SIXTEEN
Can you meet me for lunch?
Giddiness swept through Kaylie as she read Cade’s text. She immediately replied that she could, and then spent the next thirty minutes of third period staring at the clock, barely able to sit still and listen to Mr. Hausman drone on about the creepiest book she’d ever read, Lord of the Flies. How could she focus on child-aged murderers when Cade was coming?
The bell finally rang, and she bypassed her locker and tore out the front door of the school, ready to make the most of her thirty-minute lunch. Her nerves tingled at the sight of Cade’s truck idling at the front of the school.
I wish I was out of high school.
It was hard to attend school each day when the man you loved did not.
She opened the passenger door, hopped in, and slid across the bench seat, admiring the sight of him in jeans and leather coat. He pulled her close and kissed her deep.
She melted.
“Why aren’t you at work?” she asked once the kiss ended and he put the truck in gear.
“I needed to come to town for some supplies. I don’t think they’ll notice if it takes me a bit longer than it should.”
“Can we go to Dairy Queen?” A burger sounded heavenly.
“Absolutely.”
She snuggled into his shoulder as he drove, inhaling the scent of fresh-cut lumber that clung to him.
I can’t skip the rest of the day. But boy was she tempted. It was a good thing he needed to get back to the job site.
“Has your aunt said anything about me?” he asked.
“Nope. We still need to figure out a day you can come over for dinner so she can meet you.”
“She brought that up again?”
“No. She hasn’t mentioned it since our huge discussion the other day, but I told her we’d schedule something.”
He nodded and hit his blinker to turn into the Dairy Queen parking lot.
“What kind of cases does she work on at the FBI?” he asked.
“I know she’s working on the murder of those two county deputies. That includes the guy who was found murdered a few nights ago. They believe the cases are connected . . . along with some other minor fires. She doesn’t talk about it at home very much.”
“She’s probably not supposed to.”
“True. And she needs a break from thinking about them. I try to distract her during dinner because she gets so quiet and I know she’s having a hard time getting them out of her head.”
“Dedicated.”
“She is.”
“So she works murder cases,” he said, his voice catching on the word murder.
“Not always. Since she’s transferred to Bend, she gets a little bit of everything. In Portland she was assigned primarily to domestic terrorism. Out here they have a lot fewer agents, so everyone works on everything.”
He parked but turned to look at her instead of opening his door. His brown eyes were thoughtful. “Did you know any of the men who were murdered? The deputies . . . or that other guy?”
Kaylie shook her head. “No. I know Truman had worked a bit with the deputies, and they just identified the other guy, but I’d never heard of him. They aren’t sure where he’s from.”
“That must be frustrating.”
“Aunt Mercy said he has a daughter in Portland and she’s made arrangements to have him buried there.”
Relief filled his face. “That’s good.”
He’s so sensitive. “Hungry? We probably should grab our food and go eat in the school parking lot, so I’m not late.”
“Let’s go.”
Inside they placed their order. And waited. Why is this place always so slow?
She was calculating how many minutes she had left with Cade when she heard him greet someone. She looked up from her phone to see Landon’s snarky grin and Finn standing right behind him.
She forced a smile, hoping their food order would be called that second.
“You skipping?” Landon asked her.
“It’s lunch.”
“Did you call the cops on us the other night?” Landon asked with a wide smile, but his tone was deadly serious.
“What the hell are you saying?” Cade asked as Kaylie stared, fear swirling in her gut.
“What I’m saying is I don’t think it’s a coincidence that a cop showed up that night. And who was the only one who got off scot-free?” Behind Landon, Finn attempted to look supportive but withered under Kaylie’s glare.
“Did you see her make a phone call?” Cade snapped. “Do you think she’s got some telekinetic power to summon the police chief? Because that’s the only way she could have done it.”
“I didn’t call anyone,” Kaylie asserted. “If you don’t want to get caught by the cops, then don’t do anything stupid.” Fury tunneled her vision. Landon could go screw himself. And if Cade couldn’t see what an ass he was by now, they needed to have a serious talk.
“Did you talk to your boss about that extra work?” Landon asked Cade, changing the subject.
Kaylie bristled. No way in hell should Cade try to find him work.
“They’re not looking right now,” Cade said. “But I’ll keep my ears open.”
I can tell he’s lying. Maybe he is starting to see the type of person Landon is.
“Number twenty-three!”
“That’s us.” Kaylie lunged forward to grab the bags of food. “I need to get back to school.” She headed toward the door, leaving Cade to say good-byes to the guys. She’d had enough.
Outside he took the bags from her and held her hand as they walked to the truck. “You don’t want Landon working out there, do you?” she asked.
Cade opened the truck door for her before answering. “I don’t think he’d be a good fit.” He shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side.
“I wouldn’t recommend him,” Kaylie stated. “I get the feeling he’s not very reliable.” She watched Cade closely, waiting for his reaction.
“He’s not. There’s a reason he’s been fired so many times.”
She took a deep breath. “I know he’s a good friend of yours, but I don’t like him very much.”
Cade didn’t say anything and focused on driving.
“Every time I see him, he insults me.”
“That’s just—”
“I don’t think there is any excuse for that sort of rudeness.”
He was silent again.
“You lied to him about the job. Did you even ask your boss about it?”
“No. But I can’t tell him that.”
“That’s understandable.” She respected that Cade and Landon had been friends for a long time, but she wasn’t going to stay silent about his treatment of her. “I can’t believe he accused me of calling Truman that night.”
“He always looks for someone to blame,” Cade said slowly, as if finally seeing the truth.
“Not cool.”
“It’s not. I’ll make certain we stay away from them when we’re out together.” He pulled into a parking spot at the school. Turning off the truck, he slid an arm around her shoulders and kissed her. “I’m sorry my friends are dicks.”
She laughed against his mouth. “They really are. I would like to do things with other couples, though. Are there some guys at work you’d rather hang around with?”
He pulled back slightly, frowning. “No.” He opened a bag and handed her a burger.
She waited, expecting a clarification. But she didn’t get one. “No one? Really? You don’t like the guys you work with?” She unwrapped the sandwich and caught a huge drip of grease with her napkin. She took a bite, savoring the flavor of the salty, juicy meat with the cheese.
“They’re older. I don’t think we’d have much in common.” He studied the other cars arriving in the parking lot as students returned from lunch.
“Well, I’ll figure out an evening you can come over for dinner so Aunt Mercy can meet you.”
He flinched the slightest bit. “I already met her.”
“What? When?” Kaylie nearly choked on the bite of burger in her mouth. “My aunt never told me that!”
“She came out to the ranch yesterday. She was asking about the murdered guy who’d had his throat cut.”
“Oh, that makes sense. You introduced yourself?”
“Sorta. I don’t think she likes me.”
“She doesn’t know you. Don’t judge her by how she is while working. I’ve seen it; she’s all business. When she’s not working, she’s much more relaxed.”
“I don’t know . . .”
“Can you come over in the evening on Thanksgiving? We’re doing dinner earlier in the day, but having some people over for dessert. Would that work?”
He looked uncomfortable. “Yeah, that’d probably be okay.”
Kaylie inhaled the last of her burger and wiped her mouth. “I need to run. I’m so glad you came, even though we didn’t have much time.” His kiss made her consider skipping her math test during last period. He needs to get back to work too.
She slid out of the truck and waved good-bye. He looked a little upset, and she was secretly pleased that he didn’t like parting either.