FUTURE RISK Page 7

  Besides his inability to cook vegetables I didn’t see Bennett struggle in raising Liam last night. He’s obviously learned a lot.

  Dolores busies herself with wiping up the pan and putting it in the dishwasher, but she stops long enough to turn back and dish out one piece of advice. “It takes a village to raise a child, they say, but what Bennett really needs is a dedicated girl who will help make his family complete.”

  “Um…” Just when my face is going back to my regular shade this happens. “It’s not really like that between Bennett and me. He’s just…” What is Bennett doing? “Helping me because of his job.”

  I haven’t been in Pelican Bay long, but I have watched Bennett’s boss, Ridge, fall head over heels in love with Tabitha. There’s no way he would let anything happen to his girlfriend’s friend. I’m sure Bennett is taking orders from his boss. If Tabitha wasn’t involved none of them would be either.

  “You sure it’s only because of his job?”

  My argument about being Tabitha’s best friend dies on my lips as the back door swings open.

  “We catched a frog,” Liam yells running into the kitchen. He stops a centimeter before smacking into the counter, and out of his hands jumps a fat dark green toad.

  “Oh my God,” I practically scream, grabbing my plate off the table, and try not to fall off my stool as I stand and back away from the counter.

  Dolores has a much better reaction. She leans forward and scoops the frog off the counter. “You need to keep your new pal outside, Liam.”

  “Do I have to?” he asks as Dolores leads him to the back door, the frog carefully placed between her two palms.

  “Absolutely.”

  Bennett sidesteps them as they cross paths at the doorway.

  I put my plate of eggs back on the counter. “Bennett, you have frog… dirt on your counter.” I’m not sure what a frog butt print looks like, but this one left big dirty streaks all across the white and black counter top. The place where we all eat. Where food is made.

  Rather than seeming horrified, Bennett laughs. “Yeah, he has a way of doing that. I buy the cleaning wipes in bulk.” He fumbles around under the sink for a few moments and pulls out a huge purple and white container of sanitization wipes. Pulling one from a jar, he uses it to wipe up the dirt from the table. It’s clean when he’s done but I wish he had used five, six, a hundred more…to be safe.

  He shrugs. “He’s five. What are you gonna do?”

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Are you sure you’re okay? I can drop you off with Tabitha or Ridge.”

  Bennett’s hesitancy stretches my lips across my face into a large smile. “No, this is great.”

  Liam runs back to us, his little feet smacking the pavement with each step making the lights on the back of his shoes flash. “Can I get the chocolate flavor?”

  “Sure, buddy.”

  Bennett’s house isn’t far from the water — no one in Pelican Bay proper is — so when Liam suggested we take a Sunday walk for ice cream, none of us were going to say no. The way his eyes lit up and his face exploded in excitement when his dad told him he could get any flavor he wanted was enough to remind me there is a reason to smile today. In fact being around his constant ball of energy I haven’t had much time to sit and fret about what I’m going to do when Bennett finally lets me go back to the bakery.

  The wind blasts cool air off the top of the ocean right down the road blowing my hair every which direction. When it settles I attempt to flatten it as close as possible to my head. Tabitha was super concerned about packing lingerie, but she didn’t stop to think about the little stuff like a hair tie…or a toothbrush.

  A slight dead fish odor lingers in the air, a sure sign we’re getting closer to the beach. Closing my eyes, I breathe deeply letting the smell remind me of back home. Most people think of the beach as a pleasant scent — and I do too — I just know where it really comes from. Living so close to the ocean from childhood makes you aware of what really goes on down there under the surf.

  Two black cars, one right after the other, drive past us. They slow, the passenger in the second car turning her head and staring out the window. If it wasn’t obviously Pearl, I would probably be diving for the bushes.

  “Are you sure I should be out in public?” I ask, as the cars drive farther and farther away.

  “Yup. Frankie doesn’t want you. He’s interested in the money his lackey Kevin hid in the bakery. Once Ridge makes contact and negotiates a drop point, you’ll be in the clear.”

  Liam runs a few feet ahead, kicking all the loose stones on the sidewalk and picking up every stick pretending it’s a gun before he tosses it to the side.

  “Don’t cross the road!” Bennett yells, his voice booming on the quiet street.

  Liam stops a few inches from the curb of the road and Bennett picks up his pace to catch up with him. My stomach tightens at the picture playing out in front of me. Or my womb, if it’s really capable of emotion like all the books would have you believe. Before today I wasn’t even sure I wanted children, but right at this very second I need a hundred. All of them with Bennett’s features and Liam’s personality.

  The thought doesn’t linger long before worry over the bakery takes its place. As much as I loved spending the last two days with Bennett and Liam, I have to get back to work. If I don’t sell some doughnuts soon I’m going to be piled high in debt. More than I already am. My father dropped some hints about offering to send money if I needed it, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing I’m struggling. This is something I’ve got to do on my own.

  I’m also not one hundred percent on board with Ridge bypassing the police and taking care of this whole Frankie issue himself. But he promised me I’d be back in the bakery a lot faster if I let him handle it under the radar. I’m banking on the fact Bennett won’t let me go to jail…or worse, get shot.

  “Okay, since there are no cars coming now we can go,” Bennett directs Liam across the road in a few paces to the curb.

  They make it to the other side and Bennett stops to wait for me while Liam runs ahead.

  “He’s such a good kid.” I keep a steady pace as we walk to the ice cream stand. “He seems to be adjusting well.”

  Bennett nods his head, his eyes watching Liam as he continues to kick rocks into the road. “It’s been about a year since we moved here. He has his moments when he misses his mom and asks a lot of questions. I try to be honest with him, but I’m not sure if it’s working.”

  “You’re doing a good job, Bennett.”

  He sighs. “He starts kindergarten in the fall. I guess we’ll see what his teacher says.”

  Liam stops on the edge of the road, this time at least two feet away from the curb and waits for us to catch up. “Hurry up, Dad. What if they run out?”

  Bennett holds Liam’s hand as we cross the road and laughs. “Trust me, buddy. They are not going to run out of ice cream. Especially chocolate.”

  “I want strawberry.”

  “Strawberry?” Bennett acts confused. “I thought you wanted chocolate?”

  Liam doesn’t seem upset by his dad being two steps behind his ice cream choice. “My mind has turned. I want strawberry.”

  “Are you sure? It’s a big choice. You should run up and check out the sign before you make a final answer.”

  The breeze picks up, throwing sand across the sidewalk that separates the beach from the parking lot we’re walking through. Not bothered by any of it, Liam darts off toward the ice cream booth.

  “Watch for cars!” Bennett yells, but the parking lot is empty. “And what do you plan to order?”

  “Me? There’s no question about it. I always order blueberry.”

  Bennett laughs once, twisting his head in my direction, his eyes sparkling in the midday sun. “Blueberry? Two Scoops has over fifty flavors and you’ve only tried blueberry?”

  I shrug. “Why mess with perfection?”

  We reach the small red ice cream shop and Benne
tt steps up to the order window to order for all of us. I almost object, but then remember not only did I tell him what I would order, but I don’t have a purse, wallet, or any money on me. I guess this one I’ll leave all to him.

  Bennett finishes and we all step a few paces to the right waiting for our order at the pickup window. I watch the worker twist the cones perfectly under the machine’s spout and briefly consider offering ice cream at the bakery. Ultimately I toss the idea out because I can’t foresee Tabitha making a twisty cone anywhere as well as they do here. Bennett hands Liam a chocolate cone — he went back to his original decision, but not before much consideration. When I have a light blue cone twisted higher than should be possible with gravity and Bennett carries a bright pink colored one I can only assume is tutti frutti, we let Liam lead the way to the lighthouse.

  The tall Pelican Bay lighthouse beckons from farther up the shore and we leave the sidewalk to stroll through the sand.

  “You think he’s okay?” Bennett asks while Liam runs ahead.

  The small child eyes his cone, his head down searching the ground for shells before stopping to lick every few seconds.

  “Yeah.” It’s an easy answer. I’m not experienced in children but Liam is happy and that feels like the most important part.

  “I worry I’m messing it all up. Without Dolores we’d be eating box macaroni and cheese and smashed broccoli every night.”

  I place a hand on Bennett’s back, not tall enough to reach his shoulder. “He’s happy and looks at you like you rule the world. Plus he cares about the food problem in China.” I laugh along with Bennett. “I think that’s pretty much it.”

  “I hope that’s all there is this parenting thing. I keep thinking maybe I should buy a book.”

  Liam reaches the lighthouse first, but keeps on running until he reaches the shore. The massive building is a backdrop to a sweet summer moment.

  When I get to the last few nibbles of my cone, I rip off the paper and shove it in my pocket. With two last bites and a few chews I finish it off wishing I’d also picked up a blueberry slushy.

  “Finally,” Bennett says not pausing to give me time to ask what before he leans down and uses one hand to raise my chin to his.

  His lips meet mine slowly, a few small touches passing between us. He wordlessly asks for permission and without any more thought I give it, deepening the kiss. His tongue runs across my bottom lip tasting and teasing until I open, giving him access. My heart beats out an uneven rhythm against my chest as I stand on my tippy toes to bring us closer.

  “Daddy!”

  Bennett pulls back. Fast.

  So fast I scramble not to fall when I lose his body I’d been using for balance. He grabs on to my arms helping to steady my wobble on the sand. With his eyes wide, he mouths a quick sorry before Liam reaches our spot. My breath is heavy as I smooth out my tank top and try to look casual.

  “What’s wrong?” Bennett asks, leaning down at Liam’s level when he comes to a stop, sand sliding across his sneakers.

  “I finished my cone,” he answers cheerfully and excitedly but now ready to go back for another one.

  Bennett laughs. “That’s great, Buddy. But don’t scare me next time.” He gives Liam a hug even though his child is covered in chocolate.

  “How will we clean him up?” I ask.

  Chocolate runs in the rivets down Liam’s chin gathering all over the front of his neck and shirt. But it doesn’t stop there. In what looks like an attempt to snort the ice cream from cone his nose is also covered in sugary stickiness. And from the way a few strands of his hair stick together I’m willing to bet there’s some there as well.

  Bennett shrugs and checks the area as if someone will stop by and hand us a barrel full of baby wipes. “The water?”

  “The water?” What about all the dead fish? Hasn’t he ever thought about what lives in that water?

  His phone rings and, before making a decision on the chocolate situation, he sticks his finger in the air and says, “Hang on.”

  Bennett talks for a few seconds but it’s impossible to figure out who he’s talking to or what about. His side of the conversation consists of a few grunts and head nods even though no one can see those but Liam and me.

  A good two minutes pass before I take matters my own hands. “Come on, Liam. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  Much to my horror and his excitement, I lead him to the edge of the water and instruct him on how to wash his hands in the surf. I will never bypass a napkin container again. I don’t know what I was thinking. Not that the thin, flimsy pieces of one-ply paper would’ve been much help, but my mental well-being would be better off. Maybe I’ll stick a pack of wet wipes in my pocket from now on.

  When Liam loses interest with playing in the water and I’m able to get him as clean as I can given the situation, we head back to Bennett as he hangs up the phone.

  “Okay, time to go home.” He slips the phone into his back pocket and waits until Liam runs out in front of us again. “Ridge was able to negotiate a drop point and time with Frankie on the condition he won’t be back to the bakery. So it looks like you can go back to work in the morning.”

  I smile, excitement lifting my spirits. Finally. We start walking and with each foot step I add another item to my mental to-do lists.

  Buy fresh blueberries.

  Cut the bran muffin recipe in half.

  Clean out the coffee machine.

  Wipe down…everything.

  But before any of that can happen I have to mop the floors and get the rest of the bakery one hundred percent clean. Bennett promised they would bring in a team to clean up the scene and I’d never even notice something happened there. He’s strongly underestimating my memory…or my ability to forget about blood. Even if I go back to work tomorrow, it will be Wednesday before I’ll be able to open my doors again. Better late than never, I guess.

  We stop to cross the road and I’m jarred out of my list making by Bennett when he reaches down and grabs my hand. Our fingers twist together and the three of us cross the road like a lopsided chain. Liam leads the way but stays close, constrained by the length of Bennett’s arm.

  My heart thumps three times before we make it across and Bennett releases Liam’s hand to continue allowing him to run in front of us, but he doesn’t let go of mine. We stroll hand in hand on the sidewalk, my mind no longer worried about blueberry muffins or whether Pearl sees us. Instead my thoughts turn to how much I’m going to miss Bennett and Liam once I’m putting in fifteen hour days at the bakery again. It’s amazing how quickly such a small kid and his dad can worm their way into your heart when you let your guard down.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The time, 6:01 flashes on the alarm drilled into the brick exterior of my back entryway at the bakery. Bennett punches in a set of numbers and the entire box flashes green.

  “The code is the date you moved to Pelican Bay,” he rattles off the number, which is good because I have no idea when I made it here. “I’ll give you a full rundown of how to work the system later, but for now that code will get you in and out when you need it. And remember Spencer is always your eye in the sky.” He leans out the back door and points toward the camera mounted a little to the left of the entryway.

  “Thanks.” I remove my keys from the door and pull it the rest of the way open. Bennett leans into my little hallway and places a kiss on my cheek.

  One that doesn’t last nearly long enough. It’s like our 500th kiss if you count the long make out session we had last night. In his bed. Regardless my heart soars at the simple contact. I’m a little hazy on when this thing started between us, but over the last day it’s grown to new heights.

  Bennett and I have gone from ten to ten thousand overnight. Well… maybe not ten thousand, since he hasn’t made it to home base yet, but that’s a pretty strong bet.

  “I’ll be back to keep an eye on the place after Dolores comes, but you should be safe this morning and we’re always close by if yo
u need something.”

  I twirl the keys between my fingers. “You don’t need to stay here all day,” I promise easily, but my heart ticks up hopeful he does.

  Bennett laughs, a deep heartfelt chuckle I feel in my stomach… and places farther south. “Yes, I do. I’ll help you get back on track. Even I make better cookies than Tabitha.”

  I muffle the laugh with a hand over my mouth. “True.” It’s not for lack of trying. Since saying yes to working here, Tabitha has tried hard on the cooking elements, but she hasn’t gotten there.

  Bennett turns, casting a glance at the parking lot. I pat him on the back. “Go make Liam some breakfast. I’ll see you later.” With one final quick kiss, he lets go of the door and jumps in the truck he left idling. Liam is fast asleep in his car seat.

  Every morning for the last few months I’ve woken up before five to get doughnuts prepped for the upcoming day. Being able to sleep in the last two days made me soft, and my eyes wander to the closed door, which leads my apartment. It’s so tempting to take a quick turn and allow myself to go upstairs for a nap, but I’ll regret it later. Someone has to clean this place up sooner or later. I’ve avoided it as long as I can.

  The hallway ends, plopping me in the middle of the kitchen. I flip on lights as I walk through the space, each area being illuminated right before I enter. I hesitate when I reach the swinging metal doors separating the kitchen from the front counter. I haven’t been here since the day Mad Dog was shot. I wasn’t in a hurry to get back to this place and deal with it, but now I’ll have to face what horrors lie here. The biggest memory of what it looked like when we left is all the blood.

  With a deep breath and an outstretched hand, I push my way through the door and stop, turning on the lights with a flick. The fluorescents flicker for a moment before illuminating the bakery. To my left the window is still boarded up, three pieces of plywood blocking out the natural daylight.

  When I work up the courage to check out the floor on the opposite side of my counter a gust of breath leaves me. I walk closer to be sure, but the scene doesn’t change.