I pulled into the parking lot at the station and glanced down at my phone. Still nothing from Maddie. She should’ve been out of her interview by now.
She’d get the job. Only a fool wouldn’t hire her. But anxiety still sat heavy in my gut. I wanted this for her. A sense of purpose. A piece of rebuilding her life. She deserved that—and so much more.
Stepping out of my SUV, I turned at the sound of my name. Lawson was climbing out of his vehicle. I waited while my brother crossed the parking lot. As he got closer, I didn’t miss the dark circles under his eyes. Between raising my three adorable but hellion nephews on his own and all the work he had here, he was burning the candle at both ends.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Fine, why?”
“You look tired.”
“That’s a nice way of saying I look like crap.”
I snorted. “You said it, not me.”
He cracked his neck. “Charlie was up in the middle of the night with a nightmare.”
“Aw, man. How’s the little dude?”
“He was fine after I let him sleep with me, but I got kicked in the ribs, spleen, and junk at least three times each.”
I choked on a laugh. “At least you’ve already got the kids. The family jewels might be done for after that.”
Lawson made a move to cover his groin. “I’m gonna have to start wearing a cup when he sleeps with me.”
“Probably not a bad idea.”
Lawson started toward the station. “How was your night with Maddie? She getting settled in all right?”
I followed him toward the front of the building as I searched for the right words.
Lawson’s steps slowed. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. She’s good. Had an interview at The Brew this morning.” I wanted to dump everything on my brother’s shoulders and ask him for advice, but that wasn’t fair. This was Maddie’s story to tell, and Lawson had just closed the case from hell when Holt’s old friend, Jude, and one of our fellow officers, Amber, had set out to target Holt and Wren because of some misguided obsession. And lots of other people had also been caught in the crossfire.
Lawson grinned. “She’s got it in the bag. Sue loves her.”
“I’m so nervous I feel like I’m interviewing for my first job.”
Lawson laughed. “You always did make Maddie’s problems yours.”
I’d tried to. But I hadn’t always succeeded. If I had, I’d have saved her a world of pain.
“Hartley!” a voice bellowed.
Both Lawson’s and my head snapped up to see Dan McConnell charging down the sidewalk.
I fought the urge to groan. There was nothing like a grown man having a hissy fit.
“Is this some kinda joke?” he spat.
I gave him a lazy smile. “The tantrum you’re throwing? I certainly hope so.”
Dan’s nostrils flared. “You think you and your family own SAR. Newsflash, you don’t own shit. I’m going over your heads.”
Lawson stepped forward, raising a placating hand. “There are a limited number of spots each year. Holt does his best to make sure he gives us a well-rounded team, but things are always shifting. You should apply again next season.”
Dan turned his angry gaze on my brother. “I know this isn’t Holt’s doing. It’s Nash’s. He was giving me and Kevin shit all during field exercises. He feels threatened.”
I couldn’t help it; I laughed. “Threatened by what? The fact that you can barely string two words together?”
Redness crept up Dan’s throat. “You’re a piece of shit, and everyone knows it. The only reason you got a job on the force is because your brother was already in leadership. You’re nothing but dead weight they string along.”
My gaze hardened, my back teeth gnashing together.
“All right, that’s enough,” Lawson barked. “Take a walk. I’d hate to have to bring you in for disrupting the peace.”
Dan snapped his mouth closed, but rage still pulsed in his eyes as he stared me down. Then he turned on his heel and stalked off.
Lawson blew out a breath. “You just had to needle him.”
I shrugged. “He needs to take life a little less seriously. It’s a volunteer search and rescue team.”
My tone was light as if nothing from the altercation had landed. But Dan’s words swirled around me, grating and digging in deep. Because I’d had to face time and time again that I’d only ever be the joker to my family. The troublemaker. Never the person they relied on. And maybe that was wise. Because I only ever let people down.
Climbing the steps to Maddie’s cabin, I frowned at the railing. These stairs were a deathtrap. I needed to break out my tools this weekend and start triaging repairs. The last thing Maddie needed was to trip and break an ankle.
As I reached the front porch, I cracked my neck, trying to alleviate some of the pressure that had built up over the course of the day. The scene with Dan, then callout after callout. Drunk tourists getting in a fight on the beach. Mrs. Callum wanting to report vandalism, but said vandalism was a five-year-old using chalk on her sidewalk. Teenagers shoplifting on a dare and pissed-off parents arguing that their children would never do such a thing.
All I wanted was to crack open a beer, kick back, and ignore the world for a while. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. But maybe I could at least have some good company for what was in store.
I lifted a hand and knocked on Maddie’s door. A few seconds later, I heard the shuffling of footsteps, and the door opened.
I scowled. “You didn’t ask who it was.”
Maddie rolled her eyes. “I saw your SUV from the window.”
I stared at her for a beat to see if she was telling the truth.
She held up a hand as if taking an oath. “I solemnly swear, Officer Overprotective.”
My gaze caught on her face. There was strain there and something else.
“What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Did you take your meds?”
Maddie waved me into the house. “I’m fine. Took the anti-inflammatory and half a painkiller.”
“Why didn’t you take the whole thing?”
“Because I didn’t want to pass out in my dinner.”
She had a point there. That pill had knocked her clean out last night.
“You eat yet?” I asked.
Maddie shook her head. “I was just trying to decide what to make.”
“Good, because you’re coming with me.”
She arched a brow. “Am I now?”
I chuckled. “Family dinner.”
Maddie stiffened, and concern lit through me. She had always loved family dinners. She’d eaten at my house more often than hers.
“I don’t know. It’s been a long day.”
I studied her carefully. “Did the interview not go well?” I hadn’t heard from Maddie all day, and I didn’t want to look too closely at how much that had pissed me off. But now I was worried that it was because she’d been licking her wounds. Alone.
“No. Sue gave the job to me. I start tomorrow.”
None of this added up. “You don’t sound too happy about it.”
“I am. Like I said, just tired. It’s been a long couple of weeks.”
That was the understatement of the century. I moved into Maddie’s space, wrapping her in a hug. “Then let my mom fuss over you for a little bit. Eat a dinner you don’t have to cook. And we’ll ditch out early and come back here. Mom has sent me no less than half a dozen texts saying she’s dying to see you.”
Maddie melted against me. “You’re coming back here after?”
“Slept better last night than I have in years.” And if Maddie thought I would leave her alone when she was going through so much, she had another thing coming.
“I did, too,” she whispered.
I rubbed a hand up and down her back, the ridges in her spine playing against my fingers. “Good. Now, you coming to dinner?”
“Okay. Can we stop at the florist so I can at least bring flowers?”
I gave Maddie one last squeeze before releasing her. “We’d better get going then. She closes in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll just grab my purse.”
I grinned. This was what I needed—Maddie, me, a family dinner. Life getting back to normal, the way it always should’ve been. But the ache in my chest told me it wasn’t enough. That when it came to Maddie, I’d always want more.
