Unraveling Midnight (5 page)

Lucy laughed, surprised at her candor. It was kind of nice to hear she wasn’t imagining things. And friend or not, Lucy did want to have something to reveal to Carol the next time she saw her. Even if it was something small, she wanted to be a woman with a story to share, at least a little story.

“Well, I’ll keep you in the loop.” Lucy tucked Carol’s yarn in a paper bag. “It sounds like we’re heading out for ice cream tonight and then I guess we’ll see.”

Carol took her bag and smiled. “Good for you, Lucy. I hope you have a lot of fun. I’ll grab Susan and we’ll sneak out. See you next week.”

She tucked away the money and quickly set the till for her assistant. She was only a phone call away and Maggie had handled the store plenty of times, so she didn’t fuss too much. After a moment of paperwork, she closed down her computer and tucked away the bank bag in her purse to take in the next day.

She locked the door after Susan and Carol headed out and turned the ‘open’ sign to ‘closed’ before walking toward the back where she’d left Scott and the kids in the work room.

“Finish up, guys. And you’d better behave at the ice cream shop or you’ll be stuck inside for a week, washing dishes and doing laundry.”

She bit back a laugh at the threat. She’d bet dollars to doughnuts the boys and Jessie did their fair share of housework. By the time they were on their own, she had no doubt Scott would have prepared them to be excellent self-caretakers.

Her grandma had taught her and all of her foster siblings how to care for themselves. Even when the boys had griped and moaned about doing the work, they’d still learned and those skills had to be ones their wives and girlfriends appreciated. She wished she had better contact with all the people in her past, but memories were wonderful things.

“All set?” She turned the corner to see all of the yarn put away and the work room spotless. “Wow, it looks fantastic in here. You all are hired.”

“We’re real good at cleaning, Ms. Lucy,” Greg said. “Dad makes us clean all the time, so we’ve had a lot of practice.”

“I bet,” she said. “So, if you’re ready, how about we get some ice cream?”

The kids cheered and Scott smiled, the combination an infectious mix that had her more excited for ice cream than she had been probably since she was Jessie’s age. She turned off the lights as the kids made their way to the door, the anticipation barely contained. Maybe after ice cream they could head to the park and the boys could get some wiggles out before bed. And maybe she and Scott could sit on one of the benches and talk some more.

She wondered about him and his life. Where was his wife? Where had they been before moving to Pennsylvania? What were his plans for the future? There was so much she wanted to know about him. And even if she didn’t get her answers, she still hoped spending a little extra time with him might be possible.

“You’re the dork,” Ross said, shoving Greg.

Lucy rolled her eyes as Scott moved forward and separated the boys. She locked the door and followed. The time for wiggles had returned and she didn’t mind. No little boy could stay still for long.

They were shoving and laughing, so at least they were good-natured. She enjoyed their energy and attitudes. They all seemed really good to each other, even now as Scott dropped back a few paces and let them shove it out on the empty sidewalk.

“Boys,” he muttered. “I thought things would be easier with Jessie but—”

“Ross, I’m going to kick you in the face and then we’ll see who’s smiling.”

Lucy laughed out loud at the girl’s outlandish boast.

“Guys, settle down,” Scott called and immediately the bulk of the shoving and playing stopped. “Good kids, all of them, but they’re animals sometimes.”

The way he said the last part made her laugh. Animals. She’d always thought the same for kids that age. “Some days I’d swear my niece and nephew were parts skunk and weasel.”

“How old?” he asked.

“Ten and twelve.”

“Oh yeah, sneaky and stinky ages. I remember when my brothers were those ages. I thought those years would never end. I already go through industrial-sized containers of soap and detergent every week. I don’t even want to think about what puberty is going to bring.”

“Times two,” she added. “You’re going to have your hands full, but they’re good boys. You’ll be very glad you set such a wonderful foundation with them young. My grandma always said structure was half the trouble with teenagers. If they didn’t learn ‘no’ when they were little, then they sure as heck weren’t going to listen as near-adults.”

“Your grandma sounds like she was a very intelligent woman. Do you have a big family?”

“Yes. After Grandma got custody of me, she started doing foster care, which lead to four foster brothers and a foster sister who stayed to adulthood. Some are local still, others moved across the country, but all of them are family. Did you come from a big family? I’d think so since you manage so well with your brood.”

“My family was small compared to my cousins’. We all lived in the same town, so we were always together. I only had two brothers at home, but any day of the week we could have a dozen relatives over.”

“That sounds amazing. I miss those days. Maybe I’ll have to host something this fall for everyone who came through Grandma’s house.”

“My house has a big backyard if you need more space,” he offered.

“Oh, I guess I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe—”

Scott took off, reacting to the scene in front of them before she even had a chance to process what was happening. The boys had started scuffling again and Greg tripped over the curb and into the street. A truck driving too quickly barreled straight for the boy and Lucy’s breath caught, knowing she was neither close enough nor fast enough to save him. But Scott was. In a show of desperate speed, he flew to his son. He pushed Greg back to the sidewalk, but wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way of the truck.

It hit him with a deadening thud. Lucy screamed alongside the kids. The side street was empty at the moment, so the yelling did no good. She reached for her cellphone, but found her pocket empty. She had to do better with the damn thing for reasons just like this.

She locked eyes with the man in the truck, the panic there mirrored in hers. He probably had a cellphone. He’d get Scott help. She ran for Scott, shouting for the kids to stay back. She expected the truck’s driver to get out, but instead he put the vehicle into reverse and the tires squealed as he drove away.

Lucy knelt beside her fallen friend. “Scott? Can you hear me?”

She couldn’t focus on the truck, not with Scott groaning, lying on the cement and holding his side.

“Of course I hear you. He hit my side, not my ears.” The gruffness of his reply was such a comfort, she let his sarcasm slide.

“I’m going to have one of the kids run to the shop and call an ambulance. You lay still.”

“No ambulance. I’m fine. I’m sorry as hell to miss ice cream. I need to go home.”

She pushed his hard shoulder to the ground. “You were hit by a damn truck, Scott. Now is not the time to be stoic and tough. You’re side is bleeding and you’ve got scratches on your face.”

“It’s not the first time. Listen, please, Lucy.” He grabbed tight to her hand, holding it to an uninjured part of his chest. “I know absolutely that I’m okay. And I can’t be away from my kids—there’s no one I can trust them with. Please just get us home and I promise I’ll be fine.”

No one he’d trust with them. She remembered her grandmother saying the same about her, though Lucy had thought it was silly. Seeing Scott’s intensity she understood it better. He actually didn’t look too bad for getting hit by a truck. That didn’t mean there wasn’t internal bleeding or something horrible happening under his skin.

“Daddy!” Jessie called, but when Lucy looked up, she was grateful to see one of the boys had caught her.

“Lucy, please,” Scott said very quietly. “Jessie doesn’t need to see me like this and none of them need to be alone. Please get me home.”

He would bring Jessie into it. Lucy remembered what the little one said about her dad being the only one she had left. Scott had mentioned not having anyone close and maybe he really meant it. If she called an ambulance, a social worker would most likely be brought in, since she wasn’t technically family, to take on the kids. Scott was already trying to stand up, slowly but surely finding his feet. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and helped him.

“I’ll bring you all home but if you think I’m going to leave, you’re out of your mind,” she whispered, helping him find his balance.

“Yeah, I’d appreciate if you could stay for a while,” he said, leaning on her just shy of too hard. “My truck is down the block. I can make it if you help me.”

“Of course I’ll help,” she replied, bracing to take more of his weight if he needed her. “If you have a brain aneurism or something and die, I’m never going to forgive you.”

“Fair enough. Kids, to the truck now.”

They didn’t hesitate, just ran to the blue dual-cab four-by-four and piled in.

“My keys are in my pocket,” Scott said, limping at her side. “I’m not trying to be a creep, but my hand is numb.”

“Oh, okay. Don’t worry, I have faith that when you do try to get me in your pants, you’ll have better lines,” she said, the humor coming from her need to gain some control of the situation.

He laughed and gasped in pain.

“Your ribs hurt, don’t they?”

“Like they got hit by a fucking truck. I’m going to find that guy and beat the hell out of him. He was going way too fast. If it had been Greg—”

“It wasn’t,” she comforted when he immediately tensed and started breathing harder at the thought. “Greg is fine and you’ll be fine too. I’ll write down his license plate number when I get in the truck.”

“You remember it?”

“Numbers and letters stick with me,” she said and paused at the curb when they were at his truck. It was big and even with the step bar, she knew it was going to be a challenge getting him inside without breaking him more.

* * * *

Scott couldn’t believe it. Just when he was finally getting somewhere with Lucy, he got hit by a damn truck. What were the odds? He’d jacked his back again, but it felt like he was at least upright and able to support himself. He didn’t want to try that on his own without Lucy nearby. As far as getting hit by a car went, he thought he’d come out of it relatively unscathed.

“Hell.” His truck had never looked so tall.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.” Beside him, Lucy held tight to her control, not letting panic loose though he knew it had been close for a few moments after the other truck drove off. To be fair, he’d have been going nuts if roles had been reversed. “You’re going to turn so your butt is toward the door. Then I’m going to get in and pull you up. Between the two of us, we should be able to get you in.”

He nodded. That sounded like a good enough plan. He thought throwing him in the back sounded better, but that was sure to freak Lucy out more and it would bother the kids. He looked to the backseat after Lucy opened the door and braced him there. The kids sat quietly, each buckled in and watching him with wide eyes. They’d seen him hurt worse but the past didn’t make this time any easier. Without him, they knew they’d be out of a home, out of any kind of normal life for a werewolf. He’d never pointed the facts out, but they weren’t dumb. There wasn’t anyone else who would willingly take them on, considering what their mother had done.

“Scott, turn for me.”

He’d zoned through the pain a moment, but realized Lucy was waiting for him. He braced his hands, hoping his arms would hold him so Lucy didn’t hurt herself getting his big ass into the truck. Her little hands slipped under his armpits, and with more strength than he’d have imagined, she began to slowly and steadily pull him into the truck. He flexed his muscles, doing his part and, with relatively little pain, he settled into the passenger seat.

“See, guys?” Lucy said, her smile too bright as she buckled his seatbelt and her own. “He’s fine. We’ll get him home and cleaned up and he’ll be back to causing trouble in no time.”

“I’m sorry for pushing Greg,” Ross said in the barest of whispers.

Scott’s gaze was toward Lucy when his boy said the words and the pure compassion in her eyes matched his feelings. His boys might be rough but he knew they’d never hurt each other. Ross was going to have to deal with some guilt for a while.

“I know, Ross,” Scott said. “That guy was driving too fast and near the curb. I’m grateful I made it in time.”