Page 34 of The Outpost (Jamison Valley 4)
Beau
“Unka Bo!”
“Hey, buddy.” I bent low to catch Coby as he launched his small body at my legs. With one quick toss, he was flying in the air, nearly skimming the ceiling. I’d missed his little laugh and squeal so much, I did it again.
“Go
od thing we’ve got tall ceilings in here,” Maisy said.
The lobby of her motel wasn’t a big space but it was nice and inviting. I had helped Maisy remodel it and her adjoining office when she’d bought the motel from the previous owners. Maisy had great style but a small budget, and I’d spent more weekends than I could count helping her fix it up so she could save some cash.
Propping Coby on my side, I reached out to give Maisy a one-arm hug. “Thanks for having me over for dinner.”
“Anytime. We’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you guys too.”
“I’m glad we’ll finally have a chance to catch up.”
Maisy wanted the full scoop on Sabrina and how things had gone at the outpost this last month. There had been so much activity since I’d come home after those first three weeks I hadn’t had the time to catch her up.
Instead, I’d been putting out fires.
Work was a disaster. When I wasn’t at the outpost, I was in the office, picking up dropped balls and getting projects back on track from my three-week disappearance. I’d only taken one break and that was to have dinner at my parents’ house.
Mom and Dad had wanted to know all about my fake search and rescue case so I’d spent the meal evading questions. Luckily, Maisy had been there too and she’d helped distract them with stories about motel guests.
“Do you need to finish anything?” I asked, glancing around the lobby. “I can hang with Coby for a while if you need to stay down here.”
She shook her head. “I’ll just put a sign up for people to call if they need anything.”
Most of the year, Maisy was a one-woman show at the motel. During the summer tourist season, when things were at their busiest, she’d hire a part-time housekeeper to help clean and do the laundry, but even then, she worked from sunup to sundown.
I was proud of my sister for making this a successful business. Her hard work had built a great life for her and Coby.
While Maisy locked the door, cleared off the front desk and shut off the light in her office, I tickled and teased Coby. Then we went up the stairwell that led to her small loft apartment above the motel’s lobby.
“Pway Wegos,” Coby said, pulling me to his room the second we crossed into his home.
I looked over my shoulder at Maisy, who was smiling and waving us out of her way. “I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”
“Thanks.” I had spent so little time with Coby the last month I couldn’t believe how much he’d changed. He was right in the middle of the transition from toddler to little boy. Maisy had cut his hair recently and he looked more grown-up than ever.
Playing Legos with him was exactly what I’d needed to let go of some of the stress. After playtime and an awesome meal, Maisy gave Coby a bath and I tucked him into bed. Then Maisy and I settled on opposite sides of her couch to talk.
“So, how is Sabrina doing?”
“She’s okay. The beginning was rough but I think she’s getting settled.” Rough was an understatement. When I’d seen the pained and terrified look in Sabrina’s eyes that first night, I’d almost loaded her back up in the truck and brought her home with me.
“Have all of her injuries healed okay?”
I nodded. “Her ribs are still tender but everything else is fine.” Sabrina’s face was back to normal. Her full lips and perfectly shaped nose were no longer covered in welts and gashes. She was as beautiful a woman as I’d ever seen.
Maisy grinned and mischief flickered in her eyes. “And you two got along okay?”
“Maze, stop.”
“What?” she said, feigning innocence.
