Life Should Be Beautiful (Summer Lake Silver #12)

Chapter Twelve

“Morning, gentlemen,” Adam said when he walked into the guest house on Monday morning carrying a tray from the bakery, which held three coffees and a bag that Davin suspected contained donuts. “I trust we all had a good weekend?”

“I did,” said Alec. “All was quiet around here.” He grinned and turned to Davin. “And I’m guessing that you did, too.”

Adam chuckled. “I don’t want to pry, but I’ll go along with Alec’s assessment that your weekend was good, considering that I saw you drive past me when I was coming out of the bakery a few minutes ago, and I don’t think you were simply out for a Monday morning joy ride.”

Davin rolled his eyes. “All right, all right. I wasn’t going to hide the fact that I only beat you here by two minutes. And yes, I spent the weekend with Alexis, and yes, we had a great weekend.”

Adam nodded happily. “Like I said, I don’t want to pry. How about you, Alec? Did you get up to anything around here? Anything out of the ordinary to report?”

“It was good. All quiet, except …”

He had Davin and Adam’s attention with that.

“Except what?” Davin asked.

Alec shrugged. “It was probably nothing, but I’d never dismiss it as such. Clay came down to hang out for a while yesterday afternoon. Marianne had gone over to see her daughter, Laura. We went down to the dock to fish.”

“And?” Adam asked with a touch of impatience.

“And there was a kid a little ways down the shore. He wasn’t quite on the property, but he was too close for my liking. I was going to go and move him along, but you know what Clay’s like.”

“Let me guess,” said Davin. “He was pleased to see a kid fishing. He didn’t want to put him off because most kids are more interested in video games and trouble these days.”

Alec chuckled. “Yup – that’s what he said, pretty much word for word.”

“But you still had a word with him, I hope?”

“Yeah. I told Clay that we needed to make sure that the kid was aware of the property line – and that he’d be in trouble if he climbed the fence. Clay wasn’t thrilled about it, but I promised I could do it without being an asshole about it.”

“And?”

“Yeah. It was fine. He seemed like a decent enough kid. He apologized when I told him, but to be fair, he wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was outside the fence. Of course, Clay took a shine to him because he didn’t even have a rod and reel; he was using a stick with a line and hook.”

“What was his deal?How old was he?” Davin asked, his curiosity piqued.

“I’d guess maybe seventeen or eighteen. He knew what he was doing as well, he showed us what he’d caught already. He had three decent sized bass on ice in his cooler. He even showed us his fishing license, wanting us to know that he was above board.”

Davin frowned. “Was he acting shifty?”

“No. That’s the thing. Clay and I talked about it a bit afterward. There was something about him, but not like he was up to no good, more like he felt … ashamed of himself.”

“Why would he be ashamed of fishing?” Adam asked with a puzzled look.

“Maybe because he wasn’t doing it for fun,” Davin suggested.

“What then? Why else would he be fishing?”

Davin exchanged a look with Alec, who shook his head. “You didn’t want for a damn thing, growing up, did you?” Alec asked Adam.

Adam scowled. “What am I missing?”

“Maybe nothing,” said Davin. “But maybe he was catching fish to eat, not just for fun.”

“Oh. Shit.” Adam rubbed a hand across his face. “You’re right, that didn’t occur to me. But … I guess there are a few families in town who struggle, aren’t there?”

“Yup.” Davin couldn’t help thinking about Shayna. She might not struggle to the point of needing to catch fish for dinner, but she worked all the hours she could get at what he knew had to be low paying jobs. The house where he’d dropped her off the other week wasn’t in the greatest part of town, it was small and a bit run down, not somewhere a girl like her would live if the cost of rent wasn’t a limiting factor.

Alec looked at them. “Like I said, I don’t think it’s anything to be concerned about in terms of Clay’s security, but I am concerned about the kid. He was respectful, if a bit leery. Seemed like a decent kid. I don’t know about taking care of his family – if I had to guess, I’d say that he was doing what he could to feed himself.”

“We could set up a camera down there,” Adam suggested. “If you think he might be back.”

“I reckon he will be. Clay chatted with him about the best fishing spots and the kid said that he’d had the best luck right where he was. Of course, Clay told him to come back any time, and I told him that there was no problem as long as he didn’t think about climbing the fence.”

“I don’t suppose you got his name, did you?” Davin asked.

“No. I know I should have.”

“You think you know who he might be?” asked Adam.

Davin shook his head. Just because Booker was the only kid he knew around that age, didn’t mean that it was him. But for some reason, Davin couldn’t shake the idea that it was.

“Are you sure? You’re not holding out on me?”

“Nah.”

Alec laughed. “I reckon you are holding out on us – but you’re holding out on the details of your weekend, right?”

Davin laughed. “You know it.”

“But it was good?” Adam asked.

He met his friend’s gaze and smiled. “It was great.”

Adam smiled back at him. “Glad to hear it.”

~ ~ ~

Alexis stopped just inside the door when she entered the gym on Wednesday morning. It was early enough that she hadn’t expected it to be busy. She should have known better. Cal looked up and grinned when he spotted her. He slowed the treadmill he was running on and got down.

Manny was spotting Ryan, who was on his back on one of the benches. The guy who she’d met with Davin the first time she came in here – Lucky, that was his name – was on another of the treadmills. Two other, larger men, who she’d guess were also military, occupied the rowing machine and the leg press.

Cal grinned as he reached her. “Morning. I’m surprised I haven’t seen you in here before now.”

“I’ve been busy.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “At this time in the mornings?”

“Yes. I’ve been going over to the barn to see the horses first thing. I like to hang out with them when there’s no one else around.”

Cal laughed. “You mean, you want them all to yourself.”

She made a face. “Yes. I don’t mind admitting it. Although, I do have another reason. Are you aware of any drifters in town?”

Cal frowned. “No. Why?”

“It seems that someone’s been sleeping in Lily’s trailer out there.”

“I hope you’re packing when you’re out there all by yourself first thing in the morning?”

“I don’t need to. I’m a lethal weapon in my own right,” she said with the sweetest smile she could muster.

Cal’s scowl deepened. “I’m not questioning your abilities – just the wisdom of your choices.”

She blew out a sigh. “I’m not tracking a high value target, Cal. Simply concerned that some lowlife is hanging around Lily’s barn. I’m sure they’re harmless enough, whoever they are. If there even is someone.”

“We should set up surveillance and …”

“Already on it. I have a camera in the car. I’m going over there after I get done here.”

“Do you need a hand?”

She chuckled. “It’s just a camera.”

“I know, but I haven’t seen you since you first arrived. You keep ducking all our invitations. What else am I supposed to do?”

“Sorry. Is Terry giving you a hard time? I’ll …”

“It’s not that. If you want to know the truth, I’ve been looking forward to catching up with my friend.”

“Oh! Well …” She smiled. “That’s actually rather sweet.”

He laughed. “For fuck’s sake, don’t call me sweet when anyone can hear. These guys will …”

“Too late,” she told him with a laugh.

Ryan had snuck up behind Cal and was grinning at her. “Hey, Alma! I wondered how long it’d take before you showed your face in here. How’s it going?”

“It’s going great so far. How about you? I was happy to hear that you finally came to your senses and got back with Leanne.”

Ryan grinned. “Yeah. She remembers you. She’s looking forward to seeing you again. When are you going to come out with everyone?”

“Soon, I’m sure.”

Manny appeared at Ryan’s side and held his arms out to her. She hugged him warmly. She’d always had a soft spot for him, even though he was FBI and not one of them. “How’s my favorite agent?” she asked as she stood back.

“All the better for seeing you. Are you going to settle here, do you think?”

“Give her a chance to see if she even likes the place first,” said Ryan.

“I do, I love it. And so far … I can see myself staying.”

Cal met her gaze. “Is that because of the place or the people?”

She made a face at him. “The people – you guys are all here.”

“I was thinking about another guy – and curious about how he’s playing into your decisions.”

She shook her head at the other two. “I see he still hasn’t learned any social skills then?”

The others laughed while Cal scowled. “What’s wrong with that? I didn’t say his name or anything. I …”

She reached out and patted his arm. “I’m pulling your leg. I imagine that we all know that you mean Davin. You could have just come right out and asked.”

“I didn’t want to embarrass you if …”

She laughed. “Even if I were the kind who embarrassed easily, why would I be embarrassed about Davin? He’s a great guy, and I know that you’re all friendly with him.”

“Seems to me that you’re in more danger of embarrassing yourself than Alma.”

Ryan grinned at Cal, who looked even more put out until Alexis and Manny both laughed.

“Shut the fuck up!” He pushed at Ryan’s shoulder, and he exaggerated staggering backwards.

Cal blew out a sigh. “All right. So how are things with Davin?”

She laughed. “Wonderful, thank you.”

“Does that mean the two of you want to come out with us all this weekend then?” asked Manny.

“I’d love to. I’ll have to ask him if he’s working, but even if he is, I’ll come by myself.”

They all turned when the door opened, and two younger men came in.

“Morning, Jack. Pete,” Ryan called before turning back to Alexis. “I need to catch up with them. I’ll see you soon, boss lady.”

She grinned. “You will. I’m looking forward to catching up with you and Leanne.”

“You good?” Cal asked.

“I am. I’m going to get my workout. Then, if you’re not too busy, you can come over to the barn with me, see what you think.”

“Yeah. Let’s do that.”

She laughed. “You should do that more often.”

“What’s that?”

“Smile. You look like a whole different person when you do.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. I figured that out thanks to Terry.”

“She’s good for you.”

He nodded happily. “She is. I look forward to the two of you getting to know each other. Though I feel like I’ll have to watch my back when you do.”

She laughed. “Probably. Go on; go finish your workout and let me get on with mine.”

~ ~ ~

On Thursday evening, Davin parked in front of the house – it was weird, he could only think of it as Terry’s house; even though Alexis was living there, it just didn’t seem like her place. It didn’t suit her, but he didn’t know what kind of place would.

He got out of the truck, and the front door opened before he even reached it. Happiness bubbled in his chest at the sight of Alexis smiling at him.

“Hi.”

“Hey.” He hurried the last few steps to her and greeted her with a peck.

She stood back to let him in and closed the door behind them.

“How are you?”

He frowned. “I’m good thanks, how are you?”

“Sorry! That sounded weird, didn’t it – as if I were greeting a stranger. Don’t worry, I’m not going cold on you.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“I suppose if anything, I wondered if you were going cold on me.”

“I’m not. Why?”

She laughed. “Because you didn’t greet me in the same way. I …”

He immediately understood what she meant. He lowered his head, and her lips met his eagerly. This was more like it. By the time he finally lifted his head, they were both breathing hard.

“That!” she said with a smile. “That’s the kind of greeting I’ve gotten used to – and I like it.”

“Noted. It’s not that I didn’t want to kiss you like that the moment I saw you – that hasn’t worn off, and I’m not sure it will. I was trying to behave better. I figured I shouldn’t necessarily be making a spectacle of us every time I arrive here.”

She chuckled. “I’m not the kind of person who worries about what the neighbors will think.”

“Then I’ll go back to greeting you with a proper kiss hello.”

“I’ll look forward to it. Do you want a drink?”

He followed her to the kitchen, and she turned to look at him when he didn’t reply.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On what you want to do with the evening.”

She waggled her eyebrows, making him laugh. “And of course, we’ll need to figure out something for dinner.”

“Do you want to go out for dinner?”

“We could order something.”

“You don’t want to go out?”

She gave him a puzzled look. “I take it that you do?”

“Yeah. If you want to go? I feel like I want to show you around town. Help you get to know the place.”

“I’m up for that. Although, I’ve already seen both the eateries in town. We’ve been to The Boathouse and to Giuseppe’s.”

“Have you been over to the other side of the lake yet?”

“No. Oh. Someone owns a restaurant over there? I told you I met some of the guys in the gym yesterday morning. Dalton – he’s the one whose wife has the restaurant, is that right?”

“Yeah. Taryn, although they’re not married. I think you’ll like her.”

Alexis grinned. “I think so, too. I imagine that she’s a strong woman to be able to keep Dalton in line – I know his type. And from the way he talked about her, not only does he love her to pieces, he also has a lot of respect for her.”

Davin grinned. “That describes them well. They’re kind of ... volatile, maybe that’s not the word, but put it this way – they openly call each other a piece of work and a pain in the ass.”

“And they use those descriptions as terms of endearment?”

“Yep.”

“Then yes, let’s have dinner over there. I’d like to meet this Taryn.”

When they got to the development over at Four Mile Creek, Alexis looked around as they walked across the plaza toward the lodge. “This is different, isn’t it?”

“Do you like it?”

“I think so. It’s more modern, and they’ve done a good job of making the place feel authentic but … I don’t know. You said there’s a big housing development?”

“It’s not that big, but yeah. We can go for a drive up there if you like.”

“I would, I’d be interested to see it.”

“Do you think you’ll get your own place?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know yet. Terry’s house is fine for now. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.”

Davin wanted to ask if she’d decided to stay yet, but he didn’t want to push.

“What about you? You live on site with your job. Wouldn’t you like your own place?”

“I would. It’s been useful having a place wherever I’m working. When we started with Clay, he was living in Nashville full-time, and we had our own wing of the house. But I’m to the point now where I’d like to have a place to call my own.”

She met his gaze and held it for a moment. “You’re ready to settle down.”

He felt like she was talking about more than getting a place of his own. “I am – are you?”

Her eyes widened, and she nodded slowly. “I believe I am.”

He squeezed her hand as they started up the steps to the lodge. It was early days yet, but he liked knowing that they were on the same page – they were both open to the possibility of their relationship becoming something long-term.