Lakeside Redemption. Lisa Jordan
He lowered himself slowly onto the cushion. A grimace tightened his face.
She wanted to lend a hand, but Sully came across as the kind of guy who wanted help only when he asked for it.
Leona returned and handed a cup of coffee to him. “Here you go, Mr. Sullivan. I’ll leave you two alone while I check on the kids.”
“Kids?”
“My four-legged ones, of course.”
“Yes, of course. And please call me Caleb.”
Leona winked at Zoe, then scurried out of the room, closing the door behind her, taking Zoe’s courage with her.
She didn’t want to tell her story again, but if she wanted to work with his daughters, he needed to know the truth.
He set his coffee on the side table and leaned forward. “So Leona said you wanted to talk to me?”
“Yes.” Zoe stood, hugged her arms to her waist and walked to the window that overlooked the dog play yard. Travis had taken the dogs out to splash around in the plastic kiddie pool.
She loved watching the pups cavorting with freedom. Closing her eyes, she breathed a prayer for her missing courage. Turning back to Sully, she opened her eyes and faced him. “Before you hire me, there’s something you need to know.”
Sully frowned. “What’s up?”
Her heart picked up speed, and she wiped her damp palms on her jeans again. Then she shoved her trembling fingers into her front pockets. Tears filled her eyes as her voice dropped to a whisper. “I’m the one who killed Kyle.”
* * *
Caleb shot to his feet. Surely he didn’t hear her correctly? “What did you say?”
Her eyes pleaded with him as she shook her head. “Please don’t make me say it again.”
So there was nothing wrong with his hearing.
But he couldn’t believe it. Wouldn’t believe it. The Zoe he knew and loved at one time wouldn’t hurt anyone.
Her words ricocheted through his thoughts, slicing through what he thought was his bulletproof sizing up of the woman from his past.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Would you care to explain? I thought Kyle had been killed by a drunk driver.”
She dashed a trembling hand across her mouth and tugged on the hem of her shirt. “Maybe you should sit.”
With the weight of her words pressing him down, he slumped against the back of the couch and stared at her.
Zoe sat on the edge of the chair across from him. She bore little resemblance to the lighthearted girl from college. Right now she appeared weighted down with a burden too heavy for anyone to carry.
She cupped her knees and straightened her arms. Exhaling loudly, she raised her chin, trapping his gaze. “I partied a lot in high school.”
He never did get into the drinking scene, even with his buddies on the force. Then after what he went through with Val... “I’m kind of surprised you didn’t mention this years ago. Did you drink in college?”
“No. A friend of mine almost died at a party during my senior year. A group of us ended up getting arrested for underage drinking. After they bailed me out, my parents gave me a choice—get my act together and make something of my future, or they were going to send me away to some sort of reform school. I chose Plan A.”
He never would have pegged Zoe as a party girl, but he knew all about appearances being deceiving.
His bones seemed to have melted under his skin, leaving him feeling weary and way older than his thirty-two years. He scrubbed a hand over his face, then looked at her. “What happened to Kyle?”
“On the night of my twenty-third birthday, Kyle and I went out with friends for a few drinks. I didn’t want to. I hadn’t slept well the night before, and I had worked all day. I was afraid if I started drinking, I’d end up down that same path, but Kyle insisted. That first drink tasted so good, and the second one went down even easier. Kyle kept pounding back shots and ended up wasted. I got into an argument with my brother on the phone about when we’d be back. He had been watching our son—”
Sully held up a hand. “Whoa. Slow down. You have a kid?”
Her eyes widened. “You didn’t know?”
He shook his head. How would he?
Scarlet crept across her cheeks. “Yeah, I got pregnant my junior year of college. I left Bartlett to take care of Griffin. He’s nine. And he’s absolutely perfect. Nothing like his mother.”
“So you and Kyle ended up getting married?”
The blush deepened. Zoe dropped her eyes to her lap and shook her head. “Kyle wanted to wait. Anyway, we left the club. Kyle was in no condition to drive. I truly thought I was okay. Otherwise I never would have gotten behind the wheel.”
How many times had he heard that during his years on the force? Why didn’t people get it? Even after one drink, they shouldn’t drive.
“We were a block from my parents’ house when a guy ran a red light and crashed into us. I hit my head and blacked out. I woke up in the hospital and learned Kyle was dead.”
“You didn’t know you were responsible?”
She shook her head. “I was unconscious and couldn’t give consent for the blood alcohol test, but the officer on the scene suspected alcohol was involved. He subpoenaed my clinical blood test that the hospital had administered.” She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and swallowed. “My blood alcohol content came back over the legal limit. I didn’t cause the accident, but the prosecution argued my reflexes were diminished. Kyle’s parents had a lot of money and could afford the best attorneys. They tried to use my past offenses against me.”
“Your juvenile records can’t be used against you.”
“The judge ordered their remarks to be stricken from the records, but they succeeded in swaying the jury’s opinion. I was found guilty of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence. I served four years at VWCI.”
Vanderfield Women’s Correctional Institute.
Caleb leaned an elbow on the arm of the couch and pressed his fist against his lips as he processed Zoe’s words.
Not only had he witnessed his wife destroying their lives with her choices, but he’d spent years arresting people suspected of driving under the influence. He heard their excuses, their pleas, and listened to their lawyers argue in court in their defense. They deserved to be held accountable for their actions.
And now Zoe had just told him she was like one of those people he’d arrested more times than he could remember.
His beautiful Zoe with the eyes that peered deep into his heart. His beautiful Zoe with the laugh that allowed him to fall in love with her over and over again.
His friend was dead because of her decision to get behind the wheel.
He simply couldn’t wrap his head around it.
No, not his beautiful Zoe.
He’d walked into Canine Companions hoping she could help him out with the wayward puppy probably eating his couch right now. He didn’t expect any of this.
He leaned forward, braced his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands together. “I’m not going to lie, Zoe, this has...thrown me for a loop. Man, I did not expect it in a million years.”
“I understand.” She stood and moved toward the door. “Thanks for coming in. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
“Hold up. I said it threw me for a loop. Sit back down. I’m not leaving just yet.”
Zoe hesitated. She