Frank’s fear turned to anger. “What the hell was that?”
“Don’t be dead,” Shay muttered as she tried to roll Pete over. “Please, please, please, don’t be dead.”
“I’m not, I’m not.” Pete sat up and caught her hands, “I’m okay. Jesus, I’m so sorry.” He called to the boys, “Sorry, guys, false alarm. I’m a little on edge. The men we’ve been dealing with have a black truck. I saw that one, it backfired, and I should’ve known what the noise was, but I just reacted. Overreacted.”
“You scared me to death!” Shayla kissed him, and as he kissed her back, he heard Tevin say, “Whoa!”
Frank started to say something, but it was possible Tevin had clapped a hand over the younger boy’s mouth.
But right now was definitely not the right time for Pete to kiss Shayla the way he really wanted to, so instead he pulled back and looked into her eyes. “I’m okay,” he confirmed. “You okay?”
Shay nodded and exhaled hard. “It’s been a really intense few days,” she told her sons as Pete helped her back to her feet. “Which is why we’re going to do this whole safe house thing. Spend the weekend with our heads down, just watching movies, all right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Tevin said. He gave her a hug.
Meanwhile, Frank was still looking hard at Pete. “You thought that whoever was in that truck was gonna shoot Mom.”
“I did,” he admitted. “I got scared. I should’ve known that sound was just a backfire, but—”
“If theyhadbeen shooting, you’d be dead,” Frank pointed out. “Doing what you did? Running toward her like that?”
“Maybe, but your mother would be alive.”
“So, you’re saying you’d die for her? I mean, you’re not saying it—youdidit, and everyone’s always telling me that actions speak louder than words. It was like you’re her secret service agent, or her bodyguard. You were ready to die for her.”
“Frank,” Shay said.
“No, it’s okay,” Pete said. He looked at Frank. “You got a problem with that?”
“Shit, no!” Frank said.
“Language,” Shay said on a sigh.
He glanced at her. “Sorry, ma’am.” Back to Pete: “I’m just trying to figure it out. You’re ready to die for her, and you’re all kissing-her-on-the-front-lawn, but you just met her.”
“Yeah,” Pete said. “But, look at her. She’s pretty fucking great.” He glanced at Shayla. “Sorry, ma’am.” Back to Frank: “I mean, you and Tevin both know that.”
Frank was finally smiling and he now held out his hand. “Pete,” he said. “I do believe this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”
As they shook hands, Shayla said, “Pete? I think you might want to call himLieutenant Greene.”
Frank turned his smile onto his mother and shrugged expansively. “He told us to call himPete.I gotta do what the man says.”
“Someone please help me with this bag.” Tiffany had finally emerged from the house, oblivious to the drama as she locked the door behind her. Tevin leapt to get her luggage and wrestle it to the car. “It’s all files from work plus my laptop. Project’s due on Monday.” She smiled at Shay. “I can borrow clothes, if I need ’em, right?”
“Frankie’s more your size,” Shay said diplomatically, “but sure. Clothes yes, computernever.”
“See, I knew that,” Tiffany said.
Meanwhile, Frank had turned back to Pete. “So what was it? Like, love at first sight?”
“Oh, my God,Frankie,” Shayla said. She actually clapped her hands at her son, as if he were a misbehaving puppy. Pete tried not to laugh. “Just get in the car!Everyoneinto the car! Now!”
“It’s really okay,” Pete told her as they all climbed in. He turned to look back at Frank. “More like at first conversation. Don’t get me wrong. Your mother’s beautiful, but…That brain, that amazing mind inside of her brilliant head…That’swhat you look for in a woman.” He glanced at Tevin. “In a person.”
“That issosweet!” Tiffany enthused as Shayla pulled out into the traffic. “You are so sweet!”
“Nope,” he said. “Just observant. And very lucky.”
