Page 22 of Summer Ever After

Chapter Seven

Beth turned to glance back down the dock while her pulse spiked.

“I… can we stay just a little longer?” she asked, needing a moment to settle things in her heart and her head. Not because of the news that Aaron had given her, but because of how he had just looked at her.

The evening breeze ruffled her hair, cooling her heated skin a little. The feeling of salt water, the smell of pine, and the sounds of the crickets helped calm her, steady her, as much as Aaron’s presence did.

“You really threw the tracker into the lake?” she asked, turning towards him. She leaned against the railing and gripped it lightly behind her as if it would steady her racing thoughts. She wanted to touch him. To hold his hand. To feel his arms around her. But he’d stepped back.

Aaron gave a small, reassuring nod as he stopped next to her. “Yup. That’s one way to neutralize it. I guess there’s a chance it was waterproof.” He shrugged.

Beth swallowed hard. The tight knot of fear in her chest loosened just slightly, but the unease lingered. “I wish he’d just leave me alone.” Her voice wavered, a mixture of disbelief and lingering anger.

Aaron’s gaze softened as he stepped a little closer, though still careful not to crowd her. “He thinks that he can control the chaos he creates. You’re not alone in this. This evening was proof of that. The whole camp is watching out for you.”

She blinked up at him, swallowing hard against the swell of emotion threatening to spill over. “You’re right. I know that. But it’s still… sometimes it’s too much.” Her hand twitched slightly, and she almost reached for his but hesitated. The proximity of him, his calm confidence, the protective aura he carried, it made her pulse stutter in ways she hadn’t expected. Her lips parted slightly, just enough to let a quiet, almost shy, “Thank you” escape again. She didn’t know how to tell him how much she appreciated everything he did for her. Everything he was to her.

He shook his head, a faint half-smile tugging at his lips. “Don’t thank me. Just… let me do this right.”

Beth swallowed again, aware of every detail—the set of his jaw, the way his gaze softened when it landed on her, the subtle warmth that radiated off him even in the cool evening air. Her hand drifted slightly closer to his again, enough to make the tension between them electric.

“You’re here,” she whispered, more to herself than him, a quiet acknowledgment of the relief that surged through her. “And you told me instead of keeping me in the dark.”

“I won’t hide anything from you.”

Beth nodded, her fingers tightening briefly on the railing before releasing. Her body felt simultaneously lighter and more aware than it had in days. She laughed softly, a mixture of disbelief and nervous energy. “I really am trying not to have a panic attack. It’s working… mostly.”

Aaron’s lips curved just slightly, a teasing glint in his eyes, but there was tenderness underneath it. “If it comes anyway, let me know and I’ve got you, anytime.”

The dock beneath their feet creaked softly as the water below swayed and shimmered gold in the sunset. For the first time in a long time, she felt, if not entirely safe, at least less alone.

Aaron’s hand brushed briefly against hers and she felt a spark run up her arm. The simple touch, light and fleeting, left her fingers tingling long after it ended. She bit her lip, stealing a glance at him, catching the faintest smirk that promised both protection and… something more.

“Come on, let’s get you to your car,” he said, his voice low, steady, but carrying that undertone that made her stomach flip.

Beth let him guide her off the dock and down the pathway to the parking lot.

The next morning, Beth’s car hummed softly as she drove out of town, the salty tang of the tide clinging faintly to the morning air.

Today was her day off, and, as much as she hated it, she had agreed to visit her mother in Panama City. She hadn’t been there in months, which wasn’t long enough, but she had told herself it was time.

The drive was slow going with tourist season was in full swing. Normally, the drive took her forty minutes, but she was almost hitting the two-hour mark when she finally pulled into her mother’s condo complex.

Her mother had moved out of the childhood home Beth had grown up in shortly after her father’s death. The condo was a huge contrast to the house, which had been unchanged since her birth. After parking in the parking garage, she climbed the two sets of stairs to her mother’s floor, squared her shoulders, and knocked lightly on the door. With her mother, everything should be done lightly.

Her mother appeared almost immediately, arms crossed, eyes narrowing as if she had been expecting confrontation rather than a visit. “Bethany,” she said with that sharp tone she always used when Beth had done something that didn’t please her. “You actually came this time.”

Beth forced a small smile. “Hi, Mom. How are you doing?”

Her mother’s gaze swept over her as if cataloging every flaw. “How am I doing? My only daughter has been living in sin, divorced from her husband for years. You know, the Lord says...”

Beth’s chest tightened as her mother went into a very long rant about what the good book says about women like her. Almost two minutes into the standard rant, Beth realized that she was still standing just outside her mother’s door. She hadn’t even gotten inside this time before the headache started.

She opened her mouth to respond to her mother, but the right words to defend herself caught in her throat. Instead, all that came out was a weak, “Mom…”

“Don’t ‘Mom’ me,” her mother snapped. “I’ve prayed for you, Bethany. You left your husband, you’re living your life as though God’s rules don’t matter. You act as if I should just smile and greet you and pretend everything is fine with your eternal life?”

Beth swallowed hard, anger prickling along with the ache in her chest. “Mom, I didn’t leave him because I wanted to hurt you or God. I left Ian because I couldn’t stay. Because he was abusive and, damn it, because I needed— No, I wanted to survive.”