“No. Not until the rain comes. Then we can be here at any time, day or night.”
The smile on Parker’s face fell. “Excuse me?”
“We stage on-site during the storms. It’s not out of the question for us to show up at two in the morning.”
“You need to call me first,” Parker told him.
“That’s not always going to be possible.”
Parker squared her shoulders, turned to face Fabio. “You’re going to call anytime you come onto this property outside of the hours of seven thirty to five.”
Fabio shook his head and laughed in dismissal of her words.
Colin opened his mouth to assure her but she cut him off.
“I have an AK, an AR, a shotgun, a nine-eleven, and a forty Glock, and I’m a really good shot. I’m responsible for my teenage brother and college-aged sister. The only time that gate opens at two in the morning is if someone is sneaking in or sneaking out. You will call me if you’re coming in.”
Colin had to turn to keep her from seeing the smile on his face.
Glynn flat-out laughed, and Fabio lost his smirk and replaced it with admiration.
“Well, okay then, young lady. I guess I need your phone number.”
She smiled, stood taller. “Great. Now that we understand each other, what’s happening next?”
Parker sat in the faculty break room that was overrun with cookies and cake due to a popular teacher’s birthday. Just walking into the room made her feel like she gained five pounds. It was noon and her one-on-one student she sat with during the day didn’t need her during her lunch. Jennifer walked into the room shortly after Parker removed her lunch from the staff refrigerator and set it on a table. Like Parker, Jennifer worked as an aide at the school. But she had a full-time position, where Parker had only been there two years and was still considered per diem. The district avoided hiring full-time aides for special needs students who were close to graduating. She didn’t argue. It wasn’t her dream job by any stretch, and she didn’t see herself working at an elementary school once she finished her own education. Not that she knew what the dream job was. She was no closer to determining what she wanted to do with her life than she had been two years earlier when she’d finalized her major in business with an emphasis on marketing. Now that sounded like a job this side of hell.
“Wow, you look like crap,” Jennifer said once she sat down.
Parker regarded her friend with a frown. “With friends like you, who needs enemies?”
“Seriously, are you sleeping?”
She shook her head. “Not enough. This whole thing is making me crazy.”
“I can’t imagine.” Jennifer picked up her sandwich, took a bite.
“They start pulling in trucks on Monday.” She lowered her voice. “I’m going to have to call in sick. Janice gave me a hard time when I asked for a day off this week.”
“Do you have to be there?”
Parker nodded, then shook her head . . . settled with a nod. “Maybe, yes . . . no. But I’m going to be. I need the crew to know who I am. Demand respect. One look at me and most of them think I’m a kid.”
“You are a kid.”
“I’m twenty-six going on forty.”
“Which may be true, but from the outside . . . you look like a kid. Certainly not someone old enough to be dealing with your crazy life.”
It was nice to have her feelings validated. “It is crazy, isn’t it?”
“Nuts. But you’re strong. You’ve been through worse.”
Yeah . . . the months following her parents’ death were horrific.
“Are you taking night classes this semester?”
“No,” Parker said. “I’m barely keeping it together as it is.”
Jennifer’s sympathy was written on her face. “You keep putting your life on hold.”
“It’s not forever. Erin, my new tenant, is working out. The extra cash is really helpful. I’m hoarding the insurance money from the fire to help make up for the time off I need to take. I have to get through the winter and assess where things are then.” Saying the words made her feel them a little deeper.
“That’s a great attitude.”
Parker bit into an apple and closed her eyes.
“You know, maybe having your property swimming in testosterone will be a good thing.”
She smiled, thinking of how she’d set Colin’s men straight. “So far Colin is the only one I truly trust.”
“Colin?”
“Hudson. The head guy I told you about.”
Jennifer grinned. “When did he become Colin and not Mr. Hudson?”
Parker paused, looked at the ceiling. “I’m not sure.”
“Hmm . . . and ah, how old is this Colin guy?”
“I don’t know, midthirties maybe. Seems young for the position, so maybe he’s older. I couldn’t tell you.”
“Married?”
Parker narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know, maybe. I didn’t ask.”
“Good-looking?”
Holy cow, she was slow on the conversation. “Okay, I get it . . . Yes . . . he’s attractive.” Really attractive, if she were honest with herself. “But no. I don’t know if he’s married, and can’t even think about going there. I haven’t so much as texted someone outside of my platonic circle of friends in two years.”
“Which is a damn shame. Prime of your life and you’re not out living it.”
“Hard to do when I’m treading water.”
“Well, pull your head out of the water once in a while and look around. You never know who might show up.”
She couldn’t breathe. Everything was dark. She couldn’t see them, no longer heard their voices calling out to her.
If only the smoke would lift so she didn’t have to crawl.
She coughed and sputtered the ashes that fell into her mouth. Austin, Mallory . . . Where are you?
Her mouth moved but nothing came out.
She crawled as fear took over logic.
Austin!
Mallory!
Her hand landed on an arm.
The arm didn’t move.
She needed to look away, knew what was there and tried to focus on anything other than the cold dead arm touching her.
Slowly her head moved with a will of its own.
Her parents lay there motionless, their eyes blankly staring at her.
Parker jolted awake, her heart in her throat, her breath labored.
She sat up and forced her breathing to slow. The clock said it was just past three in the morning. “Damn it.” Right after the fire she’d had the same nightmare. Each time she woke thankful that it was just a dream and Mallory and Austin were still alive.
Each time she woke she was reminded her parents were gone.
A single tear fell down Parker’s cheek.
Parker stared down at her second cup of coffee long before the first truck arrived. Her sister had early classes on Monday and typically spent Sunday night with a friend who lived closer to campus to avoid traffic. Austin had a 7 a.m. class and was already out the door. Most Mondays, Parker was right on his heels.
Her call in to work that morning started with her pinching her nose and purposely coughing into the phone. Much as she didn’t really like her job, she didn’t want to lose it either.