Page 100 of Sudden Summer

“Love you, berry girl. See you soon!” I called after them, pulling my phone out to text Beau about the plans with Juniper.

“Oh, hey Emmett.” Danny’s faint greeting reached my ears. If Emmett, who I still hadn’t managed to meet yet, was outside, maybe that meant they’d finished their work faster than they’d planned for. Maybe Beau was on his way back, too.

My heart skipped a beat as I looked out the office window, trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of the other guys riding in.

My phone rang, and the phone almost slipped through my fingers.

“Hello?” I answered, not recognizing the number.

“Bernadette Calloway?”

“Yes. How can I help you?”

“Hi. It’s Elizabeth Greene, I was wondering if you had a moment to talk about the paperwork you sent over to my office?”

Oh! I’d almost completely forgotten about the phone call I’d had, after Juniper’s party, with the law firm she worked for.

“Of course. Have you heard from the board? Or the hospital?”

“That’s just the thing. We heard back from the state board this morning and…well, they were just as confused as us about what was happening. They have no record of any complaints made against you. I reached out to the woman whose name was listed in the file as the point of contact for the hospital, but couldn’t get a hold of her. When I finally got through to someone, they didn’t have you on an administrative leave. They had you processed through as Family Medical Leave.”

“I don’t understand…”

“I know it’s difficult to piece together, but the short of it is, no one registered a formal complaint against you with the state, and you’re not under any sort of investigation through the hospital.”

“You’re sure?”

“Very.”

“Well, thank you for letting me know. I guess…I need to figure out what happened.”

“I would recommend taking the paperwork you have and filing a police report. There’s fraud at play here, not to mention the emotional toll I’m sure this entire situation has taken on you. Something like this could have legal implications.”

“Really?” I asked, still buzzing over hearing that I hadn’t actually been reported for misconduct.

“Yes. Please don’t be afraid to reach out to our office if you need any help in the future, Ms. Calloway.”

“Thank you for calling to let me know, I’m sure I’ll be in touch.”

We ended our conversation, and all I wanted to do was call Beau. I needed to hear his voice. I needed to tell him what the lawyer had said!

I clicked around my screen, bringing up the number I had for his satellite phone.

“Finally.” The familiar voice made my stomach sink, but it was the next sentence from over my shoulder that made my blood run cold. “Turn around. Now, you fucking bitch.”

I heard the line ring, praying he would answer as I slipped my phone into my bra and turned around.

“Ms. Wittaker? What are you doing here in the barn?” My eyes immediately dropped to the gun she was holding in her hand. Nausea swelled and my head was pounding so hard I thought I might be sick.

“We have some unfinished business, Ms. Calloway. Why don’t you step out here and we’ll take care of it?”

I nodded, stepping out of the office. My eyes flashed over to the door I knew Daniel had just walked through. A flood of relief washed through my body so strongly, knowing Juniper was safe, that I felt my knees try to give out.

I needed to know what was going on. I didn’t understand.

Not until I saw someone step out of the shadows.

Beau