Page 26 of Protecting Lainey (Broterhood Alliance #7)
“I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Lainey sure as hell wanted to believe that, but her trust column was still painfully short. It hurt to tell Finn how she’d been fooled by love and trusted a man. And it sure wasn’t the first time. Different man. Different setting. Same crushing outcome.
Truth was, she’d learned young not to lean on promises. Her father made plenty of them. The last was when he left for a job in Atlanta when she was ten. Said he’d call. Said he loved her. She never saw him again. Just a couple of cards a year. Signed but no message.
“Are you okay?”
She was jolted out of her negative thoughts by Finn, who was still sitting across from her and had a concerned look on his face.
She nodded too quickly. “Yes. Of course. This is just a lot to take in.”
“It is,” he agreed. “But you’re safe.” Finn looked at his watch and pushed up from the chair. “I’m sorry I have to leave. When I get more information, I’ll let you know.”
Her throat tightened. “Okay,” she said softly, forcing herself to look up at him. “Thank you.”
Finn’s gaze softened. “Oh, Lainey, you never have to thank me.”
With that, he turned and left, leaving Lainey to gather her thoughts.
All she wanted to do was redevelop this project, make it something beautiful.
It had always been her passion, and she was fortunate to get into a great school.
She studied hard and took on extra projects, all the while tending to a baby and working during her vacations.
Now it felt like everything was going down the drain. Fast.
She shook herself. Wallowing in self-pity got nothing done.
By the end of the day, she was beat. She addressed two minor issues at the site—a plumbing delay and a materials mix-up, ordinary things that happen. She managed to finish the last of her reports. Her shoulders ached. Her head hurt.
Now she was looking forward to going home and spending time with Luke. Hmmm. Maybe they’d make pizza together. It was his favorite. She could have a glass of wine or two. Then they could watch a movie before he had to go to bed.
Decision made, she mentally went over what she needed, just some pre-made pizza dough and pepperoni. She had the sauce and cheese.
Lainey waved goodbye to Gus, who was locking up the site trailer, and headed to the grocery store. On a whim, she called and asked Tara if she wanted to stay for dinner. But she had other plans. Fine by Lainey. It would be just her and Luke.
The grocery store didn’t take long. She grabbed the bag, popped the trunk, slid it in, and climbed into the driver’s seat.
She had just started the engine when…
Bang. Bang. Bang.
A knock on her window scared the bejesus out of her, and she jumped. Her heart thundered in her chest.
Lainey turned. An older woman with short white hair stood by the driver’s side, giving her a finger wave.
Lainey rolled down the window a few inches. “Yes?”
“Hi. I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to scare you,” the woman said. “But you have a flat tire. Front passenger side.”
Crap.
This couldn’t be how her day was going to end. Lainey stepped out to look, and sure enough, the front tire was flatter than a pancake.
Perfect. Just perfect.
“Thank you,” she said to the woman, who gave her a small wave before walking away.
How had she missed that? Did she pick up a nail at the construction site? Wouldn’t be unheard of. Or had someone deliberately slashed her tire?
She texted Tara that she’d be a little late, crossed her fingers that it was okay, then called Triple A. Luckily a truck was in the area and she wouldn’t have to wait too long.
Still, as she sat in her car, the back of her neck prickled. Maybe it was adrenaline from being startled. Or maybe it was something else.
The parking lot wasn’t busy, just a few cars scattered around. A couple of women stepped out of the store with shopping bags and climbed into a car a few spaces down. A man crossed the other side of the lot, too far away to make out details, then disappeared behind a delivery van.
Her pulse picked up. She looked around the lot again. Nothing. Still, she stayed in her locked car with her phone in her hand.
A text came through. Triple A had arrived and was in the lot. She got out of the car and waved. Twenty minutes later, the driver confirmed it was a nail. It made sense.
What didn’t make sense was her unease. But she was on her way home. No one was following her. By the time she pulled into The Hammocks at Haywood, dusk had settled. The streetlights glowed softly, and warm lights from the condo spilled out onto the quiet streets.
She parked her car and saw a little head appear at a window. When she opened the door, Luke barreled into her legs. After getting a sweet kiss from him, Lainey bid Tara good night and watched her get into her car to go home.
“I found a movie,” Luke shouted from the living room.
Lainey smiled as she opened the fridge. “Great. Help me make the pizza and we’ll watch it.”
He bounded over, dragging a chair to the counter. Together, they layered the dough with sauce and cheese. Luke scattered pepperoni like snow. Into the oven it went. The scent of garlic and melted cheese filled the air.
After dinner, they curled up on the couch, Luke tucked against her side. He picked one of those silly animated movies with clucking chickens and chaos. Laughter filled the air, some from the movie, some from Luke.
Lainey took a sip of wine, allowing herself to relax. This was how a day was supposed to end. Good food, a glass of wine, her favorite boy, and a hug that made all the world’s problems disappear. At least for a moment.
Fat Jack’s Roadhouse pulsed with loud music, clinking glasses and the low hum of conversation. Finn hadn’t been here in a while. It was part dive bar and part hangout, but it was exactly what he needed. Familiar.
It was a cavernous room with a long wooden bar, a stage, a dance floor with tables filling the space, and booths along the back. Couples were dancing and just enjoying themselves. He spotted the guys at one of the back booths and waved to Sunny Jack, who was waiting on customers.
Sunny was a sweetheart. The bar was named after her husband, Jack, who passed away shortly after they opened. Finn had seen a picture of Jack by the register. He was a skinny guy! So much for truth in advertising.
He slid into the booth.
“Heard anything else from Tex?” Caleb asked.
Finn shook his head. He took a long pull from the bottle and set it down. “No. I’m concerned. Not only that, Lainey is still hiding something. I can feel it.”
“Any idea what?” Dex reached for a few chicken wings that the server had placed in front of them.
“Not a clue,” Finn replied.
Across the table, Caleb smirked. “You show up out of the blue and you think she’s going to tell you her whole life story?”
“No. But something is bothering her.” Finn glanced toward the stage, where a young woman was singing something low and smoky. More couples got up to dance, holding each other close, whispering things that weren’t meant to be heard.
His mind drifted to senior year.
October. After the homecoming game, he and Lainey ditched the bonfire and drove out to the overlook, their favorite spot. They looked at the lights of the city twinkling below, the stars twinkling above, and felt like the only two people in the universe.
She’d been quiet all night.
The night was cool, and she had his letterman jacket wrapped around her shoulders while snuggling into his arms. The silence between them was comfortable.
“God, my mother insists I come to Sunday dinner even though I told her I had plans.”
Lainey chuckled. “Don’t complain. Your family actually like each other. That’s kind of nice.”
Her smile faded.
“You ever hear from your dad?” he asked gently.
She huffed. “A couple cards a year. Sometimes. Birthday. Christmas. But that’s all I can count on.”
Finn didn’t say anything, just waited.
“I don’t know or understand men sometimes,” she added. “It’s like they start a marriage, a family and then one day decide it’s too much or there’s something better. And they leave. And the ones they leave behind…” She swallowed hard. “We’re the ones who grow up learning not to trust.”
Finn didn’t speak. He pulled her a little closer. Nothing he could do to change what happened.
“Hey, old man. Where did you go?” Dex chucked a wing at him.
Finn blinked. Why had that memory been stirred up?
He hadn’t thought about Lainey’s dad in years. Hadn’t thought about him when he left for the service. Hadn’t thought about him when he left her behind.
He thought he was doing it for Lainey. But maybe it hadn’t felt that way to her.