“I thought you were hanging out with Marin?”
“I was. Until she got a boyfriend. I mean, we still see each other at school, but she’d rather be with him on weekends. And I can only tag along out of pity so many times.”
“Pity. Right. Haven’t any of the guys in our school asked you out?” He paused and frowned. “That’s a good thing. They’re all boneheads. Or cowboys. You’re better off at home.” Boone stood. “Now that I know all your secrets, I gotta head out so I can spread them far and wide.” He ducked when she swatted at him. “Kidding. But I do need to hit the road.”
“You’re not leaving until you call your uncles.”
“Maybe my cell phone is warmed up. The cold sucks the battery life to nothin’.” Boone reached into the pocket of his coveralls and pulled out an older model cell phone with an antenna. “Just enough juice to make a call.”
“Use the house phone and save your battery life.” She snagged the portable receiver from the hallway.
He kept his eyes on hers as he waited for someone to pick up. “Chet? Ha ha, ass**le, no, I ain’t in jail. Fuck you. I am having problems with my bike though.” Pause. “Yeah, I know. I’m on my way home. Out Burner Road. I had to stop in at Rielle’s place and warm up after my bike crapped out. Okay. Yeah, I’ve got it with me but it shuts down.” Pause. “I will. God. I said I would. Bye.” He hung up.
Then he started putting his clothes back on.
“Do I get your number? So I can check to see that you’re home safe?” That didn’t sound skanky and desperate, did it?
“I don’t know…” He tapped his finger on his lips as if giving the matter great thought. “I don’t usually give it out. But I suppose I could make an exception to the person who saved my life.” He rattled off the number.
She added him to her contact list. “Why don’t you give it out?”
“Because I’m not interested in dating, remember? But I’m pretty sure you won’t be calling me up to ask me out.”
“How do you know?”
Boone’s face turned somber. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You don’t want to date me, beautiful girl. Trust me on that.”
Sierra couldn’t move. She couldn’t speak. She barely breathed.
“Besides. We’re friends. Now that we know each other’s secrets, maybe I’ll swing by some Friday night and we can do each other’s hair.”
She found her voice. “With the hat hair you’re sporting? No way, dude.”
“You crack me up.” He slipped on his hat and gloves.
“Promise you’ll call me when you get home. Or text me. Something that lets me know you’re safe.”
“I will. See ya around, McKay.”
She wanted to stand on the porch and watch him take off, but remained inside by the door, listening for the sound of a motorcycle starting. She heard a high pitched whine and then the sound faded.
Chapter Twenty-Three
December…
The week after Thanksgiving Sierra entered Gavin’s office, phone to her ear, stopping in front of his desk. “No, Mom. I don’t get to decide that. It’s between you and Dad. Hang on, he’s right here.” She handed him her phone. “You need to talk to her now.”
Gavin’s entire body tensed. “Fine. But stick around.” Then he steeled himself for the conversation. “Hey, Ellen. What’s up?”
“After speaking with our daughter? My blood pressure, merci.”
Christ. Now she casually sprinkled French words into conversation? She was probably wearing a damn beret. “I don’t know what’s going on, so why don’t you fill me in?”
“I asked Sierra to come to Paris for her Christmas break and she didn’t seem very excited. That hurts because I haven’t seen my only child since June. So have you spent the last few months turning my daughter against me, Gavin?”
Stay calm. “Not at all. You have to admit the come to Paris for the holidays invitation is a little out of left field.”
“But not out of line,” she retorted. “The court awarded you full custody, but I do have the legal right to request holidays.”
“I realize that.”
“Then you also realize you’ve had her for every holiday this year? And her birthday?”
“You’ve had her for Christmas the last five years! I only get her for one day on Thanksgiving, and then you pick her up at the crack of dawn to go shopping the next day. This is the first year I haven’t had to share her on her birthday since she was five years old.” He felt Sierra staring at him and his face heated. Dammit. He’d sworn he wouldn’t do this in front of her.
“Fine. Whatever. But consider this my unofficial request. I want Sierra to spend Christmas with me. In Paris.”
“You really expect me to put our sixteen-year-old daughter on a ten-hour flight to France…by herself?”
Sierra leapt up and leaned across the desk, her eyes beseeching. “No. Don’t let her guilt you into it, Dad.”
“She’s not a baby. She’s flown more times than most kids her age. Don’t you remember she flew to New York by herself when she was twelve?”
“She wasn’t by herself. That was a school-sponsored event with adult chaperones, so there’s no correlation to this situation.”
“I suppose we could take this issue to our attorneys.” Ellen sighed. “Or we could save the legal fees and you could fly to Paris with her, and back to the U.S., since you’re so concerned about her safety.”
“Really? What would I do in Paris for a week?”
“It’s the most romantic city in the world, I’m sure you could come up with something.” She trilled that mean, annoying laugh. “Oh right, for a second I forgot who I was talking to. Gavin Daniels—the man without a romantic bone in his body.”
Don’t take the bait.
When he didn’t respond, she blithely continued on, “Besides, it’s not like you can’t afford it.”
“Not the point, Ellen.”
“And Sierra’s break is two weeks, not one week, so I’d expect her here for the entire time. Plus the travel days. I intend to show her more of Europe than just France.”
“Ask her where her boyfriend will be,” Sierra demanded. “And if he knows I’m her daughter and not her sister.”