24. Lark
LARK
Cold water splashed on my fingers as I set the wet cup down, sweating from the summer heat. I pasted on a smile and tried to swallow down the sudden wave of nausea. I stood awkwardly a foot or two away from Wyatt, Penny, and Red, who were at the entrance to the stadium.
Penny’s hand was tucked into Wyatt’s, but as an electric-blue sports car pulled up to the circular drive, she looked up at him with a huge grin.
Wyatt looked back at me. I’m sure he was wondering why I was being weird and standing away from the group, but as a woman stepped out from behind the driver’s side, I swallowed hard again.
Wyatt’s ex.
Penny’s mother.
She was stunning, a mature and gorgeous version of Penny herself.
I shouldn’t have been surprised that handsome, charming Wyatt would have exes that had dazzling smiles and were built like Wonder Woman.
I tugged at the hem of my cutoff shorts and the discarded Midwest Michigan University T-shirt I’d stolen from Wyatt’s laundry basket and cropped into a cute top.
“Mom!” Penny stepped forward to embrace her mother, and the woman’s arms wound around Penny’s back.
“Hey, Penny. I’ve missed you!” She smiled at Wyatt. “Thanks for making this happen.”
“’Course.” His voice was softer as he looked at the woman and Penny. “Glad you could make the trip.”
The woman looked at Red, who didn’t say hello or seem to recognize her. “Hi, Mr. Sullivan. It’s good to see you again.”
My heart ached for them, as it was clear as day Red didn’t recognize her.
“I’m Bethany. Penny’s mom? I visited you a few times with Wyatt. Remember? Of course you do!”
“Yeah. Yes. Of course.” Red shifted his weight, and I worried that he’d get frustrated and agitated, as MJ had warned often happened when he was pushed to remember fuzzier details.
Thankfully, or maybe unfortunately, the woman’s eyes landed on me. “Oh. Hi. I’m Penny’s mom, Bethany.”
I stepped forward and offered my hand and a wobbly smile. “Lark. I’m, um...”
I looked to Wyatt for help.
Am I the nanny? Personal assistant? Fuck buddy?
It was Penny who provided the details as the awkward silence filled the air. “She’s our neighbor and my very best friend! She also works for Daddy.”
Penny’s delighted eyes met mine, and I winked at her as Wyatt nearly choked next to me.
He cleared his throat. “Lark’s been a lifesaver this summer, what with me juggling the new job, the team. She’s the only reason a few of my players will be eligible in the fall. Penny likes hanging out with her too.” He ruffled her hair.
Bethany’s smile was nothing but genuine, and I relaxed a little. “I still can’t believe you moved back to the middle of nowhere .”
Red grumbled at her tiny jab. Her words weren’t malicious, but it was obvious she was a city girl, through and through.
Bethany stood, holding on to Penny and looking at Wyatt. The weird, jealous feelings I hated to admit to having started to bubble up, so I took the opportunity to bail.
“Hey, Red, how does a walk sound?”
Relieved gratitude flickered over Wyatt’s face, and my throat went thick. Bethany was pleasant. Nice, even. I knew I wasn’t the first woman Wyatt had ever been with, but the fact that he never talked about Penny’s mom made me burn with curiosity.
Red and his fractured mind felt safe. He didn’t recall much, if anything, about Bethany, and that meant I couldn’t torture myself with peppering him with questions in search of answers.
I smiled at Penny as I looped my arm through Red’s. “Have a great time, Pen.”
Penny surged forward and wrapped her arms around my middle. “See you Sunday night. Love you.”
Sudden, unexpected tears pricked at my eyes as I rubbed her back. “Love you too, kiddo. Have so much fun.”
Before I could look at Wyatt’s face and dissolve into a puddle of unwelcomed emotion, I gave Red a watery smile and led him down the sidewalk.
Red patted my hand. “Kids always know how to punch you in the gut, don’t they?”
I blew out a breath and squeezed his arm. “They sure do, Red.”
* * *
Thankfully, my muddled-up feelings stayed in check for the rest of the afternoon. Wyatt still had things to wrap up after the football camp, so I’d texted him that I was taking Red home and would chat with him later.
Within seconds he responded.
Wyatt
Seeing you on the field was the best part of my day.
My insides went gooey. I’d managed to quell my irrational jealousy on the drive back to Outtatowner. It had been a very long time since a man had made me as mixed up and dizzy as Wyatt had managed to do in a few short weeks.
I dropped Red back at Haven Pines and helped make sure he was settled in his room before wishing him a good night. I was beat from the long day, but keyed up.
As I pulled into my driveway, I paused. Lee was sitting at the base of the steps that led to my apartment. He stood when I pulled the car to a stop.
“Hey!” I smiled back when a goofy grin spread across his face. “Wyatt’s still not back from work. What’s up?”
Lee unclasped his hands and lifted his palms. “Here to see you.”
I closed the car door behind me. “Okay...”
“I need someone who isn’t a townie to help me for a little while. You game?”
I crinkled my brows at him. “What’s up?”
Lee rubbed a hand across his chin. “On a scale of one to ten, how opposed to a little small-town troublemaking are you?”
I smiled. “I don’t know... I guess that depends. A two, maybe?”
“I can work with that. Let’s go.” Lee reached into the small duffel bag that hung crosswise against his body and tossed something at me.
I caught it, revealing a black knit stocking cap. “Seriously?”
Lee winked, and I looked back at Wyatt’s darkened farmhouse before walking toward his truck. “Just get in,” he said.
* * *
Lee turned down a small, dark road and flipped off his headlights. My eyes went wide, and my skin prickled.
“It’s fine. I promise. I’ll have you back to your place in thirty minutes. An hour, tops.” He nodded toward the stocking cap in my hands. “Put that on.”
I pulled the knit hat over my head and peered into the darkness. “Where are we?”
“Just an old two-way stop.” Lee shrugged. He climbed out of his truck, and I followed him toward the truck bed.
We were cloaked in darkness, but down the dark country road, headlights appeared in the distance. I held my breath but exhaled when the vehicle turned.
Lee pointed left and right down the road. “You’re the lookout. Yell if you see anyone coming. Yell louder if you know for sure it’s a King.”
Confused, I watched Lee pull a tool bag and a long rectangular piece of metal from the back of the truck.
“What is that?”
Lee’s childlike excitement was palpable, and my stomach flipped. He turned the sign around, and it read, Poor House Road . I glanced up at the existing sign, which read, Pour House Road .
“I know a guy who works for the road commissioner.” He shrugged and grinned. “In the sign shop. He married a cousin, so technically he’s a Sullivan and did me a favor.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, already knowing the answer. “And who lives down this road?”
Lee’s grin widened.
A King.
Replacing the sign to the house of the richest family in town with Poor House Road ?
“This is so childish.” I tried my best to make it sound like a reprimand, but I couldn’t help the laughter that laced through my words.
Lee motioned down the road with the big metal tool. “Just keep your eyes peeled.”
I peered down the dark roadway. It was still warm from the day, but a chill raced across my chest as my nerves started to get the better of me. Far into the darkness, a pair of headlights turned onto the road.
“Lee! Hey, someone’s coming!”
Lee had already removed the old sign with a hammer and another tool he used to punch out the rivets. He was working fast to attach the new sign with bolts. “Almost. Almost there.”
I leaned against the side of the truck, trying to make myself invisible. “They’re still coming. I have no idea who it is. Lee!”
The car approached, and my stomach sank to my shoes as the familiar outline of a police cruiser came into view. I straightened as Lee kicked the tool bag away and stepped to my side.
An officer climbed out of his vehicle, and I froze. “Evening. Car trouble?”
My eyes grew wide as he scanned the roadway by us.
“No, sir,” Lee answered smoothly. “Lark here is new, and I was just showing her some of the sights.” He looped his arm across my shoulder, and I could only look at him with horror as I realized what he was implying.
The officer stifled a knowing laugh as I shot daggers at the side of Lee’s head.
“Well, you two best move on. This is a dark stretch of roadway, and it’s not safe to be parked without lights.”
“Yes, sir.” Lee guided me toward the passenger side and opened the door. “We’ll head out.”
Satisfied, the officer nodded and returned to his cruiser. I watched as Lee took his time rounding the hood of the truck. When the police officer pulled away, Lee ducked down to retrieve the tool bag and the old road sign. Hurrying, he tossed them into the bed of the truck and hopped into the cab.
He grinned his devilish grin at me and turned on the engine. “That was a close one. Are you coming?”
I moved around the open door and climbed inside. “You idiot! We could have been arrested!”
Lee laughed and leaned closer. “Nah. The cops are always trying to scare people away and keep them from making out on dark country roads.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.
I rolled my eyes and pushed him away, laughing.
“What do you say I buy you a beer for your trouble?”
I looked at my phone. Still no text from Wyatt. “Sure.” I pointed my finger at him. “But no more breaking the law.”
Lee smirked as he pulled down a road and headed toward Main Street. “No promises.”