Hawk (A Stepbrother Romance #3)(39)

Teachers my ass. Those two are dangerous. The man especially, but the woman has training too, I could tell just by the way they carried themselves. They might be undercover agents or something, manipulating Alex to try to get something on my father. The idea of someone using her like that infuriates me.

I didn’t get that feeling from them, though.

I think I’ll buy a truck.

After lacing up my boots I head downstairs. Lance has gone wherever he goes when he’s not annoying me, May is locked in her bedroom and damned if I know where their mother is. Suits me just fine. I head out the backdoor and walk towards Commerce Street, wondering if the Baladucci Brothers are still there.

In no real hurry it takes me half an hour to make it to Commerce. Then I walk down, heading southwest towards the river. The Baladucci dealership is at the far end. Half of Paradise Falls used to buy used cars there. They get them from the auction at Manheim.

Most car dealerships are closed on Sundays. Not these guys. One of those wiggly balloon-man things beckons. The doors stand open, summer heat pouring into the all-glass building that sits squat in the middle of the dealership.

There’s an ‘89 Ford truck sitting on the corner of the lot. They want $2500 for it.

As I walk up to it, memories flood back to me.

This one is red. Mine was a deep, dark brown. It was a few years older, too. No carpeting inside, upholstered seats in a crazy blanket pattern, some kind of fake southwestern thing. I bought it at this dealership for $1500 cash I saved up from working summers alongside Alexis.

I’ve had medals pinned on my chest and some pretty big checks cut in my name, but I’ve never felt prouder than when Alexis walked down from the cast-iron stairs behind the shoe repair shop and saw me leaning on my truck. Her face just lit up.

It was August. We were about to start our junior year. I’d just gotten my license; Alexis had hers but no car, so Alexis being Alexis, the first words out of her mouth were, “Can I drive it?”

Hawk being Hawk, I tossed her the keys. I’d only owned it for a few hours so it felt a little weird slipping into the passenger seat and watching her get behind the wheel. She gave me a look when she pulled the door shut and found she had to sit up straight to reach the wheel with her arms fully extended, and her feet wouldn’t reach the pedals. I had to hitch the seat up for her until she could reach.

Nothing crazy happened that night, she just drove. The look of concentration on her face as she navigated through town is cut into my mind like facets of a diamond. She was so cute, biting her lip as she pulled to a complete stop at deserted stop signs, using her signal even though the road was deserted.

Somehow we ended up driving to the game lands.

North of town there’s a big tract of land owned by the state. From spring through summer it’s deserted, in an official capacity. Supposedly people can hunt coyotes or crows in the summer but I’ve never heard of anyone doing it. Come fall and deer season it’s like an orange hat convention up there, but the rest of the year it’s secluded, the tract thickly wooded in that old, haunted forest kind of way that creeps in around the fringes of civilization up here.

Alexis pulled the truck off the road and parked in one of the cut offs, a gravel lot for hunters to park so they can walk in.

“So,” she said, “That was driving.”

“Yeah. You did okay.”

“Should we head back?”

“Not just yet.”

She shrugged and stepped out into the cool air. Dusk was coming and the trees threw long shadows across everything, the leaves casting grasping fingers on the earth. I walked around and dropped the tailgate and without a word she hopped up and sat there, swinging her feet.

I sat next to her and the bed of the truck bobbed on its springs just a bit, creaking. I never said it was in the best of shape. Alexis leaned back and sighed.

“You need a blanket or something to put down in the back. This metal is going to make my butt numb.”

Fireflies floated around us, flickering in the dark. One landed on Alexis’ nose and she flipped out, jumped off the truck and smacked her own face. The damn thing landed on her shoulder and she kept freaking out until I plucked it off and held her steady while she caught her breath.

“I hate bugs,” she told me in a low, soft voice. She was red as a beet.

I already knew, but it didn’t matter. We both busted out laughing as the fireflies swirled around us, and then it was time to go home.





Alexis





Now





I keep myself steady as I rise from the car and smooth my skirt, grab the attaché and follow Tom inside. The restaurant is called Bill’s and it’s close to the river, actually overlooking the gorge. It was an old inn a long time ago when it was first built. Now it’s a restaurant, probably the most expensive one in town.

Inside, the place is all old world. There’s a big bar by the waiting area, a huge mahogany monstrosity that must weigh several tons, backed up by ornate panels and mirrors and a stock of expensive liquor, the bottles lined up likes soldiers along the shelves. There’s no one behind the bar today; it’s illegal to serve liquor in Paradise Falls on Sunday.

Overhead, ceiling fans churn the chilly air. The main dining room is completely empty, most of their chairs up on the tables. A lone woman runs a vacuum cleaner between them, singing softly to herself. She either doesn’t notice us or knows better than to show it.