“So, what would your advice be?”
Ethan wiped ketchup off the side of his mouth. “For Andrea to give herself time to think about what’s best for her and the boys. Then ask Charlie and Andy what they want. If that’s seeing their dad, then her lawyer could arrange a supervised visit.”
“Scotty will only be here for another three days.”
“Don’t let that worry you. If he wants to see his sons, he’ll fit in with them. Otherwise, he’s only using the tight timeframe as a power game. He might not have changed as much as he thinks he has.”
David hadn’t thought about it that way. “How did you get to be so smart?”
“Six years at college and a career in the military has its benefits.” He looked over his shoulder. “If I fold myself in half, I might fit on your backseat.”
“You don’t have to stay. I’ll be okay.”
“Are you kidding? I used to watch the Starsky & Hutch reruns with Dad. My dreams were full of impossible car chases and fighting baddies. What snacks did you bring?”
David held up his water bottle.
“Where are the donuts?”
“Sugar isn’t good for you.”
“You can’t have a stakeout without donuts.” Ethan looked at his watch. “I can be back from the truck stop in twenty minutes. Glazed or unglazed?”
If Ethan was intent on buying donuts, David wouldn’t complain. “If they have any cinnamon left, I’ll have one of those. Otherwise, anything is fine.”
“That’s easy. I’ll be back soon.”
David watched his friend take his keys out of his pocket while juggling his burger. With Ethan here, the time would go faster. And, if Scotty arrived, there would be two of them to send him away.
Andrea opened her front door and carried two cups of coffee across the street. When she saw David’s truck at five o’clock in the morning, she couldn’t believe he’d spent another night watching her house. It wasn’t until she’d peeked inside the cab and saw two snoring bodyguards that she realized the truck parked behind David’s belonged to Ethan.
Placing one cup on the hood, she tapped on David’s window.
He jerked awake, then blinked against the morning light. With a stiff movement, he opened the door. “What time is it?”
“Five-thirty.”
A groan came from the back seat.
“I have coffee,” she told them.
Ethan sat upright and rubbed his eyes. “I’m too old for things like this.”
David yawned. “Blame it on the donuts. We’ve only been asleep for a couple of hours.”
Andrea handed each of them a cup of coffee. “This will wake you up. Black with no sugar.”
Ethan sighed. “Perfect.”
“Did you see anything?”
David took a sip of coffee and sighed. “No sign of Scotty. Your neighbors said hello.”
She smiled at the stubble on his jaw. Even with dark circles under his eyes, he looked sleep-tousled and handsome.
When his eyes connected with hers, he lowered his mug. “What?”
“You have lots of early morning stubble. Do you have to shave twice a day?”
