10

Chapter Seven

The next morning, she rode her bike to the shop, finding her father in his apartment above the garage. Clearly, Shane had followed through on his promise to have Patrick bailed out. It took one look at her father to know he was guilty. His expression, his red eyes from crying, and the way his posture slumped into defeat told her everything she needed to know before she ever asked the question. Still, it slipped from her mouth. “Did you do it, Dad?”

Patrick nodded miserably. “I did, maybe, but it’s not what you think.”

Pain arced through Mandy, and she hugged herself. “Then how is it? What could possibly make this okay?”

“Nothing makes it okay, hon, but I was a damned fool. I trusted the wrong person, and it’s as simple as that. You know Carol, the new waitress at the diner?”

She nodded.

“She asked me to help her deliver a package before we started our date. I was expecting it to be a big ol’ box or something that would require heavy lifting, but it was a small package. I