Chapter Thirteen
Summer
When Ryan pulled me away from Tigger and the clubhouse, I didn’t think there would be anything that could distract me from thinking about him. How tall he is, that perfect smile, those beautiful green colored eyes. Eyes that seemed to look straight into my soul and see the path to saving me. I just wish there was a path to save me. He doesn’t realize there is no saving a lost soul like me.
But Bella and her siblings have been enough distraction for me, and I have this feeling I won’t be getting bored of dealing with them anytime soon. Natalie and Thunder have a total of four children. Bella is the second oldest, only having one older brother. She’s by far the calm one of the bunch, but then again, that could be because she’s stuck in her bed. I bet if she could, she would get up and run circles around me.
I welcome the shenanigans of Natalie’s children. They help make up for the fact that I have no children of my own. This is part of the reason why I decided to pursue my degree in nursing. I hoped that I would get to work in a hospital and care of children. I may not work in a hospital anymore, but the Dragon Skulls have given me the opportunity to care for this beautiful little angel.
Bella looks just like her mother. Beautiful long flowing brown hair and those killer green eyes that the King women have. I vaguely remember Natalie’s mom, most people don’t. But I remember her because of her striking emerald green eyes. Her daughter inherited that her, but I’d never mention that to Nat, that’s a sore subject. That trait has now been passed down through a third generation and makes this family even more perfect than it already was.
“How’s my girl doing?” I look up to find Natalie standing behind me with tears in her eyes. She’s really worried about her little girl. I’m glad I’m here to help her.
“Stay in bed, sweetie, I need to go and talk to your mommy. Watch some television or something,” I kiss the top of her head and step away from her. I don’t go far, watching her from a distance. She has a dreamy smile on her face like she doesn’t have a care in the world. She’s a brave girl, if that were me, I’d be whining that I needed some pain medication.
“What’s the verdict, nurse?”
“She’ll be fine. The good news is the doctor was smart enough to do her surgery laparoscopically so her incisions are small and they used strips of tape over her incisions so those will fall off on their own. That’s fortunate since we don’t want to bring her back there to get staples removed,” I shake my head in disgust. I still can’t believe they discharged her the morning of her surgery. Heartless bastards. Given a choice, I bet they would’ve allowed me to perform her surgery that way they didn’t need to touch her.
“That’s good news, I guess, but without a doctor, what do we do now?”
I place my arm around her shoulders and lead her from the room. “That’s what I’m here for, Nat. I would never let anything happen to that little girl. I’ll get the supplies she needs. She can eat whatever she’d like, but if her stomach becomes upset, then we will need to switch her to low-fat foods such as rice, broiled chicken, toast or yogurt. She’s also going to need some children’s Tylenol or Advil. You stay here with her, I’ll run to the store before they close,” I pull my phone from my back pocket and look down at the time to make sure the store is still open. It’s a little late, but it should still be open.
“What should I do in the meantime to make sure she’s comfortable?”
“Just get her whatever she needs. She needs her rest, so just watch a movie or something with her for tonight. Don’t allow her to lift anything heavy, we’ll discuss everything when I get back. Stop worrying so much, Natalie. You’ll be just fine, just sit with her, she’s not going to break,” I pull her into a hug when she sniffles and wipes her eyes.
“I’ll be back,” I tell her, grabbing my purse and keys from the kitchen counter.
“Here, take this,” I look up to find Thunder has joined us. I look down at the card in his hand and open my mouth to protest. “I insist, anything you need to get for my little girl, get it. Pick her up some movies at the video store while you’re at it,” he winks at me, and I blush.
God, Natalie just had to marry a charmer.
I leave them alone when Thunder pulls Natalie in for a kiss and an embrace. Too intimate for me. Much more of that and it might start to rub off on me.
I make it to the supermarket half an hour later, and the place is nearly deserted. There are only a few customers and two or three employees moving around the front of the store. I ignore the man that gets out of his car after he parks. He leans against his car with his arms crossed over his chest and watches me while I walk inside the store. He’s wearing all black, and a chill runs down my spine the longer he stands there staring at me. That’s not anyone I know, especially not my mystery man. This man is heavier set and taller than him. I look behind me when I enter the store and find he’s still standing there staring at me.
Damn creep.
I ignore him as best I can. I need to get the supplies we need and head back home.
The trip through the store doesn’t take long. I get some cereal, milk, macaroni and cheese, kid’s yogurt, some ice cream containers, some soup, and some packets of meat and chicken. I asked Bella some of her favorite food items, but she was too busy concentrating on the cartoon that was on and not listening to me. I also grab some cases of juice and some snacks for her siblings. The house looked like it was in dire need of some food. I think Natalie and Thunder were so focused on Bella that they forgot to go shopping. I’ll have to stick around as much as I can and help out since they look exhausted.
I grab the final items I need, some pain medication and a first aid kit before I head for the checkout line.
I hesitate and almost turn back around to hide in one of the aisles again when I spot the man from outside making his way towards the same checkout. I decide I’m being paranoid and make my way in front of him to the checkout line. After I’m done placing all my items on the counter, I pick up a tabloid and pretend to be interested in the celebrity weight loss diet tips on page ten while I watch the stranger out of the corner of my eye.
He’s not looking at me, he’s instead examining the items I’ve placed on the counter. I take the chance to take in some of his features, chiseled jaw, five o-clock shadow, dark brown hair, and what appears to be matching eyes. When it’s my turn to pay, I put the magazine back in place and look down at the items he’s purchasing. A salad and a case of beer. Interesting combination.
“Thirty-seven fifty,” I look up to find the young cashier on the other side of the counter staring at the man behind me in line. She might as well stick her tongue out and lick him like a dog looking at him like that.
I clear my throat and take out Thunder’s card to give to the girl, “Here you go,” I tell her when she reaches her hand out but keeps her eyes locked on the man.
I scratch the back of my head and roll my eyes when she blindly reaches for the card only to drop in on the floor beside me.
I start to reach down for it, but the stranger gets there before me and picks up the card, examining the name.
“Parker Martinez? You don’t look like a Parker Martinez,” he smiles at me, but the smile seems off, forced like he’s trying to hide some emotion from me. Maybe disgust or curiosity? I can’t quite put my finger on that look.
I tuck some hair behind my ears and reach for the card, “Friend of mine.”
I take the card from him, my eyes searching his, making a mental note of his features in case I see him again in the future. The strangest sensation of fear courses through my body when my fingertips brush against his. I fight to keep my face passive, his eyes boring into mine.
I force myself to turn away from him and hand the cashier the card. Of course, she’s now scowling at me since the man is no longer paying attention to her.
I quickly pay and push my items outside to my car in the parking lot.
“Need some help?” I look up almost cursing out loud when I find the same man now standing inches away from me. He doesn’t wait for my response, instead coming to stand beside me and load the grocery bags into the trunk of my small car.
“Thank you,” I tell him shyly careful to avoid eye contact with him.
“Wait!” he shouts seconds before I step into my car and prepare to take off. I reluctantly straighten and turn to face him. “What’s your name? I’m Rodney.”
He offers me his hand once again, but I ignore it and turn fully to face him. “Summer. If you’ll excuse me, I don’t mean to be rude, but I must be going. I need to get back home,” I don’t feel bad when I get into my car. It’s not like I was lying, I do have to go to the video store and get back to the house. Bella might need my help.
I pull out of the parking lot, keeping my eyes trained on my rearview mirror. The entire time I’m pulling out, the stranger stands outside his vehicle watching me pull away. When I stop at the first stoplight outside of the parking lot, he gets into his car and turns it on. When the light turns green, and I don’t see him make a move to follow me, I turn my car towards the video store down the street and head that way.
The rest of the drive home, I don’t see the man again, and when I return to the Dragon Skulls lot, I fight hard with myself to not tell Thunder what happened when I was at the store. They have enough to worry about right now and plus, the guy didn’t do anything to me or say anything that would lead me to believe he’d do anything to harm me or anyone else.
I spend the rest of the night caring for Bella and reminding Natalie and Thunder that Bella cannot carry anything heavy and must avoid running and playing sports. I go to sleep in my room that night thinking about the way that man looked at me. I spend many nights doing that. Sometimes I wonder to myself why I never told Thunder about Rodney. It could have changed so many things.