Shadows at Sunset: Sunset Trilogy ~ Book 1 (8 page)

I shrugged and looked away. I hated lying to him, but I had no choice. “Pretty much.”

“So where is this hero dog of yours?”

“He’s not really mine. He’s just a stray I befriended. I leave food out for him and he trusts me, but he’s very shy and terrified of everyone else.” I gazed straight ahead, focusing on the trees and the setting sun. The crickets were starting to chirp again tonight since it had warmed up. I listened to them for a moment, not knowing what else to say. Finally, I changed the subject. “So you’re from Pittsburgh? Is this your first time living in New Hampshire?”

“Yeah. I just moved here this summer.”

“Do you have any family or friends here?”

“No. I moved here for the job. And I wanted to get away.”

“Well, you’re definitely away. There isn’t much to do around here.”

“That’s good. I wanted a change of pace. It seems really peaceful here. Not at all like where I lived in Pittsburgh.”

“You do realize you moved to the middle of nowhere, don’t you?” I laughed softly. “Sorry. Most of the kids at school can’t wait to move away. And you’re probably close to our age. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to move here.”
Except that I don’t want to leave,
I added to myself, realizing the irony. All of my classmates couldn’t wait to go to college somewhere far away, and I dreaded the day I would have to. But it was only because of Dakota.

“Don’t think I’ve completely lost my mind. I’m writing a novel. I needed a little space and quiet time.”

“You’ll get lots of that here. What’s it about?”

He looked away, scanning the trees at the edge of the yard. “It’s kind of hard to explain. It’s horror, like a Stephen King novel. I figured he lives in Maine and all his stories are set there, so when I found this job, I decided to take it right away.”

“So you’re the next Stephen King. Remind me to get an autograph so I can say I knew you when,” I said.

“Nope. No autographs, at least not until I publish my first book. I don’t believe in jumping the gun like that.”

I nodded. “I guess I can’t argue with that. Is your story set around here?”

He had just opened his mouth to respond when I smelled something burning. I glanced over at the grill to see smoke billowing out from under the cover. Noah also noticed it and immediately jumped to his feet. He rushed over and opened it, ducking as smoke burst out at him. Once the air had cleared, he straightened and flipped the burgers. “Looks like they’re a little on the well-done side, but I think they can be saved,” he said as he glanced at me with a hint of mischief in his eyes. “It’s a good thing, too. The last thing I need is to have to tell your dad I ruined our dinner because you were distracting me too much.”

I smiled as I rose to my feet and walked over to him. “Then I guess we won’t tell him.”

“Tell me what?” My father emerged from the back door with a tray of buns and condiments.

“That I never should have been trusted to watch the grill,” Noah said smoothly, not missing a beat. “Sorry, sir, but I guess I lost track of time.”

My father set his tray on the table and approached the grill. “They don’t look too bad. Well-done, maybe.” He flipped the burgers as though he had done it hundreds of times. Then he focused on me. “Laken, you’ll need to run in and grab a veggie burger or two. It’s about time to get those started. I forgot to get them when I was in the kitchen.”

“Okay.” I cast a shy glance at Noah as I headed toward the back door. He smiled softly, as if we shared a secret that my father was completely unaware of. I smiled back for just a second before I turned and reached for the door handle.

As I stepped inside the house, I heard my father say, “Ever work a grill before? There’s nothing better than an outside barbeque around here in the summer.”

His voice faded as I shut the door behind me. I took a deep breath as I leaned my back against it. I could only imagine the goofy smile that was plastered on my face. At least my mother was nowhere in sight to see it.
Get a hold of yourself,
I thought.
He’s so cute and so nice. How did this happen? Nothing this exciting ever happens around here! But Mom and Dad are having this dinner, so take it easy. It’s no big deal.
Even as I told myself that, I knew I would be nervous for the rest of the night. I wasn’t sure how, but I needed to pull myself together and act like our dinner guest was nothing more than one of my parents’ boring friends who had eaten dinner with us on many occasions.

My thoughts were interrupted when my mother appeared from around the corner, her blue jeans and knit shirt exchanged for khaki capris and a white blouse. She grabbed the wooden salad bowl to carry it outside. “Are we almost ready?”

I nodded. “Dad just sent me in here to get my veggie burger.” I passed her as I walked across the kitchen and opened the freezer to look for the package.

“Sounds good. I’ll meet you outside.”

“I’ll be right there.” I plucked the box of garden burgers from the middle shelf, shut the door, and turned to head back outside. I was determined to enjoy the evening with Noah, but more importantly, to not let my parents notice that I liked him, probably more than I should.

Chapter 5

Hardly a moment passed after our dinner with Noah that I didn’t think about him. I tried to push him out of my thoughts, but it was useless. I spent all my free time daydreaming, including my jaunts into the woods with Dakota. Even though I kept a book with me at all times, I didn’t get much reading done. My fantasies of Noah proved to be far more interesting. Unfortunately, Dakota always knew what I was thinking. He kept giving me scolding looks every time I thought of Noah.

“What?” I finally asked him one morning as I sat upon a rock, savoring the late summer sun. “If you don’t like it, stop paying attention to my thoughts. I like him, and I think maybe he likes me, too. So get over it.”

Without any warning, Dakota leaped toward me and knocked me off the rock, licking my face. “Okay, okay,” I laughed. “I love you, too. Now stop.” I kept giggling until he eased back and stood over me with a serious look in his eyes. “I get it,” I said, sitting up. “You have nothing to worry about. You come first.”

He huffed as though he had finally heard what he was waiting for and backed away so that I could stand up. I made a mental note to keep my thoughts far away from Noah when Dakota was around. It simply wasn’t worth the battle.

I returned to work at the pizza shop with only one week left before school started. I needed to pick up as many shifts as I could to beef up my savings. My goal this summer had been to buy a car, but I was far from having enough money saved for that. Since my mother was a school teacher and home during the summer, we had shared the Explorer for the last few months. But I had really hoped to have my own car by the time school started so that I wouldn’t have to take the bus. Ethan also didn’t have a car to drive to school, or I could have ridden with him. The only other option was to ride with my mother which appealed to me even less than riding the bus.

On my first day back to work, the staff greeted me with cheers and applause. The locals thanked me, reminding me that I was the town hero, or something else equally embarrassing. Fortunately, by mid-week, the hype died down and I was able to relax and get through my shifts without fielding questions about how I had found Ryder.

It wasn’t until Thursday that I saw Noah again. I was cleaning up from a busy lunch shift when I saw him walk through the front glass door and sit at one of the empty tables. He was hard to miss in his deputy uniform of jeans and a light blue button-down shirt. After removing his sunglasses and placing them on the red and white checked table cloth, he looked around.

Our eyes met as I wound my way through the maze of tables, some clean and some still cluttered with empty glasses, dirty plates, and crumpled napkins from the lunch rush. I suddenly wished I had the chance to run to the bathroom to check my hair, but it was too late for that. Earlier that day, I had braided my hair in two sections that fell loosely down my back. But as the day wore on, I felt the escaped strands tickling the sides of my face. The only uniform the owner insisted on was a white polo shirt with “Mike’s Pizza” embroidered on the upper left corner. Aside from that, jeans, khakis, or shorts were allowed. I preferred blue jeans. Tied around my waist was a burgundy waitress apron with large pockets to hold a notepad, silverware, and anything else that I might need for the customers.

“Hi, Noah,” I said as I reached his table. I bit back a huge grin, trying not to show how happy I was to see him.

He smiled. “Hi. I have to apologize. I’ve been meaning to come by all week to see you, but it’s been so busy that I haven’t had a chance until today. How’s it going since you came back to work?”

“The first few days were a little crazy. Everyone was asking a lot of questions about Ryder, but it seems to have finally calmed down. I think people are actually starting to forget about it.”

“I doubt they’ve forgotten.”

“Okay, maybe not. But at least it’s starting to be old news. They’re moving on to new town gossip, like what it will be like once Deputy McKay leaves and the new deputy takes over,” I teased.

He played along. “Yes, that could be scary.”

“And it’s only what, about two weeks away?”

“A little less than that. He’s working through Labor Day weekend and then he’ll be gone. I think he said something about taking a month to go fishing up at some lake in Maine.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. So are you ready to be on your own?”

“I won’t be completely on my own. Your dad will be here. But it’s not my first law enforcement job, so no one has to worry. The town will still be safe.”

“That’s good to know,” I said with a soft laugh. As an awkward moment of silence came between us, I reached into my apron for a pen and notepad. I couldn’t forget that I had a job to do. After all, he probably wasn’t here just to talk. “What can I get for you?”

“I’m not sure. What’s good?”

“Everything. Most people come for the pizza, but we also have salads, subs, and pasta. What are you in the mood for?”

“Nothing in particular. What’s your favorite?”

“The pizza with the hand-tossed crust. I hear it’s as good as pizza from New York, but I wouldn’t know because I’ve never been there.”

“Then I’ll have to go with that. Two slices of pepperoni and a Coke.”

I scribbled his order on my notepad as if I could forget it. “Got it. I’ll get your order placed and be right back with your Coke.”

“Thanks, Laken.” He smiled warmly, that same smile he had flashed the other night on the patio, and my heart glowed.

I turned and approached the counter that separated the dining area from the kitchen, wondering if he was watching me. After placing his order, I poured a fountain Coke into a red plastic cup. As I slid a straw into my pocket, I looked across the room at Noah. He was the only customer in the restaurant at the moment, just the way I liked it. I started to make my way back to him with his drink, hoping that we’d have a little more time to talk. But before I reached his table, the glass door opened, signaled by the chiming bell that hung from the handle, and Marlena strutted in.

I stopped dead in my tracks, my smile quickly fading to a frown. She looked like a fashion model in her designer jeans and tall black boots. A tight red sweater outlined her perfect curves, leaving nothing to the imagination. Her platinum blonde hair cascaded down her back in perfect curls, not a hair out of place. Determination was set deep in her blue eyes as she walked directly over to Noah. I had no doubt that he was the only reason she was here.

“Hi, Noah,” she said, her red painted lips curling into a flirty smile. She sat down beside him without waiting for an invitation. “You’ve been a difficult man to find this week. Where have you been hiding?”

Noah rolled his eyes, looking annoyed. “Hello, Marlena. I’ve been around. Perhaps you weren’t looking hard enough.” He avoided her gaze, his eyes wandering to me.

Suppressing a big smile, I started walking toward him again. As I reached the table and set his Coke down in front of him, Marlena responded, “Oh, I wasn’t looking. I figured I’d run into you sooner or later.” A lock of her long hair fell over her shoulder as she leaned in his direction. She casually flipped it behind her.

“Thank you, Laken,” Noah said, ignoring Marlena.

“You’re welcome. Marlena, can I get you something?” I asked politely.

Without as much as a glance my way, she answered, “Diet Coke, with lemon.” Her eyes never left Noah.

“No problem. I’ll be right back,” I said. Before I turned to head back to the kitchen for her drink, I glanced at Noah. “Sorry,” slipped silently from my mouth.

As I left their table, I could only imagine what was happening between them. Marlena knew what she wanted, and when she had her sights set on a guy, he never stood a chance. Hopefully, Noah would hold his own with her.

As I filled another red plastic cup with Diet Coke from the soda machine, Mike, the owner and pizza chef, slid a plate along the chrome counter. “Pizza’s up, Laken. Two slices of pepperoni for our new deputy.”

“Thanks, Mike.”

He flashed a smile beneath his dark mustache. “Make sure you treat him well. I want him to become a regular.”

“Me, too.” I grabbed the plate in one hand, the Diet Coke now adorned with a lemon slice in the other, and carried them back to Noah and Marlena.

As I approached the table and set the plate and soda down, Noah’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his shirt pocket and glanced at the screen. Immediately, his expression darkened. He stared at it for a few moments, his eyes somber. After sliding it back into his pocket, he looked at me. “I have to go.”

“Really?” I asked. “Do you want me to box up your pizza?”

“There’s no time,” he said as he stood up, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.

Marlena watched incredulously. “Noah, I can bring it by the station for you. It would be no trouble,” she offered, her voice so sugary sweet that it made my stomach turn.

Noah pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of his wallet. “Don’t bother. I just lost my appetite. Besides, I’ve got to handle something with the sheriff and there isn’t time to eat. Laken, I hope this will cover the pizza and my drink.” He dropped the money on the table.

“That’s too much,” I said. I caught his gaze for a moment, suddenly worried that something was terribly wrong. The pizza and the money seemed to be the farthest things from his mind right now. “Tell you what. I’ll box up your pizza and bring it home with your change tonight. You can pick them up later or my dad can take them to the station tomorrow.”

He forced a weak smile. “I’ll take you up on that for the pizza, but not the money. Keep the change. I’ll see you soon.” He reached for his sunglasses, putting them on as he hurried toward the door.

Marlena and I watched in silence as he disappeared out the door. We were both shocked. But while I wondered what had happened to change his mood so quickly, Marlena seemed angry more than curious, as if she had been stood up.

“I wonder what that’s all about,” I mused, not expecting the wrath that was about to be unleashed upon me. Shrugging, I reached for the plate of pizza and the money.

“Well, well,” Marlena said sarcastically as she focused her stone cold gaze on me. “I hope you’re happy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, come on, Laken. I see what’s happening here. You like him. Admit it.”

“I don’t have to admit anything to you.” I started to turn away, but stopped when she continued.

“You may think you’re the shit around here now after saving that little boy, but in a few more days, no one will even remember your name. Don’t fool yourself, Laken. He’s way out of your league,” she warned.

I took a deep breath and glared at her. “You must feel threatened, or you wouldn’t waste your time talking to me. That’s actually a compliment, Marlena.” A smile crept onto my face, sparking a raging storm in her eyes as though I had thrown gasoline on a fire.

“Don’t underestimate me. If I don’t get what I want, I can have your dad fired in a heartbeat. And you know you’ll never be able to live with yourself if you let that happen.”

“Oh, please. My father’s been with the town police department longer than you’ve been alive. He is respected and trusted by everyone who lives in this town. You don’t scare me, Marlena.” Wanting to have the last word, I started to turn, intending to return to the kitchen.

Marlena jumped to her feet, her chair scraping the floor. She quickly pushed her way around the table to block my path. We were the same height and stood facing each other eye to eye. “We’re not done here.”

I raised my eyebrows. “We’re not?”

“Stay away from Noah, and there won’t be any trouble. Got it?”

“What if he doesn’t want to stay away from me?”

She paused. “I’ll take care of that. He won’t remember you exist once I get a little more time with him.”