“Here goes nothing,” I whispered to Gizmo.
I hit submit and then print. I turned my chair to the printer and tapped my fingers against my knees as I waited for the page to be spit out. As soon as it was, I snatched it up and scanned over each field. Everything was correct. I let out a little squeal, and Gizmo barked.
The phone on the desk rang, and I took a steadying breath before answering. “Hello, you’ve reached The Gallery. This is Addie speaking.”
“Hey, Addie. It’s Hayes.”
My stomach dropped. “Is everything okay?”
“Mostly. Good news or bad news first?”
“Always the bad out of the way first.”
He let out a soft chuckle. “I feel the same way. The judge released Walter Crichet on bond.”
I gripped the phone tighter. “That’s to be expected, isn’t it?”
“For this kind of offense, unfortunately, the answer is yes. I just wanted you to have a heads-up. The good news is that the judge also granted you a restraining order. He informed Walter that if he came within one hundred yards of you, he’d be awaiting his trial in a jail cell. I think Walter heard him.”
The muscles that had bunched up in my shoulders eased a fraction. “Thank you, Hayes.”
“Wish I could toss him in a cell and throw away the key.”
“If he stays away, that will be more than enough.”
“If you think you see any sign of him, call me immediately.”
“I promise,” I agreed but hoped it would be completely unnecessary.
“I’d like to fill Beck in on the developments. You okay with that?”
It meant more than I could say that Hayes gave me that choice, putting the information about me within my control. “Sure. Make sure you stress the good-news part. And thinking Walter will listen to the judge.”
Hayes laughed. “Just a few months, and you already know Beckett so well.”
“He’s a good man, but he carries the weight of the world. Must run in the family.”
“Glad he has you looking out for him. I’ll talk to you later, Addie.”
“Bye, Hayes.”
I hung up the phone and turned to the window, my eyes searching for Laiken, who had been putting up a little fall décor out front. She wasn’t working on that now. Her back was to me as she spoke to a man. He had dark hair and eyes and towered over her. He would’ve been incredibly handsome if not for the scowl.
I couldn’t hear the words coming out of his mouth, but I knew they weren’t kind ones. Laiken winced as he seemed to growl something else at her, and then he stormed off. She stood there, her arms wrapped around her waist, staring at where the man had stood.
A pang lit along my sternum. She looked so lost and alone. I moved before I thought about what I would say or how I would say it and pushed open the door. “Laiken.”
She jumped at her name, pasting on a smile. “Hey, what do you need?”
I hated the fakeness of her expression. Laiken had always had an authenticity that I admired, and it was anywhere but here now. “Why don’t you come inside?”
She brushed the hair out of her face. “I’m fine. I really should finish this.”
“Laiken, come inside.”
She bit the inside of her cheek but nodded, pushing past me, and making her way towards the back room. I followed in her wake. Laiken banged around the kitchen, pulling things out of cabinets. “We need hot cocoa.”
“Hot cocoa?”