Page 5 of Two Hearts' Accidental Heroes

“Shanna?” Ben nodded. “I agree. Someone has been spreading some pretty nasty rumors about her.”

Rick nodded. “I can’t get her to talk about what’s going on, but at least I can make sure she gets home alright.”

“Good. She shows up here a lot on her own. A few of us have been trying to look out for her. After all, she’s only a kid.”

“Even though she doesn’t act like one,” Rick replied, scowling. “Maybe you’d better give me a pair of those flip flops you have on sale. I think she’s walking barefoot. I’d better get going before she tries to take off on me again.”

Turning, Ben reached to the souvenir shelf for the smallest pair, handing them over to Rick. “I’ll cover the cost of those. Just make sure she gets home safely.”

“Thanks, Ben. Talk to you later,” Rick said, heading back toward the pathway as a couple more customers appeared at the counter.

Looking glum, Shanna was still waiting as he approached.

She gave him another wan smile when she saw the ice cream cones.

“Two scoops, huh?” she said.

Handing over the chocolate cone, he smiled for the first time that day. “Of course, I forgot about having to walk with my bike, so I guess we’ll have to stick around here for a few more minutes.”

“It’s early enough. No one’s going to be home at my house, anyway. Mom’s working and Dad’s out. Anya’s either working or out with your brother,” she said, taking a long lick of her cone.

She acted like it was the best thing she’d eaten in ages.

“When’s the last time you had an ice cream cone?” he asked, taking a seat on the bench beside her.

She grimaced. “I can’t even remember.”

They were quiet for the next few minutes.

When Rick finished his cone, he handed over the flip flops that he’d rested beside him on the bench.

“These are for you too. I noticed that all you had to wear were those high heels that you had on earlier today.”

She nodded, looking down at the flip flops strangely. “I had someone drop me off here, so I wasn’t thinking about my shoes if I had to walk. Thank you. That was really nice of you.”

“You’re welcome.” He figured he’d better not mention Ben since she was trying to lay low. “I guess we can get going now.”

Rick stood, unlocking his bike before attaching his bag behind the seat. “Let me have your shoes. I’ve got room for them in my bag.”

“Sure,” she answered, handing them over before slipping into the flip flops, which appeared to be just the right size.

“I’m not exactly sure where you live. I know it’s somewhere near the mall.”

“A couple blocks south of Main Street. It’s about a mile or two from here,” she admitted.

“It’s been a while since I just hiked anywhere, but I think I can manage,” Rick said.

“Thanks. I really wasn’t thinking about how I was going to get home. I’d rather not be alone since it’s starting to get dark.”

Rick was a little worried about Shanna after they’d walked for a while. She was obviously in pain.

“Make sure you take a hot bath once you get home,” he said gruffly. “It always helps me a lot if I’m sore after practice.”

She sighed. “Truthfully, that’s why I was just relaxing in the lake. I was starting to get a little cold though, just sitting there.”

They were moving more slowly once they finally hit the road that led into town from Dragonfly Pointe.

“We’ve only got a few more blocks to go. I haven’t walked this far in a while myself,” Shanna muttered.

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