Owen
“Dinner?” I asked, leaning over the console to kiss her. I’d been kissing her all damn day and I didn’t want to stop.
“I’m famished,” she said, pulling at my shirt to bring me close again. It was still early, but dread was already creeping back in. We had to head back to Lovewell tonight, and keeping a lid on my feelings for her was beginning to feel impossible.
We’d spent the day in Bangor, checking off weird spots on our list. The Paul Bunyan statue, the art museum, and, of course, Stephen King’s greatest hits.
We’d blown off work for the day to have fun and forget about reality after Lila had learned that she hadn’t received a scholarship to NYU. She could still take out loans and apply for grants, but she’d gotten her hopes up that this next part of her journey wouldn’t be quite so expensive.
The sadness that had plagued her had made my chest ache, so I’d done the only thing I could think of.
I’d taken her on a mini road trip to random, weird places to distract her.
Bangor was the perfect spot. It wasn’t too far from Lovewell, and it was filled with plenty of strange shit to keep us occupied.
“I didn’t know you were such a big fan,” she mused. “The water tower that inspired It? Most people just go to his house. That’s more of a deep cut.”
I shrugged. There was no hiding my nerdiness around Lila. “I’m a big reader. Maybe I live in Boston, but I’m a Mainer, so of course I’m a fan. Never done any of this stuff, though. The cemetery was definitely the creepiest.”
“Oh yes. Pet Sematary is the scariest book ever.”
I bit back a laugh. “Really? Church the cat is nowhere near as scary as Pennywise. Ugh. Clowns.” I shivered.
My brothers had fucked with me endlessly when they’d discovered my fear of clowns.
She laughed and rubbed her hands together maniacally. “Okay, terrified of clowns; noted. I kind of want to have a Stephen King movie marathon now.”
“I’ll bring the popcorn. As long as you promise that we can watch Stand By Me. That was a childhood staple for me and my brothers.”
Humming, she looked out at the restaurant on the other side of the parking lot. “Never seen it.”
“Excellent. I’ll put the wood stove on in the cabin and we can snuggle up and watch.”
She turned back to me and raised her brows. “You gonna feed me first?”
“Don’t move.” I got out and jogged around to get her door. Yes, it was cheesy, but I liked this. The small gestures that went along with being with someone. Caring about someone.
She was so tense and on guard in Lovewell, so I had to seize these opportunities when I could.
I held out a hand and guided her out of the car, then toward the entrance.
The Timber Kitchen was fancy by Northern Maine standards only, and its website promised many gluten-free options, so it was the best I was going to do.
Finn had mentioned it once, and I’d filed the name away for future use.
I’d love to pull out all the stops, and I would, if I thought it would impress her.
At this point, I was so desperate to take her on an actual date that even the Wendy’s in Heartsborough was looking pretty good right now, and in comparison, this was a three-star Michelin restaurant.
She took my arm and buried her face in my shoulder. “This has been an amazing day.”
Inside, the hostess seated us and placed menus in front of us.
The restaurant had an industrial vibe and balanced the exposed ductwork with details that were specific to Maine.
There was wood everywhere, mason jar water glasses, and of course, a moose head mounted over the fieldstone fireplace. Poor bastard.
Across from me, lit by candlelight, Lila glowed. She looked so at peace. I hated sneaking around, but moments like this made the secrecy worth it.
I slid my hand over the table and squeezed hers.
“I have a new appreciation for this state. You’ve forced me to admit how great parts of it are,” I admitted.
She laughed. “I think you mean how weird parts of it are. And we’re just getting started.”
We kept our conversation light, avoiding any talk of what would happen when the sale closed in a couple of weeks. I was still in denial. I’d already spent way more time here than I could afford to. Enzo needed me back weeks ago, and I was barely sleeping keeping up with the workload.
But this right here. These moments with Lila made all my worries seem unimportant.
Once we’d placed our orders, she headed to the restroom. While I had a minute to myself, I sat back, sipping my beer and taking the place in. It was nice. As long as the food was decent, I’d definitely bring her back.
The front doors were oversized, with large wrought-iron handles. They’d clearly been salvaged from an old barn. One swung open easily, and a group of people entered. I was pulled from my perusal when I was met with a familiar face.
It was a face I knew almost as well as my own.
My mother’s.
In Bangor?
I sat up and gaped as Karen Souza stepped up beside her, along with her husband, the goddamn chief of police.
What were they doing here?
Finally, a tall, well-groomed man joined the group.
I was pretty sure Gus had pointed him out to me once or twice. He was some local bigshot who probably used to rub elbows with my father.
And then he put his hand on the small of my mother’s back.
Anger rippled through me. Who the fuck did he think he was?
I stood, clenching my fists and itching to fight. It only took a couple of heartbeats to realize how stupid I must look. In a rush, I dropped back into my chair and ducked my head. But it was too late. Mom had spotted me and was headed over.
“Owen.” She greeted me with a big smile and a hug.
She was wearing a dress and lipstick and smelled nice. Suspicious.
“Mom, what are you doing here?”
“Just out to dinner with some friends. Come say hello.”
The last thing I wanted to do was speak to Chief Souza, but I had no interest in upsetting my mom. “Sure.”
As she led me toward where the hostess had seated them. I typed out a quick text to Lila.
Code red. My mom is here. With other Lovewell people.
My phone vibrated in my hand almost immediately.
Fuck. I’ll hide in here. Let me know if I have to climb out the window.
My mother tugged on my arm before I could reply and presented me to the table.
“Obviously you know Chief and Mrs. Souza.”
I shook the chief’s hand and tried to hide my grimace. He had done nothing but crawl all over us since the incident with that poor kid. According to Gus, he was still in a coma. Lila had probably saved his life by finding him that day.
I trusted the chief even less now that the security cameras that his “friend” had installed had failed to catch any evidence of the crime.
I bent down and kissed his wife on the cheek. “Good to see you, Mrs. Souza.”
She swatted at me and smiled. “Please call me Karen. You’re all grown up now. We’re so happy you’ve come back to town.”
My mother, who still had hold of my arm, pulled me closer. “And this is Charles Huxley.”
The tall guy stood and shook my hand. “Such a pleasure to meet you. Debbie has told me so much about you.”
A shudder worked its way through me. One I hoped I’d hidden from him and my mother. It took everything in me not to run to the bathroom and scrub my hands. The guy gave off a sleazy charm that made my stomach churn. His teeth were blindingly white, and no one in Maine had a tan this time of year.
“I’ve been trying to fix your mom up for years,” Karen said, beaming. “And now she’s finally double-dating with us.”
My vision blurred a bit at that word. Dating? This fucker?
The prick was wearing an Hermes tie. That alone made me vow to myself that I’d burn all mine when I went back to Boston. I wasn’t sure I could wear them without vomiting.
“Mom,” I said. My tone was tense, but there was no helping it. “You’re dating?”
She patted my arm. “Oh, Owen, it’s just an evening out with friends.” The smile she gave me turned a little feline then. “And you never told me what you’re doing here.”
The look on her face was pure challenge. She was silently warning me to keep my mouth shut on the topic of her dating.
For now, I’d do just that. I’d save all my questions for another day, after I punched my heavy bag for a few hours and talked to my brothers.
I wasn’t involved with the operations side of the business, but I knew Gus could easily disappear this fucker out in the woods.
“I met a friend for dinner,” I stammered as my phone vibrated three times in my pocket. Dammit. I needed to give Lila a heads-up.
She glanced back at my empty table. “Where did she go?”
I held back a sigh. Of course she’d assume it was a she.
“Just stepped out for a moment. Work thing.” I shrugged casually. “I better get back.”
Stuffing my hands into my pockets, I turned and headed back to our table. I waited until I was halfway across the dining room to pull my phone out.
Lila
Motherfucker.
Okay, it’s getting weird in here. I’ll climb out a window and meet you at the car.
Or… should I go through the kitchen? Can you text me some photos of the layout so I can plan my escape route?
Hit with a wave of weariness, I sighed. Not only was my mom dating, but she was dating someone who made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
And she was hanging out with the Souzas?
I couldn’t prove it, but there was no way the chief didn’t have some inkling about what my dad was up to, yet he had turned a blind eye.
And now Lila was willing to climb out a window to avoid being seen with me in public. Fucking great.
Or you could come out, and we could bite the bullet and come clean. Be honest that we’re together.
With your mom? She’ll hate me forever.
Are we talking about the same woman? Debbie Hebert? Medium height? Sensible bob haircut? Loves to knit and bake pies?
I can’t face her. Who else is there?
Chief Souza and his wife and Charles Huxley. Don’t know him, but I don’t trust him.
Now Charles was holding court at their table, telling some funny story. Probably about golf. Fuckers like that always thought golf stories were interesting. My mom’s tinkling laughter floated across the restaurant, and it made me see red.
Wait. Is your mom on a date?
I can’t answer that right now. I’m having some kind of rage-induced panic attack.
This is too weird. We have to leave.
My damn heart was bruised and in my throat. I desperately wanted to leave. But I also wanted to stay and salvage my romantic dinner with Lila. This day had felt so perfect, and now everything had gone to shit.
What do you want me to tell them?
Say you were meeting a date and she ghosted you.
Wow, thanks. Also your wineglass is half full and has your lipstick on it.
Come up with something.
Should I create a diversion? Set a small fire?
No fires, please.
Fake a medical emergency.
No that’s insane. Take a breath. Let’s just approach this like adults.
Have fun with that. I’ll hitchhike back to town.
Stop. If you want to leave, I’ll make an excuse and meet you in the car.
Damn, I really wanted that scallop risotto.
How about I get our meals to go?
You are my favorite person, Owen Hebert.
I flagged down the server and asked her to box up our meals, paid, and said my goodbyes to my mother and her companions. After hearing that my “friend” had a “work emergency,” they invited me to join them. I declined politely. I’d rather lie on a bed of nails than sit at that table.
Lila and I ate dinner in my car in the parking lot. It was a far cry from the lovely meal I’d envisioned.
Frustration and confusion had overtaken me, so I was terrible company, I was sure. Yes, we’d agreed to keep things quiet. I could understand her concern about what people would say, and I respected her desire to finish her last couple of months in town without stirring up drama.
But this felt an awful lot like rejection.
For as much as I honored her wishes and feelings, mine had been tramped and tossed out.
Did barriers exist that made our relationship less than ideal?
Absolutely. But after all this time together, it was hard not to hope that she’d let go of her paranoia about people finding out.
Because I was totally and fully in love with her.
I hadn’t told her that. If I did, she’d think I was insane.
But since the night we’d danced at the gala in Boston, I’d known she was it for me.
And it was bad enough that our time together was ticking away without having to worry about hiding in bathrooms to avoid being discovered.
I was itching to fight. To let out some of the aggression boiling inside me. Instead, I called Gus and made him conference with Jude and Finn while we drove back to town.
“This better be good. We’re on baby watch over here,” Finn complained.
“Mom is on a date,” I said.
“What the fuck?”
“Are you sure?”
I squeezed the steering wheel until my knuckles were white. “Yes. She’s on a double date with Chief and Mrs. Souza and that guy, Charles Huxley, at the Timber Kitchen in Bangor right now.”
“Fuck,” Finn moaned. “That restaurant is ruined for me now.”
“I don’t like that guy.”
“Neither do I.”
“And what does she need to date for?” Jude said. “Plenty of us don’t date, and we’re just fine.”
“Debatable,” Gus quipped.
“Like you should talk.”
“Focus,” Finn said. “We need a plan of action here.” His voice got muffled for a moment, and another voice, this one more feminine, responded. “Hold on, Adele is making me put this on speaker so she can contribute.”
We all fell silent.
“Boys. I’m a hundred weeks pregnant and do not have time for bullshit. Why are you all shouting at each other on the phone at nine p.m.?”
With a sigh, I explained briefly.
“And why are you all having temper tantrums? Your mom is a grown woman. She can go on a date.”
“She-Ra,” Finn said in a soothing tone, “you don’t understand. Mom doesn’t date. After what Dad did and all she went through.”
“After all that, she can do whatever the fuck she wants,” Adele protested. “She raised you assholes on her own. The least you can do is stay out of her business. The woman is in her sixties. Let her live.”
“But Charles Huxley?”
“It’s just a dinner. People go out to dinner as friends all the time.
You’re all overreacting, and coming from me, that’s serious.
Now stop being shitheads and leave your mom in peace.
If she wants your input, she’ll ask. Go do something productive and stop acting like Neanderthals. You were raised better than this.”
I growled. God, how had this perfect day gone to shit so quickly? “My phone’s about to die anyway. I’ll text you guys later.”
The moment the call was disconnected, Lila burst into a fit of giggles. “Adele.” She wiped at her eyes. “I love her. I feel like she could teach me so much.”
With a roll of my eyes, I took the exit toward Lovewell and once again got lost in stewing and ruminating on my ruined night.