Page 27 of Protecting Lainey (Broterhood Alliance #7)

Was there anything better than a weekend at home just relaxing?

Lainey sat on the back porch and watched a pair of sandhill cranes strut around the pond.

The first time she’d seen them, she grabbed Luke, ran into the house and locked the door.

Birds almost as tall as she was? Taller than Luke?

And totally unafraid of people? At the time, she actually thought they bit people.

Lainey took another sip of her coffee and chuckled as a flock of ducks chased one unlucky straggler across the pond. The little fellow paddled off by himself, sad and lonely.

She had a list of chores that needed to be done today, not the least of which was replenishing the cupboards. Luke was in the middle of a growth spurt, and anything edible in the house was fair game.

Leaning back in her chair, she closed her eyes, letting the quiet envelop her. Her mother was coming over later to pick up Luke for an overnight. Tonight was girls’ night. They were going to a place called Lucky’s. Joy said it was a fun bar and she’d enjoyed herself.

Lainey hoped so.

The weekends were supposed to be about forgetting work, and boy, she wanted to. But with everything going on, all she could do was wait for the next shoe to drop.

Finn rolled over in bed and cracked open one eye. The sun was streaming through the window. He didn’t need to look at his watch to know it was midmorning.

He and the guys left Fat Jack’s just before closing, something he hadn’t done in a while. But knowing the next day was Saturday, and he didn’t have to work, made the late night worth it.

Of course, if he had a woman in his bed, he wouldn’t be up for a while. However, no woman had been in his bed recently. Usually, if he had an itch, he’d find someone for the night and move on. No entanglements. It was easier that way.

Still, his mind drifted, and he wondered what Lainey was up to. What did she do on the weekends with her son? Make pancakes? Do errands? Go to the park? Was there a man in the picture? She never said. He never asked.

Then he went down memory lane for a moment, remembering their last night together. How special it was. How much he missed Lainey.

Bah, not going there right now.

He lay there for a few minutes, hands behind his head, letting his body slowly come awake, and chuckled. Civilian life was so different from being in the service. There was no reveille. No barking orders. No crack-of-dawn wake-ups.

Eventually, he’d go for a run. Check out the feed on the jobsite. If anything had happened, he would have heard. But it made sense to keep on top of things.

Tonight, a few of the guys wanted to go to Lucky’s Bar. He generally didn’t do bars two nights in a row, but staying home sounded worse.

Okay, lazybones, up you go.

Finn groaned and shoved back the covers.

He’d shower when he got back from running, so he tugged on a pair of shorts and padded to the kitchen.

He watched the coffeepot gurgle to life as he leaned against the counter, yawning.

When it finished, he poured himself a mug and stepped out onto the patio.

It was already hot and humid.

He cursed himself for not getting up earlier to run. But if he didn’t get it in, there’d be no time later. He took a long sip of coffee and surveyed the backyard. The neighborhood was quiet. Only the occasional sounds of birds in the trees and a lone car going by. It was peaceful.

He gulped down the last of the coffee and brought the mug into the kitchen. No more excuses. He laced up his sneakers, yanked a T-shirt over his head, and stepped out the door. Running couldn’t be put off any longer.

Once back, he took a long, hot shower, changed and got into his truck. It didn’t take long to get downtown.

He drove past Haywood Lake Park and the children’s park. So many little ones were enjoying the merry-go-round, the jungle gym and swings. He slowed slightly, watching. Did Lainey ever bring her son here?

He turned onto Church Street. When he rounded the corner to Pine Street, the historic district came into view. Lainey’s section of the redevelopment was quiet. The construction fencing was secure and locked. The equipment was idle. No sign of trouble.

Finn slowed as he passed, scanning out of habit.

Something caught his eye.

Two men in street clothes lingered near a rundown building a block away, right on the fringe of the newer redevelopment zone. One leaned against a brick wall. The other lit a cigarette. They weren’t talking. Just standing there.

Watching.

They weren’t dressed like inspectors. Didn’t look like contractors. And they sure as hell didn’t look like tourists or men just passing by.

Nothing they were doing was illegal. Just two guys hanging out on a Saturday.

Still, something about it didn’t feel right. Something about the way they were glancing at Lainey’s buildings.

It bothered Finn. It wasn’t enough to raise the red flag over. Not yet.

But it was enough to keep it at the back of his mind.

By the time Lainey found Lucky’s Bar, she was already questioning her life choices.

Getting dressed had been a chore. Not knowing how dressy or not Lucky’s was, she opted for a blue-floral mid-length ruffled-edged skirt with a thigh-high slit, a white sleeveless V-neck top, and a pair of rhinestone sandals.

A lightweight kimono-style coverup in blue to match the skirt completed the look. It was casual without being too casual.

Then she had a hard time finding the bar.

It was tucked at the end of a string of warehouses and mom-and-pop shops near Haywood Lake.

It was easy to miss if you hadn’t been here before.

The parking lot was packed, but she was able to find a spot under a streetlamp.

The twang of country music drifted toward her in the night air.

She stepped inside and was immediately overtaken by noise: conversations, clinking glasses, the sharp clack of pool balls, and the band belting out a love song. Lainey stood by the long wooden bar and took a deep breath. Did she really want to be here?

Bars weren’t her thing. Sure, maybe they were in college, but she wasn’t in college anymore, plus she had a child.

Before Lainey could chicken out, Autumn spotted her and waved from a big table in the back. Weaving her way through the people lined up at the bar, the dancers on the floor, and the tables surrounding the dance floor, she finally made it. She slid into an empty seat between Autumn and Joy.

“Oh my God!” she half-yelled over the music. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is more, much more.”

“Glad you made it,” said Joy, practically shouting, then turned toward two other women. “Lainey, these are my friends Mallory Chapman and Nicki Vanderdorf.”

Lainey said hi and glanced around the table.

She finger-waved to Isabelle and Felicia, who were at the other end of the table.

And did a double take when she saw Jessie West. She owned a nursery school in town that many of Luke’s friends had attended.

Lainey hadn’t seen her with the other women before and wondered how they all knew her.

There she was, sitting next to Mia like this was just any old Saturday night. Lainey gave a small wave.

A server appeared and handed her a menu. She looked over at the other women’s drinks, all colorful concoctions of something yummy and inviting. Her mouth watered.

“I’ll have a frozen Pina Colada,” she said, pointing to a picture of the frosty drink with a lime wedge and sugared rim.

Within minutes, the server set a colorful, slushy drink in front of Lainey.

Joy raised her glass. “To girls’ night out. May there be many more.”

Everyone clinked glasses.

Lainey took a sip of her frozen drink. It was cold, tart, and perfect. Exactly what the night called for.

She glanced around the room. The band was taking a break, and it was blissfully quiet except for the hum of conversation, occasional laughter, the sharp knock of pool balls. Still.

They could talk.

“So, I know what most of you do.” Lainey set her drink down and pointed at Mallory and Nicki. “What about you two?”

Before Mallory could answer, Autumn jumped in. “Mallory owns Spiritual Bliss in town. I just photographed it, and I have to say I’m ready for a hot stone massage, a full-body Swedish massage, anything to get rid of stress.”

“Anytime.” Mallory laughed. “Seriously, you all are welcome. We have a variety of options for the ultimate relaxing experience from facials to yoga.”

“I’m jealous,” Nicki said with a grin. “Autumn’s never photographed my shop.

” She turned to Lainey. “I own Petals to Go. And while I’d like to think flowers are relaxing, try making arrangements and dealing with an indecisive bride, her crying mother and an interfering mother-in-law, who each have an opinion. ”

Lainey laughed. “Florist drama. Who knew?”

“Well, try dealing with twenty tween-agers,” said Joy. “Half of the girls in my class are making goo-goo eyes at the boys. The boys are launching rubber bands at the girls and laughing when they scream.”

“So that’s what I have to look forward to, huh?” quipped Lainey. “Maybe I’ll just homeschool. You know, add it to my ever-growing list of items I’ll never accomplish unless I clone myself.”

They all cracked up.

Lainey leaned back in her seat. Being here with old and new friends, cold drinks and conversation was exactly what she didn’t know she needed.

The girls finished their drinks and ordered another, plus some snacks—zucchini fries with a lemon aioli and a charcuterie board. No one wanted to get drunk.

They were laughing about a horror story Mia had just finished telling them, about the wedding where the groom was drunk and fell into the cake, when Autumn leaned over, eyes gleaming.

“So, Lainey, you’re not just here for drinks and war stories, are you?”

Lainey blinked. “What do you mean?”

Autumn tilted her head toward the bar. “That.”

The entire table turned.

Lainey followed their gaze, and her stomach dipped. A group of men was laughing at the bar, ordering drinks, watching the game on the overhead TV.

Finn stood out immediately.

He was dressed in jeans, a black tee stretched across his broad shoulders, and with a beer in one hand, looking all sexy and hot.

“Oh, that’s just Finn,” Lainey said casually.

Nicki giggled. “Just Finn?”

Lainey shrugged. “I’ve known him forever. We went to school together. Long time ago. All ancient history.”

“Hmmm,” Autumn murmured into her glass. “Ancient history is looking mighty sexy.”

“Seriously,” Mallory added. “The whole group there. All hot.”

“Hey, hey,” Isabelle called out. “No eyeballing Will or Colt. Everyone else is fair game.”

“And Austin,” Joy added. “He’s happily married.”

“Okay then. We’ve got a firefighter—married.” Nicki ticked off her fingers. “Two security guys—spoken for. That leaves the rest of the security guys and a deputy.” She stared at Lainey. “So, Finn is a…?”

“Ex-SEAL and security contractor,” Lainey muttered. “He also does construction.”

Mia leaned forward. “So, tell us more about this ex-SEAL, security expert slash construction worker.”

Lainey bit back the urge to say, so tell me about Caleb and why you’re avoiding him, but she didn’t. This was all in fun. Mostly.

“Nothing worth telling.” She took a sip of her drink, ignoring her cheeks heating up. She focused on her drink. How cold the glass felt in her hand. How the sugared rim sparkled under the lights. And that wedge of lime? A perfect foil for the white drink.

Autumn snorted. “Riiight.”

The table burst into laughter again, and Lainey let herself laugh too.

That was until she glanced back at the bar.

Just as Finn turned.

And spotted her. And their eyes met.

He held her gaze a moment longer than he should’ve.

Long enough for her to remember everything she thought she’d left behind.