Somewhere Only We Know (19 page)

Her heart was beating in triple time, but she was still alive, so she counted that as all right. "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for the save."

Burke looked down the street. "I wish I'd gotten a better look at the car. Did you see it? Did you see who was driving?"

"No. I just saw silver glinting in the sunlight. Why?" She saw the answer in his eyes. "That wasn't deliberate. They weren't trying to run us down. Were they?"

"I hope not."

Chapter Thirteen

Burke felt restless on the drive down to Portola Valley, still dwelling on the fact that a car had almost run Maddie down. Where had it come from? He hadn't seen it until it was inches away from her. Thank God he'd been able to yank her back to the sidewalk in time.

Maddie hadn't said much since the near miss, which was unusual for her. She was usually happy to fill quiet spaces with conversation, but she'd fallen into some type of reverie that also made him worry.

"Are you all right?" he asked, glancing over at her.

She was staring out the window, lost in thought.

"Maddie," he said again.

She turned, blinking dazedly as if he'd once again pulled her back to reality. "Sorry, what?"

"You're quiet."

She stared back at him, concern darkening her green eyes. "That car. I keep trying to remember what I saw. Did I notice who was driving? Was it a man or a woman? Did I see a license plate?" She gave a helpless shake of her head. "It's all just a blur."

"I know. I've been running it through my head, too. I know I saw the car, because that's what made me reach for you. But I can't remember any details."

"Should we have tried to ask someone else what they saw? Were there other people on the street?"

"No one near us. At least I don’t think so." He'd been more interested in making sure she wasn't hurt and getting her back to his place than he had been in chasing down witnesses. It probably would have been smarter to do that.

"Am I making this too personal, Burke?"

He wanted to say yes, but be couldn't. "I don't know, Maddie. If Paul hadn't told you that a loan shark had taken pictures of you and was threatening you, would we have chalked it up to an inattentive driver?"

"Maybe. I've seen people on their cell phones blow through intersections without even realizing they'd done it. Maybe that's all it was."

"It's definitely possible."

"I've just felt on edge ever since Paul told me about the photograph of me. I wish I knew if he was lying. Should I call him? See if I can get him to be honest with me?"

"Would that work?" he countered. "Or would he just use the opportunity to make you feel sorry for him or to scare you into asking your parents for money? If you tell him someone almost ran you over, he's going to suggest you help him. He'll use it as leverage." Perhaps he was wrong not to want her to talk to Paul again. But it seemed important to keep her away from him.

"You're right. I just keep thinking that the good I once saw in him is still in there somewhere, that he could be rational or kind or honest."

"You've always liked to see the good, but sometimes it's just not there. I've seen a lot of people in bad situations during my years in firefighting, and I know without a doubt that there is evil in the world. Some people can't be saved, not even from themselves."

"I don’t think Paul is evil, just weak."

"I can't believe you'd defend him after everything he did to you."

"I'm not defending him; I'm just explaining." She blew out a breath. "All right, I'm done. I'm going to stop stewing over what almost happened and just be grateful that it didn't—thanks to you and your incredibly good reflexes. I need to be more aware of my surroundings. I don't always pay as much attention as I should."

"It's a good lesson, especially while walking around the city." He paused. "And I'm not sure that near miss was about you or about Paul."

She shot him a quick look. "Mitch?"

"Running me over would be his vision for the perfect kind of payback—an eye for an eye."

Concern filled her eyes. "I hadn't considered that. But you weren't in the intersection; I was."

"Two seconds later, I would have been. His timing could have been off."

"I guess. I have to say this theory doesn't make me feel much better. What happened with your dad? Didn't you see him this morning?"

"I did. Colton was there, too. Mitch has been calling in sick from work. In light of his erratic behavior, my father is suspending him until he comes in and talks to him, which so far has not happened. I'm happy that he's not on the job, though."

"It's certainly better for your brother."

"Yes." He took a moment to change lanes, then said. "Let's leave all the crap behind us for a few hours. It's a beautiful day. There's no traffic. And you'll be seeing your parents in a little while."

"I am eager to see them again."

"When did your parents move to Portola Valley?"

"About ten years ago. They actually moved into my grandmother's house after she passed away. Even though I've never really lived there with them, it still feels very much like home because I spent so much time there when I was growing up. Dani's first year of treatment was handled almost exclusively at Stanford, so we pretty much moved down there that first summer. After that, it was every other weekend. Dani really loved it down there. The house sits on two acres. There's a creek, some great climbing trees, a barn and a riding ring."

"No horses?"

"Not anymore." She gave him a smile. "You liked riding better than you thought you would, didn't you?"

"Guilty." He also liked her more than he'd ever thought he would. "Flying down that beach was something else. I'd like to do it again."

"You should."

"Or we should," he said.

She gave him a smile. "Whenever you want. You should let yourself relax more often. You work hard. You should leave time for play."

"I'll put that on my to-do list."

"Play should never be on a to-do list; that defeats the purpose."

"Baby steps, Maddie."

She laughed. "You're right. That's a good first step for someone like you."

"Thank you. But do you want to explain what you mean by 'someone like me'?"

"I really don't. Let's just enjoy the drive."

He was happy to follow that suggestion, because every mile that took them away from San Francisco and away from his past made him feel less stressed. His problems would be waiting when he got back to town, but for now he was going to let them all go and enjoy not just the drive, but also the beautiful woman next to him.

* * *

Maddie sat up straighter as Burke drove down the long, winding one-lane road to the house that had been in her family for three generations. She hadn't thought she was homesick until the familiar two-story home came into view with its wide, welcoming front porch, cozy wicker chairs and love-seat swing, and the beautiful flower boxes bringing color to every window.

"It's beautiful," Burke murmured. "There's a lot of land."

"My grandmother was originally born in Iowa on a farm. When her parents moved to California, they bought this land. It wasn't a farm, but it was big enough for horses and chickens and there was also room to garden. My grandmother used to grow the most amazing vegetables: tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumber and all kinds of lettuces. She'd make them into the most perfect summer salad you've ever had."

"She was a cook like you."

"Yes. She was very good in the kitchen. She didn't care much for meat, but she could spice up her vegetables like no one I'd ever seen." Her heart filled with love as she saw her mom and dad come out onto the porch. Her mom reminded her so much of Dani. They'd shared the same oval-shaped face, same light green eyes, same smile.

Her eyes blurred with unexpected moisture, and it wasn't just seeing Dani in her mother; it was also seeing her father's familiar loving gaze, his tall, lean body, his confident stance. She hadn't just missed home; she'd missed her parents, maybe more because of everything she'd gone through in the last couple of months.

She'd been running fast and furiously for a long time, jumping from adventure to adventure and never stopping long enough to pause, to take a look at her life, remember where she came from, what was really important—who was important.

She jumped out of the car and walked quickly up the steps hugging first her mom, then her dad. She'd seen them four months ago, but it felt like it had been much longer than that. But then a lot had happened since they'd visited her in Las Vegas.

"You both look so tan," she said. "Hawaii must have been wonderful."

"It was beautiful and very relaxing," her mother replied.

"Also very hot," her father put in. His gaze moved past Maddie to Burke. "Who's your friend?"

She turned, seeing Burke hovering by the car. She waved him forward. "This is Burke Callaway. I don't know if you remember him—"

"Your tutor, of course," her mom said, reaching for Burke's hand. "It's been a very long time, Burke."

"You look just the same, Mrs. Heller."

"Oh, please, call me Louise."

"And you can call me Scott," her dad added, shaking Burke's hand. "I didn't realize you two were friends."

"We ran into each other a few days ago, and Burke was nice enough to give me a ride," she explained.

"Well come on in," her mother said. "Let's get you something to drink. I thought we'd have lunch in a bit, too."

"Sounds great. I'm eager to see the remodel."

"It's really just the two bathrooms and our master bedroom closet. But it makes a huge difference."

Maddie fell into step with her mother while Burke and her dad followed them into the house. After touring the newly remodeled rooms, they went out to the deck off the kitchen and sat down at a table under a colorful umbrella. Her mother served them lemonade while her dad started the barbecue.

"You really don't have to go to all this trouble," Maddie said.

"It's no trouble. It's been a long time since we were together." Her mother smiled across the table at Burke. "How are your parents? I always enjoyed your mom. She wrote me a very sweet note after Danielle died. And before that she used to organize the other mothers in the neighborhood to bring us food. It was very kind."

"That's my mother. She's doing well," Burke said.

"And your father? Is he still a firefighter?"

"Yes. He's Deputy Chief of Operations for the Fire Department now."

"I thought he might have retired by now."

"He loves to work. They'll probably have to force him out."

"Well, work is good. And you're a firefighter, too, isn't that right?"

He nodded. "I followed in the family tradition along with two of my brothers and a sister."

"How lovely. I'm sure you've made your father proud, Burke. I always knew you were going to do great things. You were such a smart kid when you were young. You got our Maddie through algebra."

"Kicking and screaming," he joked.

"I wasn't that bad," Maddie protested.

"Oh, yes, you were," Burke said. "If your parents hadn't paid so well, I would have dropped you in a second."

She made a face at him. "Maybe you weren't such a great teacher."

"No, you were the problem," he said without a doubt in his voice. "But once you decided you actually wanted to pass the class, you picked things up pretty quickly."

"Maddie was always good at whatever she set her mind to," her mom put in. "School just usually wasn't where she wanted to put her energy. And she was stubborn. Once she made her mind up, it was impossible to change it."

"That was apparent the first day we met," Burke said.

"Hey, I'm right here," she protested, thinking Burke and her mom were getting a little chummy when it came to her bad habits. "And believe me, Mom, Burke is just as stubborn as I am, if not more so."

"But I'm stubborn in the right direction," he said.

"I'm sure you think any direction you're going in is the right direction," she countered.

"Because it usually is."

Her mother laughed. "I think I heard this same conversation when you were tutoring Maddie. I'm going to make the salad."

"Can I help, Mom?" she offered.

"No, you just relax. Let me take care of you for a change."

"What about you, Dad? Need any help?" Maddie asked as her father fiddled with the grill.

"I'm good."

"It looks like we have a little time before lunch," she said to Burke. "Want to explore?"

"Lead the way."

"We'll be back, Dad. I'm going to show Burke around."

"Take your time. Lunch won't be ready for a while. Afterwards, we'll have a chat."

She saw the pointed gleam in his eyes and knew this day would not end without a discussion about Paul and what was going on with her life. But for the moment, she was going to take a trip into the more distant past.

She took Burke through the backyard, pointing out the now somewhat modest vegetable garden on their way to the creek. "My mom tries to carry on my grandmother's traditions, but she doesn't have the same desire or flare to keep the garden in its former glory," she said. "Plus, she and my dad like to travel. So they have to depend on a neighbor to keep it going while they're gone."

"So you got your wandering instincts from your parents?"

She thought for a moment. "I don't really know where I got them from. My parents like to go to resorts with buffets and drinks and organized activities. When I travel, I like to get out of the tourist districts and live like a local. That's the best way to experience another culture."

"Were there any cultures you didn't care for?" he asked as they moved away from the garden and took a dirt path through a patch of trees.

"Some of the countries that had restrictions on women's dress and rights were challenging. You know I don't really like to be confined, not even by a head scarf."

"And your blonde hair would have shone like a beacon in some of those places."

"Exactly, but I wasn't always blonde."

He laughed. "You always did like to change things up. I remember being fascinated by a purple streak in your hair when I was tutoring you one day. You were actually concentrating on the assignment, but I couldn't seem to take my eyes off your purple hair."