The phone woke me up before the butt crack of dawn, and I squinted at the name on the screen. What was Jeffrey Mann calling about at this hour?

"Hello?"

"Hi, June. It's Jeffrey Mann. I apologize for waking you up."

"How do you know you woke me up?"

"You sound like a frog with a frog in its throat."

I cleared my throat. "Why are you calling so early?"

"I got a serious lead on your dad's location. And if you can cancel whatever plans you had for the day and drive to the gulf coast, we can investigate this lead."

"He was spotted in Florida?"

"Our friend hasn't put eyes on him, but they talked with a local who confirmed they've seen him. According to this source, he runs a charter boat service in Crystal River."

"Holy crap. That's ballsy. Why would he have stayed in the state where he's wanted?"

"I can think of two reasons—you and your mom. He's probably been keeping tabs on you."

I wasn't going to speculate about the reasons my dad would have stuck around. My guess was that he didn't want to lose his drug connections. "Okay. It's my day off. Where do you want to meet?"

"There's a gulf side diner called Big Betty's. From your location it should take you about two and a half hours, depending on I-four traffic."

"I'll take state road forty. I avoid the Disney turnpike like the plague."

"I don't blame you. Why don't we plan to meet between nine and nine-thirty and we'll do breakfast. If my intel is correct, we might spot him coming in for coffee."

My stomach took a dive at the thought of seeing my dad after all this time. I couldn't picture it as a happy reunion. "I don't know if I'm up for a confrontation with him."

"You don't have to confront him, June. We just need confirmation from someone who can positively identify him. Then one our people will serve him with the appropriate paperwork, and he'll be free to disappear again."

"What kind of paperwork?" I felt like I should have asked these questions before. This whole idea was sounding crazier by the minute.

"Our legal team has drafted a document with the relevant bar details you supplied. He'll be asked to sign it, along with a notarized affidavit proving his existence. This is standard stuff. It'll be quick and painless. Then you and your mom can do whatever you want with the bar."

Quick and painless, huh? I highly doubted that.

"I know it's feeling real right now," he said. "And this could be a false lead. Which means we'll have some food and a chat while we watch the waves roll in."

I didn't doubt Jeffrey was looking forward to cornering me in a booth while we waited to see if this lead was real. "Alright. I'll see you at the diner."

I jumped in the shower and my phone rang while I was shampooing my hair. I assumed it was Jeffrey with an update. Most reasonable people wouldn't call so early. I was wrong. The missed call belonged to Cabe. I had almost forgotten about his silent treatment last night.

"June."

"Cabe"

"You're awake."

"You're very observant."

"I just got a text from Jeffrey, so I figured you'd be awake."

"I see. Is that the only reason you called? Or was it to apologize for ghosting me last night?"

"Damn. I knew I should have texted. I didn't want you to feel like you needed to check in with me. I've been fighting a lot of guilt about our conversation Monday night. It wasn't fair to drop that truth bomb on you."

"Don't feel guilty about being honest with me. It's one of the traits that sets you apart from the rest of the pack."

"That's nice to hear. But I know you're not interested in a commitment. I thought I'd really blown it."

"If you had blown it, I wouldn't have texted you after my pseudo date."

"Okay." He went silent, and I put him on speaker while I got dressed. "So . . . you're headed to Crystal River to meet Jeffrey?"

"He's got a lead on my dad. I'm actually a little worried we'll find him."

"And I'm a little worried Jeffrey is going to proposition you into sleeping with him."

"I'd bet money on it. But that doesn't mean he has a chance in hell. Sleeping with Jeffrey would be a mistake on so many levels."

"I'm glad you feel that way. I know I don't have the right to counsel you on who you should sleep with, but I'd really like it not to be him."

"Trust me, sex is the last thing on my mind right now."

"You're nervous about seeing your dad, huh?"

"Damn right, I'm nervous. I'm wondering if this is even worth it. What if things go south and he gets picked up by the cops? What if he's hiding from people who are more dangerous than the cops? Like drug lords. My dad isn't a terrible person. I know he loves me and my mom. He wouldn't have stayed away this long if he wasn't in deep."

He sighed on the other end. It was the perfect soundtrack to how I was feeling. "I probably sound like a broken record, but you don't have to do this. You can call off the manhunt and start hunting for a bar manager to take care of things while you and your mom go about your lives. Mann Enterprises can help you."

"So, theoretically, I could use this trip to ask Jeffrey what his company could do to keep the bar afloat while we wait things out."

"Yes. Or you can call off the trip and just do a Zoom chat with him."

I smiled. We both knew what he was doing, but it wasn't necessary. "It's not really my thing to backpedal on something I've already set in motion. I think I'll take this opportunity to learn more about Mann Enterprises. Besides, I prefer face-to-face conversations to the virtual ones."

"I can't argue with that. I wouldn't have a job if everyone was willing to negotiate their business affairs over the phone."

"Okay. Why don't you go back to sleep. I'll text you when I arrive safely at port."

"I'd appreciate that."

When we hung up, I realized I'd fallen into the relationship trap of making sure my significant other knew where I was and that I was safe. I didn't even do that with my mom anymore. Was Cabe significant?

~      ~      ~

Crystal River was a typical tourist town, just like home. But rather than waves and high-rise hotels, they hosted the riverboat cruise and manatee crowd. I found the diner and parked in the drugstore lot next door. If my dad was keeping tabs on me, I didn't want him to recognize my car and the I Brake For Hot Guys bumper sticker.

Jeffrey was waiting for me at a table in the furthest corner of the diner. For obvious reasons, he had me sit with my back to the door. The waitress followed me with the coffee pot and took my breakfast order.

"How was the drive?" Jeffrey asked once my cup was full.

"Surprisingly relaxing. I realized on the way over that I'm not that interested in finding my dad."

"Really? What changed your mind?" The muscles in his jaw flexed. I interpreted it as a tell that he didn't like the idea.

"To be honest, I've never been hellbent on finding my dad. I don't know all the reasons why he left. He could be hiding from people who are more dangerous than the cops."

His eyebrows bunched beneath his perfectly shaved head. "If he was involved with drugs, you could be right about that. But our people are very discreet. They don't ask questions. And if someone needs our help, we can point them in the right direction."

I couldn't imagine anyone trusting the people who had tracked them down and forced them to face their past. "Let's say this lead doesn't pan out and I was interested in hiring Mann Enterprises to manage the bar for the next two years. Can you tell me what your company could do for me?"

Jeffrey's face lit up, and before my breakfast had even hit the table, he broke into his scripted marketing spiel. He knew his shit, so I couldn't complain there, and I began to relax a little when I realized their company could provide all the things I needed to run the bar remotely. It was the conversation that came afterwards that had me tuning him out.

"So, how's it going with you and Cabe? Have you uncovered his game yet?"

"Game? I don't follow."

"Of course, you don't. He's extremely good at it."

"Explain." I refused to get sucked into whatever bullshit line he was using to get me into the sack. I knew that's where he was headed with this segue, and I had heard them all.

"I'm sorry to burst your idealistic bubble about Cabe Franklin, but I would hate to see you sucked in any further."

I stared at him over my waffles as they grew cold on the plate. He seemed to figure out that I wasn't interested in adding to the conversation, so he went on.

"Bill Franklin has been using his charming son to procure valuable properties for the past ten years. I can tell you're a discerning woman, so I won't bore you with examples. I'll just show you the evidence of what has happened with regards to your family's bar."

He fingered the screen on his cellphone and turned it so I could read an email from Bill Franklin.

Jeffrey,

I'm reaching out to give you an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a potentially lucrative buyout in Daytona. I'm sending Cabe to investigate Pour Decisions, a prime piece of beach property with incredible earning potential.

A word of warning, the contract is complicated. One of the owners is wanted by the police and has been missing for five years. But I know how you love challenges. If we can sweet talk the other two owners, we could stand to make a tidy profit off this purchase. But it will likely take a group effort. Cabe should be able to cozy up to the daughter and earn her trust. Then he'll introduce her to you, and you will convince her to look for her father.

If all goes well, we'll find the derelict bastard and get him to sign away his rights to the bar. Once that's done, Franklin Commercial will swoop in and buy the place. I'll hire you to manage the property for me and we both profit. Let me know if you're on board.

Bill

I grabbed the handle of my coffee cup with a shaky hand and brought it to my mouth. Jeffrey watched me carefully, his back stiff and his lips pursed, like he expected me to pull a gun and take everyone out. Had Cabe been playing me all this time? If so, something had happened to corrupt my asshole radar.

"I'm sorry, June. I know this must be a shock for you." Jeffrey's words rang hollow. In fact, they made me wish I had a gun. Of course, I would never resort to violence, but if he thought this revelation would endear him to me, he was dead wrong.

Just then, the diner door jingled, and Jeffrey mouthed the words "Oh, shit." Before I could react, he reached across the table and grabbed my arm. "Don't turn around. But I think we just found your dad." 

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: You may have noticed that I've included a number of diners in this story. While I'm not one to seek out diner food, I have eaten at a lot of them during my travels. My husband is a professional bowler, and during the tournament season we stay in small towns. We always try to patronize local mom and pop restaurants, and many of them are diners. Most have some kind of theme, and some are downright quirky.