Evander hadn’t slept after Daphne’s break-in. With reluctance, he’d driven away last night, only after ensuring that several patrol cars would remain watching the home. He’d had to build a sufficient case to the chief of police that Daphne could still be in danger, and that had not helped him sleep. Not that he’d even tried.
He’d gone straight home to order several new security items for Daphne and her house. Then he’d gone to the garage where he kept his gear and dug through his duffel, mentally counting gadgets and forming plans.
The second problem he needed to solve was his mother. A day nurse wouldn’t be able to come in for another twenty-four hours, and the idea of his mom being home alone was not an option he was comfortable with.
He needed to get Florence and her care squared away so he could focus on his job. Having his mind in two places when things were escalating was not safe.
Evander set down a tracking device and punched in a familiar phone number. “Kyle? We need you back home.”
“Evander?” His brother’s voice was groggy. “It’s five in the morning and you’re not calling me Brick.”
It didn’t seem the time for nicknames. And besides, the name had never suited his brother. If anyone was a brick in the family, it was Evander, and everyone knew it—hence the ironic nickname for Kyle. It had bothered him at first when the kids had started using it, but his brother had liked it, so Evander had gone with it until it stuck.
“Time for you to get up and book a flight. Mom’s got cancer and is undergoing radiation. I need help. How fast can you get here?”
“What?” There was panic and pain in his brother’s voice. “Mom’s sick?”
Shoot. He hadn’t handled that one well, had he?
“Yeah. Sorry, man. It’s been a long night. She’s doing okay, but I can’t get a nurse to come by until tomorrow, and I’m on a sticky job. I need someone I trust here to watch her and make sure she’s okay.”
“She’s not okay?”
“Well, she has cancer.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” His voice tight with held-in grief, his brother said goodbye and hung up.
Evander kicked himself for being an insensitive jerk. This was that take-charge side that bothered Daphne, too. He sighed and turned his phone over in his hand, contemplating calling his brother back, but deciding against it. Evander needed to get more things solved, and his brother could talk the ear off a brass monkey. Best to keep moving forward.
Giving the duffel’s zipper a sharp tug, he decided to take everything he had with him, and went to load up his truck in the early morning chill. He locked the vehicle and garage, then headed to the house. The sun’s early rays were just reaching the white clapboard as he let himself into the silent house, turned off the security alarm and checked the time. He had to take over Daphne’s security in one hour.
Enough time to make his mother breakfast and get her set up for the day. The neighbor would look in on her again, and hopefully his brother would be able to get an early morning flight from Nova Scotia and be here by lunch. No, too far a drive from the airport. He’d be lucky to get here by supper.
Evander picked up his phone and redialed his brother.
“Oh, Evander. This is just so—” Kyle’s voice broke off.
“Did you get the time off work? Can you leave today?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ll send a private plane. Get on it and you’ll be here by noon. I’ll make sure a car is waiting for you at the airstrip.”
“I just can’t believe it. I need more time to process it all, and Mom…how’s Mom?”
“You’ll see for yourself at noon.” Evander paused for a split second. “Thanks, Brick.”
He hung up, breathing deep and slow. He hated cutting off his brother, but he had too much to do and not enough time.
He booked his brother a plane while wondering what would taste best for breakfast to a woman who wasn’t feeling well. He tested a honeydew melon for ripeness and carved balls out of the tender fruit, placing them in a bowl along with banana slices. If she ended up having chemo she would need more potassium, so he may as well start ensuring she was getting some in her diet already.
Chemo.
He braced his hands on the counter.
Radiation.
He let out a jagged breath.
Cancer.
Righting himself, he swung at the air, hitting nothing and feeling no better for the physical outburst.
She had to beat this.
End of story.
With a focus of purpose he hadn’t experienced since his army days, he slapped pieces of buttered toast beside the bowl of melon and carried the tray upstairs. He rapped lightly on the door. He’d forgotten water. She needed water, lots of it.
Maybe a sports drink with electrolytes added to it.
He swung the door open.
“Good morning,” he said. His mother was sitting up, looking thoughtful. “I brought you breakfast.”
“And it’s not even Mother’s Day,” she said, her voice its usual chipper tone.
He stared at her for a moment. She had cancer. And yet she looked normal. He half expected to see it gnawing through her body.
“How are you feeling?” He set the tray on her lap and gently pinched the ends of her fingers to check for dehydration. The skin puffed back out, her fingers pads rounded again. Good.
“I’m fine. A good night’s rest was all I needed.”
“And intravenous fluids,” he scolded. “Stick out your tongue.”
“Evander, I will not.”
“I’m not leaving until you do.”
She darted her tongue out quickly, like a child hoping not to get caught by an adult. The color had returned. It looked as though the intravenous fluids had worked. One less thing to worry about. For now.
“Evander, really. I am fine.” Her tone had a sharp edge to it, which he ignored.
“I couldn’t get home care to come in today, but the neighbor will stop by to check in on you.”
“And how will she get in?”
“Are you not able to get to the door?” He hadn’t taken that into account. Could he trust the neighbor with the code to their home? He needed someone nearby who could get in. He should have done a background check on the people next door. He didn’t have time this morning, but maybe Tyrone could get one done on the double.
“I was joking about the security alarm. Never mind. It wasn’t that funny.”
Rudolph leaped onto the bed with a “hello” meow and strode straight toward Florence, tail up, a cat with a purpose. She tucked the feline against her as he stretched to sniff at the tray.
Evander took the cat from his mother and got a claw dug into his knuckle for the effort. “Do you remember how to turn it off? I printed out the instructions. Do you still have them?”
“Evander, relax. I was kidding.”
“Not funny.”
His mother sighed. “Did I hear you go out last night?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Girlfriend?” She raised her eyebrows in jest.
“Daphne’s house was broken into.”
“Oh, no. Is everyone all right? I told you they needed to move in here.”
“Good luck convincing Daphne of that. She asked for more security on her home, at least. And yes, they’re fine.”
“Who’s watching them right now?”
“The local police.”
His mother relaxed, her body sinking into the pillows she’d propped up behind her.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I have everything under control.”
“I have no doubt about that.” She began poking at her breakfast, nibbling at the toast.
“Make sure you eat the fruit, too.” He wanted to stand over her, to make sure she ate more than just her toast, but he needed to get moving. “I’ll bring you water. Do you think you’ll get out of bed today?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I will.”
He stood in the doorway, the cat held too tight against his chest. He let go of the furry beast and it skittered out of the room. “Mom, why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well, at first they didn’t think it was anything.” She toyed with a melon ball, idly chasing it with her spoon. “I figured there was no reason to alarm you. You were just getting settled back into civilian life. Then…” She gave a small shrug. “It became hard to tell you. You don’t have a lot of friends or a support network, and I didn’t want to lay something on you that you might not be able to carry on your own.”
His mother didn’t have faith in him. That hurt. He turned and left.
Florence called after him, “I’m sorry, Evander.”
He came back to the doorway. “I told Kyle. He’ll be here by noon.”
“I’m not on my deathbed.” There was a sharp brightness in her eyes.
“No, but you need help.”
“I’m not an invalid.”
“If you’d have told me sooner, I could have scheduled my work around helping you.” He’d done his research last night and knew that in a few weeks the radiation was going to catch up with her and lay her low. She might not need help today, but she was sure as heck going to need it soon.
“I don’t need you altering your life just because I’m having a health bump.”
“Then what the hell is family for?” He resisted slamming the door, his muscles trembling with the effort of holding in his anger.
A health bump?
Health bumps didn’t get much worse than cancer. And she’d just proved yesterday that she couldn’t do this on her own. She needed help. She needed support.
And he would find a way to be there without letting Daphne down.
* * *
When Evander pulled up to Daphne’s house, Tyrone was waiting for him.
“Hey, man,” Evander said, shaking his hand while slapping him on the back. “Police are gone already?” You couldn’t trust anyone to do a good job these days.
“I told them they could take off.”
“Oh. All right. What brings you back here so early?”
“I figured you’d want to beef up security on the house.” He gestured to his unmarked van sitting in the driveway.
“What did you bring me?” Evander opened the side door, eager to rifle through the man’s gadgets.
“Pretty much everything I have.”
Evander picked up a toy walkie-talkie. “I didn’t realize these were the up-and-coming model. What’s the range on one of these things?”
His boss snatched the toy, tossing it on the passenger seat. “Sorry, man. Nothing is sacred when you have kids. They’re going through a spy phase.”
“You let them in your van?” he asked with surprise. Tyrone used to be incredibly finicky about his space, always going on about boundaries when he was in the navy. Although, come to think of it, it wasn’t easy sharing every inch of space with a roomful of alphas ready to piss on anything and everything. You had your own bunk and a foot locker and that was it. Messing with someone else’s stuff was grounds for a fight that would send you to the infirmary for a few stitches, if nothing else.
“I have kids,” Tyrone said simply, running a hand through his short, tight curls. “Now, what do you want? I have to get Vanessa to gym camp in forty minutes.”
“The sensors I placed on the windows worked well. Maybe something else, though. Security cameras? Better locks on the doors and windows for sure. Panic buttons.” He glanced toward the house. Daphne was watching from the front window, but allowed the curtain to drop back into place when he gave her a nod.
Today was going to be interesting.
Tyrone held up a lawn ornament. “One of these?”
“Tyrone. Focus, man.”
“No, really. It’s like a nanny cam for your yard.” He turned the gnome so Evander could see the camera hidden in the small man’s eye.
“Does it send a signal?”
“Of course it does.” Tyrone gave him a look of disgust.
“Great. How many do you have?”
“Two. Put one in the front yard and one in the back.”
“Did they come with instructions?”
“Instructions? Are you freaking kidding me?”
Evander grinned. “Just messing with ya. Plug and play, right?”
He tucked the gnomes under an arm, snatched a few other fun items from Tyrone’s treasure chest and set to work. “Thanks, Tyrone.”
He waved as his friend drove off, wondering how he’d managed to find his way back into real life with such apparent ease. Was it because Tyrone had a wife and family waiting for him back home? Was it because he had never gone into private service and gotten himself blown up? If Evander had left the life sooner, would he have been okay?
When would asking himself a million what-ifs change his past?
Never.
He needed to look forward, move past it and settle in where he was now.
After installing the last gnome, Evander picked up his insulated coffee cup and took a long swig. Then, feeling properly braced to face Daphne and her quips about his gadgets, he knocked on her front door. She’d been peeking out the windows here and there, but hadn’t stopped him, nor asked questions.
The woman was a puzzle. She’d freaked out over him being armed, and yet was trying to arrange for her daughter to spend more time with a man being protected by a trigger-itchy, rap-sheet-carrying baboon. Yes, Evander had found the skeletons in Ricardo’s closet pretty darn quick after their first run-in. So why wasn’t the peace-loving hippie scurrying the other way? She’d been a single mom for five years already. Why bring in a father now?
Daphne opened the door. “Good morning.”
Evander tipped his insulated coffee mug toward the cup she had clutched in her hand. “Good morning. Sleep well?”
“Ha. Ha.” She gave him a nasty look, which tempted the corners of his mouth to lift into a smirk.
“Humorless in the mornings, eh?”
“You are way too happy today, putting all your gizmos around my yard and on my home. You live for this, don’t you?” She crossed her arms, holding the half-empty cup against her chest.
“Us gun-toting, fear-mongering heroes like a little action every once in a while.”
She began to close the door and he placed his boot between it and the frame.
“I’m going to install better locks, so you may as well leave it open.”
The way she bit her bottom lip, her brows arching in worry, made him feel bad for approximately one second. That’s how long it took to remind himself that at least now she’d take things seriously and he could finally help without her blocking him.
“How’s the kid?” he asked. She’d had a big day yesterday. And while it seemed as though she’d slept through the entire ordeal last night, he was certain she’d be intuitive enough to pick up on her mother’s vibes. “Does she know about last night?”
“No. Please don’t tell her.” Daphne headed back into the house, and Evander set about improving her front door’s security.
As he finished with the windows an hour later, Daphne walked by in a red sundress, looking as lovely as ever. She had a picnic basket slung over one arm, and if she’d been wearing a red hood he would’ve called her Little Red Riding Hood.
Tigger, following her mother, spotted Evander and asked, “Are you coming to the park for a breakfast picnic with us?”
Evander raised an eyebrow at Daphne. They still needed to talk about scheduling her days and giving him heads-ups, obviously, as this whole being-out-of-the-loop thing was starting to really piss him off.
“I resent that look,” she said.
“I would love to go on a picnic,” he said to Tigger. “Thank you for inviting me.”
He handed Daphne written instructions on how to set the alarm he’d installed.
“You installed a security system? My landlord isn’t going to appreciate this.”
“I’m sure your landlord will love the upgrades, especially since he doesn’t have to pay for them.”
“Do I have to pay for them?”
“No. It will go on Tristen’s bill.” The man had been more than willing to pay for more protection on Daphne, especially when Evander had called him from the road this morning, bringing him up to speed.
“I can’t believe you did all of this without asking.”
Oh, here they went again.
“You said last night you wanted this. So I did it.” He kept his tone light, but left no room for argument. “Now, let’s go have a lovely picnic out on some exposed rock, shall we?”
Daphne glared at him and he had a sneaking suspicion she blamed him for every problem in her life at the moment.
He helped them into the minivan, then gestured for Daphne to roll down the window. “I’ll follow you in my truck. Where are you going?”
“Just down the road to the park. The same one as yesterday.”
Something was up. Why would she drive to a place so close? Fear? Plans to ditch him?
“Why are we driving?”
“I have to work later. I’m driving so we can leave directly from the park.”
“We need to talk about your schedule.”
“Fine.” She bit out the word, then threw the vehicle in reverse and backed up so quickly she nearly ran over his toes.
Evander hurried to his truck, catching up with Daphne a short way down the road, disliking the fact that she was so in love with a park that had so few escape routes.
It was still early enough that mist was hanging low over the cool, damp grass in the park and wisps of it drifted and disappeared on the river as the sun came over the trees.
Evander stretched, on the lookout for changes in the park since yesterday. After walking the circumference of the playground, he sat on a bench, not caring that the dew was seeping through his clothes. It was going to be a long day and any chance to sit and take a breather was a smart idea.
He watched, a twinge of envy weaving through him, as Daphne pushed her daughter on the swing, smiling and chatting. Only yesterday he’d been in her place and feeling more real and alive than he had in ages.
The two Summers were happy, free, and innocent. And it should stay that way at all costs. Crossing his arms tightly across his chest, Evander glanced around the park again, hating the way the tall wooden forts and play structures made it hard to spot anyone sneaking up on the oblivious duo. They were too exposed. He resisted the urge to pace the perimeter like a caged panther.
Earlier, the break-in had given him greater focus, but now his protective instincts had reared up, and the way they were raging against what Daphne wanted for her life made it difficult to sit there and respect her wishes to engage in normal daily activities.
Evander dragged a hand over his mouth. In his haste, he’d forgotten to shave this morning and the stubble bothered him.
He checked his phone for the time. His brother should be in the air by now. Tyrone should be working on finding a suitable replacement for Chuck. The neighbor should be checking on Florence.
Things were taken care of, but Evander still felt ill at ease.
The park was filling up with the occasional mother and child, the kids buoyant, the moms clutching their coffee cups with a need that rivaled addicts.
Daphne was laughing with her daughter, living a life where everything was seen through rose-tinted glass. There was always a bright side. The glass was half-full, even if it contained poison.
He admired that about Daphne, even though it suggested she had her head stuck in the sand.
A child in one of the forts screamed and Daphne jolted, her face paling.
Good.
She was on edge. That probably meant she wouldn’t try to slip away from him today.
He stood, checking the perimeter of the park once again. A cloud passed in front of the sun, giving the air an extra chill.
Someone tugged on his pant leg and he frowned down at the little person. “What?”
It was one of the kids from the other day.
“Are you in the army?”
He’d grown out his buzz cut to a length he could finger comb. He wasn’t wearing fatigues.
“No. But I was,” he admitted. “The navy. And JTF 2.”
The boy gave him an impressive salute.
“At ease, soldier,” Evander said, shaking his head. Where was this kid’s mom? He was a distraction.
“What’s J-something-something-2?”
“Special soldiers who do secret stuff so you and your parents can sleep safe at night.”
Unlike Daphne. He needed to get her out of that house. She was too far away. Too unsecured. Too unpredictable.
“Did you kill Osama Bin Laden?”
“Go play.”
“Are you Tigger’s dad?”
Evander’s gaze flicked to the little girl who was smiling on the swing. His mind went blank for a moment, refusing to kick into motion.
He didn’t believe he was cut out for real life, but he was starting to wonder how many people actually were. In fact, he kind of wondered if he might do a better job of providing a stable father figure in Tigger’s life than Mistral. Namely because Evander would actually try his best.
“No. Go play.”
“Do you have a gun?”
“Yes. Now go play before I shoot you.”
“Awesome.” The kid vanished into the fort, and about twenty seconds later Evander was surrounded by a crowd of boys all about nine years old.
Weren’t kids supposed to sleep in and play video games during the summer holidays?
“Can we see your gun?” asked the first boy.
“No. Go play.” He kept his hands behind his back, eyes sweeping the periphery.
“Please?” One kid clasped his hands under his chin and batted his eyelashes.
“That only works on mothers. Go.” Evander tried to shoo the boys away, but they squealed and moved like marbles on ice. This way, that way, too slippery to catch.
Realizing they were distracting him, egging him on to play, he shook his head, trying not to smile. “You kids are little punks, you know that?”
They laughed and scattered, heading back to their fort, knowing the gig was up.
“The surprise of the week—you’re good with kids,” Daphne said, coming up beside him.
He hadn’t even seen her leave the swings with Tigger. He took a deep breath to keep from imagining all the things that could have happened in his moment of distraction.
“We need to discuss a schedule, as well as what’s safe and what’s not.” He glanced around at the playground. “Let’s go.” He almost added, “It’s not safe here.” But he knew that was likely a lie. He just wanted to get her somewhere that offered better protection.
“Piggyback?” Tigger asked him hopefully as she joined them. She smiled up expectantly, and the longer he paused, the sadder her face got. Jeez, the kid was a killer. She could teach those boys a thing or two. Grumbling, he lowered himself into a squat. “Fine. Climb on.” He caught sight of her fluffy party dress ruffling in the breeze and stood, causing her hands to slip off his shoulders.
“I wasn’t on yet!”
“You can’t get piggyback rides wearing a dress.”
She glowered at him in a way that made him chuckle. So serious. This girl would laugh at the concept of a glass ceiling, then go ahead and smash it.
He glanced at Daphne for help, but all she did was give him an infuriatingly serene look. He was on his own. He jerked the cardigan that was slipping off Tigger’s shoulders into place, zipping it up. “You’re going to catch cold.”
Humanity. Right there. He’d just proved he had some, hadn’t he? And here Daphne had the gall to think he didn’t have any just because he’d served their country, protecting her and others from all sorts of evils she couldn’t even begin to comprehend.
“I’m wearing shorts underneath again,” Tigger said, revealing a flash of pink as she pulled up the hem of her dress. She didn’t thank him for zipping up her sweater.
He sighed and squatted once more, pressing his fingers into the sandy ground for balance. The girl climbed on, clinging so hard he figured he could scale the Himalayas and not lose her.
“Ready?”
“Yep!”
“Then let’s go.” He began walking up the slight hill to where Daphne had parked her van.
“You’re helping my mom save the whales. Can you help me, too?” Tigger whispered in his ear, and he frowned.
“The whales?”
Daphne shrugged, giving him a small smile.
“Right. The whales,” he said. If the girl knew how hard the navy could be on whales in the middle of a war, despite precautions, she’d hate him forever.
“Can you teach me kung fu?” she whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” he asked softly.
“Mom thinks I should solve everything with light and love and forgiveness and understanding,” she said loudly.
Oh, boy. Where to start on that one?
Daphne called back, “Violence is not the answer.” She gave Evander a preemptive dark look and he refrained from letting out a weary sigh.
“Can you?” Tigger urged.
“Dunno. We’ll see.” He took a few steps, thinking. “Is someone picking on you?” He pointed at a woodpecker sporting a crown of red feathers to distract Daphne. She slowed to watch the bird, chatting to herself about how free and pretty it was.
“A boy at the babysitter’s pushes me down when the adults aren’t looking. I asked him to stop and he won’t. He just pushes me harder.”
“Right. I can help with that.” Evander caught himself. “Maybe.” It wasn’t his place to teach someone else’s child self-defense, but the idea of someone bothering the girl made him want to send heads rolling. He could probably come up with a compromise. He could teach Tigger some moves that would protect her and help her stand her ground, while being relatively nonviolent. With Daphne still hot and cold about allowing him into her space, even despite the threats, he didn’t want to push things too far.
“Horsey sounds,” Tigger said, bucking against his back.
“No.”
“Please?”
“No.”
Daphne smiled and he figured she knew something he didn’t.
His phone began ringing in his back pocket and he had it out in a flash. “Hello?”
“Evander, it’s Mom.”
“Are you okay?”
“I can’t find Rudolph for his eardrops.” She sounded worried. More worried than she should about the cat.
“I gave him his drops before I left.”
“Who is Rudolph?” Tigger whispered in his other ear.
“Quit eavesdropping,” he grumbled.
“Rudolph from Santa’s Village? Can we go? Please, Mom, please?”
Evander lowered Tigger to the ground, having to give her a shake so she’d let go. He gave Daphne a grateful nod as she pulled the girl farther away.
“What’s wrong?” he asked his mother. It had to be more than just the cat.
“Nothing. I just thought that you’d forgotten to give him his drops.”
He watched Daphne and Tigger hop from foot to foot as they made their way to the van. Daphne had let her guard down, her shoulders relaxing into their usual fluid, graceful moves.
In fact, she was more at ease with him than he’d seen yet. She was letting him in, one small step at a time.
That was promising.
But would she let him in far enough, fast enough to match the speed with which Mistral and his men were escalating things?
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked his mother. “Kyle should be there in three hours. Maybe less. Has the neighbor checked in?”
“Yes, she has, and I’m fine. I was just worried about Rudolph.”
As he hung up he wondered if the cancer suddenly felt more real to his mother now that her kids knew. It had likely released all the worries and fears she’d been keeping hidden from herself.
“Is Florence okay?” Daphne asked as she closed Tigger’s van door.
“She probably wouldn’t tell me if she wasn’t.”
“My mom’s like that, too.”
“Did you tell her about the break-in?”
“Why? So she can worry about something she can’t help with?”
So his instincts about Daphne had been correct. Strongly independent, often to her own detriment. She kept things close to her chest when life went wrong instead of reaching out and causing drama like so many women did.
“You can lean on me,” he said, not quite understanding why he felt the need to tell her that.
She watched him quietly for a moment, her slender hand resting on the driver’s side door handle. “Yeah. Okay,” she said softly.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Baby steps. They would just need a lot of them in rapid procession for him to keep her safe.