Chapter 21

It was a beautiful day in June Lake, but then again, they didn’t seem to have any other kind around here this time of year. As it had been since we’d arrived, the sky was a beautiful blue and there were big fluffy clouds floating by lazily.

A slight breeze blew off the lake, just enough to relieve the worst of the heat and not nearly enough to be unpleasant. Colten and I sat side by side on a bike path just up from the beach, shaded by a leafy tree overhead as we waited for Jewel to show up with Brody.

Colt suddenly stood up, literally kicking rocks as he sent me yet another glare. “I can’t believe you arranged a play date for me. I’m ten, not four.”

I tried not to laugh at his expense, but it was hard to keep a straight face at how deeply miffed he was about this. “It’s for your own good, bud. You can’t spend all summer at the house.”

“Why not?” he asked. “I have everything I need right there.”

Truthfully, I didn’t really have an answer for that. At least not one that didn’t sound mean. The bottom line was that he wasn’t socializing well for his age and making friends was a life skill that he would need if he ever wanted to be successful—no matter what kind of success he coveted. He might not become a hot shot lawyer—which was fine by me—or even be career motivated at all, but whatever he did in his life, he had to learn how to deal with people his age.

Whoever he was now and whoever he would become, I would support and embrace him fully, but it was my job to help him build a strong foundation. Friends were key to that. I didn’t need him to make friends with every kid he ever met or to become the most popular child in his whole school. That wasn’t what this was about.

It was simply a small step in developing a skill he didn’t have. Now I just had to hope that this Brody kid hadn’t changed his mind.

A few minutes later though, I heard a car pull up on the road behind us and I twisted just in time to see Jewel emerge from it. She was talking to someone—presumably the kid—and laughing at something he’d said as she shut her door.

The next minute, they appeared at the top of the path, still chatting and laughing as they made their way toward us. I took the time to take a quick look at the kid, trying to gauge what kind of person he was.

Blond-haired and tanned, he had a crooked smile and a sporty style. He moved with confidence and Colten seemed immediately intimidated, even shrinking back a little as Jewel walked up to him. She smiled.

“Hey, Colten,” she said, her voice friendly and bright. “This is Brody. Brody, meet Colten. He’s from LA and he’s spending the summer here with his dad.”

“That’s cool,” Brody said with an easy shrug as he extended his hand toward my son. “I’m spending the summer here with my mom. And every other season too.”

He offered Colt that crooked smile and Colten took his hand, giving it a quick shake, but his shoulders had collapsed and he was shifting on his feet, apparently uncertain about how to respond. Thankfully, Jewel decided to play mediator, seamlessly stepping into the role as she chuckled at Brody’s joke.

“That’s a good one. Poor you, stuck here with us year round,” she said jokingly.

Brody chuckled. “Hey, I’ll take it. At least you guys are cool for grownups. Do you know if Scott is going fishing sometime this week?”

“I’ll have to ask him,” she replied as she reached out to ruffle Brody’s hair. “You want to go up against him again, though? Are you sure?”

Laughter rumbled out of him as he ducked and dodged away from her, but he didn’t seem put out by her ruffling his hair. “Do you fish, Colten?”

Once again, my son didn’t seem to know what to say, but Jewel was still in that mediator role and she used the opening to segue into something sure to get his attention. “I don’t know about fishing, but he kicked my butt in chess on Monday. I’m itching for a rematch.”

Colten lit up and I made a mental note to thank her for that. Then I could’ve kissed her when she used that to point out something they had in common. “Brody is a champion game player too, but his skills are at the arcade in town. Last time I was there, he had the top score in tons of games, so I’m going to have to look into taking him down too.”

“Really?” Colt asked, quietly but at least finally sounding curious. “What games?”

Brody shrugged but not dismissively. “I don’t really know which ones I still hold the top score in. I’ve been on the lake and stuff since school ended, so I haven’t been to the arcade much. What games do you like, besides chess?”

Just like that, the boys started talking on their own and Jewel sent me a discreet smile as she sat down on the bench beside me. “He’s cool, right?”

“Very,” I murmured. “I wonder how his mother got him to be so comfortable in his own skin. Any ideas?”

She chuckled. “Well, uh, I think it’s just his personality, but Samantha has always kind of just let him be, you know? She’s been taking him out on the lake since he was a baby, and as soon as he was old enough to play games, she’d take him to the arcade, but she’s never coddled him or spoiled him. She just lets him do his thing.”

“So do I, but it seems Colten’s thing is chess and not making friends.”

“Chess is fine too,” she said. “At least his thing is one that will keep his mind sharp as a tack. Besides, it looks like Brody is drawing him out of his shell.”

She inclined her head at the boys just as Colten started nodding enthusiastically. He came bounding over to us with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. “Can I have some money? Brody and I want to go to the arcade.”

I’d never been so willing to fork over cash as I was when I pulled my wallet out of my pocket. Peeling off a few bills, I handed them over. “Have fun. I’ll either be here at the beach or up at the cafe when you’re done.”

The boys took off, jogging up the path and then disappearing, but I heard Brody’s laughter and even some chuckles from Colten filling the air behind them. Once they were gone, I arched an eyebrow at Jewel.

“You’re a freaking genius. How did you know that would happen?”

“I didn’t, but Brody is easy to get along with. He’s not conceited about it, but almost all the kids in town love him.”

She had no idea how much her encouragement had helped Colten just then, and I shook my head at her. “Give yourself some credit, woman. You’ve known him for about five minutes and you might just have helped my son make his first real friend. That’s amazing. It’s not just because Brody is easy to get along with.”

She flushed. “I thought you said he used to have friends?”

“Yeah, sure, but back in the day when friends were the kids he played with at school without even knowing their names. I don’t think he’s had any since it became a little more complicated than that.”

“Well, I’m glad it helped. I was shy growing up too. I know what it’s like to need someone to throw you a bone.” She nudged me in the ribs. “While they’re busy, are you hungry?”

“Are you cooking?” I asked, trying not to sound too wary, but there was every possibility that her food would kill me on the spot.

She shook her head, nodding up at the cafe. “If we go now, we should beat the lunch rush. Let’s go grab some sandwiches. I’m buying.”

“Uh, okay,” I agreed, a bit grudgingly over her buying but following her to the cafe anyway.

We walked in to find quite a few of the tables already taken, but Verna showed us to a table on the patio outside and took our orders for drinks and sandwiches. “I’ll be back in a few, kids. You’re lucky you got here now. We’re filling up fast.”

“I thought you might be,” Jewel said, smiling at the woman as she took a look around. “It’s always good to see the place so full, though.”

“Hard work is what summers are for,” Verna joked, or at least, I thought she was joking. Then she took off.

Across the street, I could hear the boisterous laughter of the kids in the arcade and I hoped Colten was having fun with Brody. It sounded like there were a bunch of other children in there too, which made me wonder if maybe Brody was introducing Colt to some of the other local kids as well.

“This was a good idea,” I said as I turned back to Jewel, staring right into those honey-gold eyes and trying my best to ignore the urge I had to kiss her. Again. “The kids and the sandwiches. And the boating the other day, actually.”

She giggled, running the pendant on the chain around her neck from one side to the other. The movement drew my gaze down and I groaned internally when I noticed the swell of her breasts under the fitted tank she was wearing.

I’d been trying so hard not to ogle her, but now that we were alone—relatively speaking, anyway—and her hand was fidgeting right in front of her chest, I let myself look. For just a second.

The tank was a pastel pink and it clung to her every curve. Her blonde hair framed her beautiful face and her lips curved into a semi-permanent smile. She wore no makeup and her hair was loose, the waves in it appearing natural.

“I have a surprise for you when you come back to the house on Monday,” I said, suddenly looking forward to seeing that gorgeous face once she realized what I’d bought from Dallas.

Her chin lowered a bit and her eyebrows rose, but then her long lashes batted as she blinked rapidly and grinned at me. “You’re serious? You have a surprise for me? I love surprises.”

I do too, I thought. Especially when they come wrapped up in a body like yours with a smile like that.

Just then, loud tires screeched on the asphalt and my stomach leaped into my throat as I watched Dallas Styles swing into a parking spot outside the arcade. His red Ferrari lurched over the curb and nearly crashed into the window.

My heart hammered and my muscles tightened. I didn’t know just who the hell that guy thought he was, but my kid was in that arcade and so were many others. I didn’t give a shit that I was staying in his house or that he came from a family that was revered in these parts.

With that idiotic move, he’d endangered my son and there was absolutely no way I was letting it go.