LITMIR.BIZ

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he answered. The woman’s voice was choked with tears. Tears usually meant the caller was his older sister. But the voice wasn’t Elaine’s.

      “Yeah?”

      “He left me. I told him about the baby, and he left me!”

      Once she spoke again, Gage recognized the voice, even through the muffle of tears. Instantly he jerked to attention, his body humming and his heart thudding like it had the first day he’d met her in junior high school.

      Zoey Bancroft. His best friend. First lover. Secret love.

      Fiery auburn hair and a personality to match. His heart ached picturing tear tracks on her beautiful freckled cheeks, her green eyes red from crying.

      With a glance to the yard to check on his niece, Pet, who was still playing on the swing set he’d finished assembling last weekend, Gage sank onto a patio chair. “Zee, what’s going on? Who left? What baby?”

      She sniffled loudly. “He told me he didn’t want a baby, and if I kept it, he was outta there. Can you believe he’d say something so awful?”

      A chill washed through Gage. “Back up, Zee. Are you saying you’re pregnant?”

      “Yes,” she squeaked. “And alone. Derek left.”

      Derek. Gage curled his fingers into fists and gritted his teeth. He’d known the guy was no good, would end up hurting Zoey. But Gage had tried to be supportive, tried to keep his mouth shut when Zoey gushed in her random phone calls about the guy’s poker tourneys and their life on the road.

      Zoey’s father had tried to warn her what kind of cretin Derek was, and the resulting argument had caused a rift in the Bancroft family that had lasted more than two years. Zoey had even missed her sister Paige’s wedding earlier this summer. Paige’s almost wedding. But then Gage was just as glad Zoey hadn’t been in the line of fire that day …

      He shook his head to clear it and focused on what Zoey was saying.

      “—went down to the bank to check, and it was true! My savings is empty. My entire inheritance from Grandpa Bancroft is gone! And the balance of our checking account is a negative because of an overdraft and fines. I actually owe the bank two hundred dollars!”

      Acid puddled in Gage’s gut as he sorted out what Zoey was telling him. “So … wait. You’re pregnant. And you have no money. Zero. None. Derek cleaned you out, then abandoned you?”

      “Yes.” Another squeak. More sobs. “I told him the PIN for my ATM card—and yes, before you say it, in hindsight, I see that wasn’t the smartest idea. But until recently, he gave me no reason not to trust him.”

      Rage, horror and grave concern swam together through Gage, leaving him shaking as he tried to absorb Zoey’s circumstances. Her zest for life, her reach-for-the-stars passion and restless energy were part of what made her so special to him. She’d imbued him with the same hopefulness and never-say-die attitude many times in high school when his circumstances made him want to give up. She’d always been a fresh breeze in his stale life.

      But she’d been burning her candle from both ends so long that he’d feared eventually it would catch up with her. Just as he’d known he’d be there to help her pick up the pieces, the way she’d always been there for him. Even though they’d never lost touch throughout her travels, whenever her life was in transition, she’d come back to Lagniappe, and they would reconnect, rebuild the bond that made them such good friends. And each time she flitted off on her next exploit, his heart cracked a little more.

      He drew a breath, gathering his thoughts. “Okay, don’t worry. We’ll figure this out together.”

      “I hope you ate your Wheaties this morning, ‘cause I’m fresh outta ideas.”

      His cheek twitched with a grin. At least her wry sense of humor was still in place. Her ability to make him smile in even the direst situation had helped him endure his own past crises and boded well for her resilience with her own troubles.

      In his yard, Pet was kicking at the pile of leaves he’d just raked, scattering them to the four winds. He didn’t care. She was having fun.

      First things first. “Where are you? Are you somewhere safe?”

      “I’m at our motel, but I don’t know how long I can stay here before the manager kicks me out and demands payment for the room.”

      “What motel? Where?”

      “In Vegas.”

      He heard a pounding in the background.

      Zoey gasped. “Hang on. Someone’s at the door.” Gage heard the rustle of sheets, the creak of bedsprings. “It could be Derek. Maybe he came back to apologize—”

      The hope in her voice slayed him. Her optimism was a double-edged sword. She’d kept him focused on the positive throughout high school, but it made her vulnerable to guys like Derek. Was she going to give the creep another chance? After he’d shown his stripes by leaving her, shirking his responsibility to his baby, stealing all her money? He wanted to shake Zoey. “Wait, Zee. Don’t let him in. You deserve b—”

      A loud crash and Zoey’s startled scream cut him off.

      Gage’s pulse leaped, and he lurched from the patio chair. “Zoey, are you there?”

      “Who are you? What do you want?” Her voice sounded distant as she talked to whoever was at the door. Gage recognized the tremble of fear in her tone.

      The gruff rumble of a male voice answered her, too quiet for Gage to understand.

      “That’s Derek’s problem, not mine.”

      Gage paced across his porch, agitation nipping him. “Zee, who is it? What’s happening?”

      Another mumble of a deep voices.

      “I don’t have it. No!” Her pitch rose, filling with panic. “Stop! Get out, or I’ll call the cops!”

      “Zoey!” Gage yelled.

      She cried out, sending Gage’s blood pressure into the stratosphere. “Zee, answer me!”

      A crackling sound blasted his ear, followed by a deafening silence.

      Then a dial tone.

      He clutched the phone to his ear like a lifeline to her, anxiety climbing his throat. “Zoey!”

      But she was gone.

      He quickly punched in her cell phone number and waited while it rang … and clicked over to voice mail.

      “Zoey here. You know what to do,” her message chirped in the bright, carefree tone that characterized the woman he’d fallen in love with years ago. Spontaneous. Mischievous. Full of life.

      “It’s me, Zee. I’m worried about you. Call me.” His voice quaked, but he didn’t care. Zoey had seen him worse off. Much worse.

      “Look at me, Uncle Gage!” Pet called from the yard.

      He raised his head to find his niece hanging upside down from the swing set. His five-year-old niece was a lot like Zoey. Wild. Full of energy. Fearless.

      “I’m a monkey!” the dark-haired imp giggled as she swung from the top bar.

      “Be careful, Squirt. Don’t fall.” One personal emergency at a time, please.

      He might be a firefighter, a first responder, handling crises in the community for a living, but in his private life, Gage could juggle only so much. Taking custody of his niece while his sister dried out and put her life back together already consumed most of his energy. Now Zoey was in trouble.

      He had no use for a trip to the E.R. tonight with Pet. Been there. Done that.

      Dividing his attention between the phone and his niece, Gage redialed Zoey’s number.

      Again the call

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