“What’s the matter, Elliot?” She knelt in front of him and could see his nostrils flaring, but he didn’t answer.
“That big, mean man said something to him,” Garrett volunteered.
“What man?”
“He just left.”
She raced to the front of the store and peered through the large windows. In the parking lot, Amy stood by a huge new dual-wheel truck. The man beside her had a grip on her arm and was nearly lifting her off the ground. He released her suddenly and walked to the driver’s side of the vehicle while Amy crawled into the passenger’s seat. Jayden knew the man’s face, but not his name. It didn’t matter. He was Militia. That was enough to know.
Back in the school-supply aisle, Elliot had calmed down and was on his knees gathering pens and placing them back, while his brother stacked the backpacks.
“What did the man say to you, Elliot?”
The boy shook his head.
“You can tell me. It’ll be okay.”
He dropped the last pen in the box before looking up at her. “It doesn’t matter what he said and it won’t ever be okay.”
She knelt and hugged him. “You’re right. It won’t ever be okay for anyone to not be nice to you, because you’re a good person and that’s all that matters. There are people in this world who are simply narrow-minded. Do you know what that means?”
“Yeah, stupid.”
She smiled. “Good enough. Now, what if we go to Ray’s Fish House to eat?”
Elliot brightened. “Really?”
“Yes, is that strange?”
“Mom didn’t like us to eat out during the week, only on special occasions.”
“Well, we’re buying Garrett this backpack, and I think that’s a special occasion, don’t you?”
“Oh, yeah, a new backpack is super-special.”
“Can I get shrimp and frog legs?” Garrett asked, pulling her toward the front of the store.
Both boys bounced up and down while she paid, and she wondered if they might run to the restaurant rather than wait and ride in the car with her. On her way out the door she glanced at the empty parking spot where the white truck had been. Idiots, all of them, but now that she was here she might get the opportunity to put some Militia members in their place. The idea put a smile on her face.
She was still smiling when she slid into a seat at the family restaurant. She lifted her hand to wave at one of their neighbors then flipped through the menu, trying to decide what she wanted while she and Garrett waited for Elliot to return from the bathroom.
“Look who I found.” Elliot made a running slide into the chair across from her and it wobbled onto two legs.
“Elliot, be careful!” Jayden half rose from her seat.
A hand gripped the boy’s chair to keep it from toppling over. The deep blue eyes of Luke Taylor settled on her, and she felt her skin tingle. She nearly frowned but caught herself. She didn’t want the boys to see her agitation.
“Coach was about to get an order to go, but I told him he should eat with us.”
“If that’s okay?” Luke towered above her and she wished she didn’t like the sound of his voice quite so much.
She glanced at the boys, who were thoroughly excited at the idea of eating with the baseball coach.
“It’s fine if you want to.”
He nodded, still pinning her with a look she couldn’t quite read. His eyes seemed to lighten and he smiled. Unable to stop, she smiled back. She could’ve kicked herself for giving in to his charm. His yellow shirt was rolled up at the sleeves and the collar was unbuttoned as if he’d recently pulled loose a tie. The shirt stretched across his chest when he moved, and he seemed to take over their table with his presence.
“Coach Taylor’s a lawyer,” Elliot announced as Luke settled into a chair.
“Yes, I know.”
Elliot launched into a discussion of baseball, which he clearly deemed much more important than being a lawyer. Having his coach sit at the table and give him his undivided attention turned the boy into a chatterbox. Throughout their meal they discussed the teams they would play and whether or not they would do well against them. Not that she minded. It kept her from having to join in and also gave her plenty of time to study the man who made her angry and nervous at the same time. She wasn’t oblivious to the interested looks they got from the other diners, either.
“We’re through. Can we go play the games?”
Discouraged, Jayden glanced to the machines across the room. And she thought she’d get away without having a conversation with Luke. She nodded and began digging in her purse for coins, but before she could produce any Luke had pulled several dollars from his pocket.
“Let me, mine’s easier to get to.”
She dropped her purse between her feet and didn’t argue. The boys raced away, and her stomach instantly tightened.
“Thanks for letting me eat with you.”
She wiped her hands on a napkin. “The boys enjoyed it. They like you.”
“Why do I feel like there’s a lecture coming about being a role model and how if I get this Swayze guy off I won’t be a good one?”
She didn’t like it that he could already read her so well. “Let’s not discuss your job right now.”
Luke nodded. “So, we’ll discuss something else.”
“Right. How’s your horse?”
He smiled. “Thor’s fine, and hopefully I’ve gotten a latch on the gate he can’t get open.”
“That’s good.”
She fell silent and wondered what to say next.
“How’s being home compared to…where you were?”
She turned back to Luke. “Very different. I was working in Beverly Hills the past two years.”
“I guess this was a change. Vet to the stars, huh?”
“Actually, we were.”
He paused with the glass of iced tea halfway to his mouth. “You’re joking.”
“Nope. More than half of our clients were in the film or music industry, and quite a few were famous.”
“No cows and horses for you to deal with there.”
“That’s right, and I don’t mind telling you it’s been an adjustment.”
Luke focused his attention on Garrett and Elliot for a few seconds and she studied his profile, the way his lashes curled long and thick and his lips were smooth and not too full.
He faced her, and she tried to look away but she knew he’d caught her staring.
“I’ll bet the job hasn’t been the only difficult situation since you’ve been back.”
She pushed away the remnants of the fried catfish she couldn’t eat. “It’s been very hard, but they’re special kids. I hadn’t expected to be a parent this soon, though.”
“You could have let someone else do the job or sent the boys back to foster care.”