Page 20 of The Fence Between Us

He shouldn’t have been surprised Skye would do something so selfless. That was just the kind of person she was, always looking out for others and seemingly able to root out the pain a person kept closest to their heart. He was thankful Mrs. Basket told him; Skye certainly never would, not thinking about it as anything more than exactly the kind of thing a person would do. Except they wouldn’t. Most people would have left his mother’s makeshift grave alone, left to be buried under years of leaves and debris. Instead, Skye visited her, spoke with her, and cared for her, even when he’d run away.

“Thank you for telling me,” he choked out, his voice a tad nasally as he fought back the tears.

She nodded sagely and leaned over to kiss him on the forehead, the same way she’d done when he had a particularly rough day at school and needed to know someone out there cared for him.

“Now, clean up this mess,” she joked. “These old bones are too tired to clean up after you three big men!”

Rabble sputtered a laugh and agreed to clean up the dishes. Declan and Dash didn’t stay outside much longer, the heat forcing them seek out the cool breeze of the air conditioning. Neither of them spoke a word about his conversation with Mrs. Basket, and Rabble appreciated that more than he could express. Setting aside his feelings about his mother, about Skye, Rabble focused his attention on reviewing Bekah’s security measures and discussing the email Dash received from a contact inCalifornia who kept an eye on Edward Elnor’s movements for them.

“If Elnor is on the move, which I honestly think he is,” Declan said, the light of his laptop flashing in his eyes as he scrolled, “we should be able to track him. We can also look into tightening the little security Bekah is allowing.”

Rabble detected the barely concealed annoyance in his friend’s voice. Likewise, Declan had voiced his frustrated with Bekah’s level of security. Even though Rabble agreed with them, they would try their best to work within her approved constraints. She was just now free of a man known for being cruel and controlling; the last thing she’d want was men placing more restrictions on her, no matter how well-intentioned those restrictions were.

“What is Bekah up to today?” Rabble asked. “Think she’d be open to a little chat about our concerns?”

Frowning, Dash ran his hands through his long, wavy hair. “Elyza’s snatched her and Skye up for the day. They’re taking a road trip into the next town to check out another bridal shop and size up the competition. I know, I know. Elyza shot me a text after they were already on the road.”

Well, that makes keeping an eye on Bekah harder.Even if Elyza didn’t know the extent of her new friend’s situation, Bekah did. They needed to talk to her sooner rather than later about the risks she was willing to take.

Rabble winced as another realization hit him.Dang. There go my plans with Skye.“What about tonight?”

Despite his obvious irritation, Declan grinned. “Oh, the ladies are having a book date night or something. It’s an excuse for them to read smutty books, drink booze, and stay over at Bekah’s. Elyza, Kellyn, and Skye will all be there too.”

Rabble’s eyebrows rose. “Smutty books?”

Declan wiggled his eyebrows while Dash gave an uncharacteristic smirk. “Yeah, smutty books.”

Despite his best efforts, Rabble’s dedication to his work didn’t stop his mind from wandering to Skye and the reading material she’d be curled up with tonight. What did she enjoy reading? Did the romance in the novels come anywhere close to showing how he wanted to be with her? Did she imagine . . .

No, no. Focus.

He shook his head but those distracting thoughts stayed, playing out like a movie in his mind. He ground his teeth. If he didn’t focus on something else soon, he’d need to head upstairs for a shower cold enough to freeze the images in their place.

He concentrated on work, on Bekah’s situation, and the tension slowly eased from his body.

Waiting to speak with Bekah wasn’t ideal, but their talk could wait until tomorrow. Given they’d all been working hard between The Wild Bride and the various floats Elyza assigned them, they deserved a night off from the chaos. Their date would just have to wait one more day.

“Our information doesn’t say Edward has left California yet.” Rabble twirled a pen between his fingers. “How much trouble can a few women get into?”

Chapter 12

Skye

Clutching the forest green shopping basket tightly, Skye meandered down the snack aisle at the local grocery. The store wasn’t nearly as large as the bigger box stores in the city, but it was serviceable for regular grocery shopping. She perused the aisles, making sure she scanned each shelf with care. For her first ever girls’ night, she didn’t want to mess up her snack selection and be booed out of the house.

Skye forced down the rising nervousness that threatened her enthusiasm for the night. While other kids had been spending their days and nights together, having sleep overs, and get-togethers, Skye’s experience consisted of spending long nights studying some subject, practicing some talent, or staring at the fence where it denoted the property line. Outside of school functions, Skye had become a prisoner in a pretty cage. Friends were a commodity she’d given up, and she’d do it again without hesitation.

Now, Skye tumbled in a riot of emotions, unsure of herself and anxious that she would somehow do something wrong orsay something odd. She was a kindergarten teacher after all, her days tended to be filled with teaching basic skills to young minds.

She would probably throw up before she arrived at the gathering. Her nervous terror was completely irrational, but that didn’t stop the butterfly circus spinning around in her stomach.

Her eyes caught on the bright red, blue, and yellow packages that contained her favorite comfort junk foods. Skye’d been avoiding as much junk food as possible, trying to watch her weight and be healthier, but not a single part of her planned to bring a vegetable tray to her first girls’ night.

When she’d been littler, Skye would sneak the packages of chunky chocolate chip cookies down to the fence after school to share with Rabble. He always savored every bite, even licking his fingers clean of the melted chocolate and crumbs.

Did he still savor sweet treats in that way? Or had life taught him a different lesson, to devour without pausing to take in the quieter parts of life.

Another facet of Skye’s anxiety, the response she’d spent minutes mulling over before finally pressing send. Her thumb hovered over the send button until it cramped. The finality of recognizing his desire for a second chance mirrored her own drudged up those old memories that pricked and pulled at her heart. Not to mention the potential town-wide fallout if her parents were to find out she and Rabble were finally, officially, an item. Skye shuddered to think of the octave level her stepmother’s voice would reach when she found out.

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