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Chapter 58: Frankie has been consolidating
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Pelican Bay Security Chapter 59: Bennett Walker has a secret
Bennett Walker has a son.A real live son.One who looks exactly like him. From his brown hair to his bright green eyes, right down to the way his cheeks fold up when he smiles.Wow.The small child takes a flying leap and lands directly in Bennett's arms. Bennett, with his arms wrapped around the small person, the two of them whispering back and forth to one another, takes a few strides toward the house. When he realizes I'm not following, he stops, turns back, and tilts his head toward the front porch.That's all it takes.One quick head flick and I follow Bennett to the white front porch surrounding the spectacular home. With each step, more and more of the information Bennett shared about himself the last few days falls into place.I figured maybe he needed to get back to the states because his mother was sick. Or maybe a brother. I never guessed a child. Children normally come with a wife. Or at least a girlfriend. Now I fully understand why Bennett fought with Ridge
Pelican Bay Security Chapter 60: The Truth Comes Out
When Bennett doesn't start talking again, I give him a pointed look until he takes a deep breath and resumes."On my last leave in the states, I stopped by to pick up Liam and found her curled in a ball on her bathroom floor." He stops, taps the counter twice and with another deep breath continues, "I was horrible to her. Accused her of being on drugs and finally after a lot of yelling she admitted," he rubs his hand against his forehead creating red lines from the hardness, "she had cancer.""Oh no." I wish there was something better I could say, but nothing articulate comes to mind. The oil hisses and pops as I spread the veggies around, tossing them with the spatula."The doctors caught it too late. Gina went through a round of chemo but it wasn't enough. She died a few months later.""Bennett, I'm so sorry." With the vegetable done, I remove the pan from the heat and turn off the stove while keeping my eyes on his.He shrugs — getting a handle on his emotions quickly — an
Pelican Bay Security Chapter 61: Kitchen Sounds
Sunlight pours from the open window on the other side of the room. It heats my face and forces me to open one eye before I'm ready. Right away I notice the bed is empty. Bennett made his exit sometime in the middle the night or early this morning. I don't know. And even though I'm happier this way — who wants to wake up next to the guy you spent all night crying on? — I use the entire walk to the bathroom feeling disappointed. My feet drag on the carpet.The upstairs is quiet but there's a continuous banging of pans and loud muffled noises coming from downstairs while I brush my teeth with a finger and splash water on my face. I finish taking care of business, flush the toilet, and wash my hands, drying them by flapping them around in the air as I walk out of the bathroom since I couldn't find a hand towel.On the first floor the sounds increase in the area of the kitchen, and since they're too loud to ignore, I hesitantly make my way there. Bennett could be torturing eggs this mor
Pelican Bay Security Chapter 62: Beach Access
"Are you sure you're okay? I can drop you off with Tabitha or Ridge."Bennett's hesitancy stretches my lips across my face into a large smile. "No, this is great."Liam runs back to us, his little feet smacking the pavement with each step making the lights on the back of his shoes flash. "Can I get the chocolate flavor?""Sure, buddy."Bennett's house isn't far from the water — no one in Pelican Bay proper is — so when Liam suggested we take a Sunday walk for ice cream, none of us were going to say no. The way his eyes lit up and his face exploded in excitement when his dad told him he could get any flavor he wanted was enough to remind me there is a reason to smile today. In fact being around his constant ball of energy I haven't had much time to sit and fret about what I'm going to do when Bennett finally lets me go back to the bakery.The wind blasts cool air off the top of the ocean right down the road blowing my hair every which direction. When it settles I attempt to fl
Pelican Bay Security Chapter 63: Tutti Frutti
Bennett finishes and we all step a few paces to the right waiting for our order at the pickup window. I watch the worker twist the cones perfectly under the machine's spout and briefly consider offering ice cream at the bakery. Ultimately I toss the idea out because I can't foresee Tabitha making a twisty cone anywhere as well as they do here. Bennett hands Liam a chocolate cone — he went back to his original decision, but not before much consideration. When I have a light blue cone twisted higher than should be possible with gravity and Bennett carries a bright pink colored one I can only assume is tutti frutti, we let Liam lead the way to the lighthouse.The tall Pelican Bay lighthouse beckons from farther up the shore and we leave the sidewalk to stroll through the sand."You think he's okay?" Bennett asks while Liam runs ahead.The small child eyes his cone, his head down searching the ground for shells before stopping to lick every few seconds."Yeah." It's an easy answer.
Pelican Bay Security Chapter 64: A Fancy Security System
The time, 6:01 flashes on the alarm drilled into the brick exterior of my back entryway at the bakery. Bennett punches in a set of numbers and the entire box flashes green."The code is the date you moved to Pelican Bay," he rattles off the number, which is good because I have no idea when I made it here. "I'll give you a full rundown of how to work the system later, but for now that code will get you in and out when you need it. And remember Spencer is always your eye in the sky." He leans out the back door and points toward the camera mounted a little to the left of the entryway."Thanks." I remove my keys from the door and pull it the rest of the way open. Bennett leans into my little hallway and places a kiss on my cheek.One that doesn't last nearly long enough. It's like our 500th kiss if you count the long make out session we had last night. In his bed. Regardless my heart soars at the simple contact. I'm a little hazy on when this thing started between us, but over the la
Pelican Bay Security Chapter 65: Open for Business
She pushes the containers of cream cheese closer. "And these need to go in the fridge. I know how you are with your temperatures.""Yeah, thanks." I grab the containers only to have Tabitha swipe them from my hands."I'll take care of them for you, boss," she says flitting back to the kitchen.What is going on with people this morning?Everything is happening at once and it feels like a hundred people are giving me directions but nothing is getting through.Katy taps her fingernails on the counter a few times and says, "Don't worry about the sign. I'll take care of it." She steps away from the counter so fast I don't question her motives. The glass in the door rattles, but this time not someone knocking. The peaceful morning outside is stolen by the rumble of loud black exhaust as what has to be fifty bikers stop by the side door. Next to them, blocking the entire side street, parks a big white delivery truck with no markings on the side."Oh my," Pearl says cocking her hea
Pelican Bay Security Chapter 66: Don't Let Tabitha Near the Oven
Tabitha, wearing one of the bakery's pink aprons with some form of melted brown goo — please let it be chocolate — all down the front of it, steps out of the kitchen carrying a plate of charcoal briquettes. Except she wasn't barbecuing back there. She was baking cookies."Your oven hates me." Her gaze never leaves the plate of her disfigured chocolate chip cookies.I cringe, not wanting to have this conversation...again. "I think it's scared of you. You intimidate it."It's a lie. A big one, but maybe it will help her kitchen confidence. Or let me kick her out permanently from the baking area. Either option works for me. "Me? How?""Well, yesterday you called it a fucking gutterslut."She taps her foot on the tile floor, annoyance obvious in her pinched features. "Well, if the name fits."There's nothing left for me to do but shake my head. "Try talking nicely to it. Maybe pet the side every once in a while.""Should I make a sacrifice, too?""No, I think those co
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