By the time we wrapped up today, I needed food and a drink before I could even think about being human around anyone but my son.
Thank the gods of sandwiches I’m human now.
So if I want to catch her before she heads home, I’d better get moving.
I toss down the last of my beer and pitch the bottle in the little outdoor bin, then lever myself up with one last longing look for the twilight sky.
Shit, I hadn’t noticed how much time passed, me sitting out here making Felicity queen of my head.
I realize Eli’s gone quiet.
When I look through the glass of the back door, he’s curled up in the corner of the couch, half drowsing with his lidded eyes on the TV.
I step inside and close the door quietly so I don’t startle him, then cross over to the sofa and rest my hand on top of his head, gently ruffling his hair.
“Hey, little man.” I smile, watching as he jerks with a sleepy snort before blinking up at me muzzily. “I’m gonna drop by and give Miss Felicity her money. You want to come, or you ready for bed? I can send the Fords around to check on you.”
He perks, instantly awake, eyes shining.
“Can I bring my camera?”
I raise my eyebrows. “You want to take pictures of an empty café this late?”
“Well...yeah.” He lowers his eyes sheepishly.
That makes me smile fuller than the moon and belt out a laugh.
He’s a bright boy, and he gets all shy whenever you bring up his photography. It’s how you can tell he loves it—that and the way he lights up anytime he gets a chance to even talk about it.
“I bet it’d make for some cool black-and-white shots with the way the lighting’s set up. All those little gleams of light, you know? Or if I adjust the aperture ring just right, I can do it in color, but make it so only the golden reflections pop and then—”
There must be something in the way I’m looking at him. Because he stops mid-speech, looking at me and turning bright red.
I can’t help it.
I’m damned proud of my boy.
After everything he’s been through with losing his mom, with me hauling ass to find steady work, it makes my chest blow to see him so lively and passionate. He’s growing up with a spark in him, and I feel like I’m not letting him down by keeping it alive.
“You were saying?” I urge, folding my arms.
Clearing his throat, he says a bit more gruffly, “I mean, it’s just easier when it’s later like this, Dad. ‘Cause I have to ask everyone for permission if they’re in the shot, and if Miss Felicity’s the only one there, then I only have to ask her...”
“As long as you make sure you do ask. Glad you remembered.” I ruffle his hair again, then snag the collar of his shirt and tug. “C’mon. Bring your tablet, and I’ll finish that online order for you, too.”
Eli practically bounces after me out to the car. Before we start up my Jeep, I tap through the shopping interface to check out for him.
Sure enough, he’s gotten some kind of smelly fish treats, meaning I’ll have to resign myself to the cabin stinking like a cannery till he and Mozart have made up.
It leaves him beaming, at least, as we make the drive from the outskirts. Charming Inn dominates the fields and bluffs at the edge of town, and we’re heading into Heart’s Edge proper.
Dusty little place. Looks like every truck-stop diner town in the Pacific Northwest, but it’s slowly growing while keeping its rustic charm.
I’m part of the reason it’s blowing up. My boss, Holt Silverton, grew up here. When his construction biz failed in New York, he came home to lick his wounds and brought his crew with him, starting up fresh.
The work hasn’t been half bad.
The views, even better.
In New York City, I missed being able to see the sky, unfettered and strewn with stars.
Maybe there’s no aurora borealis here in Heart’s Edge, but I get to see the night unfiltered by city lights, the Milky Way sprawled out in a path that feels like it’s leading me to something big.
Something special.
A treasure map of sorts.
Damn, why do I have this weird feeling in my chest, all curious and wondering?
I’ve been out of the dating pool for so long I don’t even know if this is what it feels like to have a crush on a pretty lady.
Technically speaking, taking that money in could’ve waited till morning.
There’s just something hot and prickly under my skin about wanting to see Miss Felicity again. No denying it.
Look, I’m a cautious man, but sometimes a man lets impulses lead.
By the time I park my Jeep in front of The Nest, I wonder.
This feels less like impulse, and more like raw intuition telling me I’m here for a reason.
And I think Miss Felicity could use a little help.
There’s a battered old station wagon in the parking lot—her beater I’ve seen around town.
Next to it, there’s this tall, slick, shiny SUV that looks like it just rolled off the assembly line yesterday after being tricked out to the nines.
My gut churns.
I get the briefest glimpse of a woman, petite and blond in the back seat, before tinted windows roll up. It’s the big guys tumbling themselves into the front and back that worry me.
I know the militant, focused way they move.
I know that type.
Roughnecks.
The kind of dudes where you take one glance and know they’re up to no good.
What the hell do they want with The Nest? With Felicity?
Especially when they’re carrying what looks like zippered bank bags.
Especially especially with the way they go tearing out of the lot, fishtailing it so fast they manage to tear up dust on dry concrete and leave skids of stinking, hot-smelling rubber in arcs on the pavement.
Shit.
I don’t think they even noticed me, stalled in the street just before the café and with my brights turned off so my vehicle blends into the darkness.
Still, I don’t move till they’re gone, weighing my options.
I’m worried about Felicity.
I’ve got a son to care for, too.
Eli’s a smart boy—the second he saw those guys, he ducked down in the seat, shrinking himself small and holding still, staring up at the dash with wide eyes.
Eyes narrowed, I watch their taillights retreat in glaring red dots, then glance at Eli.
“It’s okay, polecat.”
He scrunches his nose at me.
He’s gone pale as a little moon in the shadows, his eyes still too wide. “Dad! I’m too old for you to call me that.”
“Never too old.” Especially not when I can tell he’s freaked out. I reach over and grip his knee, squeezing. “It’s okay. They’re gone. We’re just gonna check in on Miss Felicity and make sure she’s all right.”
He swallows, his mouth turning down and crimping at the corners, his brow wrinkling.
“Do you think they hurt her?” he asks in a small voice.
“They’d better hope not,” I answer grimly. The razor-edge in my voice surprises me, but suddenly there’s a wary tingling on the back of my neck, an urgency building in my blood.
Felicity’s fine, I tell myself.
Even so, I won’t be satisfied until I see for myself.
I kick the engine into gear again, turning in slowly so the noise won’t startle Felicity, making sure to flash my lights as a bit of a warning that I’m coming.