Page 9 of Silver Linings

His eyes roamed over the property. Lily’s hunk of junk car and what looked like a brand new truck sat in the driveway. Gunner’s blood pressure went nuclear when he realized her piece of shit fiance spent fifty-thousand dollars on a fucking truck while Lily rode around in a car that was at least twenty years old and had rust eating away at it. Jesus. Gunner’s hand wiped down his face as he fought the urge to knock on the door and make James hurt for everything he’d done to Lily.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

“Gunner Brooks!” The sound of someone calling his name and pounding near his head woke him up. Early morning sunlight was streaming into the cab of his truck. Fuck.

“Gunner, what the hell are you doing out here?” A very pissed off and tired looking Lily stood on the road with her hands pressing on her hips.

“Shit. Lil, I can explain.” He rubbed his hand over his face, noticing that James’s truck was no longer in their driveway. “I just?—”

“You just were sleeping outside my house? Because?”

“I needed to know you are safe.”

“Gunner.” Her eyes softened. “I’m fine. You gave me your number, and I promised to use it if I needed to. Nothing is going to happen. But if it makes you feel better, I promise, again, that I will call you if I need help.”

“Lil—”

“Nope. I don’t have time to listen to you be silly about a situation you know nothing about. Now, can you give me a ride to your mom’s? The check engine light is on in my car and I don’t have time to take it in to be looked at before I’m needed over there.”

“Why’s the light on?”

She sighed. “Can you give me a ride or not?”

“Back up.”

He wanted to laugh at the confused face Lily made, but she followed his instructions. Gunner opened his door and got out.

“Come on,” he held out his hand to her. “I’ll bring you over and then come look at your car.”

“Are you sure? I can just call a mechanic.”

He walked with her to the passenger side of the truck and helped her up into the seat.

“It’s not a problem. I’ll feel better knowing what’s going on with it, anyway. And if I can’t get it fixed, I’ll just come get you in the mornings.”

“You will NOT. This is a one time thing, because I’m helping you pay me back for being a creep and sitting outside my house all night. But I’m a grown woman and I can figure out my way to work.”

“Why do you have to be so stubborn, Lil?”

“Pot, meet kettle.” She pointed from him to herself and laughed.

Five

The fix to Lily’s car had been easy enough. Just a routine oil and filter change, but that didn’t stop him from checking out everything from her tire pressure and tread depth to her brake pads to make sure the hunk of junk was safe for her to drive.

She was adamant that she could drive herself, and so Gunner let her be. Well, mostly. He still couldn’t shake the sick feeling that one day soon, James was going to snap. And so, for the last four nights, Gunner still found himself parked outside of Lily’s house. Unlike that first night, he now set an alarm for twenty minutes before she left in the morning.

That must be the buzzing he felt against his leg. The alarm. But when he opened his eyes and took in the darkness all around him, his body went on high alert. It wasn’t his alarm. Someone was calling.

Fuck. His heart leapt into his throat when he saw who it was.

Lily.

He didn’t wait for the next ring to pick up.

“Lil?”

The line was silent except for distant yelling in the background. That fucker was screaming at her. He moved the phone away from his ear for just a split second to see the time. Two in the morning. Fuck.

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