“You sure?”
“Yeah.” She sniffed and let his hand go when she saw the assistant principal’s door open. Mr. Lewis spotted her, noted Ollie with a curious smile, but waved them both in.
“Hey,” Allie said, holding out her hand to shake. Arnold Lewis was one of the bird clan—a raven in natural form—and she’d taken English from him in junior high. The Edgar Allan Poe jokes had flown, every pun intended.
“Hey, Allie.” Mr. Lewis kept his voice low. “I’m as shocked as you are about this. Kevin hasn’t said anything, but I can’t imagine this happened out of the blue.”
She nodded toward Ollie. “He called… Mr. Campbell to come to the school. Kevin may want to talk to him about it.”
Mr. Lewis frowned. “The boys weren’t in the bear clan.”
“I know,” Ollie said. “But Kevin and I are working on a car together, so… yeah.”
Ollie looked like he was the one who’d landed in trouble. He crossed his arms over his chest, doing nothing to hide his discomfort at being back in high school. Allie took pity on him and set her hand on his forearm.
“Mr. Lewis, Ollie has known Kevin since he was little. It may be that there’s something he didn’t feel comfortable discussing with his mom. Would it be possible for Ollie to talk to Kevin while we discuss what needs to happen with the school?”
Mr. Lewis nodded, fully aware that Kevin didn’t have a dad around. “Of course.” He motioned Allie toward the office chairs while he pointed down the hall.
“You remember where the nurse’s office is?”
“Unfortunately.”
Mr. Lewis smiled. “Same place.”
“Am I still going to have to duck to get in?”
“I’m afraid the height of the doors has not changed, Mr. Campbell.”
“Right.”
Allie watched him walk down the hallway, trying to process that her son had called Ollie before he’d called her. Kevin had called Ollie, knowing that he would come.
Yeah.
Her people were the best.
But there might have been one that was better than the rest.
Chapter Six
WHY DID IT ALL STILL SMELL the same? Hadn’t they updated the cleansers or anything in the sixteen years since he’d graduated?
Ollie spotted the familiar bright red door of the nurse’s office at the end of the hall. He cracked it open, only to see Kevin sitting on the bench with an ice pack on his hand, staring at the opposite wall like it had stolen his allowance.
“Hey.”
The boy looked up. “You came.”
“Did you think I wouldn’t?”
Kevin shrugged, and Ollie saw the red stain on the boy’s ears. All Allie’s kids looked like her to his eyes. Kevin had her smile. Mark had her laugh. Christopher had Allie’s vivid blue eyes and endless optimism. And Loralie… Well, she was just the spitting image of her mama from her toes up.
“Did you keep your thumb out?”
Kevin nodded.
“You ever tell your mom that I taught you and Low how to fight when you were twelve?”
“Nope.”
“You planning on telling her now?”
A smile twitched at Kevin’s mouth. “No reason both of us should get in trouble.”
Ollie shook his head, but he couldn’t hold in the smile. “What’s going on?” No one else was in the nurse’s small office, so he sat on the rolling stool in front of her desk and leaned against the wall. “Quinn boys?”
“Rory and Derrick.”
“What was it about?”
Kevin clammed up again.
Whatever it was, Ollie’d have a talk with Sean Quinn about it. His childhood friend was slowly resigning himself to the fact that the bunch of miscreants that constituted his family needed him to stick around if they were ever going to keep the next generation alive and out of prison. Stuff like his younger cousins instigating a fight with Kevin Smith needed to be talked over before resentment had time to settle.
“Hey,” Ollie said. “You asked me to come and I came. So what’s going on?” He was probably being too rough, but the kid was fifteen. Ollie didn’t think he needed a cuddle.
Kevin played with the ice pack covering his knuckles. “Are you looking into the stuff about my dad?”
Ollie was silent.
Kevin looked up. “I’m not stupid.”
“I know you’re not. Yeah, I’m looking into it.”
“Was he dealing drugs?”
Well, hell. How was he supposed to answer that? Ollie decided on blunt honesty. “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s possible.”
“Did he cheat people out of money?”
“I don’t know that either.” But Ollie did know more than one Quinn had lost money to Joe. “Your dad gambled, Kev, but he was pretty good at it. Some people like to talk shit, even if they lose fair and square.”
Kevin nodded, then looked down at his hands. “Did he beat up my mom?”
Ollie froze. “You tell me.”
Kevin was silent for a long time.
“Kev, this is really important.”
“I don’t think so,” he finally said. “He wasn’t nice to her. He’d say really mean stuff. Then an hour later, he’d say all sorts of stuff to suck up to her. Talk about how much he loved her. How they were meant for each other. Stuff like that.”
“You know that’s not how you talk to a woman, right?”
He nodded. “Grandpa and I talked about it years ago. Even before Dad left.”
“Once you say something, you can’t take it back. You can apologize. Hope they forgive you. But you’ve still said it. You get that?”
“Yeah.”
“Were the Quinn boys talking shit about your dad?”
Kevin nodded.
“What did they say?”
“That he was dealing drugs all over the place. And he stole money from people. Cheated them at cards, stuff like that.”
“And the stuff about your mom?”
“They were saying she knew about it but was too scared to say anything because he was beating her up. Which is just… You know it’s bullshit, Ollie. My mom would have told someone if he was doing all that stuff.”
“I know.”
“She stood up to him, you know? He said something bad to Mark one time when he was drunk. And Mom dragged him out of the room and tore into him. He never did it again. She’d never let him.”
If he wasn’t fairly sure Joe Russell was already dead, Ollie would have had a hard time not going hunting. But Kevin didn’t need to hear about that. The poor kid was already too grown-up for his age.
“Your mom,” Ollie said, “is one of the strongest women I know, and she loves you guys more than her own life. She’d never let anyone touch you or hurt you. She also cares too much about this town and the people here to let any of that go without telling someone. She might let your dad hurt himself, but she wouldn’t let him hurt other people. So yeah, those guys were full of shit, and I’m gonna be talking to Sean and Old Quinn about them.”
Kevin opened his mouth to object, but Ollie just held up a hand.
“Don’t argue. This isn’t you being a rat. If those boys have any real information—or more likely it’s something they overheard one of the adults saying—I need to know.”
“Are you going to tell my mom?”
“Do you want her to know?”
“No.”
“You sure?” Ollie raised an eyebrow. “It sure sounds like they were trying to start a fight.”
Kevin shrugged.
“Who threw the first punch?”
“Me.”
He sighed. “Should have walked away, Kev.”
“I know.”
“You’re gonna get in trouble. Rory and Derrick are gonna get in trouble too. Pretty sure that’s how it works.”
“I know.”
“I better not hear you bitching about it.”
His cheeks reddened with anger. “I won’t.”
“And we’re not working on your car this Saturday. You’re gonna clean the shop.”
Kevin slouched against the wall and dropped his head.
“You regret calling me now?” Ollie asked.
The boy looked up, and Ollie could see the tears in the corner of his eyes, but the proud fifteen-year-old didn’t let them fall.
“No.”
Ollie leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. “You’re a good kid, Kevin Smith. I’m glad you called me.”
“Yeah,” Kevin said. “Me too.”
“I’M his mother,” Allie hissed when she dropped Kevin off at his barn Saturday morning. “I need to know what happened.”
“Why?”
She put her hand on her hips, and he knew she wanted to look intimidating, but she mostly looked cute as hell.
“Because—”
“You know what?” Ollie held up a hand. “I get it. I’m not his father, but he confided in me. If one of Jena’s boys came to you and confided something that wasn’t going to affect their safety, would you say anything?”
She tapped her foot, but he knew she’d do exactly the same thing he was. Ollie might not have any kids of his own, but his friends’ kids were his responsibility, just like the younger members of his clan. He didn’t take it lightly, and he knew Allie didn’t either.
“Fine,” she finally said. “But the school is going to suspend him. One day and a citation in his permanent record.”
Oooh, a citation. Scary.
“He won’t complain. And he’s not working on his car today,” Ollie said. “He’s only cleaning the shop.”
Her shoulders drooped. “You don’t have to do that. He’s been looking forward to this all week.”
“He needs to learn how to keep his temper.” Ollie shrugged. “He’ll forget a citation. He won’t forget missing out on the first day working on his new car.”
“Don’t be a hard-ass,” she said quietly. “He’s a good kid.”
The corner of his mouth kicked up. “Me? You said it yourself. I’m a teddy bear.”
Her cheeks turned a bright pink. “I was asleep.”
“You were sleepy,” he said. “Not asleep.” And she’d also said he had nice arms. He crossed his arms over his chest, making sure to flex his biceps.
Juvenile? Possibly.
But she looked.
Ollie tried not to grin as Allie backed out of the garage. Kevin was already in there, putting on a pair of coveralls Ollie had found for him and banging around with the wide broom he’d use to sweep the floor.
“Okay, I’m just gonna… go.” Her cheeks were still pink.
He went to the doorway and stretched his arms up, bracing his arms on the door and watching her walk away.
“Bye.” His eyes dropped to her legs, which still carried a little tan from the summer. Allie turned and tripped a little when she saw where he was looking. “Um… you’re gonna drop him off when you guys are done, right?”
“Yeah. What time?”
She fiddled with the ragged hem of her shorts.
Go ahead. They could be shorter.
“Five? Is that too early? I usually give them dinner early on nights I’m working so we can eat together. If I’m going in at six—”
“I’ll drop him off at four thirty. Give him time to clean up before supper.”
“Thanks.” She licked her lips, bringing his eyes right to her mouth. “Did you want— I mean, if you’re gonna be working with him all day, you’re welcome to join us for dinner so you don’t have to cook.”
He leaned forward in the doorway and saw her eyes go right to his arms again.
Yeah, he was gonna be using that to his advantage regularly.
“That sounds good,” he said. “I’ll drop him off. We can eat and I’ll drive you to work.”
“Oh.” She stopped walking again. “You don’t have to do that.”
“We’re driving from the same place, Allie. Seems a little foolish to take two cars.”
“Right.” She nodded. “Okay, sure.”
“Great.” He banged the side of the barn. “I’ll see you at four thirty then. Better get to work.”
He watched her until she drove away, giving him a cute little wave while she crawled out of the driveway, trying not to kick up dust. Ollie picked up a wrench and turned to see Kevin frowning at him.
“What?”
“Were you hitting on my mom?”
How did he answer that question?
Ollie turned toward the old pickup, determined to get some work done on it if he wasn’t working on the Charger.
“Your mom and I are friends, Kev.” This was true. He also had intentions that Kevin didn’t need to think about, but he would always be Allie’s friend.
“Yeah, she’s friends with Sean and Alex and Caleb too.”
“Exactly.”
“But she doesn’t blush like that around any of them.”
Ollie frowned. “Kevin…”
“I’m just saying.” Kevin turned and started pulling dust from the corner with the wide broom. “If she didn’t have four kids, you’d probably ask her out.”
“Hey!” Ollie tried to control the spike of temper. “Turn around if you’re gonna say something like that. And don’t mutter.”
Kevin turned around, his mouth tight. “She’s still really pretty, even with four kids. And she’s nice.”
“Your mom’s way more than pretty. She’s beautiful.”
“But she’s just your friend.”
Ollie tossed the rag he’d picked up onto the rolling tray. “One, there’s nothing just about being a friend. I’ve been your mom’s friend since she was younger than you. That’s not something I take lightly.”
Kevin looked off to the corner. “I’ve seen the way you look at her.”
“And two—since I wasn’t finished—her life is a little complicated right now. She’s got a lot on her plate.”
“Yeah, she does,” Kevin said. “She works, like, twice as hard as everyone else’s mom I know. But you know, you being around and maybe taking her out every now and then so she’s not working all the time, that’s probably too complicated, right?”
What the hell?
Ollie’s anger must have shown on his face, because Kevin looked embarrassed. “I’m just saying I think she likes you, and I’m pretty sure—”
“Your mom’s and my relationship is not your business, Kevin.”
“So you and my mom have a relationship?”
Ollie crossed his arms and glared at the teenager. “Do you think this floor is gonna sweep itself?”
Kevin started sweeping, but he still had a scowl. “If you like a girl, you should ask her out. Then you both know what’s up. If you just mess around with her, that’s like playing a game and that’s not cool.”
“Who told you that?”
“Dude… seriously? You did. Last year when I was waiting around to ask Kristy Mackenzie to the homecoming dance.”
Shit. He did remember saying that.
“Get back to work.”
Kevin picked up the dustpan and started collecting the pile he’d gathered. “Uncle Alex says you haven’t gone out with anyone since my Mom and Dad split up.”
“Kid, do you want me to teach you how to fix your car in this century or do you want to keep pissing me off?”
“BEAR pile!”
Christopher and Loralie leapt on him from over the back of the couch as Ollie and Kevin were playing a football game on the Xbox. The two kids tumbled over his shoulders, Chris falling between Kevin and Ollie while Loralie snuggled under his right arm and made herself at home.
“Dude!” Mark yelled. “Stop it. You’re messing up the game.”
“You’re not even playing, Marky. You’re just watching,” Christopher, who was seven and completely uninterested in video games, complained.
Kevin reached over and smacked Christopher on the back of the head. “Stop calling him Marky. I told you.”
“Oh
my gosh,” Mark hissed out. “Just stop. You’re so annoying.”
“Well, you’re stupid,” Chris said.
“And you’re a fart-face.”
“Mo-om! Marky said I’m a fart—mmfph.”
Kevin slapped one hand over Chris’s mouth, still attempting to play with the other. “Dude, be quiet. We only have ten minutes before Ollie and Mom have to go to work.”
Loralie giggled and covered her mouth when Ollie looked down at her.
“Fart-face,” she lisped through two missing front teeth.
“Don’t say fart-face,” Ollie said, making her giggle again.
Chris broke into more giggles behind Kevin’s hand, his little body shaking.
“But you just said it!”
Even Mark couldn’t keep from smiling. “Dude,” he said. “Just be cool or we won’t be able to play.”
“Yeah, Ollie,” Kevin said, letting his younger brother go. “You should be a good example. Don’t say fart-face.”
Which sent Mark, Chris, and Loralie back into fits of giggles. Even Ollie couldn’t keep from smiling.
Especially when Allie came in from the kitchen, leaned over the back of the couch, and said in a loud whisper, “Ollie, did one of my kids say fart-face again?”
He busted up laughing, as much at the uncontrollable giggles surrounding him as the serious look on her face.
Mark said, “Dude, just stop saying it. I can’t stop laughing.”
Chris gasped. “I can’t either, dude.”
“They can have whole conversations in ‘dude,’” Allie said, still leaning over his shoulder.
Ollie was tempted to call “bear pile” and tug her onto his lap.
“Fluency in ‘dude’”—he turned his head so their lips were only inches away from each other—“is a gift of all seven- and ten-year-old boys.”
He saw her eyes flicker down to his mouth, and he wanted more than anything to have the right—the simple right—to lean over and kiss her. Tuck her hair behind her ear and whisper something silly to make her laugh. Her eyes never left his mouth, even when the kids started jabbering again.
Kevin said, “Just don’t say fart-face, whatever you do.”
Allie busted up laughing. She might have even snorted.