“In here!” Mae’s voice drifted out from the kitchen.
“Hey.” Hayden wrapped his arms around Mae, pullingher small frame close to him. “I brought someone to see you.”
I walked around the corner, and Mae gasped, her face lighting up with happiness.
“Sierra, dear. It’s so good to see you again.” Mae’s eyes glassed over, the beginning of tears welling up. She pulled me into a tight embrace once Hayden let her go.
“Hi, Mae.”
“You look so good, honey!” She pulled back to regard me. “That hair color looks wonderful on you. Really brings out your eyes.”
“That’s what I said, too.” Hayden nodded, shooting me a wink.
Mae freed me from her hug and took a couple steps back. “What are you two doing here?”
Hayden and I exchanged glances as if asking each other,Do you want to tell her?He raised his brows at me, and I sighed.
“There’s been some…things happening.”
Wow, Sierra, could you be more vague?
Hayden cleared his throat. “She’s been getting threats. For a few months. It’s escalated to the point I don’t feel safe having her alone at the house. Someone threw a brick through my living room window.”
“Oh my goodness.” Mae gasped. “Are you two okay?”
We both nodded as Hayden replied, “Yeah, Mom, we’re okay. A little shaken up, but that’s why we’re here.”
“Well, you know you’re welcome to stay as long as you need, son. And you’re always welcome here, Sierra.” Mae reached forward to squeeze my shoulder. “I’ll make chicken and dumplings for dinner. Your favorite.” She winked.
“Sounds good. I think we’re going to just go aroundtown, yeah?” Hayden looked at me for the last part, like he wanted to ask if that was okay, and I nodded.
“Your dad’s on day shift, so he should be home for dinner. He’ll be happy to see you both,” Mae added as we headed toward the front door.
Neither of us said a word as we drove back into town, the only sound coming from the tires of Hayden’s pickup kicking up dust and gravel on the backroads. That was, until we passed by the tree I’d crashed into all those years ago.
My eyes cut to Hayden, who appeared to be holding back his laughter.
“Don’t even think about it,” I muttered, although the grumpiness was more of a front to hide my own amusement.
“I didn’t say a single thing.” Hayden grinned like a little kid as he put one hand on the top of the steering wheel and the other on the seat back of the passenger side.
I rolled my eyes. “You were thinking about it, though.”
He squinted, eyes lit with a twinkle of mischief. “Actually, no, I was thinking more about the stadium break-in, but now that you bring up the tree, I?—”
“Nope. I’d much rather talk about breaking into the football stadium,” I cut him off.
“Should we go see if we can break into the stadium again?”
“I never thought I’d ever hear you say those words,” I teased. “Keenan must be rubbing off on you.”
He shook his head with a smile. “Better not. We could walk around the campus, though, for old time’s sake?”
I nodded. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”
Hayden parked in one of the lower guest parking lots, and we began the trek up a hill to the campus quad.
Most of the leaves had fallen from the trees with it being early November, but there wasn’t snow on the ground quite yet. I much preferred SGU in the spring, when flowers were starting to bloom and the grass was damp with morning dew because the temperature wasn’t as scorching as it was in the summer.
