Her little eyes lit up, and she was kicking her hands and feet now, making it look like she wanted him to hold her. Only three more months to go until he could go home and get on a more normal schedule.
A few days later, he received a call that sent shivers down his bones. He picked up the phone after being called to the main office.
“This is William Jackson.”
“Well, well. You’re a hard man to track down, William Jackson, Jr.” Just hearing the voice gave him chills.
“What do you want?” he asked, reaching over and shutting the office door so no one else would hear the conversation.
“Heard you made it to the big time. Hitching up with the Douglas girl.” His father chuckled and a million memories flooded his mind. None of them were pleasant.
“I’ll repeat my question. What do you want?”
“Money,” his father said, simply.
“You don’t need money in the slammer.” He almost hung up on him.
“I’m not in the slammer anymore.” His father chuckled. “Actually, I was thinking of heading back into Fairplay. Maybe see that cute grandchild of mine.”
“If you step foot in Fairplay…I’ll…”
“What?” his father broke in. “I’ve served my time. I’m out on good behavior.” He heard his father take a drink of something and knew without a doubt it was a shot of Jim Beam.
“How much?” he asked and closed his eyes. “How much do you want to stay away?”
“Ten thousand,” his father said quickly. “That should keep me busy for a while.” He chuckled again and Billy felt his skin crawl.
“Fine, tell me where.” He wrote down the information quickly as his father gave it to him. “I’ll wire it tomorrow.” He hung up before his father could make any more demands.
Sitting down behind his desk, he rubbed his forehead and felt a headache building behind his eyes.
Two months couldn’t go by quickly enough.
Savannah looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She couldn’t explain why she was nervous, but she was. She must have changed outfits a half dozen times. She’d changed Maggie just as many times, but for different reasons. Maggie had wet the first one, and had thrown up a little on the second dress she’d picked.
Now, she leaned forward and applied just a little clear lip gloss to her lips and smiled. “There. Perfect.”
She’d changed so much in the last few months. Living alone with just Maggie as company had made her look inward. She hadn’t liked the person she’d become and just like dropping a few pounds, she’d decided to drop a few tendencies she had. And she owed it all to Maggie.
She looked down at the little girl, who smiled and tried to grab the fuzzy frogs that hung over her head in her carrier. “Shall we go get your daddy?”
Maggie squealed at the word “daddy,” like she always did. Savannah laughed and picked up the carrier. Maggie was getting so heavy, it took both of her arms to hold her and the carrier now. She set the carrier in the stroller, grabbed her purse, and locked up the house.
“Morning, Savannah,” she heard before she reached the end of her walk. “How’s Maggie today?” Mrs. Cole rushed over from her yard as fast as her eighty-year-old legs could carry her and started cooing at Maggie. “She sure is growing so fast. I do believe she’s grown another inch since I saw her yesterday.”
Savannah laughed. “Mrs. Cole, I think it’s time you had your eyesight checked.” They laughed.
“Going to get Billy from the bus station today?”
Savannah nodded.
“Well, won’t it be wonderful to have your daddy back in town,” Mrs. Cole said to Maggie. “Well, you two better get going. I thought I saw the bus pass by a few minutes ago.”
Savannah looked down the street with worry. “Thanks. See you later.” She pushed the stroller quickly down the sidewalk and hoped that she hadn’t left Billy waiting too long.
Halfway down the next block, she spotted him walking towards them. He looked a little
A few days later, he received a call that sent shivers down his bones. He picked up the phone after being called to the main office.
“This is William Jackson.”
“Well, well. You’re a hard man to track down, William Jackson, Jr.” Just hearing the voice gave him chills.
“What do you want?” he asked, reaching over and shutting the office door so no one else would hear the conversation.
“Heard you made it to the big time. Hitching up with the Douglas girl.” His father chuckled and a million memories flooded his mind. None of them were pleasant.
“I’ll repeat my question. What do you want?”
“Money,” his father said, simply.
“You don’t need money in the slammer.” He almost hung up on him.
“I’m not in the slammer anymore.” His father chuckled. “Actually, I was thinking of heading back into Fairplay. Maybe see that cute grandchild of mine.”
“If you step foot in Fairplay…I’ll…”
“What?” his father broke in. “I’ve served my time. I’m out on good behavior.” He heard his father take a drink of something and knew without a doubt it was a shot of Jim Beam.
“How much?” he asked and closed his eyes. “How much do you want to stay away?”
“Ten thousand,” his father said quickly. “That should keep me busy for a while.” He chuckled again and Billy felt his skin crawl.
“Fine, tell me where.” He wrote down the information quickly as his father gave it to him. “I’ll wire it tomorrow.” He hung up before his father could make any more demands.
Sitting down behind his desk, he rubbed his forehead and felt a headache building behind his eyes.
Two months couldn’t go by quickly enough.
Savannah looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She couldn’t explain why she was nervous, but she was. She must have changed outfits a half dozen times. She’d changed Maggie just as many times, but for different reasons. Maggie had wet the first one, and had thrown up a little on the second dress she’d picked.
Now, she leaned forward and applied just a little clear lip gloss to her lips and smiled. “There. Perfect.”
She’d changed so much in the last few months. Living alone with just Maggie as company had made her look inward. She hadn’t liked the person she’d become and just like dropping a few pounds, she’d decided to drop a few tendencies she had. And she owed it all to Maggie.
She looked down at the little girl, who smiled and tried to grab the fuzzy frogs that hung over her head in her carrier. “Shall we go get your daddy?”
Maggie squealed at the word “daddy,” like she always did. Savannah laughed and picked up the carrier. Maggie was getting so heavy, it took both of her arms to hold her and the carrier now. She set the carrier in the stroller, grabbed her purse, and locked up the house.
“Morning, Savannah,” she heard before she reached the end of her walk. “How’s Maggie today?” Mrs. Cole rushed over from her yard as fast as her eighty-year-old legs could carry her and started cooing at Maggie. “She sure is growing so fast. I do believe she’s grown another inch since I saw her yesterday.”
Savannah laughed. “Mrs. Cole, I think it’s time you had your eyesight checked.” They laughed.
“Going to get Billy from the bus station today?”
Savannah nodded.
“Well, won’t it be wonderful to have your daddy back in town,” Mrs. Cole said to Maggie. “Well, you two better get going. I thought I saw the bus pass by a few minutes ago.”
Savannah looked down the street with worry. “Thanks. See you later.” She pushed the stroller quickly down the sidewalk and hoped that she hadn’t left Billy waiting too long.
Halfway down the next block, she spotted him walking towards them. He looked a little
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