While she certainly knew he couldn’t—and wouldn’t—work forever, she liked to think that his retirement date was years in the future. Now she had something else to worry about in addition to all the other issues on her mind at the moment.

When her cell phone rang, she answered it without taking her eyes off the road to check the caller ID.

“Holland.”

“Hey, Sam.”

“What’s up, Tinker Bell?”

“I wanted to let you know that Tracy is here. She said she needed a place to hide out for a little while. She seems upset, and I thought you’d want to know.”

“I’m on my way home. Thanks for the heads up.”

“I was getting ready to leave, but I’ll keep her company until you get here.”

“I’d appreciate that. Thanks.”

“Hey, um, I know you have a million other things on your mind, but I was wondering...”

“About?”

“Agent Hill. He said he would call, but I haven’t heard from him.”

“He’s in the Dominican Republic for the Vasquez case.”

“Ah, okay. That makes sense. Sorry to go all junior high on you.”

Sam laughed. “No problem. See you in a few.” Though she was anxious to spend some time with her dad, she went straight to her own Ninth Street home, vowing to see him later. Her oldest sister had been going through a difficult time with her seventeen-year-old daughter, Brooke. The stress had been wearing on Tracy for months, and Sam was anxious to hear the latest.

She parked in front of the house and took the ramp Nick had installed so her father could visit their home, which had been just another reason to love her thoughtful husband. Inside she found Shelby sitting next to Tracy on the sofa, handing her tissues and patting her knee.

Shelby seemed relieved to see Sam. She got up and came over to hand the box of tissues to Sam. “I’ll let you take it from here.”

“Thanks for staying, Tinker Bell.”

“No problem. I love Tracy. I hate to see her so upset.”

“So do I.” As her sister was usually the one providing comfort, Sam hoped she could return many a favor. The front door clicked shut as Shelby departed, and Sam took a seat next to Tracy. “Hey, there.”

“Hey. Sorry to show up uninvited.”

“You’re always invited. You know that.”

“I needed a place to hide out. Ang is up to her eyeballs in poopy diapers, and Dad and Celia would worry. This seemed like my best bet.”

“What’s wrong?”