Chapter Twenty-nine – Trust
Chapter Twenty-nine
Andie
TRUST
Performed by Chris Stapleton
When I woke alone in a bed that wasn’t mine, it took me several seconds to remember where I was and why. But instead of feeling panicked, instead of anxiety taking hold, my heart expanded, feeling again the overwhelming sense of love I’d experienced last night with Cooper and Luca.
Love I actually might have been able to show through actions, when I wasn’t quite ready to say the words yet, if Cooper hadn’t been called back to the station last night as soon as we’d stepped into his bedroom.
Cooper had apologized, tracing a finger along my jaw, pausing over the scar on my chin as if committing it to memory, before kissing me again.
Not softly. Not carefully. The kind of kiss that continued to rearrange my soul.
Every time he touched me, it felt like something shifted inside me—both the idea of who I was now and the version of myself I saw in my future.
Then, he’d asked if I was okay staying with Luca or if he should call his parents to come over. I’d just stared at him for a moment before reminding him that Luca and I had spent weeks in and out of each other’s company already.
He’d smiled, kissed me again, and then disappeared into the rain.
But as I got ready this morning, I wondered if I’d been too quick to assume Luca and I would be fine. It was different when he came to my house to visit me and see the dog. Here, I was invading his home and his relationship with his dad.
All it took was for Luca to look up from his bowl of cereal and smile as I walked into the kitchen for any concerns to wash away. His “good morning” was friendly and genuine. Not a hint of awkwardness.
I ran a hand over Akela’s head as the dog woofed down his food.
“Is it okay if I make a pot of coffee?”
He paused the video he was watching. “Sure. Want me to make it for you?”
“No. No. You can just point me to where things are at.”
After showing me the basics, Luca turned back to his phone and the video of a skater doing aerial tricks.
How long would it be before Cooper came home and they took off to get supplies for the ramp? I had an entire day off for the first time in a long time and found myself wanting to be with them. Maybe I’d ask to tag along with them to the lumberyard and buy paint for my living room.
But the thought of returning to my house, where someone might be watching, sent a chill up my spine.
I didn’t know when Cooper’s friend would come to check for any hidden cameras, but Lance had promised to install the alarm system this week.
Would he and his guys find something when they tried to put it in? What would I tell him if they did?
Luca stood, rinsed his bowl, and set it in the dishwasher. He pulled a beanie out of the back pocket of his jeans and pulled it over his hair.
“I’m going to take Akela for a walk,” he said. “I want to swing by the station and check in with Dad and tell him about a new idea I have for the ramp before we head to the lumberyard.”
Relief flooded me—something to do. “Hold on. Let me grab my shoes, and I’ll come too.”
The teen and the dog were waiting for me on the front porch when I came out. Luca smirked as I slid my arms into the same jacket I’d borrowed yesterday.
“Is that Dad’s?”
I flushed. It did seem silly, as if I were a teenager again, wearing my boyfriend’s letterman jacket, but the truth was, I liked wearing Cooper’s jacket.
It surrounded me with his scent and a warmth that was almost like having his arms around me.
“My jacket is still at your grandparents’ place.
I accidentally left it there on Friday.”
Luca gave me another knowing smile and then dropped his skateboard to the ground. He easily maneuvered Akela’s leash while also scooting along, with one foot on his board and the other propelling him up the slight hill leading toward the side road connecting our neighborhood to Main Street.
The ground was damp from the rain that had washed through overnight, and the clouds were still heavy in the air.
The temperature was downright frigid, and I wondered if we’d get snow.
It wouldn’t stick around for months as it did at the higher elevations of Sequoia National Park, but it would likely remain for a few weeks as the weather folks were promising an unusually cold winter.
Luca and Akela moved faster than me and ended up making long, slow loops so as not to leave me too far behind.
Every time they headed back down to me, Luca did tiny stunts with his board.
The way he moved reminded me of Fallon and Maisey performing their tricks on their horses—graceful and effortless.
“How long have you been skateboarding?” I asked as he spun on his board and landed near me one more time.
He shrugged. “Since I was maybe four? Mom was in a movie about X Gamers, and the studio sent this pro to teach her the basics. The guy was nice to me, gave me one of his old boards, taught me how to use it, and then told me I was a natural.”
“You look it. Seems like the board is just an extension of you.”
He grinned as if I’d told him he’d won a million bucks, but then it quickly disappeared. “I miss my coach. And competing. I can’t do any of that here.”
“Is that why your dad’s building you a ramp?”
“Yeah, it’s actually called a half-pipe.
But we’re adding other things to it too, like ledges and rails and boxes.
The design Dad drew up is more like a mini skate park.
My coach says if I can keep practicing, add to my bag of tricks, and send him clips, he might still be able to get me into some events. ”
As we turned onto the side street by the Emporium, a car came up behind us and honked. Luca picked up his board and joined me on the sidewalk, letting it zip by. Once we were on Main Street, he kept the board tucked under his arm.
“Is it too crowded to skate here?” I asked.
“That, and it’s against the town ordinances. No skateboarding on any city sidewalks or in the parks.”
“That’s just…lame.”
That earned me a laugh.
The stores and sidewalks were busy, but not overly crowded yet. With Thanksgiving only four days away, the streets would be packed this afternoon. A wash of guilt hit me for not being at work. The ranch would be busy today too.
A sudden burst of goosebumps ran up my spine as we passed the bakery, almost as if someone had stepped on my grave.
I looked over my shoulder into the shop and saw the woman who’d been at the Wylees’ party staring out at me.
At first, no emotion showed on her face.
Not even interest. But once she realized I was looking at her, she smiled and lifted a coffee cup as if in greeting.
I gave her a little wave and then turned back around.
Who had Cooper said she was? A businesswoman of some sort using the house on the Wylees’ street as a home base. She wasn’t anyone I knew. And yet, I still felt chilled by her gaze.
We were two shops away when I realized I wasn’t listening to Luca. Another pang of guilt hit me. I wanted my attention to be fully on him. I wanted him to know he was important to me, that his life and his interests were important.
So I pushed the woman out of my mind and listened as he told me about his skateboarding tricks, his @LucaOnDeck account where he showcased his and other people’s cool skills, and the competitions he’d been in.
Knowing he felt comfortable rattling away to me about the sport he loved warmed my heart.
How could Eden have ignored this smart, caring kid?
My anger at her grew the more he opened up to me.
“Wysteria’s asked for a board for Christmas. If she doesn’t get one, I told her she could have one of my old ones so I can teach her.”
The words were barely out of his mouth when something came flying at us from the street.
Luca reacted first, ducking out of the way. I wasn’t fast enough. An empty beer can slammed into the side of my head then clattered to the pavement with a hollow, metallic ping.
“Ow,” I gasped, bringing a hand to my temple and turning toward the road just as another can hurtled toward us and struck me square in the face.
“Knock it off, asshole!” Luca shouted.
He dropped Akela’s leash and his skateboard, stepping toward a lifted black truck creeping alongside the curb.
My stomach plummeted, fear for him invading every fiber of me.
I grabbed Luca’s elbow, yanking him back behind me as another can sailed out of the open window.
I managed to deflect this one with my forearm.
Through the partially lowered passenger window, I caught a glimpse of a broad-shouldered silhouette and nothing more.
Nothing to identify who was throwing shit at us.
“You’re not welcome here,” a deep voice yelled. “Any of you. Get the hell out of Rivers!”
Akela growled, body lowering, ready to lunge, and the driver floored it. The truck lurched dangerously into oncoming traffic to pass the car in front of it. Tires squealed. Horns blared.
“Fucking jerk!” Luca yelled, racing after it with Akela on his heels.
Heart pounding in alarm, I picked up Luca’s board and sprinted to catch up. “Luca! Stop!”
My palms were sweaty, my breath choppy, as the distance between us grew. When the truck weaved around one last car and disappeared out of sight, Luca ground to a halt, and relief flooded my veins.
My vision turned blotchy. Blackness swirled around me, but I refused to let a panic attack take over. I was responsible for Luca. Cooper had trusted me with his son. I would not pass out. I would not slip away and leave him alone.
I inhaled deeply, the oxygen burning my lungs as I forced myself to focus on Luca, to keep my eyes trained on him. My relief grew when he finally turned back toward me. The fury on his face made him look more like his father than ever before.
He snatched up Akela’s leash. The dog was still quivering and on alert as they jogged the rest of the way back to me. As he reached out for the skateboard in my arms, his mouth dropped. “Fuck… Andie… You’re bleeding.”
The pain hit then, a deep throbbing from where the first can had hit the side of my head and a sharp sting from my eye. I could already feel it swelling. I touched it and came away with blood.
Luca spun around, searching the sidewalk. “There. Sit on the bench, and I’ll go get my dad.”
He grabbed my hand, attempting to haul me toward one of the benches that littered Main Street, but I shook him off. “No. No. I don’t want you to go anywhere by yourself.”
Just the idea of him being alone and the truck coming back was enough to make bile burn my throat. Clearly unhappy with my decision, Luca’s gaze drifted toward the path to City Hall less than a block away.
“Come on.” I linked my arm with his and was even more relieved when he didn’t pull away.
Thank God he was safe. He was okay. He hadn’t been hurt.
But what if…
My body trembled.
No. No. I pushed aside the horrible thoughts that tried to take hold. Luca hadn’t caught up to the truck. Nothing had happened. He was okay.
All I wanted was to get him off the street. Get him someplace where nothing could hurt him.
I wanted to surround him in bubble wrap or an imaginary shield.
The closest I could get to it was the sheriff’s station.
Because nowhere would be safer for Luca than with his dad.