The Deputy's New Family. Jenna Mindel

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       Chapter Two

      Nick made breakfast. The eggs were too hard and the bacon a little too crisp. He wasn’t a whiz in the kitchen, but he knew enough to get by. Knowing how to get by was what made him good at undercover work. God’s grace had kept him alive during his last assignment, which had taken him away from home most nights. But that line of work was over. For his son’s sake, he couldn’t take those risks anymore. So he’d kissed the adrenaline rush goodbye and transferred into a rural county sheriff’s department. About time, too.

      Nick would never understand why that same grace hadn’t covered his wife when she’d wrapped her car around a tree. But then, Susan might have made her own decisions about that. It wasn’t that rainy the night she’d wrecked. He’d never know for sure. He’d make sure Corey never knew, either. He’d rather his son remember his mom’s good days.

      He turned away from the stove to holler down the hall at his son, but the kid was already dressed and seated at the kitchen table.

      Nick slipped a plate in front of his son.

      Corey stared at it for a few seconds before digging in.

      Susan’s mom made picture-perfect eggs. Susan had, too. When things were good, they were great, but then she’d hit a dark stretch and nothing worked well. If only they’d dated longer before they married, if they’d waited to have Corey, maybe...

      Maybe he would have known, but then again, maybe not. Her wild bouts had come well after Corey was born.

      “You’re ready early.” Nick sat across from his son and sprinkled his eggs with hot sauce before digging in.

      Corey nodded.

      Nick racked his brain for something else to ask. Getting his kid to talk to him was worse than questioning a perp. They went nowhere fast. “I’ll pick you up after school.”

      Again the boy nodded.

      They ate the rest of their meal in silence.

      Nick grappled with frustration. He had a lot of ground to make up for leaving his boy behind for the past six months. Pretty hard to make a seven-year-old understand that he was safer with grandparents who lived an hour north of the city.

      Another reason to transfer. Nick wanted to sleep better. He’d never grown used to worrying about some thug finding out where he lived. That had been the sole reason he’d refused to buy a house despite Susan’s prodding that she and Corey deserved better than their Grand Rapids apartment.

      The quick drive to LeNaro Elementary School was a quiet one, but the closer they got, the more Corey came to life. He’d lean forward, look out his window and clutch the backpack given to him by his lovely teacher.

      Nick parked and unbuckled his seat belt.

      “I can walk in by myself.”

      Nick looked at his son, careful not to bruise that seven-year-old ego. “I know you can.”

      “Then why are you getting out?” Corey’s eyes narrowed.

      “I’m going to talk to the school counselor. You being new and all, it’s probably a good idea, don’t you think?”

      Corey shrugged. “I dunno.”

      Nick didn’t, either. Beth Ryken had suggested it and since she probably knew more about kids than him, he was taking her advice. He didn’t start work for a few days yet, so now was as good a time as any to see what this school counselor was all about and let her know Corey’s background. He only prayed they wouldn’t label him as troubled like the last school.

      Entering the elementary school, Nick was struck by the noise of kids banging their lockers shut and chattering as well as the smell of breakfast wafting from the cafeteria. Maybe Corey would have eaten better here? Once he started his morning shift, Corey probably would. The principal had informed him about the school’s breakfast program for kids dropped off early.

      He looked down at his son with a mop of red hair and scattering of light freckles. The kid was the spitting image of himself as a boy. Sad, too. Nick’s parents had divorced the summer СКАЧАТЬ