Life Should Be Beautiful (Summer Lake Silver #12)

Chapter Nineteen

“Thanks for bringing me,” said Booker. “I’ve heard people talking about Four Mile Creek, but I haven’t seen it yet. This side of the lake was all Joe Walton’s fields when I used to live here.”

Davin looked at him in the rearview mirror. “Did you know Ben Walton, Joe’s grandson?”

“Yeah. He didn’t run the resort back then, but he helped out a lot. My mom loved him; he used to be in charge of the roster for the housekeeping staff and he was always good about helping her fit her shifts around my dad’s appointments.”

“What appointments?” Alexis asked from the passenger seat.

“At the VA hospital.”

Davin waited to see if he’d elaborate.

“So, yeah, anyway, I don’t really know Ben. I bet he wouldn’t remember me, but I know he’s a good guy.”

Davin decided not to push for more and instead kept his attention on the road as he drove up the eastern shore toward the development at Four Mile Creek.

“The lake looks so different from this side. Look! You can see the resort.”

Davin exchanged a smile with Alexis. Booker was in great spirits and had been chatty for the whole drive over here. Davin was glad that he hadn’t dampened that by asking about his dad.

When they drove past the lodge and turned into the development, Booker leaned forward between their seats.

“Whoa! This place is awesome. Are you guys really going to move over here?”

Davin chuckled. “We don’t know yet, and remember that wherever we go, it isn’t just for us guys. You get a say, too.”

Booker shook his head. “I still feel like I’m going to wake up soon and find out this was just a dream, and everyone’s going to be there laughing at me and calling me a loser for believing it.”

“It’s not a dream,” Alexis told him. “And you are not a loser.” Davin had to hide a smile at her expression – she was pissed! “And if I ever hear anyone call you that …”

Booker laughed. “I wish I’d known you before. You would have made them shit their pants. Oh … shit … sorry. I … I just mean that you would have scared them stupid.”

She laughed. “That’s okay. I don’t mind you saying it. I wish I could have been around for you before, and you’re right; if I’d caught anyone giving you a hard time, they would have needed fresh underwear at the very least.”

Davin and Booker laughed at that.

Alexis shrugged. “We have each other now, and that’s what matters.”

Davin pulled into the parking lot behind the lodge. “Do we want to have lunch first?”

Booker stayed quiet, and Alexis laughed. “No! We want to go and look at houses first, right Booker?”

“Yes!”

Davin laughed and backed out again. “I didn’t realize we were so excited.”

“Well, we are,” Alexis told him. “We might decide that we don’t love it, but we won’t know until we see.”

“Okay, we’ll drive around the development and see what you guys think. Then, we can have lunch and talk about it.”

By the time they arrived back at the lodge, half an hour later, no one was particularly excited anymore.

Davin cut the engine and turned in his seat so that he could see them both. “So, it’s decided then, we’re staying in town – not looking for a place over here?”

Alexis nodded. “It just doesn’t feel right to me. The houses are nice enough and it’s well laid out, but there’s no character to it.” She looked at Booker. “What do you think?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’ll go with whatever you guys want, obviously. I’m just grateful to be able to stay with you. But I like it better in town than I do over here. I was excited to look around, but it would have been tough to live over here.”

“What kind of tough?” Davin asked.

“I’d have to leave really early in the morning to get to the barn and stay over there until I was finished at the restaurant – I wouldn’t be able to come back in between.”

It took a minute before Davin understood what he meant. Booker used his bicycle to go everywhere – there was no way he’d be able to do that if they moved to this side of the lake.

Alexis caught his gaze, and he knew that she’d just figured it out as well.

“Do you know how to drive?” she asked.

Booker shrugged. Davin had come to recognize that as his tell that he was uncomfortable.

“How about we go get something to eat?” he suggested. He had a feeling that the conversation about getting Booker driving might take a while. “We could go to the restaurant in the lodge, the café in the square, or there’s a sports bar up one of the walkways.”

“It’s up to you guys,” Booker said.

“I vote sports bar,” said Alexis, and Davin wasn’t surprised by the way Booker grinned.

“That’s three votes for Violets then.”

“For what?” Alexis asked.

“Violets – that’s the name of the sports bar.”

~ ~ ~

When they walked inside, Alexis stopped in her tracks when she spotted Shayna behind the bar.

Davin rested his hand on the small of her back. “What’s wrong?”

“How many jobs does that girl have? She must work every hour of the day at some place or another.”

Booker smiled. “She’s only helping her friend out at lunch times for a few weeks. But if you count this, then she has five jobs.”

Alexis eyed him with interest. She knew that he enjoyed working at the barn in the mornings with Shayna, and he only had good things to say about her, but now she had to wonder if he might have a little crush on her.

Shayna waved when she saw them and greeted them with a big smile when they reached the bar.

“Hey guys, it’s great to see you all!” She winked at Booker. “I haven’t seen you for hours.”

“Yeah, and I thought I’d get some peace from your ass till tomorrow.”

As Alexis watched them banter back and forth, it became obvious that Booker didn’t have a crush. The two of them behaved more like siblings – and she loved that for him. Davin caught her gaze and smiled.

Shayna waved a hand at Booker. “Oh, shush! Let me see what these guys want to drink.”

“Can we grab a table?” Davin asked.

“Of course; sit anywhere you like.” She turned to Alexis. “And thank you.”

“For?”

“I felt bad the other night when Davin and Adam came over to the gym to see if that creepy guy was around. I only found out the next day that they’d left you and Evie at Giuseppe’s.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. Although, I should be the one thanking you – it gave me the chance to talk to Evie without them around.” She shot a knowing smile in Davin’s direction. “It was … enlightening.”

She had to laugh when his eyes grew wide. “It was? How? What did she say?”

Booker burst out laughing. “Jeez! Can’t you tell she’s messing with you?”

Davin rolled his eyes. “Thanks. I can now – I was worried for a second there.”

Alexis patted his arm. “Relax. It’s all good.”

Once they’d picked a table and they were all seated, Alexis wanted to revisit the matter of Booker driving. Davin had cut the conversation short earlier, but she was hoping that was just so that they could get out of the truck and eat.

“Do you know how to drive?” she asked.

He sat back in his seat and shook his head.

“Was it even an option for you to learn while you were in the system?” Davin asked.

He shrugged, and Alexis felt bad; she should have thought about it. What would his options have been? She doubted that he’d had many.

“Well, we can’t change what’s done. So, let’s start where we are, shall we? Would you like to learn?”

He nodded but didn’t lift his head.

“Okay, then. What do we need to do?” She directed that question to Davin.

“Get a learners permit to start with. Get insurance. Take lessons.”

“What do you think, Booker? Do you want to take lessons from an instructor, and we can ride around with you just to get your hours in? Or would you want one of us to teach you?”

“I don’t know how to do any of it.”

Alexis patted his hand. “Neither do I but I’m sure we’ll be able to figure it out between us.”

“Thanks. Would one of you guys teach me?”

She pursed her lips. “Because you think we’re amazing drivers or because you think it’ll be cheaper?”

He hung his head again.

“Just be honest, sweetheart,” she urged.

The look on his face broke her heart. “I think I’d rather go to an instructor because I don’t want you guys to think I’m stupid if I don’t get the hang of it.”

She opened her mouth to reassure him, but Davin gave her a look that made her stop and wait.

“And … I don’t want … It doesn’t matter if some stranger thinks I’m stupid, or if they get mad at me, but you guys … you matter.”

“Okay then, we wouldn’t get mad at you, and we wouldn’t think you were stupid, but I understand how you feel – so, please may I pay for your driving lessons?”

His lips twitched into a smile. “See, there you go with the please may I stuff!”

She laughed. “I can’t help it.”

He looked at Davin, who nodded encouragingly.

“I’m never going to be able to pay you guys back for everything.”

“And we’ve already told you that you don’t need to.”

“We’re going to need to find you a car,” said Davin.

Booker’s shoulders drooped again.

“What if we find you an old beater to start with?” Alexis suggested. “It doesn’t have to be anything too fancy; it just needs to be reliable, right?”

They both nodded.

“And that means it doesn’t need to cost too much money. So, if I were to buy it and you were to pay me in installments …”

“We,” said Davin. “We can buy it.”

“And you can pay us back in installments over time.”

Booker finally met her gaze before looking at Davin. “You guys are awesome. Thank you.”

“Are you saying we need to start looking for a car?” Alexis asked with a smile.

“I guess so. I will pay you back though – as fast as I can.”

“We can treat it as part of learning to budget,” she told him. They’d already had a few chats about that. Booker had no clue about money – not that it was his fault, it just amazed her that kids like him could be sent out into the world so poorly equipped to deal with it. He’d told her that some of his friends from the home hadn’t even had a copy of their birth certificate by the time they aged out.

She’d thought that Davin’s statistic about how many of them found themselves on the streets within six months was an exaggeration. Now, she understood. They wouldn’t be able to do much of anything if they couldn’t even verify their identity. Never mind getting a driver’s license and insurance, they wouldn’t even stand a chance of getting a job or a place to live.

The server arrived to take their order, and after he’d gone, Davin winked at her before turning to Booker.

“Do we want to take a look around town when we get back over there? See if we can spot any for sale signs?”

“Sure. Do you know what areas you like best?”

“I do,” said Alexis.

“Where?” asked Davin.

“On the water.”

Booker’s eyes widened, and Davin grinned and said, “Looks like we’re on the same page again.”

“We are?” She was thrilled to hear it. She might feel as though they already knew each other well, but she didn’t know his financial situation – nor did he know hers. Properties on the water were the most expensive, but real estate prices in Summer Lake were nothing compared to the D.C. area where she lived before. She could probably buy one of the most expensive properties in town for less than she’d get for her house in Georgetown. She’d put it on the market when she left D.C. and hadn’t been in any great hurry to find a buyer. She’d have to give the realtor a call and see if there was any movement.

From the look Davin was giving her as he nodded, she had to wonder if he was thinking the same way she was. He looked relieved rather than nervous. They could talk about it later – after Booker went to work.

“Are you guys loaded?”

She and Davin laughed, but she didn’t know what to say. She waited for Davin to go first.

He shrugged. “I guess that’s all a matter of perspective. I wouldn’t put it that way, but I’m not exactly hurting for money. You have to bear in mind that I get my military pension and I’m on a decent salary working for Clay. Since I live on site with my job, and I’ve done that for the last several years, I’ve been able to stash away most of what I bring in.” He shrugged again. “My savings account is pretty healthy.”

Alexis nodded. “I wouldn’t call myself wealthy either, but I made my home in the D.C. area for the last twenty years. I bought my property years ago. I own it free and clear now, and when it sells, I’ll have more than enough to buy any property we want at the lake. You can get so much more for your money here.”

“Are you guys going halves?”

Davin met her gaze and she nodded. “I think we are?”

He grinned. “Yeah, that’s what we talked about.”

“That’s awesome. And you’re both okay if I come with you?”

Davin grasped his shoulder. “Why don’t you answer that question yourself?”

Booker sucked in a deep breath before blowing it out slowly. “Okay. Yeah. I know that you are. It’s not that I don’t believe you – I don’t want you to think that. It’s just … I guess it’s hard to believe.”

“And that’s understandable,” Alexis told him.

Davin nodded. “It is; I wasn’t calling you out – I just wanted you to stop for a minute and think about it. It’s too easy to just go along with expecting things to work out the same way they always have. It takes a bit of getting used to when your luck changes.”

“Okay.”

“He’s right,” said Alexis. “You might want to check in with yourself every now and then – when the little voice in your head is telling you that this is too good to be true, question it. That way you’ll get used to accepting that it is true, and you’ll be able to settle into your new life.”

“Okay. I’ll try.”

They all looked up when Shayna approached their table. “I’m finished with my shift. I wanted to say bye on my way out.”

“’K. I’ll see you at the barn in the morning,” said Booker.

“You will, and I’ll bring donuts.”

Booker grinned. “Awesome, thanks.”

Shayna smiled at them. “Will I see the two of you tonight?”

Davin raised an eyebrow at Alexis. She knew that his friends were going to The Boathouse again tonight. He hadn’t pushed but she guessed that he’d like to go.

“I think so,” she told Shayna. When Davin grinned, she nodded. “I think it’s about time that I showed my face.”

“You don’t have to,” said Davin.

“I know, but I think I’d like to.”

“Awesome,” said Shayna. “I’ll see you all soon.”

“I hope you’re going home to get some rest before you have to be at the resort,” Alexis told her.

Shayna laughed. “Not exactly. I’m making the most of the couple of hours in between to go and see Lucky.”

“Why’s that?” Davin asked.

“He worked with a hypnotherapist in Salt Lake City a while back and he’s agreed to talk to me about his experience with that. I really want to learn more about hypnotherapy for PTSD and since I can’t exactly fly off to Salt Lake to see the man he worked with, Lucky offered to tell me about the patient side of it.”

“I know it really helped him,” Davin told her.

“Is this part of your college work?” Alexis asked.

“Kind of and not really at the same time. I’m working toward my degree in psychology, but it’s going to be a long road since I can only take a few classes at a time. And I can’t include hypnotherapy as part of it but that’s what I want to specialize in – eventually.”

“I might have a couple of contacts for you, if you’re interested. I have some friends who work with vets. I haven’t spoken to either of them in a couple of years, but I bet I can track them down and maybe even get them out here to visit.”

“That’d be amazing if you can, thank you.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Shayna checked her watch. “Sorry, I have to go. I don’t want to be late to meet Lucky.”

“Hey, Shayna, thanks again for helping out.”

Alexis eyed the young man who spoke to Shayna. He looked familiar for some reason, but Alexis was fairly certain that she hadn’t met him before.

“No worries. I’ll see you tomorrow, Xander. I have to run.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow.”

When she’d gone, the young man smiled at them. “How was everything?”

“It was great, thanks Xander. You and Tori have really turned this place around. I don’t know if you’ve met before, but this is Alexis, and this is Booker.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Booker nodded, and Alexis shook hands with Xander. “Nice to meet you, too. I don’t think that we’ve met before, but I could be wrong.”

“Xander’s another one who Cal might have told you about. He’s one of the Navy guys; a former SEAL,” Davin explained.

Alexis looked at him again. “I don’t think that’s it. I worked with several different teams but not in the last few years.”

Xander laughed. “We’ve never met, but I feel like I know you, too. You’re Alma, aren’t you?”

“I am. Has Cal been talking about me? I know he lives over here somewhere.”

“He and the other guys were excited that you were coming to live here, but I feel like I’ve known you for years. Your name is like a legend.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’d hardly say that.”

“I’m not kidding. I served with Kolby and Ty MacFarland. We heard all the stories about you from their older brother, Cash, and their cousin, Maverick.”

“I know it’s a small world, but oh my goodness. You know Cash and Mav? I haven’t seen those MacFarland boys in years.” She laughed. “They were trouble.”

Xander laughed. “They still are from what I hear. They set up their own company, they do some contract work for DoD, and they do a lot of private protection work as well.”

“Well, if you ever talk to their brothers, ask them to pass along my best regards, would you?”

“Be happy to.”