Page 22 of Operation Protector
“Absolutely. He wouldn’t even let them get close. Sometimes I—”
She broke off at the sound of footsteps in the hallway Cutter had vanished down earlier.
Grace had not missed her cue.
Chapter 10
Quinn had given Colby an earpiece to wear so he could listen, although the transmit function was disabled. The Foxworth man had started to explain why, but Colby shook his head.
“I get it. I’m liable to explode if I have to listen to her for long.”
Quinn nodded in approval. Colby settled the tiny device in his ear just in time to hear Grace’s voice.
“Who are you?” Bless his girl, she was playing it perfectly.
“I’m your new neighbor,” Ali said brightly. “I just moved in next door a couple of weeks ago. And this is my dog, Cutter. I thought you should meet, so he knows you’re friends. I have a puppy at home too, but he hasn’t quite learned how to behave yet.”
He thought he heard the sound of movement, as if the dog were walking across the hard floor. Toward Grace, if he had to guess.
“He’s pretty,” Grace said, and he could tell from her voice she meant that sincerely.
“And he’s very sweet. Go ahead and pet him,” Ali said, then added with the same sort of obsequiousness he’d heard so many use with Liz, “Assuming it’s all right with your mom.”
“Mother?”
Colby saw Quinn’s glance. “She always calls her ‘mother.’ She told me that one of her friends said ‘mommy’ was for a mother you loved.”
Hayley’s head snapped around. She covered the small mic that came around in front of her mouth. “She put that together on her own?”
He nodded. “I never said anything about it. I try never to say anything bad about Liz in front of her.” His mouth twisted. “Probably for my own sake as much as Grace’s.”
“Wise decision,” Quinn said. “Cuts down on the ‘He told Grace this or that’ claims, if and when it comes to that.”
“Exactly.”
“That,” Hayley said as she uncovered the mic again, “is one smart girl.”
Colby only nodded.
“Could I come over and play with him sometimes?” Grace asked. “If it’s all right with my mother?”
“Of course you could,” Ali said. “What a lovely idea.”
“Why on earth,” Liz asked, “would you want to have her over there bothering you?”
There was a second-long pause during which Colby guessed Ali had shifted to look at Liz. It also gave him that time to rein in the surge of anger at his ex’s dismissive words about the child he so loved.Herchild, who she clearly did not love. Not like she should, anyway.
“You have raised a wonderful daughter, Ms. Hollen,” Ali said, somehow managing to give Liz the credit, which Colby knew would go over well. “I’d be delighted for her to come over any time to play with the dogs, since I work from home anyway.”
“What’s your work?” Liz asked.
“I’m an interior designer,” Ali said.
They’d talked about that, and how even though she hated the title, it was more likely to impress Liz. And it would also make her reaction to that ridiculous painting more believable, he thought now.
“And I know Cutter would love it,” Ali added. “She’d be totally safe, with him around.”
“He would…protect her?”
