What Doesn't Kill Her (Cape Charade #2)(81)

For the first time, Rae relaxed and leaned into Kellen and really listened.

Kellen had to be careful now, phrase her words perfectly. “We only take action when we know it’s necessary, when someone is going to be hurt and we can save them. We have to think when we’re in a difficult position, when the time to act is and when it’s better to be quiet and safe.”

“That’s not always easy for me to figure out.” Rae looked grave and thoughtful.

Kellen’s heart swelled with pride. Her little girl was so smart! And yet so kind, and that could be her ruin. “Not easy for me, either. But remember how in the mountains, I asked you about how to fight off an attacker, and you were so smart and came up with so many ideas? You and me, we’ll talk about possible dangerous situations and figure out the best way to handle them.”

“Okay.” Rae perked up. “That’ll be fun! And karate? You’re going to get me into karate?”

“Yes, but not right away. You already have a full schedule. Rae, I’m going to be here for you for as long as I can.” Kellen couldn’t promise more than that, not after the loss of consciousness on the mountain and the blackout on the road. “Sooner rather than later, I’ll prove to everyone the kind of person I am, and no one’s going to think I’m a hooker, and everyone’s going to know I was a captain in the Army. It’ll happen. You’ll see. Give me a little time.”

Rae got that rebellious I can’t wait look on her face.

Kellen remembered being that age and how long a minute was, how long an hour was, how it seemed she would never grow up and get to do whatever she wanted to do. She knew, too, that Rae’s thump wasn’t fueled merely by altruism—Martin had called Rae a liar and her teacher hadn’t believed her story, and that chafed when all she’d done was tell the truth. “I’ll tell you what. You’re probably going to have to apologize to Martin.”

“I won’t.”

Kellen held up one finger to stop her. “If you’ll do that, I’ll go to your teacher and ask if I can give a demonstration aimed at teaching kids like you how and when to defend yourselves. Once I do that, my credentials will be established, you’ll be my assistant and Martin will be afraid to ever tangle with you again.”

Rae thought about it. “You’ll have to go to the camp director.”

“Okay, I’ll go to the camp director. Tomorrow. Can I ride with you in the van?”

“Yeah!” Rae shouted.

Kellen almost told her, “Indoor voice,” and changed her mind. After all, the child was enthused that Kellen would be with her, and Kellen was enthused about the chance to look around the camp and view the security measures that would keep the children safe. She hated the thought that her daughter, that any child, would be in danger at a summer camp. But if she wasn’t satisfied, she would volunteer to work there, and the kids would be secure.

Or...not. If someone was after her, would she bring danger to the camp? She would talk to Max, suggest he instigate measures to keep Rae safe no matter where she was.

Kellen stood. “Let’s get you in the shower.” She opened the door to Rae’s room, glanced inside and realized why Verona had sent her up here to handle this.

Revenge.

All the dresser drawers were open, spitting socks, underwear, leggings and tutus onto the floor. The closet stood as a monument to empty hangers and mounds of wrinkled dresses. Naked princess dolls created stepping-stones toward the unmade stuffed-animal-covered bed.

Kellen’s austere Army-trained soul was horrified. “How do you know which clothes are clean and which ones are dirty?”

“The clean ones are in the laundry baskets.”

Which meant a hundred pounds of clothes were dirty. “We’ve got to get you organized.”

“Why?” It was an honest question.

“Because your grandma is right. This is atrocious.”

“Grandma says my cousin Sammy’s room is atrocious. If Sammy can be atrocious, why can’t I?”

“How old is Sammy?”

“Fourteen.”

“When you’re fourteen, you can have an atrocious room if you choose. Until then, it’s going to be organized.”

“But not right now, right?” Max stood in the door, smiling at his girls, “Later, right?”

“Sure. First thing is to give Rae a shower and find her some clean clothes to wear.” Kellen smiled back at him. “I’ll meet you at dinner.”

He turned away, then turned back. “Good job back there explaining the difference between life and death.”

“I may have a grip on that.”



46


When Kellen exited Rae’s room after assigning her one simple job—pick up her naked princess dolls and their clothes and stack them in the massive dollhouse—Max put his arm around her and led her toward the bedroom. His bedroom.

Kellen pulled back. “I can’t go in there with you. Your mother will have a fit. She doesn’t want you to sleep with me!”

“Are you kidding? When she finds out we’re going to get married, she’ll be thrilled. She’ll be in her element, Rae is going to have a blast, and little Martin’s mother is going to wish she kept her mouth shut, because they’re not going to be invited to the most important wedding this town has ever seen.” He sat down on the bed, smiled and patted his knee. “Come here and let’s talk about what we’re going to do after the ceremony. Maybe have a demonstration.”