. They looked at me like I was making the whole thing up.
Anyhow, they said I was free to go. And you might think that would be it, right?
No. The kicker was they might arrest me at a later date pending further investigations. Which meant whilst I had that hanging over my head, no one would give me a job—well, a job looking after their children. I was sure I could get something waiting tables. Heck, even my old boss would give me my old job back at the diner.
"Beth?" prompted Cal. "Did you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry. I'm good." I climbed out of Cal's truck and we walked to Chris's front door.
"Y'know kiddo, sometimes life throws us curve balls and from those, greatness can emerge."
Looking up at him with an amused smile. "You tryin' to tell me you're a philosopher now, huh?"
He wrapped his big arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer, planting a kiss on my head. "Nah, I'm just trying to say don't let it get you down. You've got a family that loves you and we know the truth."
Breathing in, Cal let me go and pressed the doorbell. The door opened and greeting us with a smile was Chris's best friend Adam, and I guessed his daughter, whom I'd not met.
I relaxed knowing that thecar parked alongside Chris's must be Adam's.
"Hey," he welcomed. "Cal, Beth, great to see you both. It's been a while."
