Page 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

I watch my kid in disbelief as he drops into the skate ramp like he owns the thing. I’ve never seen him skate like this before. He’s powerful and fluid. “Damn, when did you learn to do that?”

Linc grins and kicks his skateboard up so he can catch it in his hand.

“Last month.”

“I’m impressed.” Then I add the running joke comment I always say when we’re skating. “But I’m still better.”

He laughs dismissively, “Whatever.”

It’s good to see his easy smile. I can’t remember the last time we hung out at the skatepark. I need to make more time to skate, surf, hike, and just hang around and bullshit with him.

He sits on the bench next to me. “So, why don’t you teach me that Mc Twist?”

I rest my foot on the deck of my board. “You’re not ready.”

He rolls his eyes so hard they could fall out. “That’s B.S.”

Standing up, I immediately drop to the ramp and slide down to perform the perfect 540 degree turn made famous by Mike McGill.

When I sail back up to the ramp, pop up over the lip and catch my board, he looks surprised as hell.

I say, “Your turn.”

He shakes his head. “Let’s go get that ice cream.”

Laughing, I pick up my board. “Suit yourself.”

He falls in stride beside me. His legs are damn near as long as mine now. But when I glance over at him, I realize he’s stopped. When I turn back, his eyes are fixed on something across the park.

Well, technically not something. Someone.

A little brunette with a short denim skirt, tall socks with skulls on them, skate shoes, and a leather jacket that I recognize. It was Linc’s but he ‘lost’ it.

His hand is clenched around his skateboard. His face is hard and far too mature. When she looks up and sees him, she freezes.

“Hey, Dad, I need a minute.” Linc says without looking back at me.

For a few seconds, I wonder what she’s doing out of school, then I remember it’s a Saturday. Linc, of course, is still suspended. But my days and weeks all blur together so much now, I don’t even know what day is what. I glance between the two of them again. “Who’s your friend?”

“Belle. She goes to school with me.”

“Care to introduce me?”

He glances at me with a pained grimace. “Do I have to?”

I give him a flat look in return.

He grunts and shakes his head. “Come on.”

I follow as he crosses the park, never taking his eyes off the girl like she’s the only thing that exists in the world.

Oh hell . This is not good. I know that look.

Nervously, she glances at me when he reaches her. Linc hooks his thumb in my direction. I’m still too far away to hear what he’s saying.

She chews her lip, and nods at something he says.

When I walk up, he says, “Dad, this is Belle. Belle, this is my dad, Brock Mitchell. He’s the fire chief.”

Belle is maybe five foot tall. Her eyes are soft gray like winter storm clouds and she’s obviously completely taken with Linc. She’s also super nervous about what I’m going to say because when she extends her hand, there’s a tremor in it. “Nice to meet you, Chief Mitchell.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Belle.”

She glances around nervously.

“Where is Emily?” Linc asks as he frowns down at Belle who doesn’t even reach his shoulder.

“She was supposed to be meeting me here, but she’s really late.”

Linc’s eyes sharpen as he scans the park. “Where are your other friends?”

“Busy.”

He shifts between the balls of his feet. “You shouldn’t be here alone. They might see you and… It’s just not safe. ”

“What’s going on?” I ask, stepping closer.

Belle wraps her arms over her body, folding the coat that was once Linc’s tighter to her body. She chews on her bottom lip, then she looks me right in the eye. “Lincoln has been trying to stop some guys from bullying me. I told him not to get in trouble over me, but he won’t listen…” She waves a hand at him, “I can’t stop him. I would think you know what I mean.”

I stare at her as my brain adds up all the things that have been happening. That, plus what Avery said about a girl, and everything makes total sense.

“Want to join us for some ice cream?”

Linc’s mouth falls open, his eyes flare. Then he gives me the look that says, what the hell?!?”

Belle looks around the park once more. “Yes. I’ll just tell Amanda that I had to go. She’s probably stuck doing something with her mom, anyway.” She pulls out her phone. With thumb speed only a teenager has, she texts someone. When she’s done, she shoves the phone back in the little purse that’s fastened to her belt. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

“I’m parked over there.” I turn and head toward the truck. Belle hurries until she’s in step beside me, like she doesn’t want to listen to whatever Linc is going to say to her. Linc, on the other hand, is still standing where we left him when I glance back.

“You coming?”

He glares at me, but finally gets his ass in motion.

If Linc won’t talk to me about what’s going on, maybe his girl will. Regardless, I figure it’s about time to get to really know what’s going on in his life… or shall I say, who.

Belle’s a nice kid. She politely orders two scoops of vanilla ice cream in a cup, then thanks me when I pay. Linc, on the other hand, is all grunts and grumbles and narrowed eye glances.

We take a seat on the patio by the boardwalk. I break the ice. “So, have you lived here long?”

“Two years. Mom and I moved here from the Inland Empire. Mom’s uncle lives here, he’s got an apartment in his house, so when my mom found a job here, we moved to save money.”

She chats easily with me. Talks all about how much she loved volunteering to teach people to read through a program at the bookstore. Then she tells me about meeting Linc in the hall one day when she couldn’t get her locker open.

The conversation is so innocent, and the look they share alternately makes my heart squeeze and my hair turn gray.

These two are in deep. At fifteen. Fuck. I need to be buying the kid condoms.

I’m not ready to handle a kid that’s dating. Where the hell did my innocent little ten-year-old skater kid go?

Gone. Far away, apparently.

Linc doesn’t take his eyes off her for more than two seconds the whole time we sit and talk. He’s pretty tight lipped. As I expected. But that’s not gonna change overnight.

After we’ve finished our ice cream, I ask the question that’s been burning me up. “So, you mentioned something about not being safe in the park. Have you had some kind of trouble, Belle?”

Her color changes instantly. From rosy and youthful to pale. Linc sits up in his chair and fists his hands on the table.

“Some people have been really shitty to Belle,” Linc says as he looks me right in the eyes.

Belle sweeps her long, brown hair aside. “I guess people are like that everywhere. That’s what I keep telling Lincoln, that it’s not a big deal. I’m sure they’ll find someone else to pick on soon. I told Lincoln it’s not worth getting in fights over.”

“I disagree,” my son says and leans back in his chair with his hands gripping his thighs. “It’s fucked up,” he says with a hard exhalation.

She sighs tiredly, and looks down at her clasped hands. “I’ve never dealt with bullies before. At my last school, everyone was, you know, normal.”

I’ve dealt with bullies plenty, but I’ve never been on the outside looking in. Worried about these two, I ask, “Who’s the bully?”

Linc narrows his eyes. “There's more than one.”

“You’re taking them on for her?”

He nods, pushes the empty ice-cream cup around with his fingers.

“The fights are related to this?” I ask.

There’s shock in his eyes when I say, “I’m proud of you for looking out for someone. But it can’t be with your fists. People can get seriously hurt. People get arrested. I’ve known good guys that went to jail for things that got out of control. It might just seem like a simple fistfight, but it’s much more dangerous than that. And if a bully gets to run roughshod over a school, causing this kind of problem, then everyone’s life is affected. And Belle, you’re right, they will move on to someone else. And someone else. Until they leave a trail of damage in their wake.”

Angry, Linc clenches his jaw. “I’m not going to let them hurt her.”

“As you shouldn’t. But you should get adults involved. Was the thing in San Diego related to this? ”

Belle bolts upright, alarm in her eyes. “What happened in San Diego?”

Linc and I stare at each other.

Clenching my teeth, I say,

“You should have told me.”

Linc’s gaze is unflinching. “Not like you’d have gone and kicked their asses.”

“No, I wouldn’t, but I’d help you both find a way to deal with it.”

Tightening his jaw, Linc says, “That would require you to do something besides work and screw around with the girl you hired.”