A throw lay in a heap at one end, and Hops leaped up next to it, looking up at her as if to accuse her of not petting him.
Once she sat down, River picked up the puppy and handed him to her. “Here. Maisie says there are very few emotional pains that cuddling puppies can’t ease or cure.”
She took the furball, and Hops snuggled into her chest. “Maisie is a wise woman.”
“Usually…” He grabbed the electric kettle from the kitchen counter and started to fill it up with water. “Tell me everything.”
So she did, starting with Adalia’s strange behavior and the fact that she and Lee, who typically weren’t close, had become chummy. But it was Georgie whom Adalia had called from the police precinct, and she’d asked to come back to Asheville with her too.
River listened attentively, and by the time she’d finished, he’d carried two mugs of tea into the living room, carefully handing her one and keeping the other as he sat in an armchair next to the sofa.
Georgie felt a prick of disappointment, but sitting apart was probably a good idea. The need she felt to feel him close to her, by her side, told her that.
“So, first of all,” River said, leaning forward, the mug still in his hand, “if Adalia wants to come to Asheville, you can skip flying to New York and just have her catch a flight here. She can get released from jail, pack a bag or two, and head straight to the airport.”
“But what about her bail? I need to go pay it.”
“We can find a bail bondsman to do that. If her arraignment’s at eight, the bondsman will likely be able to get her out faster than you can. We just need to contact one.”
“I never would have thought of that,” she said, full of gratitude.
He grimaced. “Let’s just say I’ve bailed out a few friends before.” Then he added, “In my lost years.”
“After your mother left you,” she said quietly.
His eyes widened in surprise, but it quickly faded. “Aunt Dottie.”
“I don’t know anything really. Only the bits and pieces you’ve told me, and then Dottie confirmed what I already suspected.”
His lips pressed together, and he stared into his steaming mug. “So you don’t know any specifics about what Adalia did?”
“No.”
“I guess you’ll just have to wait until you see her this afternoon.”
“Yeah.”
He set his mug on the table and got up, heading for his bedroom. She briefly wondered if he’d had enough of her Buchanan family drama and decided he was going to bed, but he returned seconds later with his tablet and cell phone in hand.
“Since using a bail bondsman never occurred to you, I suspect you don’t have a preference about which one to use,” he said as he sat in the chair and booted up the computer.
She released a short laugh. “No, and let’s hope this is a one-and-done situation.”
“Any chance you have that pad and pen with you?” he asked, giving her a little smile before he started typing.
She produced them from her purse, and when she walked over to hand it to him, she realized he was searching for bail bondsmen.
“Oh, River. You don’t have to do that. That’s not why I’m here.”
He stared up at her, searching her face. “Why are you here? Because you needed a friend?”
“Yes,” she whispered, but it was more than that. She had to admit she liked letting someone take care of her for once. She was so used to taking care of everyone and everything else. To being the one who stepped up, whether people asked her to or not.
But that wasn’t why she’d shown up on his doorstep in the middle of the night. She was here because he made her feel like everything would be okay. When they were together, her frantic soul quieted, and she let herself just be. There was nothing to prove. No one to impress. River liked her just the way she was. It wasn’t safety she craved from him, it was peace.
“Then let me be your friend,” River said, reaching for her hand and squeezing. “You’re an expert at whipping breweries into shape, and I happen to be an expert at acquiring bail bondsmen.” A self-deprecating smile spread over his face. “Maybe I shouldn’t be bragging about that one.”
She smiled, feeling like maybe everything would be okay. “I have my strengths and you have yours. We make a great team.”
He laughed, looking more at ease. “Yeah, we do.”
She realized they were still holding hands about the same time he did, and they both pulled their hands abruptly apart.
With nothing else to do, she sat down on the sofa and curled up with the throw. It smelled like River, filling her with that sense of peace again. That sense of home. Hops climbed onto her lap and she felt herself getting drowsy. Soon she was fast asleep.
Chapter Thirty-Two
She’d come to him. This thing with Adalia had rocked her to her core, and she’d come to him.
River couldn’t stop thinking about that as he made the calls, securing the services of someone called Barracuda Bob, who had, despite the name, come highly recommended. Presuming Adalia posted bail—and the man seemed confident she would—she’d be free to go by 9 a.m. Georgie just needed to call in with her credit card number in the morning.
He checked the flights from New York to Asheville and found only one seat left on a three p.m. flight connecting through Charlotte. He should probably check with Georgie before doing anything, but the next flight wasn’t until Saturday night, and he figured that would be a stressful situation for the sisters. Better for them to have time to connect before the closing parties. So he took a chance and booked the flight, using his own credit card. Hopefully it would be one less thing for Georgie to worry about.
He’d gone to his office to make the calls, not wanting to wake her, but he returned to the chair he’d vacated—the one he’d chosen because he would have been tempted to scoop her into his lap if he’d sat next to her—and watched her for a moment. She looked so peaceful, Hops snuggled up next to her, and although he knew he should wake her, he wasn’t quite ready. He liked seeing her here in his home, at rest, as if she belonged here. Because it felt like she did, and if he woke her up, she might feel the need to leave.
But she mumbled a little in her sleep, as if restless with bad dreams, and he told himself it was time. He went to her and crouched beside the couch. Touching her arm gently, he said, “Georgie.”
“Hm,” she said, stirring. “River.” She reached for him, as if the last two weeks hadn’t happened and they were still in bed together. As if he hadn’t signed those forms. And although he loved the partnership of working with her, a deep part of him wished that were true. If not being with her was the cost of working at Buchanan, it wasn’t worth it.
He took her in his arms because he couldn’t not do it, when she was reaching for him like that, but then he pulled away.
A painful awareness had surfaced in her eyes, the dreaminess of moments ago drifting away.
“Adalia?”
“I found someone who’ll help,” he said. “He’ll be there in the morning. He seems confident it’ll work out. I told him you’d be in touch with your payment information between 7:00 and 8:00.” He paused, wondering if he’d overstepped, then added, “I checked the flights from New York to Asheville. The only seat available before Saturday night is on a three p.m. flight tomorrow evening—or tonight, depending on how you look at it. I went ahead and booked it. I realize it might not end up working out, but I figured it was worth doing.” He paused, hesitating to reveal he’d bought it, but he also didn’t want her to think he’d rummaged through her things to find her card. “I used my card.”