Page 33 of Knight's Journey

“I’ve seen you before, I think. Maybe after school or during lunch or something. I can’t remember,” Mathias said.

Davi shrugged. “I haven’t made a lot of friends yet, so I kind of keep to myself at lunch. I only started J Rain this year.”

Payton leaned closer to Bridget as if sharing a secret. “J Rain is what the kids call Johnson Rainier. Davi went to school in the next town over before transferring to Johnson Rainier.”

“I haven’t made a lot of friends yet either,” Mathias said.

“He’s made enemies though. We both have,” Marlowe blurted, and her blush deepened when she realized she shared too much.

Bridget’s smile faded. She knew both kids were having some problems with classmates at school. They assured her they had it handled, but she worried anyway. She’d built an image in her head of what their experience would be like, and she had a difficult time hiding her disappointment that it was less than she hoped.

“The STEM kids are pretty competitive. A lot of them think they’re smarter than the rest of us, and they’re better than anybody else. Including each other. But don’t worry. If anybody is mean to you, you can tell me, and I’ll take care of them,” Davi promised Marlowe, turning her eyes toward Mathias. “And let me guess, you had a run-in with Bianca Green and her bitchy friends.”

“Davi,” Payton admonished. “Watch your language and stop threatening to beat people up. You’re in high school, not some prison block.”

Bridget bit back a grin when Davi rolled her eyes. Even if she and Payton had the mother-daughter banter going between them, Bridget could feel the closeness bonding the two. She instantly felt a kinship with them, and she hoped Marlowe would come out of her shell the more she hung around the outspoken Davi.

“It feels more like prison,” Davi mumbled.

“I’ve met Bianca, but she’s been nice to me,” Mathias explained.

“It’s because you’re hot. She likes to make her boyfriend jealous by flirting with all the cute guys. She’s a tease, so watch your back with her.”

Bridget was fascinated to see her nephew blush at Davi’s off-hand compliment. The young girl didn’t seem to be flirting as much as stating a fact, and Mathias continued as if she hadn’t called him hot.

“I figured that out already when her boyfriend got in my face for talking with her.”

This news brought another eye roll from Davi. “Jones Leahy is a prick. He’s all talk, so you don’t have anything to worry about with him, but his buddies aren’t above jumping you from behind when nobody’s around. Watch out for them.”

“What the hell kind of school are you going to?”

Bridget’s eyes widened as one of the largest men she’d ever seen approached, and she felt Marlowe shrink beside her. Dressed in cargo shorts and a T-shirt that was all but screaming for mercy as it stretched to its limit across his broad chest and well-muscled arms, he wore his hair was a tad too long for Bridget’s liking, but it fit the man’s devil-may-care appearance even if his easygoing smile and dancing eyes didn’t.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” Davi responded smoothly. “And now that I know Marlowe and Mathias, I can help them too.”

The man towered over their table, the fingers of one hand lightly resting against the top as he peered down at them. “Well, before you have to kick somebody’s ass for bullying you, you’d better call me and let me have a talk with them. I guarantee they’ll leave you alone.”

Payton laughed. “Way to make a good impression on Sydney’s friends,” she teased. “Brick Coffey, meet Bridget, her niece Marlowe, and her nephew Mathias.”

Brick held up his hand and backed a couple of steps away from the table as he teased Payton right back. “Hey, I’m just watching out for our girl here. You can’t fault me for that.” He pierced Mathias and Marlowe with his gaze. “That goes for you two as well. If you’re friends with Syd, you’re one of us, and we look out for each other. If somebody is giving you a hard time at your school, you let me know. I’ll take care of it.”

Marlowe peered around her aunt up at the big man watching her, his gaze softening. The teenager didn’t say anything. She allowed her eyes to study his hulking frame, and she reached for her cell phone and took a picture.

“Lowe,” Bridget hissed. “What are you doing?”

Marlowe glanced at them all with innocent eyes, an expression Bridget had seen many times when the young girl thought if her actions made enough sense to her, they should make sense to everyone.

“I took his picture. I figured I could show it to the kids at school and tell them he’s my friend, and they wouldn’t be mean to me. He offered to help, so I thought it was okay.”

Brick’s surprise broke way to amusement. “Damn straight. If it makes those brats show you some respect, then you show my picture all over the damn school. And it’s nice to meet you, Lil Bit. And you too, Mathias.”

Bridget felt her tension leave her as a deep affection for this man settled in her chest. Anyone who doted on her kids and made them feel special were automatically friends for life in her book. When she saw Marlowe beam up at the man, she realized her niece might be suffering from some hero worship.

“So any of you interested in some touch football?” Brick scanned the group as if expecting them all to take him up on his offer.

“I’ll play.”

Bridget gaped at her nephew a full thirty seconds before regaining her composure enough to snap her mouth closed. This had to be the first time he played football of any kind since his parents died, and she hadn’t expected him to readily agree to play now.

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