Page 12 of Here and Now
“Can I ride with Ethan?” Kai asks as I get to the car.
“No, honey. We’ll meet them there.”
There are certain things I just can’t do, and this is one. I need to know where he is and be able to get to him at a moment’s notice if Quinn calls and we have to leave quickly.
His face is crestfallen. “Okay.”
Miles steps in. “Hey, trust me, you don’t want to drive with me. Ask Ethan. It ruins your cool-kid status hanging out with the principal.”
“But Ethan said you were in the NHL!”
I turn to look at him, my eyes wide. “You were?”
Miles shakes his head. “No, I almost was, but I joined the marines instead.”
“Really? My uncle Quinn was a Navy SEAL, and I’m going to be just like him.”
There goes not telling him about my brother’s job.
Miles’s eyes move to me and a brow lifts. “He was, huh?”
I shrug. “We don’t like to put that out there.”
“Of course, the SEALs are known for their humility.” I snort a laugh and look away. Yeah, humble is definitely not my brother and his friends. Miles returns his attention to Kai. “We’ll be right behind you guys, all right?”
Kai nods. “Okay.”
On the car ride to the ice-cream store, Kai goes on and on about Miles and Ethan and another boy named Sam. He tells me about how nice they are and how he can’t wait for practice this week.
The absolute joy emanating from him has my smile growing with each word. I pray that this time we can stay here. I know Quinn and his team are doing absolutely everything they can to erase any traces of us, but with the men hunting me, it’s a game of chicken on who is going to be better at hide-and-seek.
It’s exhausting and frustrating because I just want to live my damn life.
As soon as the car is in park in front of Sugar High, the little ice-cream shop, Kai is out the door and running to the entrance of the store, then waiting for Ethan.
Both Miles and I smile at each other as we meet up where the boys already went inside. “After you,” he says as he opens the door.
“Thank you.”
A teenager in her 1950s soda shoppe uniform smiles warmly at Miles. “Hi, Mr. Anderson!”
“Hello, Matilda,” he replies.
“Hi, Mr. A!” another kid calls out from the seating area.
“Grant.”
As we’re standing at the counter, an older woman I haven’t met before walks over to him and smiles. “Miles, how are Doug and Eloise? I was thinking about them the other day. Oh, and who is this?”
“Mrs. Hawkins, this is Penelope. She works over at Hazel’s store.”
Her eyes widen slightly. “Oh! Hello! I’ve heard so much about you. Well, notsomuch. It’s just that us old ladies are a bunch of clucking hens that like to gossip. They said that you moved here and you have a son?” She looks over to where Ethan and Kai are standing.
“Yes, we came to town about three weeks ago.”
“Well, welcome to Ember Falls. I’ve lived here my whole life, and my daughter Andrea is a teacher at the elementary school. She’s usually a second-grade teacher, but she might be teaching first. Maybe she’ll have your son,” Mrs. Hawkins suggests.
“Maybe. Kai is entering first grade this year.”
