She’ll be living on her own, but the assisted living care is just up the street and she can be there in minutes if there’s an issue. It’s also in a secure, gated community. Something that I actually already knew, because my Mama told me earlier today when I called to check in.
“That all sounds good, sugar,” I murmur.
She hums, then tells me that she was able to pick up several extra shifts. I think about my plans to move her grandmother with us, and then what I can do with that extra money now that she’s made her own move.
I decide to spend the money and upgrade Exeter’s car. Now that we live so far out, she needs something more dependable, something that I know she’s safe in. If I could buy her an army tank to protect her, I would.
“Hey, got a favor before I get off the phone,” I call out after she’s told me all about her day, her extra shifts, and what she made herself for dinner.
“Sure, whatever you need,” she quickly states.
My lips twitch in a smile at her eagerness to help. She doesn’t even know what I’m about to ask, but she’ll do whatever I need, and that little fact makes me fall in love with her just a little more. I explain about Channing, and before I can even finish, before I can ask her to check on her, she interrupts me.
“I’ll stop by on my way home from work every day. I go right past their place anyway. She’s probably lonely and scared, maybe we can have dinner together,” she happily announces.
“I bet she’d love that,” I mutter.
After a few moments, we say our goodbyes, and I turn toward Rylan, who is just staring off into space. “Exeter is going to stop by on her way home from the hospital and have dinner with her every night. She took up a few extra shifts, so she’ll be there almost every day,” I announce.
Rylan’s head pops up and his lips turn up into a grin. “Really?” he asks, his leg beginning to bounce with his uncontainable excitement.
I chuckle, looking down at my feet, then back over to my cousin. “I didn’t even have to ask,” I say.
Rylan’s lips turn up into a bigger smile. “I like her, she’s good people,” he announces.
Matching his smile with one of my own, I shake my head. “Yeah, she is.”
We spend the rest of the evening resting up for tomorrow. The storm hit while we were on the way, and tomorrow we’ll be in Florida and have to start working. I’ve already heard news that there aren’t hotels, and our company wasn’t able to bring in portable trailers yet, so we’ll be sleeping in our trucks until something else comes available. Which is fine with me, I’d rather sleep in my truck than a portable trailer anyway.
“Get a good night’s sleep, it’s the last one you’ll get for a while,” I suggest.
Rylan grunts. We just did a hurricane restoration project in Texas a few months ago, he thinks he knows what to expect. He doesn’t. This is about five times bigger, and the accommodations will probably take a bit longer to get in order.
Honestly, I predict we won’t have a hot meal for the first two weeks, maybe three. If what I’ve read on the news is anywhere near the true devastation.
Closing my eyes, I see Exeter in my mind. She looks at me from over her bare shoulder, her eyes bright and her smile wide. My eyes drag down her supple curves and I try to hold back a groan at the sight of her sweet body on display for me.
Then she opens her mouth and lets out a silent scream, her eyes widen and I’m suddenly terrified.
My eyes pop open, sweat dripping down my face and chest. Sitting straight up, I run my fingers over my face, tugging on the end of my beard as I look around the dark room. Fuck. That dread appears again in the pit of my stomach. I can’t shake it.
Hopefully, it’s just my overactive imagination, the way Rylan felt off and on with Channing. Just like with Channing and her situation. It was warranted, but not every time. Just like this feeling is probably warranted, but probably not necessary right now.
I know she’s okay, and not only Ford but Louis is just up the road as well. The sheriff also told me he’d keep an ear to the ground around town, and an extra eye on her father.
She’s safe.
I know she is.
But I’m not there to protect her and no matter what, I’ll feel uneasy about that fact.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
EXETER
Pushing my cart down the grocery store aisle, I head toward the bakery. They sell cake by the slice and if Channing is feeling even half of how I am with the guys being gone, then she’ll be grateful for cake.
Reaching into the bin, I take out chocolate for her, and lemon with vanilla buttercream icing and fresh raspberries for me. Then just to be safe, I grab a vanilla on vanilla one as well.
Too tired to cook much of anything, I look for the pre-prepared meals, knowing that I can just throw them in the oven and they’ll come out delicious and perfect every time. I know this by my extreme amount of experience. Although I enjoy cooking, my schedule doesn’t always allow for the time, so these are a close second.
Once I have dinner for tonight, and some extra snacks and of course the cakes, I make my way toward the checkout. I notice Tulip behind the register, and I smile at her. She’s one of the prettiest girls around, a little gossipy, but that’s to be expected when you work at the only grocery store in town.
“Hey, Exeter,” she greets as soon as the woman in front of me is finished with her transaction.
I smile as I go about loading up my items on the belt. “Hey, Tulip, how are you?” I ask.
She gives me a fake smile, her red lips stretched tightly. I wait for her to tell me that she’s fine, but she doesn’t. Instead, her face almost immediately crumples.
“I’m just. It’s been hard,” she admits on a whisper.
“Are you okay?” I ask, my voice softening.
She nods, then shakes her head, then shrugs her shoulder. She scans my groceries, her eyes staring down on each item as she runs it over the scanning machine. Once she’s finished, she lifts her eyes to me, and I notice that they’re swimming with unshed tears.
“Tulip…” I begin.
She shakes her head, inhaling a ragged breath before she speaks. “You know me and Joey had been together since high school. He just, he left, and he didn’t look back. He didn’t even tell me he was leaving town, just left me a note yesterday on my car in the parking lot. I’ve been working here and taking care of him, paying all the bills for five years.”
Reaching my hand out, I wrap my fingers around her wrist. “Oh my God. That rat bastard,” I hiss.
Her eyes widen, then a grin appears on her lips. “He really is,” she says.
Sliding my debit card into the machine, I think about Tulip and her predicament. “You want to go out for girl’s night this weekend? I have Saturday night off. Channing is probably bored stiff, too. We could go to a movie,” I suggest.
I don’t know what makes me ask her. Maybe because she opened up to me, maybe because she’s always been kind and friendly with me. Maybe because of the sadness that swims in her eyes. She bites the corner of her bottom lip, then gives me a small smile.
“Really?” she asks.