Second Chance (Crystal Lake Series Book 6) Read online

  “Can’t you stay and play wif me? Puleeze?”

  “Sebastian,” Janelle said in a stern, warning tone. “That’s enough. You need to get your jammies on, Dr. Katy said we need to do your exchange an hour earlier tonight.”

  “Don’t wanna!” Sebastian abruptly let go of his legs and ran down the hall toward his bedroom. The door slammed shut behind him.

  “I can stay for a little while,” Devon began, but Janelle quickly interrupted.

  “No, the sooner Sebastian realizes that he can’t get everything he wants, the better.”

  She was probably right, what did he know about raising a child? Not much. But he was still hesitant to leave. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure,” she said firmly. “He’s tired, but he’ll get over being upset soon enough.” She made her way over to the front door, leaving him little choice but to follow. “See you in the morning.”

  “I’ll be here.” He couldn’t resist the urge to touch her, so he gave her a quick hug, and then left the townhouse. He could feel her gaze on his back as he walked to his truck.

  The minute he returned home, he booted up his computer and did a search on the closest jewelry stores that advertised buying gold.

  He picked up his mobile phone and began dialing, determined to find Janelle’s missing ring. He’d try the jewelry stores first, as they were closer, then move on to the pawn shops, most of which were located in either Madison or Milwaukee.

  As he worked, he was all too aware that his need to make Janelle happy came from a personal need, rather than a professional one.

  The next morning, Janelle wasn’t up quite as early, so she wasn’t able to make breakfast. Devon didn’t seem to mind, but she still felt a bit guilty for rushing out and leaving him to face Sebastian’s exchange alone.

  This time, there were no crises to worry about. Her shift dragged by slowly, but when she checked in with Devon he assured her everything was fine.

  A heart attack victim came in through the ER right before shift change, so she ended up staying a little later than usual to help get the patient settled. When she was free to leave, she sent Dev a quick text telling him she was on her way home.

  The ride home didn’t take long, but when she walked into the townhouse, there was no sign of Sebastian or Devon. She frowned, her heart racing. Had they gone to the park again?

  Then she heard Sebastian giggle, and realized the patio door was open, allowing a cool breeze to wash in through the screen. Dev and Sebastian were outside in the back yard, standing a few feet apart on the grassy area overlooking the lake. She stood in front of the patio doors for a moment, watching as Devon gently tossed a baseball to Sebastian, who tried to catch it in a too big leather baseball glove.

  “That’s it, good job,” Dev was saying.

  Sebastian glowed under his praise and threw the ball back in Devon’s direction. Dev did a good job of leaping to the side to catch the ball.

  For a moment she simply watched them, loving the way Devon was so patient with Sebastian, the way a father should be with his son.

  Would Devon find someone else to marry one day? Would he have a family of his own? The thought was bittersweet.

  “Nana!” Sebastian caught sight of her in the doorway. “We’re playing catch!”

  “I see that,” she said with a smile.

  The next ball Devon lobbed at Sebastian he dropped, but the one after that managed to land awkwardly in his glove. Sebastian threw it back at Devon with more force causing Dev to scramble in order to prevent it from hitting the side of the house.

  Janelle tried not to wince. “Good catch,” she said to Dev.

  He grinned, looking younger and somehow more carefree. “Sebastian is keeping me on my toes.”

  “Clearly,” she said in a dry tone. “Thanks for staying, sorry I had to work late.”

  “No problem. Are you hungry? I was planning to cook burgers and brats on the grill for dinner.”

  Janelle knew that Sebastian was already becoming too attached to Devon, but at the same time, she enjoyed spending time with him. Probably a little too much. “Sure, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not, or I wouldn’t have offered.”

  “Throw me the ball, Dev,” Sebastian said, hitting the center of his glove like some pro baseball player.

  Janelle stepped back from the doorway, and turned to head into her room. She changed out of her scrubs then returned to the kitchen, checking to see if she had enough veggies in the fridge to make a salad to go with the burgers and brats.

  The fact that this was their last night together wasn’t lost on her as she shredded lettuce and chopped up tomatoes. Of course she could always invite Devon over for a meal, but that would be difficult since he worked second shift, while she primarily worked dayshift.

  Crazy to worry about when she’d see Devon again, considering that up until four days ago, she’d hardly spent any time with him. How was it that he’d become such a fixture in their lives in just a few days?

  Dating Lane for a year hadn’t given her the same feeling of closeness that she experienced now with Devon.

  As if on cue, Dev opened the screen door of the patio and came inside. “Looks great,” he said, eyeing the salad bowl.

  “I’m trying to get Sebastian to like vegetables as much as he likes macaroni and cheese,” she said dryly. “I don’t think my sister was big on healthy cooking.”

  Dev snatched a cucumber, drawing his hand away quickly when she playfully swatted it. “You don’t talk about her much.”

  She shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, I loved Lisa, but she didn’t always make the best choices. Like living with Grant and getting pregnant. But she was getting on the right track after Sebastian was born.”

  “I didn’t mean to dredge up painful memories,” he said.

  She sent him a sideways glance. “We both have painful memories, don’t we?”

  He nodded and turned away, to gaze out through the patio doors. She sensed he wasn’t quite ready to talk about the loss of his fiancée, and she didn’t blame him.

  Was that the reason he wanted to move out of Crystal Lake? Her heart squeezed in her chest and she realized just how sad she would be to see him go.

  “How’s the job hunt going?” she asked, striving for a casual tone.

  He swung toward her in surprise. “How did you know about that?”

  She arched a brow. “Seriously?”

  He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “Let me guess, Josie said something to you.”

  Her lips twitched in a smile. “Bingo.”

  “How does she find this stuff out?” he asked, truly baffled. “It’s not like I told very many people about my plan.”

  “She eavesdrops on her customer’s conversations,” she responded with a smile. “She mentioned overhearing Sheriff Torretti making a comment about getting a reference call about you.”

  “Really?” Devon’s eyes widened. “He got a reference call?”

  “According to Josie. She thinks you can’t bear to live here anymore because of all the reminders about your fiancée.”

  “That’s not the reason,” he protested. “It’s just—I feel the need to do something more with my life. Something important. Truly making a difference.”

  She wanted to point out that he was making a difference to her and Sebastian, but knew that wasn’t what he was talking about. “I understand,” she said, putting the last of the cucumbers into the salad bowl.

  “You do?”

  She nodded and opened the fridge and placed the salad bowl inside. “I used to work at the big level one trauma center in Madison for the same reason. But eventually I realized that seeing nameless faces day in and day out wasn’t really what I wanted. Even at church I didn’t necessarily feel as if I truly belonged. I wanted a sense of community. The minute I arrived in Crystal Lake, I knew this was home.”

  Devon didn’t say anything in response to that, so she finished cleaning up the cutting board
and then crossed over to stand next to him in front of the patio doors. “What’s Sebastian up to?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Practicing,” Dev said with a smile. He was so close she could breathe in the woodsy scent of his aftershave. “I taught him to toss the ball up in the air and practice catching it.”

  “Hmm, maybe I should get him a smaller glove,” she said, watching as Sebastian dropped more balls than he managed to catch. “That one seems way too big.”

  “I think I have one of my nephew’s gloves somewhere so don’t buy anything until I have a chance to search the basement.”

  She was touched by his willingness to loan his nephews things to Sebastian. Of course, the fact that she’d told him all about her money problems was likely a factor, too. “Okay, thanks. But there’s no rush, I’ve taken up more than enough of your free time.”

  He turned to look down at her with his deep brown eyes. She caught her breath, unable to tear her gaze away. He lifted his hand and lightly brushed a stray strand of hair off her cheek. “I like spending my free time with you,” he said in a low voice.

  She parted her lips, trying to come up with some sort of response, not easy when all she could think of was kissing him. And then he slowly bent his head toward her, giving her plenty of time to back away if she were so inclined.

  She wasn’t.

  Instead she found herself leaning forward, meeting him halfway. The moment his mouth covered hers, every logical thought slid right out of her brain. He tasted amazing, like chocolate and peppermint rolled into one.

  When Devon deepened the kiss, she found herself clinging to his broad shoulders, drowning in sensation. Somewhere nearby, an odd buzzing sound nagged at her, but she ignored it.

  Devon lifted his mouth from hers, breathing heavily. “I think that’s your phone,” he said.

  She didn’t want to let go, but of course, the buzzing continued. Remembering she’d set the device on vibrate, she forced herself to release him.

  Her legs were shaky as she crossed over to the kitchen table. The name on the screen was Zack Crain, so she picked it up and pushed the talk button. “Hello, Zack.”

  “Did I catch you at a bad time?” he asked.

  Yes, she wanted to shout, but of course she didn’t. She glanced over at Devon, who stood with his shoulder propped against the doorway, watching her. “Just getting ready for dinner,” she said, sidestepping his question. “Why? Did you find something out about the robbery?”

  “Actually, we do have a clue, but is Devon there? Apparently he’s the one who did most of the work.”

  Color rushed into her cheeks. “Um, yeah, he’s here. Do you want to talk to him?”

  “No, that’s not necessary, but tell him thanks for the tip.”

  “Here, I’ll put you on speaker,” she said, taking the phone from her ear to push the button. “Go ahead, Devon’s here, too.”

  Devon crossed over to stand next to the phone. “Hey Zack, what did you find out?”

  “Did you call and leave a message at Gretchen’s Goldsmith shop about a ruby ring?” Zack asked.

  “Yes, I called Gretchen’s among others,” Devon admitted.

  Janelle’s heart leaped in her chest. “Lisa’s ring? Did you find it?”

  “The owner of the goldsmith shop let us know she did buy a gold ring with a red stone,” Zack said. “But don’t get too excited, we don’t know for sure it’s the same ring.”

  “Do you have a picture of it?” Janelle asked excitedly.

  “Yeah, I can e-mail it to you.”

  “Wait, I don’t have a computer, remember?” Janelle said. “The thief took that, too. Can you text the photo to me?”

  “Send it to both of us,” Devon spoke up.

  “Okay, here it comes.”

  Devon’s phone chirped and he quickly pressed on the text button to see what Zack had sent. He maneuvered the photo so it was larger in size and then turned the phone to show her. “Is this the ring?” he asked.

  She stared in shock at the photograph. “Yes, that’s Lisa’s ring,” she said in a choked voice.

  “Did you hear that?” Dev asked Zack. “Janelle has positively identified the ring. Did the owner give you a description of the guy who sold it?”

  “She did, said he was tall and skinny, with dirty blond hair and a scruffy beard. He wore a green T-Shirt and worn blue jeans that appeared to be a size too large on him. Any idea who he might be?” Zack asked.

  Janelle tried to picture the man, but honestly that description could have been anyone. “I’m sorry, but I can’t think of anyone who matches that description.”

  There was a long silence. “Okay, don’t worry about it, I’m sure we’ll find him eventually,” Zack assured her.

  She nodded, wishing she could be so sure. When Zack disconnected from the call, she saw that Devon was pulling his car keys out of his pocket. “Where are you going?”

  “We’re going to get Lisa’s ring back.” Dev turned and called through the patio doors to Sebastian. “Come on, Sebastian, we’re going for a ride.”

  She wanted to protest, first because she didn’t have any spare money to buy Lisa’s ring back, and second she had no idea how long it would take. She needed to get back in time to do Sebastian’s exchange.

  But when Devon held out his hand, she found herself taking it, liking the way his warm fingers gently cradled hers.

  She found herself agreeing with his impromptu plan. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Nine

  Devon did his best to concentrate on driving, but his mind kept going back to reliving their kiss. He had no idea why he’d kissed Janelle, but there was no denying she’d kissed him back, sending sparks of electricity zipping along his nerve endings.

  He hadn’t felt this level of attraction for any woman in a long time. Not since Debra.

  And unfortunately the memories of his former fiancée were growing distant, which made him feel bad.

  But not enough to make him regret kissing Janelle. And not enough to think about how much he’d like to kiss her again.

  “Just give me a minute to pack some supplies,” Janelle said, before rushing toward Sebastian’s bedroom.

  Supplies? He belatedly remembered Sebastian’s need for dialysis. He hesitated, wondering if he should offer to go and pick up her sister’s ring alone. No reason to drag Janelle and Sebastian along.

  When she returned with a small backpack full of supplies, he put a hand on her arm. “Why don’t you and Sebastian stay here? I’ll get the ring and bring it to you.”

  Indecision flashed across her features, but then she shook her head. “No, I’d like to come. And I’m only dragging all this stuff along just in case. We’ll probably be back in plenty of time.”

  He relented. “Okay, is there anything else you need?”

  “Nope, all set. Well, except for Sebastian.”

  He glanced through the patio doors. “Store that stuff in the car, I’ll get him.”

  Janelle nodded, and he crossed over to the sliding doors. “Sebastian? Come inside, we’re getting ready to go for a ride.”

  The little boy didn’t waste any time tossing aside his baseball and glove.

  “Oh, no. You need to bring your things inside,” Devon instructed.

  Sebastian let out a heavy sigh, but did as he was told. Within five minutes, the boy was tucked into the booster seat and they were on the road, heading for the interstate.

  Dev glanced at Janelle. “Are you sure that description didn’t sound familiar?”

  She pursed her lips and then lifted her shoulders in a helpless shrug. “Not one bit. I’ve been trying to go through the teenagers I happen to know around town, but that description doesn’t fit.”

  He wasn’t so sure the burglar was a kid from town, but there was no point in pushing the issue. Hopefully, the goldsmith shop would have security cameras that would give them a decent angle. If the guy had been smart enough to avoid them, maybe the owner would agree to work with a
police artist to create a sketch.

  And why were the fingerprints taking so long? They should have had something back by now. Unless of course the perp wasn’t in the system.

  His truck ate up the miles as Janelle and Sebastian sang nursery rhymes. Twenty minutes later, he pulled up in front of Gretchen’s Goldsmith.

  “Are you ready?” he asked Janelle, as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

  “Absolutely.” She hopped down from the truck and reached up to get Sebastian.

  Inside the shop there were rows and rows of glass cases containing all kinds of jewelry. It was a nice place, looked as if they sold high end jewelry. Odd that the robber would choose a nice place to sell the gold ring.

  Unless he sold it to someone else, first? The possibility of this being a dead end made him frown.

  A woman with an athletic build and weathered skin came out of the back room to greet them. “Janelle Larson?”

  “That’s me,” Janelle said, stepping forward.

  The woman smiled. “My name is Gretchen, I understand this is your ring?”

  Janelle glanced at the ring, then down at Sebastian. “Actually, it belonged to my sister, Sebastian’s mother. It’s the only thing of value she possessed and I was saving it for her son.”

  Gretchen’s expression softened. “That’s very nice.” She held out the ring. “Here, take it.”

  Janelle didn’t move, so Dev stepped forward, reaching for his wallet. “How much did you payfor it?”

  Gretchen waved him away. “Really not that much, and I wouldn’t have given that guy any money at all if I had known it was stolen.”

  Janelle reached for the ring. “At least let me pay what you spent, it’s not fair for you to lose money on the deal.”

  “Don’t worry about me, I have insurance. Besides, business has been good. I have no complaints.”

  Devon was touched by Gretchen’s kindness. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive, just remember me if you’re ever in the market for jewelry.” Gretchen’s eyes softened as she watched Janelle cradle the ring. “Glad to help out.”

  “You’ve been wonderful, thank you,” Janelle said, slipping the ruby ring on her right hand.