5. Summer
Summer
What was Reese Haven doing out there?
The midday heat had hit me like a truck as soon as I’d walked out of the diner to take my lunch. I hadn’t heard bikes, but I’d stopped to check anyway. And there he was, sitting in a black SUV parked next to my car.
A wave of disappointment swept through me. It figured he’d show up right when I was leaving.
He wore dark sunglasses, but I could tell he was looking at me. I waved, and he lowered his window as I walked toward his car.
“Hey,” I said. “What are you up to? Hungry again?”
The corners of his mouth lifted in a sheepish smile. It was impossibly cute, especially on a man who otherwise looked so intimidating.
“No, not really. I just…” He glanced away for a second and took off his sunglasses. “I figured I’d swing by and make sure you’re all right.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
He nodded once.
I regarded him for a second, not sure what to think. He was so big. One hand rested casually on the steering wheel, leaving his whole muscular arm in view. He really did look dangerous. His face had the hard edges of a man who’d seen things. Maybe done things.
That probably should have been a red flag. I did not need to get mixed up with a man like…well, like my ex. Been there, done that.
But Reese seemed so different. Nothing like Axel or the other Mayhem guys who were always trying to mess up my life.
“Are you leaving for the day?” he asked.
“No, just my break. I need to go to the bank to deposit my check.” I glanced around the parking lot again, more as a reflex than because I expected to see bikes. They weren’t there. I would have heard them.
But what if Buzz and Hammer were still in town?
“You’re worried they’re around, aren’t you?” he asked.
“Yeah.” A bead of sweat trickled down my back. “With my luck, I’ll run into them at the ATM.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“Come with me where?”
“To the bank. Just to make sure no one bothers you. I’m not going to steal your paycheck.”
I laughed. “That’s exactly what someone who was going to steal my paycheck would say.”
He grinned, and my heart fluttered. That smile was something else. It changed his whole face. “I guess so. But if I was going to mess with you, I could have done it a long time ago.”
“That’s true.”
“If you don’t want me to go with you, I’ll leave.” His deep voice was gentle. “But I can follow you over there. Make sure you get back to work safely.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay. An escort to the bank would be nice.”
“I got you.”
Those three words, delivered with such confidence, threatened to crack me wide open. Nobody “had” me. Not like that. Ever. I’d always been on my own. I swallowed back the surge of emotion.
“The bank I go to is over by the grocery store.”
“I’ll follow you.”
I appreciated that he didn’t suggest I get in his car. We were more than strangers—maybe even friends—but I still needed to be careful. “Thank you.”
He tipped his chin.
I walked over to my car and got in, not quite understanding what Reese Haven was doing. Why he would be concerned about me. But I decided not to worry about it. For now. If he was nice enough to spend twenty minutes escorting me to an ATM, why not take advantage of that?
Besides, I didn’t get a lot of breaks in my life. Maybe I was due.
He followed in his black SUV, and when we parked at the bank, he got out and held open the door into the building for me.
I’d chosen that bank because it had two ATMs inside.
After being robbed at an outside ATM once, I tried to avoid them—especially when I was depositing my precious paycheck. If I lost that, I’d be screwed.
No one was in the bank lobby, but Reese positioned himself near the entrance and stood like a sentinel, his thick arms crossed.
I could see him reflected in the small mirror on the ATM.
With his alert posture and dark sunglasses, he looked like a bodyguard doing security for a celebrity or something. It almost made me laugh.
Until a loud engine roared by and my back tightened with alarm. I whipped around to look, but it was just a noisy car. It disappeared down the road, the sound fading.
I let out a relieved breath and finished making my deposit. Reese held the door again and we walked outside into the heat.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “We could get lunch.”
That stopped me in my tracks, and I looked up at him. “Are you asking me out?”
“No.”
“I think you are.”
“I didn’t ask you out. I asked if you’re hungry.”
“Aren’t those the same thing?”
“No.” His tone was matter-of-fact. “I don’t date.”
We’ll pretend that declaration didn’t send a rush of disappointment all the way to my toes.
I pulled my sunglasses down and looked at him over the rim. “I don’t date, either.”
“Good. I’m hungry. If you are, too, I’ll buy you lunch. Otherwise I’ll follow you back to work.”
“I could eat.”
“There’s a taco truck down the road.”
I smiled. “I like tacos.”
“Follow me.”
We drove back toward the diner, and Reese turned in to the parking lot of a small strip mall. I’d seen the taco truck dozens of times, but never stopped to eat. I didn’t have the money to go out to eat, even cheap tacos.
There were only two people in line, so the wait wasn’t long. We ordered taco plates—he ordered himself two, but he was a big guy, so it wasn’t surprising—and grabbed drinks.
“Should we sit in your car?” I asked. “It’s probably more comfortable than mine.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “Are you sure?”
“At this point, I’m pretty sure you’re not going to abduct me. Although if you are, the tacos are a good ruse.”
We got into his SUV, and I sank into the dark leather seat. So that was what a nice car felt like. What a difference. It made me glad I hadn’t insisted on sitting in my car. The passenger seat had a big tear in the upholstery.
Reese turned on the AC and I held my plate near my chin so I wouldn’t drop food all over his car. He combined his two plates to make three overstuffed tacos.
“You know, as many times as you’ve been in the diner, I don’t think I’ve ever asked what you do for work,” I said.
“Private security.”
“What does that mean? You’re a bodyguard?”
“Sometimes.”
I nodded slowly. “Your offer to accompany me to the bank suddenly makes more sense.”
“I guess I can’t help it. It’s what I do.”
“What kind of clients? I’m guessing you don’t usually provide security for broke waitresses.”
“Depends. I was just in Peru doing security for an archaeological dig.”
“Why did archaeologists need security?”
“In some parts of the world, looters can be a problem. They’ll come in armed and take what they think they can sell. We didn’t have any issues, though.”
“That’s good. Armed looters sound serious.”
He shrugged. “It was an easy job.”
“You say that like a Peruvian archaeological site with the risk of armed robbery was boring.”
“Kinda was.”
I laughed. “Okay, so what’s a not-boring job you’ve done?”
He took a bite of his taco and thought for a moment. “Some millionaire’s twentysomething son wanted to travel through parts of North Africa and the Middle East. They hired me to go with him.”
“Isn’t that, like, one of the most dangerous places in the world?”
“Yeah. That’s why they hired me.”
“Were you ever in danger?”
“All the time.”
I gaped at him for a second. “You were in danger all the time and that’s why it wasn’t boring?”
He nodded as he took another bite. “At least I was busy.”
No wonder he hadn’t seemed afraid of Buzz and Hammer when they’d been in the diner.
“How did you get into that? It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you aspire to when you get out of high school.”
“Kind of a long story. The short version is, about ten years ago, I was looking to do something new. So were a bunch of guys I knew. We all had the right skills, so it made sense.”
“Were you in the military or something?”
“No.”
He didn’t elaborate, and it was clear he wasn’t going to tell me the long version of that story. I could respect that. There were things in my past I didn’t like talking about.
I finished my tacos and checked the time. I had ten minutes left before my break was over.
“You need to get back,” he said.
It was like he was a mind reader.
“I do. Gotta finish my shift.”
I took our mostly empty plates and put them in the trash next to the taco truck. Reese lowered his window.
“I’ll follow you back to work.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know. But I will anyway.”
“Thank you. And thanks for lunch.”
“Sure. Get out your phone.”
“Why?”
“So you can take my number. I want you to call me if they come back.”
I was about to argue that he didn’t need to do that, either—I was not his problem—but his expression bore no argument. And the truth was, having someone to call if I wound up in trouble, especially someone like Reese Haven, would be reassuring.
So I got out my phone and we exchanged numbers.
“Too bad I can’t just hire you,” I said. “It’s nice to feel safe for once.”
His lips parted, and I thought he was going to say something else. But he didn’t.
True to his word, Reese followed me back to the diner. No sign of Buzz and Hammer. I was almost convinced they’d left town.
But even if they had, I knew they’d be back. Probably when I least expected it. That was how it always went.
I waved goodbye to Reese when I got out of my car. He lifted his hand in return, but didn’t leave. I went inside and clocked in, and when I checked out the window about ten minutes later, he was gone.
An unexpected rush hit shortly after. The good news was, a busy diner meant more tips, and things were going smoothly. But my feet hurt, and I had hours to go before my shift ended.
I peeked into the dining room to make sure I’d brought table four their side of ranch. I had, but now table three needed their check. I printed it out, but before I could bring it to them, Tess called my name.
“Yeah?”
She had the diner’s phone in her hand and held it out to me. “You have a call.”
“Who is it?”
“Someone from a school?” She sounded uncertain.
“Must be about my son.” I took the phone. “Hello, this is Summer.”
“This is Mr. Ross, vice principal of Lincoln Elementary. I’m sorry to bother you at work, but we have a bit of a situation with Nate.”
“What’s wrong?”
“He instigated an altercation with another student. Per school policy, he’s being suspended. We need you to come pick him up.”
“Wait, are you saying he got in a fight? Is he hurt?”
“No, he’s not hurt. And yes, he did.”
“Are you sure? Nate has never been in a fight.”
“It’s probably best we speak in person.”
I glanced around the dining room in a panic. I couldn’t just leave. I had tables. What was Terri going to think?
I couldn’t get fired.
“I understand. I’m at work. I’m not sure how quickly I can get there.”
“He can wait in the office until you arrive. But it would be best if you got here as soon as possible.”
I let out a long breath and glanced toward the kitchen. Terri stood in the doorway, watching me.
“I’ll get there as soon as I can.” I handed the phone back to Tess and turned to Terri. “It’s my son. I have to pick him up from school.”
She didn’t bother hiding her frustration. She didn’t quite roll her eyes, but her expression said she wasn’t pleased. “Get someone to cover your tables.”
“I will.”
“Are you coming back to finish your shift?”
“Um…” I swallowed hard. “My neighbor watches him after school. I’ll have to see if she’s home.”
Muttering something incoherent, Terri went back to her office.
Tess put a gentle hand on my arm. “Go. I’ve got your tables.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. We’ll be fine.” She shot a glare in the direction of Terri’s office. “Sometimes she forgets we’re not robots.”
“Do you think she’d be mad if I brought my son in? He could sit in the back booth until my shift is over. He’s a really good kid—wouldn’t get in the way.”
She winced. “I wouldn’t risk it. Terri isn’t a fan of kids. Besides, we’ll cover you. Brit is here, and she can handle like a dozen tables at once. We’ll make it work.”
“You’re the best. Thank you.”
I updated Tess on my tables so she could close them out, then went to the back to get my purse.
Outside, a hot breeze did nothing to cut through the blazing midday heat. The air felt dry and gritty. I got in my car and turned on the AC, then headed to Nate’s school.
What was going on with him? A fight? There had to be more to the story. He wasn’t a violent kid. He barely stuck up for himself, even when other kids were being jerks.
I parked out front and went straight to the office. The receptionist greeted me with a friendly smile.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m Summer Lewis. I’m here for my son, Nate.”
“Oh.” Her smile faded and she nodded, pushing a clipboard toward me. “Sign in, please.”
I signed in, and she handed me a lanyard with a visitor badge.
“Follow me.”
She led me down a short hallway behind the reception desk. The door to the vice principal’s office was half open, and I could see Nate sitting in a chair, his shoulders slumped, his eyes on the floor.
The receptionist pushed the door open and gestured for me to go in.
A man with a slight build, glasses, and salt-and-pepper hair sat behind a desk. He looked up when I entered. Nate didn’t.
“Ms. Lewis?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m Summer. What happened?”
“Please, have a seat.”
I took the chair next to Nate. He still didn’t look at me.
“Nate, do you want to tell your mom what happened?” Mr. Ross’s voice was surprisingly gentle.
“I hit Joey Conroy during recess.”
“Why did you do that?” I asked, confused.
Without looking up, Nate shrugged.
“He won’t say,” Mr. Ross said.
I turned to Nate. “Was Joey bullying you?”
He didn’t respond. Just kept his eyes on the floor.
“He hasn’t reported any bullying,” Mr. Ross said. “And he punched another student in the face in the middle of the playground. We can’t ignore that. School policy is a three-day suspension.”
I tried not to let my dismay show. What was I going to do about work? I hoped Mindy would be around and willing to watch him for a full day.
“All right. Let’s go.”
I stood and Nate shuffled along behind me. I didn’t know whether to be angry, frustrated, or heartbroken.
Mostly heartbroken.
After turning in the visitor badge, I led Nate outside to my car. He didn’t say a word. Just continued to shuffle along behind me with his head hanging, barely picking up his feet.
He got in the passenger side. As I opened the driver’s-side door, the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood up. I felt like I was being watched.
I didn’t hear anything—no motorcycle engines at least. Just the hum of regular traffic as cars passed the school. Slowly, I turned to glance over my shoulder.
It felt as if my heart stopped dead in my chest. I was being watched. But not by Buzz and Hammer. It was worse.
Axel.