Gaylynn (Seven Sisters Book 3) Page 5

  “I’m so glad.” Tanya pulled her little girl to her and hugged her tight. “The bad man is going to jail.”

  Joy looked at her mother and seemed to think about it for a moment. “Good.” She turned around and looked through the park. “I think we need cupcakes to celebrate.”

  “I think you have a really good point. My treat!” Gaylynn led the way over to the baked goods table, where her mother presided over all of the treats. “We need cupcakes, please. Three of them. And one to go.”

  They each picked their flavors, and Gaylynn picked a lemon one for Zach. She truly didn’t know what kind he would want, but she was certain he would be happy to be thought of.

  As they all walked away from the table eating their cupcakes, Gaylynn glanced at Tanya and saw tears streaming down her cheeks. “Relief?”

  Tanya nodded. “I feel so stupid crying now that it’s all over, but I can’t help it. He was scaring me.”

  Gaylynn wrapped one arm around her friend. “You’re acting normally. Don’t worry about the tears. Anyone who has been through what you have deserves to cry. A lot.”

  Joy was skipping ahead of them, obviously no longer worried.

  “I’m going to miss having my roommates around,” Gaylynn said softly. It really had been good for her to have the other two living with her.

  “We’re going to miss you, too. But I’m so excited to see Roger tonight. He still doesn’t know why I was staying with you.”

  “You never told him? I thought you explained!”

  “I didn’t want him to come back early when we were handling it.” Tanya sighed. “I have a feeling there will be some fights before we move on from this.”

  “I’m sure there will!” Gaylynn shook her head. “You should have been honest with him all along.”

  “I know I should have.” Tanya looked at Joy, skipping so happily. “I think I made the right decision, though.”

  “If you need help getting through it all, let me know.”

  “I will.” They wandered to a picnic table and sat with Lillian, who was alone. “Peter went off to help Zach, and then he stopped to talk to your dad. He hasn’t made it back to me yet.”

  “That’s odd.” Gaylynn turned, and sure enough, there was Peter talking with her father. “I think they’re up to something.”

  “Oh, they’re McClains. They’re always up to something!” Lillian shrugged, looking down at the book she’d set on the table after Peter had left. “I’ve learned to take a book everywhere I go. No point in being bored.”

  “You’re smart!” Gaylynn said, grinning. “Zach is at the police station.”

  “Peter said there was something up with Tim. No one said anything to him, but he could tell.”

  “Well, Tim is in jail now. No need to worry.” Gaylynn glanced at Tanya, who seemed relaxed finally. She had been needing the man to go to jail for a very long time.

  Peter finally wandered back to the table. “Enjoying your book?” he asked.

  Lillian smiled. “You know how much I love to read. You give me a chance every time you wander away.”

  He laughed. “I hope some of the family came by to visit.”

  “You know they did. When we start having babies, I hope there’s a chance for me to read. I might have to get a babysitter for a couple of hours every day just so I can keep up with my reading.”

  “If you need to.”

  Zach came jogging through the park then, stopping beside the table where they were all sitting. Gaylynn offered him the cupcake she’d chosen for him. “We got cupcakes to celebrate.”

  “Lemon! My favorite!”

  “Did everything go all right?” she asked softly.

  “It went just as it should have.” Zach sat at the table with them. “Thanks for your help, Peter.”

  “No problem. That’s what friends are for.”

  After the picnic, they went back to Gaylynn’s house, and she helped little Joy pack up to go home. Zach waited as the three women rushed everywhere. “You don’t have to sit there waiting for us,” Gaylynn said.

  “I know. But I’m going to take you out for supper tonight, and I figured it was easier just to hang out while I wait.”

  “Oh, you are, are you? Aren’t you supposed to ask first?”

  “Probably!” He winked at her, and she shook her head, still hurrying around to get everything picked up and ready to go.

  “I think that’s all,” Tanya finally said. “Are you ready to go home and see Daddy, Joy?”

  Joy nodded, but then released her suitcase, running toward Gaylynn. “Thank you for letting us stay with you.” With those words, she threw herself into Gaylynn’s arms, and Gaylynn held her close.

  “I’m going to miss having you around,” Gaylynn told the girl honestly. “Who else will read Amelia Bedelia books with me?”

  “No one!” Joy said. “So I have to come visit you to read with you.”

  “I’d love that!”

  Gaylynn walked over to hug Tanya closely. “We’re keeping in touch. I need to meet Roger, and I need to talk to you on a regular basis!”

  Tanya nodded, tears streaming once again. “Thank you for all you’ve done for both of us.”

  “You’re very welcome.” Gaylynn watched as her two guests headed for their car. Joy turned and came back, hugging Zach as well, then without a word, ran back to her mother.

  After they were out of sight, she turned to go back into the house, feeling rather than seeing Zach following her in. “So what are your big plans for tonight?”

  Zach shrugged. “I have no plans other than being with you. I don’t work again until Monday, so we have some time to be together.”

  “Works for me.” Gaylynn desperately wished her sister Heather were around. She could take one look at them and know if they were a good match. Relying on her sister’s powers wasn’t what she did, though. “Do you want to go out? Or do you want me to cook? I could throw something together pretty quickly.”

  “Nah. Let’s just go out. I don’t think you should have to cook after a day of partying.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him. “That’s the first time I’ve spent an entire day having fun in I don’t know how long. It was really nice.”

  “It was. And I’m expected to go to Sunday dinner at your parents’ house tomorrow. Am I supposed to go to church, too?”

  She looked at him. “Do you usually go to church?”

  “I did in San Antonio, but here I’ve had the night shift so much that I haven’t been waking up in time.”

  She frowned at that. “So you’re not against going to church?”

  “Not at all. I’ll be there in the morning. Which church?”

  She quickly named the church and gave him the address. “It would mean a lot to my parents if you were there. They worry about their daughters all marrying heathens.”

  He laughed. “Do they really?”

  “Not that I know of, but that’s kind of the type of parent they are.”

  “Awesome! Well, I’ll do my best not to act like a heathen at church or at their house afterward.”

  “Good. I don’t want to have to explain you. Where are we going for supper?”

  He shrugged. “Do you have a preference?”

  “Not really. I’m just hungry. There’s a nice little steak place in Nowhere. We could go to the diner here. There’s always Comida . . .”

  “You just want to go back to Comida, don’t you?”

  “I always want to go back to Comida. What’s the point in eating somewhere inferior?”

  He grinned. “Comida it is. When are we going to pick a song?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Someday, I guess.” She sank down onto the couch, and he sat beside her. “Are you hungry now?”

  “Not really. Are you?”

  “Not yet. Tell me about what happened with Tim in the woods.” As he told the story, she could see it happening. “I’m glad you caught him.”

  “You believed Tanya from the first moment, didn’t you?”

  She nodded, realizing it was time he knew about her strange ability. She wasn’t even sure she believed in it yet, so it felt strange, but he needed to know so he could decide if he wanted to pursue a relationship with someone like her. “A year ago, at my parents’ house, there was a weird power outage and a loud sound, like thunder, but not. I’m still not sure what it was. Anyway, after that sound, things were different for me. I could listen to someone tell a story and see exactly what had happened, even if the person was lying.”

  “What? Give me an example.”

  “Well, I have a client who was complaining to me about the police harassing him over something he didn’t do. As he told the story, I could see what really happened, and I knew he really had been doing what he claimed he hadn’t. Does that make sense?”

  He nodded. “So when Tanya told you what happened, you could see it.”

  “That’s right. Does that bother you?”

  He looked at her for a moment. “It would only bother me if I was going to lie to you, and I’m not.”

  “It’s more than that, though. If you want to hide something from me that happened at work, you won’t be able to mention it at all. Like when you told me about your girlfriend who asked you to choose, I could see her crying and making demands. You can’t even fudge things a little, because I will always know.”

  He grinned. “I’ll have to remember that. Don’t worry. It doesn’t matter to me. I will just make sure that I tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I’m a cop. I stand for law and order.”

  “That’s true.” She rested her head against his shoulder, thrilled that she didn’t have to hide her power from him any longer. “I’m so glad Tim is behind bars. The idea of what Roger would do to him was
scary.”

  “I’m sure it was.” He shook his head. “We’re going to be good now.”

  After supper that night, he walked her to her door, leaning down to kiss her softly. “I’ll see you bright and early at church tomorrow. Should I find you and sit with you?”

  “In a town of this size, if you sit with me at church, it’s the same as announcing we’re courting and about to marry.”

  He laughed. “Well, then I’ll make sure to find you.” He kissed her once more before turning away. “Goodnight. Don’t forget to lock your door!”

  She closed the door after he drove away, locking it and leaning back against it. “Wow. Who would have thought a man like that could be interested in me?”

  She hurried to her phone and used her speed dial to call her sister Heather. “Hey you!”

  “Hi! It’s getting late there, isn’t it?” Heather asked.

  “It’s just after nine. And I know not to call anyone after nine, but it’s only eight your time, and I can call after eight.” Gaylynn paused for a moment. “I think I’m in love.”

  “Wait just a minute. I need to sit down for this. In love?”

  “Yes! With a cop. Do you believe?”

  “What’s his name?”

  “It’s Zach Jones. He’s going to sit with me at church tomorrow, and Dad invited him over for Sunday dinner.”

  “Oh! That’s serious then. Mom said the annual picnic was today.”

  Gaylynn grinned. She should have known Heather would still know all the happenings in Bagley. “It was. We went together with a friend of mine and her daughter.”

  “That sounds like fun. I always loved that picnic!”

  “I haven’t been in years, but this year, it felt right.”

  “Well, sure, if you have a hunky cop at your side. Are you one of those girls who obsesses about men in uniforms?” Heather asked.

  Gaylynn laughed. “Not at all. Although, Zach looks really good in his. Of course, he looks just as good in jeans and a t-shirt. He’s just really sexy.”

  “Sexy? Did my baby sister just call a man sexy?”

  “Maybe. You got a problem with that?”

  “Not at all. I think my man is pretty darn sexy, too.” Heather was quiet for a moment. “You need to get Dad to take a picture of the two of you tomorrow. I want to be able to see your hues. See if you really belong together.” Heather’s power she’d gotten the night of the big zap was the ability to tell if a couple was right for each other.

  “I will ask him.”

  “Nah. I’ll call and ask him before church tomorrow. That way you won’t look silly asking with Zach there.”

  “Sounds good. Does Dad know about your powers?” Gaylynn asked. As far as she knew, only the sisters and their significant others knew about them.

  “Nope. And I’m not telling him. I’ll just tell him that you talked about Zach, and I want a pic of the two of you together. Nothing wrong with that.”

  Gaylynn grinned. She should have known her sister would have a plan. “Sounds good to me. Thanks for listening.”

  “Anytime.”

  Chapter Seven

  Gaylynn stood talking to her mother in church the following morning. “Yes, Mother. He said he’ll be here, and you can meet him. I don’t know how we missed you meeting him yesterday. I swear he met the rest of the family.”

  “I think you avoided me,” her mother, Barbara, answered.

  “We didn’t! There were other things going on that I’m not at liberty to discuss, but suffice it to say, it was a busy day with a lot happening.”

  Her mother didn’t look convinced, and Gaylynn was about to launch into more reasons that she’d failed to bring Zach to meet her mother—even if she had to make them up—but Zach appeared behind her. “Hi,” he said softly.

  “Mom, this is Zach. He’s a police officer here in Bagley. Zach, my mother, Barbara McClain.”

  “It’s nice to finally meet you!” Barbara said.

  “Finally? We just met on Monday!” Gaylynn shook her head. She knew her mother wanted to meet any men her daughters dated immediately, but it was within a week. Surely, she could see that life got in the way of her being introduced to Gaylynn’s—well, whatever Zach was. Boyfriend didn’t sound right. Wasn’t he too old to be a boyfriend? And suitor and beau sounded way too old fashioned. She’d figure it out.

  Zach nodded. “We really did meet Monday.”

  “Then you should have been brought to meet me on Tuesday,” Barbara McClain said, her eyes narrowed at him.

  “That wouldn’t have worked, ma’am. I work the evening shift for the police department. I couldn’t have just come over to see you, and with Gaylynn working during the day, it would have been extremely difficult for the two of us to meet before yesterday. And I know Gaylynn planned to introduce us yesterday, but I had a police emergency that derailed everything.”

  “You know that using ‘police emergency’ won’t always get around me, don’t you?” Barbara asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. It was just this once. I’ll try not to overuse that excuse or any other. Next time I’ll make sure I was attacked by a rabid squirrel or something similar.” Barbara’s lips quirked, and he knew he had her. “I promise to be a good companion for your daughter.”

  Barbara sighed dramatically. “See that you are.” She stood studying him for a moment. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

  “I’ll be there.” After her mother had turned away to talk to someone else, Zach looked at Gaylynn. “I wasn’t sure I was going to get off that easily.”

  Gaylynn grinned at him. “Mom feels really strongly about meeting any man we’re . . . seeing. What am I supposed to call you? Boyfriend doesn’t feel right. I guess I could call you ‘my cop,’ but my sisters would have a hay day with that.”

  “As long as you call me yours, I don’t care.” He grinned at her, wishing they weren’t in church so he could lean down and kiss her.

  “You can forget about whatever it is you’re thinking, Zachary Jones! My mom is watching and so is my pastor.”

  He did his best to wipe the smirk from his face. “I’ll try.” Just then he felt arms wrap around his waist, and he looked down to see who it was. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, hello, Joy!”

  “Hi, Officer Zach. My daddy’s here, and he wants to meet you. Do you want to meet him? He said he wants to shake your hand.” Joy seemed to be glowing with happiness. She was obviously very attached to her daddy.

  “I would love to meet your daddy. Where is he?” Zach looked through the church, trying to spot Tanya.

  Joy took his hand and started to drag him away. She stopped quickly. “You have to come, too, Gaylynn. Daddy wants to meet you, too!”

  Together the three of them wound through the congregation, finding Joy’s daddy standing with Tanya. “Daddy, this is Officer Zach and Gaylynn.”

  Roger smiled at Zach first. “I thank you for helping my family while I was away.”

  “You’re welcome. I know I’d want the same for my family if I wasn’t here.” Zach shook the other man’s hand, truly believing that he understood how he felt coming home to hear everything that had happened in his absence.

  “And you must be Gaylynn. Tanya has told me about you letting them stay with you while that creep was walking around like nothing happened. Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome. I was sad to see them go.” Gaylynn hugged Tanya. “It was lonely without the two of you!”

  “Oh, please! I know you spent the evening with Zach. You weren’t lonely!”

  Gaylynn blushed. “Maybe.” She looked over at Zach and found him watching her. It was strange to feel so much for someone she’d known for less than a week. Of course, it had been a busy week.

  The pastor stepped up to the pulpit then, and Gaylynn nodded toward their seats with her family. “I’d better run or my family is going to have something to say!”

  “I’ll see you soon!” Tanya hugged her once more, whispering, “Thanks for being my guardian angel through this whole thing.”

  “Angel, I am not!” Gaylynn hurried back to her seat, sinking down into the pew beside her mother, feeling Zach sit beside her.

  Through the entire service, she was very aware of him beside her, and she had no idea what the pastor was saying. He could have been calling her out for being a wild woman who sacrificed goats to pagan gods, and she wouldn’t have noticed. She was too focused on Zach beside her.