CHAPTER TWO
Annalisa Turner hummed along with the song playing from the speakers situated around the open area that ran the length of her cabin on the second floor. She lined up the pieces of fabric, then lowered the pressure foot on her sewing machine. With practiced ease, she pressed the foot pedal and fed the fabric beneath the needle.
Reaching the end of the fabric, she backstitched and then went forward again to finish off the stitching. As she lifted the pressure foot, a soft chime echoed through the cabin.
Annie lifted her head, a frown playing on her face. Movement near her feet revealed that Nyla had heard it as well. The guard dog got to her feet and turned toward the stairs. Her large body was tense, and her ears pricked forward.
Though her own body held tension, Annie wasn’t too worried. It was early in the afternoon, so it was likely to be just an animal or—
“All clear. B incoming.” Jude’s voice came through the walkie talkie sitting within arm’s reach on her workbench.
Reaching out, she picked it up and keyed it. “Heard.” She then turned her attention to Nyla and said, “ Fois. ”
Immediately, Nyla turned and came to where Annie sat. Annie ran her hand over Nyla’s fur, rubbing her ears. “Good girl.”
Nyla sat down beside her, still not completely at ease, even though Annie had given her the command. But she was no longer on alert, waiting for the command to guard or attack.
Another chime sounded as the front door opened, which caused Nyla to once again focus in that direction.
“Annie?” Benjamin’s voice drifted up from the main floor. “Are you upstairs?”
“Yep.” Annie moved her project over to an open space on her workbench and picked up her small iron to flatten the seam.
Her brother climbed the steps to her loft, his loose curly blonde hair appearing before the rest of his lanky teenage form. She set the iron aside as he came to a stop at the top of the stairs.
Turning her attention to Benji, she saw him looking around the loft, his gaze lingering on the fireplace she had crackling on the large television. It was normally hidden behind sliding wooden doors, but she’d wanted the ambiance that day.
“Uh… Christmas, Annie?” He frowned, as if he thought she’d lost her mind. “It’s summer.”
“Yep.” Annie grinned as Kenny G’s rendition of Silver Bells drifted from the speakers.
“Seriously.” Benji turned his attention to her. “Why Christmas? That’s months away.”
“I know.” Annie lifted the fabric she’d been working on. “But I want to stockpile inventory in anticipation of the holiday season. I always try to be a season or two ahead. Today just felt like a good day to work on Christmas stuff.”
“Can you take a break?” Benji asked.
“I suppose,” she said, setting her project aside. “What’s up?”
“I want to go in to Serenity.”
“What for?”
“Coach Jay called to say he had booked the gym for a few hours this afternoon and he asked if I wanted to join him.”
Annie considered the request, knowing that it wouldn’t be as simple as just agreed. “Let me tell Jude and see how he reacts.”
Benji grimaced, but nodded as he lowered himself to his knees to greet Nyla. Her tail wagged rapidly as she licked Benji’s face. He was definitely her favorite human.
Nyla and her two sisters had been bred as personal guard dogs for them, with Nyla being her constant companion when at home, and even sometimes when she went out. They’d been purchased from a special breeder in Scotland, who had also been the one to train them.
“Benji and I are going to go to the gym in Serenity so he can play basketball with some of his teammates.”
“Who set it up?” Jude asked, his voice gruff. The man had been in charge of security at their Serenity estate for the past ten years, and he took his job seriously.
“Jay Halverson.”
She waited for him to protest or put his foot down, but instead, he just said, “Dawn and Andrew will follow you.”
When she glanced over at Benji, he punched the air in celebration, though he didn’t make a sound until she ended the call.
“Maybe your last argument with Dad sank in,” Benji said as he got to his feet.
Annie hoped that was the case, especially for Benji’s sake. “We’ll see.”
“Can we go now?” Benji asked.
“Yep. Just let me get presentable.”
“I’ll wait downstairs.” Benji walked to the stairs, calling for Nyla to follow him.
Annie headed toward the bathroom, walking past her large comfy bed as the space transitioned from work to comfort. She pulled off the shorts and sweatshirt she was wearing and dropped them into the hamper, then went to her walk-in closet. After a brief consideration, she decided on a maxi dress in a pale pink with tiny white polka dots on it.
She paired it with a gauzy white blouse that she tied at the waistline of the dress. It might be a questionable fashion choice, considering her height, but she went for what she liked to wear over what others might think she should wear.
With deft motions, she twisted her hair up into a messy bun, then slathered some tinted moisturizer on her face. After a quick spritz of perfume, she put on a pair of wedges that added a few inches to her height, then grabbed her purse and phone and headed for the stairs, pausing just long enough to shut off the television fireplace and the music.
It didn’t take long to get Nyla and Benji into her car, then she pulled out of her garage and headed down the driveway, which wound through the forest to the main house. Once there, she got out and called for Nyla to follow her while Benji darted into the house to grab his bag.
Rather than enter the house, she walked toward the security building, which was set back from the main house behind a row of trees. The building had four apartments on the second floor, three of which were occupied, while the main floor housed state-of-the-art surveillance equipment and a top-of-the-line gym.
The door clicked as it unlocked for her, and she pulled it open. She held it open for Nyla, then crossed the small foyer to another door, which also clicked open. Three people were in this room which had two walls covered in large monitors, showing all different scenes from the property, including four angles of her home.
“Ready to go?” Dawn asked with a smile as Nyla greeted her two sisters with tail wags and sniffs.
“Yep. Benji is just getting his bag.”
“We’ll stay out in our cars at the gym,” Dawn said. “But you use the walkie talkie if something looks suspicious.”
Annie patted the outside pocket of her purse where she kept the walkie talkie.
“And your gun?” Jude asked, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair.
Grimacing, Annie shook her head and braced herself for the lecture that was to come.
Jude’s frown deepened, aging him beyond the thirty-nine years old she knew him to be.
“If you keep making that face,” she warned. “It’s going to stay that way.”
“He’s making a face?” Andrew asked from where he sat beside a desk facing one of the monitors. “I couldn’t tell.”
Annie flashed him a quick smile as Dawn chuckled.
“If you think that’s going to distract me, young lady, you’re wrong.”
Annie sighed. “I don’t like carrying the gun when I’m going to places where we know the people.”
“And you can guarantee me that you’ll know everyone there?” Jude asked.
“No, but it’s no different than a basketball game, and you let me leave my gun at home then.”
“That’s because Dawn and Andrew can be in the gym during those games, and they have guns.”
“C’mon,” Dawn said with a wave of her hand. “Let’s get you armed.”
Resigned, Annie followed Dawn into another room, where she unlocked a gun safe and pulled out a weapon. Though Annie wanted to complain to her bodyguard, she knew that in matters of security, Dawn always sided with Jude.
“The alternative is that Andrew and I come inside,” Dawn said as she grabbed a holster.
“It’s a casual get together, so you’ll stand out too much.”
“Then you’re going to need to strap this on,” Dawn told her as she held out the ankle holster.
Annie supposed she should be glad that Dawn wasn’t insisting on a shoulder holster. She’d practiced retrieving the gun using every style of clothing she preferred to wear, so even though the full skirt of her dress was a bit cumbersome, she didn’t doubt her ability to pull the gun out if necessary.
Once she had the gun in place, the three of them left the building. Benji was already waiting in the front seat of her car. As Annie slid behind the wheel, Dawn and Andrew got into a second non-descript vehicle.
Her own car was the highest safety rated SUV that she could drive around in without drawing attention to herself. Benji didn’t have his own vehicle yet, even though he was chomping at the bit to drive. He would probably be lucky and get to drive sooner than her dad had let her.
“So Jude didn’t give you a long lecture?” Benji asked as she steered the vehicle down the driveway to the front gate.
It opened as she approached it, and soon they were on the road, heading into Serenity. Dawn drove the car behind them, staying a reasonable distance back.
Though she’d never attended Serenity High School, Annie had been there for all of Benji’s games, so she knew where to go. After she’d parked, they got out of the vehicle. As they headed for the doors leading into the building, Annie glanced around, looking for the other car.
She spotted them parked in a far corner, Dawn having backed the car in. She knew they wouldn’t both stay in the car the whole time she and Benji were in the building, but at least one of them would be there.
“We’re late,” Benji said when the sound of a whistle pierced the air.
“Go ahead,” Annie told him with a wave of her hand. “I’ll catch up.”
His stride lengthened as he broke into a jog. Annie didn’t even attempt to catch up with him. She only ran when Dawn insisted she put in some time on the treadmill. It was among her least favorite things to do.
When she reached the doorway, she paused, allowing her gaze to sweep the area and categorize what she saw, starting with the people gathered on the bleachers. She recognized a few people there, but as her gaze went to the players on the court, her eyes widened.
Cole Halverson was there. Cole Halverson.
Moving slowly, she approached the nearest set of bleachers and climbed up a couple of rows before turning and sitting down on the hard surface. She crossed her legs, being careful to keep her dress over her ankle.
Leaning forward, she took in the game, and when her gaze caught Benji’s, he gave her a beaming grin. He’d been excited to come play ball with some of his friends, but to arrive and find out that Cole Halverson was there? He had to be over the moon ecstatic.
Benji was a huge, huge Cole Halverson fan. Of course, part of that was because the man was from the area, but it was also because Cole was Coach Jay’s younger brother.
Annie knew a great deal about Cole Halverson because she’d listened to Benji talk about him a whole lot over the past couple of years. Ever since he’d started playing basketball.
Benji had been on the junior varsity team for two years, and at the end of the previous season, the coach had let him know he wanted him on the varsity team the next season. That had thrilled Benji because he’d worked hard to improve his skills, making good use of the basketball court her dad had built in their recreation center.
If nothing else came of all that practice, getting to play with Cole Halverson would have made it all worthwhile. She knew that without Benji having to say anything.
And then there was the small matter of the crush she had on the man. Maybe it was inevitable since all she’d heard from Benji was what a great man he was. Not that she hadn’t also learned that about him herself by doing a little research.
Would seeing him in person squash the crush she had on him?
Maybe that would be for the best.
She was too old for crushes, especially ones that wouldn’t lead anywhere. She hadn’t thought she’d ever see the man in person, so it had seemed harmless enough to let her feelings linger.
“Head’s up!” a man’s voice called out, but Annie was already locked onto the ball that was headed her way.
She was just lifting her hands to protect her face when Cole Halverson maneuvered himself so that he could catch the ball with one hand, reversing its course and sending it back onto the court.
When Cole turned to face her, there was concern on his face. “You okay?”
“I’m… fine.” She stared at him, never having expected to be the focus of the man’s attention. “Thank you.”
A grin lifted the corners of his mouth as the skin at the corners of his dark eyes wrinkled. “You’re welcome.”
Annie’s pulse pounded as she watched him jog back into the fray, where he proceeded to get the ball and make a basket.
At odd moments throughout the rest of the games, Annie caught Cole glancing her way. She was glad no one was sitting too close to her, or they might have seen her heated cheeks.
When the games were over, the boys stayed on the court with Cole, who was going through some exercises with them. Cole called out encouragement, even going so far as to compliment Benji on his form when he jumped to shoot.
After the practice session, Annie watched as Benji approached where Amelia Madden sat with her sister, Layla. Annie knew about them because Benji had a crush of his own.
She didn’t think that it had anything to do with Amelia being part of the Halverson family, courtesy of her mom, Charli. Or at least she hoped that it didn’t.
From the shy smile Benji gave Amelia as he greeted her, Annie thought it was genuine.
“I want to go for ice cream,” Cole announced as he joined the group around Amelia, which currently included Benji. Cole looked at the man who stood next to him. “You up for that?”
The man shrugged. “Sure.”
“You okay with that, Sky?” This time, he directed the question to a woman with dark hair who was seated on the second row of that section of the bleachers.
She seemed to consider it for a moment before she nodded. “Anyone else coming?”
“Can we come?” Layla asked. “And Dawson and Benji?”
“Of course,” Cole said. “The more the merrier.”
As soon as Cole said that, Benji headed over to where Annie sat, a look of anticipation on his face.
“Can we go with them to get ice cream?”
The question came as no surprise, and Annie knew she should tell him no. But this might be one of the only times Benji would get to hang out with his basketball idol.
She glanced over to find several eyes on them, and she couldn’t find it in herself to deny him. Nodding, she said, “I’ll just have to let them know.”
Benji grinned, his eyes lighting up with joy. “Thanks, Annie.”
“You’re welcome.”
While he returned to where Amelia waited, Annie pulled out her phone and sent off a quick message to Dawn, letting her and Andrew know that there was a second destination. It was likely that they wouldn’t be happy about the change in plans, but they’d roll with it.
Dawn: Andrew’s going to head there to check things out. I’ll need to ride with you, or Jude will flip his lid. I’m going to let myself into your car to wait.
Since none of that was a surprise, Annie sent back a thumbs up. She stayed seated, not rushing Benji so that Dawn and Andrew would have time to do what they needed to.
When they got into the car a few minutes later, Dawn asked, “So why the change of plans?”
“Dawn!” Benji turned to face the back seat. “Guess who was there today?”
“Amelia?” the woman guessed.
Since they spent so much time with Annie and Benji, Dawn and Andrew knew most of what went on in their lives.
“Well, yes.” Benji laughed. “But someone else was there.”
“Oh?”
Annie could hear the concern in Dawn’s voice, just because they weren’t keen on unexpected people showing up. And Cole Halverson had definitely been an unexpected addition to the outing.
“Who was there, Benji?” Dawn asked.
“Cole Halverson!” Benji turned back around to face the front windshield as Annie guided the car toward the exit of the parking lot.
“Seriously?”
“Yep. He was there with his best friend and some other family members.”
“I bet you were over the moon,” Dawn said, sounding a bit more relieved.
Her dad—after much debate between him and Annie—had finally agreed to loosen the security strings just a bit, especially for Benji, when dealing with familiar settings and events or if they were set up by trusted people, like Jay Halverson. Which was why they’d been allowed to go to the gym that day, even though Dawn and Andrew wouldn’t have been able to do a full security sweep ahead of time.
Oh, and because she’d caved and now had a gun strapped to her leg.
“If you and Andrew are going to be inside, can I take off the gun?” Annie asked as she found a parking spot near the ice cream parlor. “Please?”
Dawn sighed. “You’ve had it on this long. Just leave it.”
Annie had figured that would be her response, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.
“You two, get out,” Dawn said. “Then I’ll get out after a few more minutes. Andrew’s inside already.”
With a nod, Annie opened her door and stepped out, while Benji did the same.
“I hate that we can’t live like normal people,” Benji muttered as she joined him on the sidewalk.
“He just doesn’t want anything to happen to either of us.”
“But you can’t say it’s not annoying.”
“What’s annoying is that there are people out there who make such tight security necessary.”
“It still bugs you what Dad requires, though,” Benji said. “You just asked Dawn if you could take off your gun.”
He had her there. “But when she said no, I didn’t argue.”
Benji just shook his head as he turned away from her and took a step toward the parlor. Annie didn’t hesitate to follow him, wanting to be away from the car by the time Dawn got out.
Thoughts of their conversation slipped away as they stepped into the cool—literally and figurately—interior of the nineteen-fifties styled ice cream parlor.
Annie looked around, spotting Andrew immediately. He sat facing the door, and when their gazes met, Annie smiled and gave him a little wave.
When they were around people they were likely to spend more time with, she and Benji had been told to acknowledge Dawn and Andrew. That way, if they had to come along with either of them, they could claim a previous relationship.
She hated all the machinations because it made things seem less… genuine. But it was the price they had to pay if they wanted to be out in public more.
If it was just her, she’d probably just stay home. But for Benji’s sake, she would do it so that he could live a life with more freedom than she’d had at his age.
Maybe if she’d been allowed to attend high school, she would have met Cole since they would have been in high school at the same time, though he would have been a year or two ahead of her.
She tried not to think of how different her life might have been had she not been forced to live a restricted life. Maybe afternoons at the ice cream parlor with friends would have been the norm.