The Way to Her Heart (18 page)

She was eager to get home—get to Josh’s home—and bask in the warmth and goodness that surrounded him and Claire, but the house was empty, except for Freddie, who wagged his tail ecstatically when she let herself in. She checked her messages and saw she’d missed one from Josh saying he was hanging out with Tony after work.

“Looks like it’s just me and you, Freddie. I’m starving. What do you want for dinner?” She opened the fridge and stared into the cavernous depths, waiting for inspiration. Freddie, of course, nosed his way in, prepared to help her choose. She poked around, opening several containers, but eventually closed it and poured herself a bowl of cereal. She poured one for Freddie as well, cementing her in his doggy heart as the best human ever. When they had both finished, she settled on the sofa to watch a few episodes of
Buffy
, Freddie cuddled against her. She fell asleep before the second episode ended.

That’s how Josh found her when he returned later in the evening. He covered her with the blanket lying across the back of the couch and went to take a shower.

Chapter Eleven

Josh

The
doorbell rang while Josh was dicing vegetables for soup. The afternoon had turned overcast and bitterly cold; soup was definitely on the menu. He shoved a barking Freddie out of the way and opened the door to find a middle-aged man on the doorstep.

“Good afternoon. Are you Joshua Harris?” The man reached into his sport coat and pulled out a badge. “I’m Detective Garcia, Albuquerque Police. I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

“Um, yeah. Sure. Come in.” Josh stood aside and gestured for the detective to enter, wondering what on earth this could be about. “My mom’s not home yet…” He let his statement linger suggestively.

The detective smiled slightly while staring steadily at Josh, clearly taking his measure. “No problem. You’re eighteen and don’t need parental consent to talk to me. Do you?”

“Of course not. Have a seat.” He led him into the living room. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“No thanks. This won’t take long.” He sat and waited for Josh to sit across from him.

Josh sat and tried not to fidget as he waited for the detective to speak. He didn’t know why he felt guilty, but this guy was making him squirm. Finally he could stand it no longer. “So, you said you had a few questions? About what?”

“Well, Josh—can I call you Josh?” He barely waited for Josh to nod. “I wanted to ask you about Bernice Abeyta.”

“Bernie? What about her? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. She’s at work. I’m just wondering how she ended up staying here. This is a nice house. A lot nicer than what she’s used to.”

Josh narrowed his eyes and frowned. What the hell was this guy implying? “Yeah? So what?”

“Nothing. Merely an observation. So, how did you meet Miss Abeyta?” The cool smile was back.

“We met at school. We got paired up for a project in economics.”

“And she’s your girlfriend?”

“No! We’re friends. That’s all.”

“And do you regularly invite your ‘friends’ to move in with you? Does she have her own bedroom?”

“Yes, of course she does! Why would you—?”

“Are you sleeping with her?” the detective interrupted.

“No!” Josh stood, furious, wondering why on earth he was being questioned like this and how in the hell it was any of this guy’s business.

“Sit down, Mr. Harris.”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on here! Why am I being questioned like this?”

The detective didn’t answer. He simply stared until Josh felt foolish and decided to sit down again.

“Listen, I’m sorry. I just don’t understand what’s going on.” Josh leaned his forearms on his thighs and ran his hands through his hair.

“Mr. Harris, you have a young woman, a minor, living in your home without parental consent. I’m simply checking up on her.”

“Parental consent? What a joke! Have you met her mother? Bernie was almost raped by her mom’s boyfriend!”

“So you figured she could just move in here?”

“Better here than living in her car.” He noticed the detective’s surprised look. “You didn’t know she was sleeping in her car, huh? Yeah, for nearly four months. Look, I just wanted to help her. She’s a really great person and deserves more than a crappy trailer and her psycho mom.” He tried not to shout.

“All right. Let’s dial it down, Josh. I can see you and I are on the same page—we both have Bernie’s best interests at heart. I’m here to make sure she’s safe. I know she doesn’t want to go into foster care for the few months she has left before she turns eighteen, but I need to know she’s safe here.” The detective had now adopted a placating tone.

“She is. I swear I’ll keep her safe.”

Garcia smiled again, without humor. “Good. You wouldn’t mind showing me where she sleeps, would you?”

Josh gritted his teeth but rose without a word, gesturing for the detective to follow him upstairs. He felt like he was intruding or snooping as he opened the door to Bernie’s bedroom; he allowed the detective to enter and look around while he stayed in the hallway. “Satisfied?” he asked when the man returned.

“It’s a very nice room. Was it the guest room before Miss Abeyta moved in?” At Josh’s nod he pointed to the room next door. “Is that your room?”

Josh shook his head. “That’s my brother’s room. Mine’s across the hall.”

“Your brother died just over a year ago, correct?”

Josh said nothing but nodded brusquely. This guy had obviously run a report on his family.

“I’m sorry. That’s rough.”

“Josh? Honey, where are you? Whose car is outside?” Claire appeared at the top of the stairs. “Oh. I didn’t realize…excuse me, but who the hell are you?” She swiftly moved to stand between her son and the strange man.

Josh couldn’t help his amusement at her overprotective stance; he could practically see her feathers ruffling. “Mom, this is—”

“My name is Mike Garcia,” he interrupted, holding his hand out. “I’m a detective with the Albuquerque Police Department.”

Claire ignored his hand. “I’d like to see some identification. Now.”

Garcia hurriedly reached for his badge, fumbling in his haste, which made Josh snicker. His mom could be scary when someone was messing with her baby.

Claire closely examined the badge before handing it back. “So, Detective Garcia, how can we help you?”

“I stopped by to check on Bernie’s living arrangements. I wanted—”

“And you thought it was appropriate to question my son alone?”

“Your son is eighteen and considered a legal adult.” Garcia was clearly on the defensive.

“And what exactly is your interest in Bernie? Is she in trouble?” Claire was not backing down and seemed to be in full-on momma bear mode.

“No, ma’am. I’m simply concerned for Miss Abeyta’s wellbeing. I’m the lead detective on the Gabby Rodriguez case, and Bernie has been checking in with me for months. I stopped by her house the other day and realized she hasn’t been living there for a while. She’s still a minor, and I need to know she’s okay.”

The two adults stared at each other for several moments while Josh watched. Neither was backing down, but Josh thought he could see admiration in the detective’s eyes.

“And are you satisfied now that you’ve seen her bedroom and interrogated my son?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Fine. I’m glad to see someone is finally looking into Bernie’s situation. She’s a wonderful girl and she’s been dealt a shitty hand. Now, let’s go down to the kitchen and have a cup of coffee. I have a few questions I’d like to ask.” She turned and marched down the stairs, leaving Garcia little choice but to follow meekly. Josh closed Bernie’s bedroom door and followed behind.

Claire prepared a cup of coffee for Detective Garcia in the Keurig and set it in front of him with a look that dared him not to drink it. He drank.

“Thanks. This is a lot better than what we get at the station.” He sipped the hot coffee again.

Josh had resumed his chopping but angled himself so he could observe the interaction between the two. He watched as his mother tried to stay grumpy, but after a few minutes, she sighed and turned to the counter to retrieve several cookies from the Tupperware canister. She arranged them on a plate and set it in front of the detective without a word. He glanced at her, surprised, and took one.

“This is delicious. Thanks,” he said, mouth full. Josh noticed the way the detective looked at his mother and frowned. There was definite admiration and something more in the glance. Josh looked at her, and for a second saw her the way the other man must—as a beautiful, desirable woman.
Crap.
He wasn’t sure he was ready for anything like that.

“Josh made them,” she said with a disdainful sniff. “Are you going to take Bernie away?”

He choked a bit and took a sip of coffee before answering. “You overestimate the amount of control I have over her. No, I’m not going to attempt to remove Bernie from your home. I doubt she’d cooperate anyway.”

Josh couldn’t hold in a single chuckle as he dumped onion and garlic into the sizzling oil. He saw his mom glance quickly at him and roll her eyes.

“Yes, that’s Bernie. It’s why I insisted she stay with us. I worried she’d run away if I called social services. I figured it was better than her being on the streets.”

“I agree.” Garcia finished his coffee and stood, brushing crumbs from his hands. “Well, thanks for the coffee and cookies, ma’am. I want to get out of here before Bernie gets back from work. I’d, uh, appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention I was here.”

***

“
Well
, big brother, you’ve really gotten yourself into a mess this time, huh?”

“Caleb? What are you doing here?” Josh ran across the vibrant green grass and threw his arms around his little brother. “Oh my God! I thought you were—”

“Dead? Yeah, I still am. Sorry, Josh.”

Josh dropped his arms and stepped back, looking down into his brother’s face. Caleb hadn’t aged a bit since Josh had last seen him and was wearing the same shirt he’d worn when he left for his game over a year ago. “This is a dream, isn’t it? This isn’t real.”

“What’s real? I guess it’s a dream of some sort. You needed to see me, so here I am.” Caleb walked to a nearby bench and sat.

Josh followed him and sat, unable to take his eyes off his little brother. “I really miss you, Caleb.”

“I know. I miss you too. Dad says hi. He’s real proud of you. I am too.”

Josh felt the tears flood his eyes and stream down his cheeks. “God, Caleb.”

Caleb scooted over and put his arm around Josh’s shoulders. It felt so real to Josh; he could feel his brother’s warm arm against his neck and smell the scent of the shampoo he used. “Hey, don’t cry, okay? I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

Josh wiped his face and sniffed. “Why are you here? I’ve never dreamed about you like this.”

Caleb removed his arm and shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I just know you need me right now. I think it’s something to do with Bernie.”

“You know about her?”

“Yeah.” The younger boy smiled. “She’s great. I like her a lot. Mom better not find out about that kiss, though.”

Josh ducked his head until Caleb nudged him with his elbow. He glanced up to see his brother grinning. He couldn’t keep in his own grin, and soon both boys were laughing. “Yeah, well, I don’t plan for Mom to find out. I need to get Bernie out of our house soon because I need to kiss her again. Soon.”

“She’s why I’m here.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“She’s in danger, Josh. You have to keep her safe.”

Josh woke up, heart pounding and face wet. He sat on the edge of his bed wondering what the hell the dream had been about. It was so real. He’d been able to feel and even smell Caleb. He scrubbed his hands over his face and stood, realizing he’d be unable to get back to sleep. He glanced at the clock as he grabbed a pair of sweatpants: Four a.m. Oh well. He’d head down to the kitchen and fix a big breakfast. As he pulled a sweatshirt over his head, he realized what day it was. “Happy birthday, Caleb.” He whispered the words and exited his bedroom, closing the door softly so as not to wake his mom or Bernie.

***

Spring
break was a week away, and Josh would be spending it at a week-long intensive culinary institute in San Francisco. He had received notification of his acceptance a few weeks earlier and was thrilled to get a chance to work under some of the best chefs in the nation. He’d been working late every night to make up for the time he’d miss while he was gone. He clicked the garage door opener and pulled in, impatient to see Bernie and worried she would have eaten cereal for dinner. He found her sitting at the kitchen bar doing homework.

“You haven’t eaten, have you?” He set the bag of food on the counter. “I brought home some of the special since I was running so late. What’s this?” He pointed to the thick envelope lying on the table in front of her. “University of New Mexico Scholarship Office,” he read. “Why haven’t you opened this?”

She shrugged but didn’t look up.

“Bernie?”

“I didn’t feel like bad news, okay?”

He smiled and leaned across the bar to ruffle her hair while he snatched the letter up.

“Hey! Don’t open that!”

“Oh whatever. Calm down. It’s a fat envelope. Bad news comes in thin envelopes.” He slit open the envelope and pulled the papers out, unfolding them as Bernie laid her head in her arms. “‘Dear Ms. Abeyta, we are pleased to inform you that you have been chosen to receive the UNM Presidential Scholarship for the Fall 2016 term. This scholarship covers full tuition, books, and fees’—oh my God, Bernie!”

She raised her head. “What?”

“You got a freaking full scholarship, that’s what!” He pulled her off the stool and into his arms. “Congratulations! I knew you were a genius.”