“I thought I—” She trails off and shakes her head. “Nothing, just a shadow.”
Turning, I peer into the darkness just in time to see a dark shadow pop behind a building. I take a step toward it, but Kleo grabs my hand in hers, holding onto it like a vice. I turn back to her. “Can we go? Please?”
“Yes, of course.” I wrap an arm around her shoulders and hold her against me as I guide her back to my truck.
Kleo sleeps peacefully in the cabin behind me as I sit out on the porch, a beer in my hand. I tried like hell to pass out right alongside her, but something is nagging at me, keeping me awake. And for the first time in my life, I don’t feel safe.
Not for me but for Kleo. Seeing her so panicked out here on the porch, and then again on the street earlier, really got to me. I know she thought she saw something, hell, for a moment, I thought I saw something. A shadow moving through the trees, another ducking behind a building. Dark spots in the distance, just like the day I found the mirror.
It’s more than likely nothing, but if it is something—I tip my beer up and drink the rest down in one swig. When the bottle is empty, I set it down and grab my cell phone from the porch step next to me.
“Hello?”
“Hey. Sheriff, sorry to call you so late.”
“No worries, what is it? Everything okay at the camp?”
“I think so. Can I get you to do me a favor?”
“Depends on what it is.”
“I know about the attack two years ago. Since you were Sheriff then, I’m guessing you know what I’m talking about.”
She sighs into the phone. “Yeah, not one I’ll forget. Has something else happened?”
“Can you check on it? Make sure he’s still in jail? It’s probably nothing, but twice now, I could have sworn I saw someone in the trees.”
“Do you want me to send a deputy out? Someone to go through and take a look?”
“Nah. I don’t want to worry Kleo if it’s nothing.”
“Understood. I can make a few calls.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. I’ll let ya know tomorrow.” She ends the call, so I get to my feet, grabbing my bottle as I straighten.
Croaking frogs and crashing waves fill the otherwise silent night. I’ve been here for two years and not once had an issue. Other than the occasional teen trying to sneak into the camp to make friends, which is the only time I’ve had to call the sheriff out. Is it possible I’m making something out of nothing?
I glance back at the door. Kleo means more to me than I ever thought possible. In the past few days, we’ve been more than what we were before. Granted, we were enemies, but going from there to where we are now—I sigh. She’s everything to me, and while I’m terrified of what that means, I’m man enough to admit it.
Hell, I was half in love with her back in high school, and that was before I knew what kind of person she was. Now that I’ve seen past the party girl, how could I not fall right back into those same feelings?
If the sheriff gets back to me tomorrow and tells me he’s still behind bars, Kleo and I can move on with some peace of mind. And if she tells me the fucker got out early—well, after learning what he did to her, after seeing the after-effects even two years later—I clench my fists as I stare out into the tree line. I’ll tear him apart if he comes near her again.
30
Dean
It’s well past nine in the morning before Kleo walks out onto the porch to join me for coffee. Wearing her navy blue robe, she takes a seat in the rocking chair beside me and instantly glances over, a smile on her face.
“Morning, handsome.”
“Morning, beautiful.” It’s become our routine, our greeting of the day, and it’s so damned couple-like that it makes my stomach twist. What if she doesn’t feel the same way I do? Shit, I never believed anything could move this fast. I thought love took time, months, years even. I didn’t fucking realize it could plow into you like a freight train.
“Good workout?”
I nod but don’t mention that I didn’t sleep at all last night in anticipation of what the sheriff is going to say when she calls me back. I was up all night, lying beside Kleo, and when I got up for my workout this morning, I did it close enough to the cabin that I had a full view of the front door.
“Are you okay?” she asks, narrowing her gaze on me as she sips from her steaming mug.
“Yeah, why?”
“You look stressed.”
“The camp is opening up soon. This is normal for me.”
“Well, now you don’t have to carry it by yourself. I’m here.”
I glance over at her, so damned glad she is. But her statement brings up yet another stressor for me. We haven’t yet had the conversation about what will happen now that we’re sleeping together. Has the battle for the camp ended? Have white flags been flown? Damn, isn’t that a dramatic way to think about it? Since we’re both adults, I bite the bullet and approach the conversation. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
Here goes. “What are your plans for next summer?”
She scrunches her brows together. “What do you mean?”
“I know you’re staying on, and we both know your dad is handing the reins over to you. Do you think you’ll have room for another counselor?”
She grins at me. “Actually, I want to talk to you about that. I need to talk to my dad, but if things between us keep going this well, I was wondering if you might want to run the camp with me.”
I stare at her. “You’ve always wanted to run this place,” I say cautiously. “Why would you want to keep me on to help you run it?”
“This place is as much yours as it is mine, Dean. I didn’t realize it until I stopped looking at you like an enemy.” She chuckles. “Taking it now just doesn’t feel right, and I certainly don’t want you to think that this—” She trails off and gestures between us—“Is just because I wanted to distract you or try to earn any favors.”
“I don’t think that at all,” I reply immediately. “Honestly, it hadn’t even crossed my mind. I suppose it probably should have.” I wink at her, and she grins. “You’re not saying all of that because we’re sleeping together? I don’t want you to regret anything, Kleo.”
Kleo shakes her head and reaches for my hand. “I’m saying it because it’s the truth. That even if you decided tomorrow you didn’t want to be with me, it still wouldn’t alter how you feel about the camp.”
I turn away from her, staring out over the ocean behind the cabin. “You mean that?”
“I do. But I also hope you aren’t planning on walking away from me tomorrow.”
When I look back at her, I see vulnerability reflected in her bright eyes. And for someone like Kleo, who’s openly admitted to hating feeling that way—it’s a big step. “There’s not a damned thing that would keep me from you, Kleo. I’m yours as long as you’ll have me.” It surprises me how much I mean that promise.
She swallows hard, her eyes filling. “That’s good to hear, Dean. Because I feel the same way.”