12

Chloe paused from scrubbing the kitchen in the youth center. Not the ideal way to spend a Friday evening, but since Matt’s community service had been her idea, both Aidan and Mr. Cooper had made her responsible for ensuring a dependable adult was present.

Matt rolled paint on the wall, his ever-present earphones glued to his head. For all his grumbling about the work, he really didn’t put up much resistance. Mr. Cooper had been impressed with his work ethic, cleaning the storage room and re-stocking the shelves with quiet resolve. And he was turning out to be a pretty good painter as well.

Chloe hummed in time to her own music as she scraped the kitchen counter. She looked at her watch. Another half hour before she could escape to her apartment with a tub of ice cream and a good chick flick. She rinsed the counter and dried her hands.

Matt’s slumped shoulders aroused a tug of sympathy. How sad for this fifteen-year-old boy to have no father in his life and a mother who was never home.

The trouble she’d caused her widowed mother when she’d pushed the limits of Mama’s patience made her grimace. Thank goodness Nick had been around to keep her in line. Chloe hung the towel on the rack and walked into the gym. “Hey, Matt.”

No answer.

She pulled one earpiece out. “How’s it going?”

He shot her a glare. “Peachy.”

Clearly, he wasn’t as thrilled as Lindsay with Chloe’s help. And though she didn’t feel worthy to pray for herself, she offered a quick prayer on Matt’s behalf. Lord, please soften this boy and let me be Your instrument to help him.

“I know this isn’t much fun,” she said, “but it probably beats going to juvie.”

“I guess.” He continued to roll yellow paint.

“Do you like sports?” Most guys liked to talk sports.

He shrugged. “I play some basketball.”

Chloe pretended to inspect the paint job. “Mr. North wants to get some pickup basketball games going here when the center opens.”

“Cool.” Matt put finishing touches on the last spot and dropped the roller into the tray.

“Can you come into the games room for a minute? I want to show you the next area to paint.”

Matt wiped his hands on a rag and, without a word, followed her across the floor.

“Obviously we want to brighten this room up,” Chloe said as she flipped on the lights.

Matt snorted. “Yeah, this color stinks.”

“It kinda does. So, what type of activities do you think we should do in here?”

His eyebrows rose to meet his bangs. “What do I think?”

“That’s right. We’re aiming for kids your age and up. So how about a Ping-Pong table? Maybe board games?”

He snorted again. “Board games? Try video games.”

“OK. Where would we get the equipment? We don’t have a lot of money.”

“Maybe someone could donate an older system.”

“Good idea. What else would you like in here?”

“Air hockey. Maybe pinball.”

“OK. I’ll look into that.”

“Really?” A hint of a smile hovered on Matt’s face. “This place might not be so bad after all.”

A surge of hope lifted Chloe’s spirits. Matt needed a better group of friends to hang out with. Nick had practically bribed Maxi to befriend Chloe during her rebellious phase. She thanked God every day for the gift of Maxi’s friendship and hoped she could find a positive influence for Matt.

Heavy footsteps thudded across the floor.

“Hey, Brown.” A large, swarthy kid, who appeared older than Matt, stood in the doorway of the games room. He wore a dark bandana around his head, a black T-shirt, and baggy jeans with chains attached. Both his bottom lip and one eyebrow were pierced.

A chill ran down Chloe’s arms at the hard look in their visitor’s eyes.

“You finished here?” he asked Matt.

All the color bled from Matt’s cheeks. “Not quite.” He licked his lips, his gaze trained on the floor.

“I say you are. Come on, let’s blow this place.”

The guy’s gaze moved to Chloe, as if in challenge.

She stiffened. “I’m sorry. No friends are allowed while Matt’s working.”

The boy moved closer, blocking the doorway and any chance of escape. “Who’s going to make me leave?”

Chloe’s authority seemed to have little effect. She chose to level him with a stare and folded her arms, more to stop her hands from shaking than to intimidate the kid.

He only laughed and took a menacing step forward.

Matt moved up beside her. “Hey, man. It’s cool. I’ll meet you later.”

A tense silence followed. Uncomfortable vibes swirled in the air.

Chloe prayed he would leave. Perspiration broke out on her forehead, but she didn’t dare wipe it away.

A loud squeak echoed through the gym as the main door opened.

Were more of Matt’s ‘friends’ joining them? Muffled voices and a light laugh floated through to the games room.

The bully turned and stormed into the outer area.

“Hudson. What are you doing here?”

Chloe had never been more thankful to hear Dylan Moore’s voice. She rushed into the gym with Matt close behind.

The guy stalked up to Lindsay and Dylan. “Just checking things out.” He turned to glare at Matt. “See you later, Brown.” A gust of wind blew in when the boy slammed out the front door.

Tension seeped from Chloe’s body and she sagged against the gym wall.

Lindsay rushed over. “Are you all right, Miss Martin?”

“I’m fine. The fumes must be getting to me.”

Dylan came to stand with Lindsay, a possessive hand on the girl’s back.

Right now, Chloe could’ve kissed the boy. “Who was that guy?” She pushed damp hair off her forehead.

“Jerry Hudson.” Dylan sneered the name. “Head of one of the local gangs.”

“He’s a gang member?”

“Yeah. Not someone you want hanging around here.”

Matt joined them. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he doesn’t come back.” Wariness shadowed his eyes.

Was Matt part of a gang? Chloe’s spirits sank at the thought. No wonder Lindsay worried about him.

“I’ll go clean the brushes, miss.”

“Thank you, Matt. And thanks for your ideas. I’ll pass them along to Mr. North.”

“No prob.”

“I’ll give you a hand.” Dylan followed Matt.

Chloe took some deep breaths, but the strong smell of paint didn’t help her head.

“You sure you’re OK?” Lindsay’s face mirrored her concern.

“I’ll be fine.” Chloe forced her rubbery legs to move. “Let’s keep Jerry Hudson’s visit to ourselves. We don’t need to give Mr. North a reason to worry.”

Lindsay nodded, her eyes solemn. “I’m good at keeping secrets.”

Chloe frowned as Lindsay went to join the boys. What other secrets was the girl hiding?

****

Aidan pulled into the lot of the rec center and jumped out of his car. He’d meant to drop by earlier to make sure Matt wasn’t giving Chloe a hard time. As he jogged up the walkway, the main door swung open.

Lindsay, Dylan and Matt pushed outside.

“Hi, Mr. North,” Lindsay said.

“Hi, guys. I was coming to check in with you, Matt. How’s the painting going?”

“Good. Finished in the gym today. I’ll start on the games room next.”

“You’ve made excellent progress.”

“Thanks.” Matt pushed his hands into his hoodie pocket.

“We’ve got to get going,” Lindsay said. “See you on Monday.”

“Is Miss Martin still inside?”

Lindsay’s pretty face creased into a frown. “Yes, but she wasn’t feeling well.”

Undercurrents of tension ran between the teens as they exchanged glances. What was that about?

“I’ll go check on her. You kids have a good night.”

“Thanks, Mr. North.”

They scurried off as if given a reprieve.

Aidan pulled the main door open, noting it wasn’t locked, and headed straight for the kitchen.

Chloe stood at the counter, packing some cleaning supplies into a bag.

“Hi, there.”

She whirled around, hand to her throat. “Aidan. You scared me.”

He took note of her pinched expression and the panic in her eyes. Something had her off-kilter. “Everything OK?”

“Fine. The kids just left.” She fumbled for her purse with hands that trembled.

“Lindsay said you weren’t feeling well.”

“The paint fumes were making me dizzy. I’ll be fine when I get some fresh air.”

Why didn’t he believe her? Maybe it was the way she wouldn’t meet his gaze. He chose not to challenge her. “Let’s go then.” Aidan picked up the bag of supplies, turned off the lights, and led her outside.

The night sky had taken on a pink glow, remnants of the recent sunset.

He locked up and handed her the keys. “I think you should keep the doors locked when you’re here alone. You don’t want any undesirables wandering in.”

“Good idea.” She leaned against her car, taking several deep breaths.

“Now that I think about it, I don’t like the idea of you here alone with Matt. What if a bunch of his delinquent friends come in?”

Chloe bit her bottom lip, and looked away.

Alarm spiked his pulse. “Has that happened already?”

“One friend came by, but I told him he had to leave. It was no big deal.”

Then why was she shaking? Whoever this kid was, he’d scared her. Aidan moved closer.

“From now on, somebody else needs to be with you. I’ll come when I can, and when I’m not available, I’ll get one of the other teachers to volunteer.” His resistance wavered and he stroked a knuckle down her cheek. “I’m not taking any chances with your safety.”

Relief washed over her features, although she said nothing. If it wasn’t one of Matt’s friends who scared her, then what had happened? She obviously didn’t want to divulge anything. One thing Aidan couldn’t tolerate was dishonesty and secrets, but until she was more comfortable with him, he wouldn’t demand answers.