Page 10 of Lead Me On
Jane felt her heart twist with worry. “Mom, is Dad there?” Her stepfather, Mac, was solid as a rock. Her mom would be fine as long as he was home.
“Yes, he’s here.”
“All right. What did he say?”
There was a long pause. Her mom’s voice fell to a whisper. “He said we should let Jessie cool his heels until he got the…nerve to call home and ask for help.”
Clearly Mac had used harsher language than that, but Jane just nodded. “Okay. It’s going to be fine, Mom. He’s twenty-one years old, and if he’s starting to get into trouble, a few days in jail will be good for him.”
“It…it just doesn’t seem right.” Her voice went hoarse with tears.
“No, it’s not right,” Jane muttered before she said goodbye and hit End. It wasn’t right that no matter how hard she tried, Jane couldn’t get away from this life. The life of courthouses and bail bondsmen and visits to jail. It didn’t matter how good she was at her job or how hard she worked. All it took was one phone call and Jane Morgan was right back in the trailer park.
She picked up the business card and looked at it one last time.
Yeah, she was spiraling, all right. Might as well enjoy the damn ride.
CHAPTER THREE
AH, CHRIST.Chase slapped down the visor of his truck in a burst of panic. He’d forgotten to shave.
“Shit,” he muttered at his reflection, swiping a hand over his prickly jaw. He popped the visor back up with another curse. There was no time now. Jane Morgan had called and asked him to meet her. Even the quick shower had been a risk. He’d half expected to come out of the bathroom and find that she’d left a message calling it off. Now that he was only steps away from the bar he wasn’t turning back.
He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he damn sure wanted to find out. Chase slammed the door of his pickup and rushed across the street to the bar.
It took a few seconds to spot Jane. She sort of…blended in to the background. Despite it being Friday night, her hair was still pulled back into a tight bun. She still wore her pricey-looking white suit. As he watched, she took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. Jane was getting sleepy. He was about to miss his chance at a date.
Chase pushed through the mingling crowd and stopped next to her table. “Hey, Jane.”
“Oh!” she yelped, slipping on her glasses before she pushed awkwardly to her feet. “Hello.”
“I’m really glad you called.”
“I…just… I had your card.” Her hands gestured helplessly, so Chase waved her back to her chair.
He glanced down to her glass of water. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Um…sure.”
Chase caught a waitress’s eye, and the woman sauntered over with a grin that faded when he tilted his head toward Jane. She ordered a martini and looked surprised at his request for a Coke.
“Aren’t you going to have something?”
“No, I don’t drink.”
Her eyes flew wide behind the glasses. “Oh! I’m sorry. I’ll cancel mine, then, and—”
“Hey, it’s no big deal.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to be disrespectful or—”
“It’s no problem. I’m not an alcoholic, so you don’t have to worry that you’ll push me off the wagon. My dad’s a big drinker, and I thought it’d be better if I never started down that road.”
Jane looked doubtfully down at her water.
“Seriously!” He laughed. “You know I work in construction, right? I guarantee my friends can throw back a hell of a lot more alcohol than you can. So drink up.”
Her drink arrived as if on cue. “Well…” She picked up her martini with a bemused smile. “All right. Cheers, then.” Still, she took only a tiny sip.
