The Newcomer (Thunder Point #2)(45)

“You’re all dressed up for church.”

Cooper took off his jacket, tossed it on a bush and rolled up his sleeves. “I can adjust.”

“’Kay.” Austin jumped up and ran to the other side of the lawn, throwing Cooper the ball. “Were you mad when my mom told you? About me?”

“Nah,” Cooper said, throwing it back. “Best news I had all day. All month.”

Austin grinned. “You don’t live around here,” he pointed out.

“No, I live in Oregon.”

“My dad says we need to get to know each other. How we gonna do that?” he asked, throwing again.

“Well, we can talk on the phone. Maybe we can Skype. I can visit sometimes.”

“Can I visit you?”

“Fine by me, but we have to go slow. I think your dad is going to want to check me out, make sure I’m safe.”

“Right,” Austin said. “Make sure you’re not a perv.”

Cooper smiled, thinking of Landon. “I have friends you’re going to like. My girlfriend’s brother is sixteen, a quarterback, plays some killer football. My girlfriend is a Coast Guard search-and-rescue pilot.”

That stopped Austin. “She is?”

“She flies a helicopter. Oh, I live on the ocean. I have a Jet Ski.”

“Really?” Austin said, frozen for a moment.

“Really.”

“Do you have a family?”

“Parents,” Cooper said. “No wife or ex-wife or kids. Sisters and their kids. And Sarah, my girlfriend.”

“Would they be my family, then?” he asked.

“I guess so.” Then he grinned. “If your dad decides I’m not a perv.”

That made him laugh. “Your sisters would be my aunts.”

“Correct.”

“I have plenty of those,” he said with a sour face.

“I know the feeling,” Cooper agreed.

A man cleared his throat. Spencer was leaning against the side of the house, watching them, a half smile on his face. His sleeves were also rolled up; his tie was loosened.

“How long have you been standing there?” Cooper asked.

“Long enough to hear the Jet Ski bribery.”

“Well, since I’m not good at homework, I had to have something in the plus column. I also have a Rhino and a Harley.”

“A Harley? Aw, man!”

“Pretty underhanded,” Spencer said. “I have a canoe.”

“Dad! A Harley!”

“I heard, Austin. Well, I guess if you have to have two dads, at least one of ’em has a Harley.”

Ten

Ashley ended up staying in the hospital for almost a week. Five days, which was three longer than she had planned. The extended stay was largely to regulate her very mild anti-anxiety medication as well as to give her the benefit of inpatient group therapy. The doctor decided she wasn’t suffering from clinical depression, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t all worked up about the events in her life. The kids in her group were sympathetic and an odd thing happened—she found out that lots of outcasts had been harassed in this way, through texts, social media, bullied by whatever means available. Before now, Ashley had never considered herself an outcast! The fact that she was considered this way only by Downy and his girlfriend didn’t make it any easier to bear. It was shocking and revealed an entire universe to her that she’d never thought herself vulnerable to.

Going back to school was scary, even though her mother got her a new cell phone with a secret number and promised to rescue her immediately if there was any trouble. And even though Eve had her own issues with her mother’s surprise return, she was still standing beside Ashley’s locker, ready to be an escort and loyal friend. Landon was with her, of course. They’d brave being late to their classes just to make sure Ashley didn’t have any trouble in the halls.

To her surprise, Frank Downy appeared after third period one day. “I’ll get you to class whenever I can—we have a couple together.”

“Frank, you don’t have to,” Ashley said.

“And if I want to? You shouldn’t have had to put up with any shit because of Downy. Sometimes I just can’t believe him....”

“I don’t want to say anything bad about your brother,” she said.

“You don’t have to. Just in case you wonder whose side I’m on, wonder no more. He’s a dick and everyone but Mom is real pissed off at him for what he did to you.”

At the same time he was talking to her, Ashley wondered when Frank’s complexion had cleared up. When did he start to shave? In fact, hadn’t he been shorter than her? When did all this happen? Because she had known him since they were about five, too.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing her elbow in a gentle escort. “History is next for us.”

Then she realized he wasn’t wearing his glasses. He’d always worn thick glasses, which had given him such a bookwormish look. She stopped suddenly and looked at his face. “Frank, did you have LASIK surgery?”

“Contacts,” he said. He looked down at her. “I’ve had ’em about a year.”

She was completely embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Frank. I didn’t realize...”