Fourteen

The early morning service had not yet begun when Haley scanned the inside of the church and found Shane, Jason, and Veronique sitting in a middle pew.

Jason sat on the aisle. “We can all move down.” He started to stand.

“That’s okay. I can sit down there.” She scooted past Jason and Shane and sat on the other side of Veronique.

Veronique leaned over to her. “Did you tell him?” She raised an eyebrow toward Shane, who was sitting next to her.

Haley nodded. “We’re meeting Brent at noon.” She leaned forward to look past Veronique and touched Shane’s arm. “I’ll meet you on Market Street in front of the post office. We’ll walk over together from there.”

Shane nodded. “Does he know to meet us there?”

“Not yet.”

“How will you tell him?”

“He knows I drive a carriage. He’ll come.”

“You’re sure.”

“He wants to find you.”

Shane looked a little pale with that comment. Haley knew he wanted to meet with Brent, but it was obvious he was also nervous about it. She hoped she was doing the right thing. But then it wasn’t her decision; it was Shane’s. She was only going to be there to support her friend.

❧

The day was cool and cloudy when Brent stepped off the ferry, but at least the rain from yesterday had stopped. He scanned the people milling around the dock but didn’t see Haley. He had expected her to be at the dock—well, half expected. Had she changed her mind about helping him? He had changed his mind about accepting her help. He was going to do this on his own and show her he wasn’t trying to use her.

He headed toward the carriage tour site and skimmed as many faces as he could while walking in case Haley was on her way to the dock. He didn’t want to miss her. He stopped across the street from the carriage loading area and waited. The first carriage came and went. And the second. But the driver of the third was the familiar face that made his heart pick up its pace. She wore her hair in braids again. He’d forgotten her hair weapon. He should have brought it to return to her.

He stepped off the curb and nearly sideswiped a bicyclist. Fortunately the girl was coasting slowly, and he reached out to balance her. “I’m sorry. My fault.”

The girl looked up at him, and her smile broadened. “No problem.” She pedaled away but glanced back at him.

He took a deep breath and continued toward Haley’s carriage, circling around the front of the horses. He put his hand on the front of the carriage. “I thought you’d be at the dock this morning.”

She kept her gaze on the edge of the carriage. “I can’t miss any more work.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

“We’ll be at the park at noon or so if you still want to talk to Justin.”

She strained her voice a little on “Justin.” “That won’t be necessary. I’m going to find him on my own.”

She looked at him for the first time. “For some strange reason, he wants to meet with you. So we will be there. Please don’t waste his time.”

He wanted to beg her to reconsider. If he could just talk to her so he could gauge how she felt about helping him; but her carriage was filling up, and this was no place to have that kind of discussion. “I’ll be there. By the statue.”

She checked for traffic, and he stepped back and watched her pull away.

So now what was he supposed to do? Look for Justin until noon and hope he found him first? Or do nothing and wait for noon?

❧

Near noon when she rode up the street toward the post office, Shane was sitting on the curb with his hands hanging over his knees, his bike parked near him. She stopped her bike in front of him but still straddled it. “Are you nervous?”

“My palms are sweaty.” He stood and wiped them down his denim shorts.

“Just tell him the truth, and you’ll be off the hook. You haven’t done anything wrong. He can’t make you do anything or go anywhere you don’t want to.”

“What if he’s a cop and is here to arrest me?”

She swung her leg over the back of the bike and got off. “On what charge? Helping a friend? Lying? They don’t put people in jail for that. And I don’t think he’s a cop.” At least she hoped not. But she had been wrong about him before. She never would have guessed him to be a private investigator looking for her friend either.

❧

Seagulls dotted the grass in front of Brent as he stood by the statue in the middle of the park. Several contingents of tourists—fudgies, as Haley would call them—congregated for lunch. Would she come? She had said “we,” but maybe only Justin would come. Should he have come? Was he doing the right thing? He could leave before they got here. No, he had said he would be here. He had to keep his word.

A blond kid about nineteen or so swaggered toward him and stood chest to chest with him. “Stay away from Haley.”

“And who are you?”

“A friend. A real close friend.”

The young man was implying they were more than friends, and from the look in his eyes, he was jealous. Was there something between him and Haley? He didn’t want to believe so, but the boy’s attitude told him Haley meant something to him. And Brent had trodden on his territory. Was this the boy from the wagon the other day? “Are you Jason?”

“What of it?”

“Just curious.” He wasn’t about to get into a scuffle, verbal or physical, with one of Haley’s friends over nothing.

“Just stay away from her.” Jason poked him in the chest.

Brent kept his hands deep inside his pockets. He wasn’t sure how much to read into the boy’s words or actions.

Seemingly satisfied, Jason turned and strutted away. Brent was glad that was over.

The sun broke through a small opening in the cloud-covered sky, and he looked up. Lord, please let this meeting go well. He gazed across the park and saw two people walking bikes across the grass, Haley and a teen—Justin.

His pulse picked up its beat at the sight of her, and he let out a long breath. Lord, guard my tongue and help me say the right words.

Haley introduced Brent, then presented Justin as Shane Peters.

He held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you—Shane.” Haley had made a point to introduce him by his alias, so Brent would go with that for now.

Justin shook his outstretched hand. “It’s Justin Mikkelson. Wow, it feels good to admit that.”

Haley leaned against the base of the statue with her arms folded, watching him like a mother hen protecting her young.

Brent kept Haley in his peripheral vision. He wanted to focus on her and straighten out things between them, but this meeting was about Justin. “Thanks for meeting with me.”

“Kristeen’s baby isn’t mine!” The words practically erupted from Justin, and he seemed to relax a little having said them.

He wanted to believe the boy, but he needed more than his word to take back to Mr. Jackson for this to be over for Justin. “But she claims it is.”

“It can’t be. We never—you know.”

“Then why is she saying it is?”

Justin told him the story of the older man and how Kristeen was lying to protect him. Justin relaxed more as he talked.

Brent believed Justin, but convincing Mr. Jackson might be another story. “Do you know who the father is?”

Justin looked down at his feet. “I promised not to tell.”

“I can respect that. I’ll see what I can do to convince Mr. Jackson to search elsewhere.” He glanced at Haley. Her flat expression never wavered.

“How is Kristeen doing?”

He turned back to Justin. “She’s doing as well as can be expected. She’s going to have her baby soon.”

“This is all my fault. I talked her out of having an abortion.”

“None of this is your fault. You were only trying to help her.”

Haley pushed away from the statue and took hold of her bike to walk it. “Shane, we need to get back to work.”

Justin looked at his watch. “Sorry, man—I gotta go.”

“Can we talk again this evening? I’ll buy you dinner.” He noticed Haley wouldn’t call him Justin.

“If you’re buying, I’m there,” Justin said.

He figured an eighteen-year-old boy could always use a free meal, and he appreciated his coming. “Tell me where to meet you.”

Justin picked a restaurant and gave him directions.

Brent turned to Haley. “The invitation is for you, too.”

“I’ll pass.”

He ached to reach out and hold her but knew she wouldn’t let him. “May I see you after dinner?”

“I don’t think so.” She turned to leave.

Justin shrugged and grabbed his bike, then jogged to catch up with Haley. “All this talk about food is making me hungry. I’m starved.”

Haley laughed as she and Justin were walking away. Brent followed in the same direction a few paces behind them to hear her reply.

“Come to the barn with me. I have a box lunch under my carriage seat. You can have it.”

“Really?”

Brent stopped and let Haley walk away from him, but he could still hear her next reply. “I’m not going to eat it.”

Brent smiled. But she had to eat sometime.

❧

Haley was waiting for her afternoon passengers to board when Brent stepped up to her carriage. She hadn’t expected to see him. He held up a bag and a cup. “I heard you give your lunch to Justin. I figured that was partly my fault, so I bought you a hamburger, fries, and a cola.”

She had to admit he had been nice to Shane—or rather, Justin. And now he held up a peace offering. So why did she feel as if he were trying to buy her affections? “I appreciate the thought, but I’m not hungry. Also I can’t eat while I’m driving.”

He lowered the bag and cup, disappointed.

“I hate to see food go to waste. Shane—that is, Justin—is working maintenance around the island school. He could eat two or three lunches. That’s where it will do the most good.”

He simply nodded. “Where’s the school?”

“Take Main Street until it turns into Lake Shore Boulevard. You’ll be heading northwest. The school’s on the right.” She had to admit he was trying. But she couldn’t go back to the way it was that one perfect day. Maybe the day had been too perfect. She wished he’d quit coming to her. She didn’t want to keep rejecting him. She wanted to put this all behind her and move on with her life.