Kellan: Hide out? LOL! You’re welcome any time, you know that. Want me to come pick you up?
No thanks. I’ll drive. Very slowly, to record some potholes enroute.
Kellan: Okay. Please be careful. Can’t wait to see you, baby!
Yes, it’s childish to run away from a stepfather I don’t want to see. But he makes me feel…prickly. Mainly I’m pissed that he’s taking advantage of Mom, and I haven’t been able to screw up the courage to tell him off.
That was part of the reason I came here. To get some space from the entire situation and hopefully figure out a way to tell Mom that I think she would be better off alone.
I look Aunt Bernie in the eye. “I’m going to take photos several hours away. I won’t be home tonight. You don’t know where I am. Okay?”
She nods and winks. “Gotcha.”
I take a final slug of coffee, then race upstairs to pack. I’m positive that Kellan will be fine with me staying over. He’s so easygoing, he’d be okay with anything.
A deep shudder runs through me when I realize what might happen tonight. Time for me to accept the inevitable and explore my gorgeous mountain man…all over.
9
KELLAN
Someone is mapping potholes on the alternate route to my house along the western road. We’ve all been watching the app to see where things are being recorded and what areas still need coverage. This lets me know that a certain beautiful woman is on her way to me.
Jenna doesn't seem surprised that I'm standing out on the porch when she arrives. She jumps out of the car, waving her phone at me and laughing. “Stalking me on your app?”
"Can't we say that I was just checking to see if people are using it?"
"Sure. That sounds less creepy." She pulls a large tote bag out of the back seat. "Speaking of stalking… Would it be okay if I spent the night?"
I'm already taking the bag from her. "Of course, baby. Who’s stalking you?" I hope her light tone means it’s nothing serious.
She must see the tension in my eyes because she places her hand heavily in the center of my chest. "Stand down, soldier. It's just my stepfather. He's driving my mother to visit my aunt under the guise of being worried about her on these back roads."
I nod. "You think he's actually checking up on you?"
She sighs audibly. "Did I mention that he owns a small tech company? He's basically an IT guy for small businesses and sells computers, which is great. But he likes to pretend to Mom that he's some cutting-edge developer."
My eyes roll dramatically. "I know the type. Hold on."
I take her bag inside, then grab some keys. "We’ll put your car in the garage and park the Jeep in front of it." I hand her a keyring. "You can use the Jeep if you have to go anywhere, and nobody will recognize the car. Simple."
Her eyes light up. "You're amazing. Thank you for understanding."
We swap the vehicles around and I leave a ball cap on the front seat of the Jeep. "Wear that if you have to go downtown. It’s not much of a disguise, but better than nothing."
We go inside and I head straight for the kitchen to put on some coffee. "Do you need to work for a bit, or do you want to drive around and play Spot the Pothole again?"
“I’m done work for the day.” Jenna stops me on my way to the coffeemaker, placing her hands on my chest as she looks up at me with a soft smile. "Thank you," she murmurs.
"For…?"
"For instantly being on my side. Nobody's ever done that before."
Damn, that breaks my heart. "Baby, it's all good." I cuddle her to my chest, rubbing her back as we rock slightly. "I'm never going to let anyone make you feel uncomfortable."
Jenna’s jittery mood dissipates as we make burgers together, then go for a slow, romantic walk around the property. By the time we return to the house, it's grown dark, so we make a quick dinner then get settled out on my back porch.
She laughs as she checks out the large futon. "Is this a bed or a sofa?"
