you. When Geri told her you were out, she said something about you expecting the girl, handed her that envelope and hightailed it out the door.”
He didn’t doubt the girl’s mother was in and out before anyone could question her. “Did Geri see the car she came in?”
“She said it was a dark color, and it looked like there was a man behind the wheel, but it peeled away so fast, she couldn’t get a tag number. But it wasn’t an Oklahoma license.” Tootie’s eyes narrowed as she watched him. “You weren’t expecting her, were you?” When he shook his head and avoided looking at her, her sigh was deafening. “What’s going on, Garrett?”
He wasn’t sure how to say it. If what was in the short letter was true …
“Her name is Sophie,” he answered. “Sophie Miles.”
“Sophie Miles?” Tootie repeated.
He nodded, and his throat tightened around the words he needed to say. “She’s my daughter.”
LIBBY WATCH ED AS THE HEAVY wooden door of the tavern slowly swung shut behind Garrett and reminded herself that she could never get involved with any man, especially him. If he knew the truth … She gave herself a shake. He didn’t know and never would.
The old, scarred door swung open again, but it was Jeanine who breezed inside. Hurrying toward Libby, she smiled. “Thanks for filling in for me,” she said. “I’ll take over. You can go home and rest up before tonight’s shift.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Libby answered and turned to the table Garrett had vacated. “I’ll just finish clearing this table and—” Tucked next to the coffee cup Garrett had used was his cell phone. “Looks like Garrett forgot something.”
“Maybe you should take it to him,” Jeanine suggested, a twinkle in her eye.
Libby knew what her fellow waitress was thinking and decided her best course of action would be to ignore it. “I suppose I should. It will only take a couple of minutes, and then I can go home and sleep until Noah gets home from school.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Jeanine said. “I’ll finish cleaning up.”
Libby hesitated. “You’re sure?”
Jeanine gave her a gentle shove. “Of course.”
“Okay, thanks.” Libby pulled the towel from her waistband as she hurried to the bar and stepped behind it. She hadn’t slept especially well the night before. Usually she had no problem, but she’d been restless and dreams that bordered on nightmares had plagued her, waking her with a pounding heart. She was sure there was no reason to be worried, and she tried not to, but something would trigger memories she thought were buried, and that’s when the dreams would start.
Grabbing her purse from under the bar, she slipped the cell phone inside, then headed toward the door, giving Jeanine a wave as she stepped outside. The early afternoon sunshine was bright, and she blinked as she crossed the gravel parking lot to her car. The car door groaned when she opened it, but she ignored it and slid inside. For a brief moment, she was afraid the car wasn’t going to start, but the engine finally took hold, and within seconds she was on her way down the street to the city building.
Within a few minutes, she’d quickly parked the car, hurried inside and pulled the phone from her purse. Expecting to give it someone at the front desk, she was surprised to find no one there. With a shrug, she moved on and discovered a hallway that she hoped would lead her to the city offices where she’d find Garrett. A few steps later, she heard him before she saw him.
“Why didn’t you call me?” he said, his voice not far away.
“I did, if you remember.”
Libby could see Garrett and silver-haired Tootie Fredericks standing just inside a small office she suspected was Garrett’s. Not wanting to interrupt or appear to be eavesdropping, she stopped and waited. But not overhearing what was being said was impossible. Although Tootie’s voice was low, the volume of Garrett’s wasn’t.
“You gave me some crazy talk about a package.” He raked his hand through his hair, leaving part of it sticking straight up. “It wasn’t as if you even gave me a clue.”
“You need to lower your voice,” Tootie said, sounding like a teacher reprimanding a student.
Garrett happened to look up at that moment, and Libby knew the moment he saw her. “Sorry to bother you,” she said, quickly approaching them and ready to get this little visit over with, “but no one was up front.”
Tootie stepped out of the office and into the hallway. “I thought Geri was watching the front.”
“You can’t leave!” Garrett said as she started to walk away. There was no question in Libby’s mind that something had him in a panic. She didn’t recall ever seeing him ruffled by anything.
The frown Tootie shot him immediately softened to what might be recognized as a smile by some, and she patted the hand he now had on her arm. “You’ll be fine for a minute or two. I’ll find Geri. She’s probably upset because I lit into her earlier. I’ll be right back. Until then, Libby can keep you both company.”
“Both?” Libby repeated as Tootie left them. She turned to Garrett. “I’m sorry. I’ve obviously picked a bad time.”
“It’s not that.” He cleared his throat but said nothing else.
Attempting to ignore his obvious discomfort, she quickly handed him his cell phone. “I stopped by to give you this. You left it at Lou’s.”
He took the phone from her and shoved it inside his jacket. “Thanks.”
“Is something wrong?” she finally dared to ask.
“No,” he said, but followed that with a nod. “Okay, yes, there’s something wrong.” He glanced over his shoulder, and then quickly added, “Not wrong, just …”
Libby heard the tap of footsteps coming closer down the hall and looked back to see Tootie. Good. Now she could leave. Whatever was going on with Garrett, she didn’t feel comfortable being a part of it. Talking to him at Lou’s was one thing. Being around him outside of where she worked was something completely different.
Before she could make a move to leave, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking more closely, she saw a small girl sitting perfectly still on a straight-backed metal chair near a tall filing cabinet. The child held a battered teddy bear in her arms.
“Hi, there,” Libby said, smiling at the child, and then turned to Garrett. “Daughter of a client?”
“That’s a good question,” Tootie said, stepping inside the office. “You should answer her, Garrett.”
“Libby came to bring me my phone,” he explained, ignoring her suggestion. He headed for a coffeemaker near the filing cabinet and poured himself a cup. “I accidentally left it behind at Lou’s.”
Tootie chuckled at the information. “Saturday he left it at the post office.”
All Libby wanted to do at that point was leave. “Yes, well—”
“Would
