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Mimi swallowed hard.
She hadn’t seen that bike in years. Zeke had refused to sell it. Instead, he’d put it in storage, claiming that one day it would come in handy. It seemed like one day was finally here. Most of the time Zeke either drove his police cruiser or they were in the minivan together, but Zeke preferred to not drive the cruiser when he wasn’t on duty. They’d talked about buying a second car, but at the time it had been an unnecessary expense. When eventually they did buy another car, it had been for Claire. Now that they were separated, Zeke’s old motorcycle did seem like a practical solution to their transportation problem.
Seeing it again, though, also brought back memories.
An image flashed through her brain—one of her at seventeen straddling that motorcycle as she clung to Zeke’s hard back, the wind cutting through her thin T-shirt. She’d never been an adrenaline junkie. But then, she’d never met any boy before Zeke who’d inspired her to do something as terrifying as getting on the back of a motorcycle.
They’d driven along the highway with the gulf on one side, laughing, like they had all the time in the world to be young and carefree. They’d been dating for over a month. Secretly, of course, because no way would Ann and Alex Powers ever have approved of Zeke Grant. No parents in their right mind would. He was trouble with a capital T. Sex on a stick. And every other bad boy cliché you could think of. He smoked pot and drank beer and had a tattoo, all of which seemed thrilling to a seventeen-year-old girl who’d never even let a boy get to second base before.
But as appealing as all that was, it wasn’t his bad boy self she’d fallen in love with. It wasn’t even the fact that he was drop dead gorgeous. It was the way he made her feel when she was with him. Like nothing bad would ever happen to her when they were together. Zeke Grant had a presence. Good or bad, everyone felt it. He wasn’t someone you ignored. And when she was with him, she became someone no one could ignore either. It had made her feel powerful. And wanted. And safe. And once she felt all those things, there was no going back to the way she’d felt without him.
So Mimi had lied to her parents and told them she was out with friends, and because they had no previous reason to mistrust her, they’d believed her.
Despite the anxiety caused by the deception, it had been the happiest time of her young life.
“Is that Dad’s bike?” Claire asked, her voice filled with awe. “Did he really use to ride that thing?”
“Yep,” Mimi said tightly.
Cameron jumped out of the minivan and walked over to the bike. He ran his hand reverently over the worn leather seat. “Dad said one day he’s going to give this to me.”
“Goody,” Mimi muttered as visions of a teenage Cameron whipping around town on a motorcycle danced through her head. “As if your sister hasn’t already turned me gray.” She shuffled the kids toward the building. “C’mon. Let’s go.”
She opened the door to the animal shelter. Lanie Miller, the shelter’s director, stood by the information desk talking to Zeke. He wore jeans and a T-shirt and the soft brown leather jacket Mimi had given him a couple of Christmas’s ago. Drop dead gorgeous then. And drop dead gorgeous now. Concentrate, Mary Margaret.
Lanie spotted them and waved them over. “How exciting! The Grant family is getting a dog!”
“A little dog,” Mimi emphasized.
“Yeah, one that doesn’t shed, is already house-broken, and can feed itself,” Claire added with a snicker.
Zeke looked at his daughter. “Don’t be a wise-guy.” But there was no heat behind his words.
“You have to admit, Mom’s requirements are a little unrealistic,” Claire said.
Lanie looked confused, not that Mimi blamed her. “I thought you said you wanted a watch dog.”
“Absolutely,” Zeke said. “He needs to have a good warning bark.”
“And he has to be able to do tricks,” Cameron added.
Lanie smiled patiently at Cameron, like she’d heard this from a dozen twelve-year-old boys before. “What kind of tricks?”
“He should be able to catch a Frisbee.”
“Mmm…” Lanie glanced between the four of them. “I’m afraid I’m fresh out of all the above. Why don’t we start by seeing what’s available? I have lots of cats right now. But my dog population is a little sparse.”
“A cat?” Mimi piped in. “I love cats! They’re so independent.”
Cameron made a face. “You said I could get a dog.”
Lanie opened the door to a large room, where they were greeted by a cacophony of barking and meowing. “Cats on one side, dogs on the other, but as you can see, my dog side doesn’t have much to offer. Not that these dogs aren’t all great, but I’m not sure we have one that meets all your, uh, needs.”
Cameron ran to a crate that housed a suspicious looking ball of wiry fur. “Move along,” Mimi said, “I can pretty much guarantee that dog sheds.”
Claire split off from the group toward the cat section of the room and Mimi followed behind Cameron. He stopped at each crate to inspect the dog inside, giving each one a thorough look over. Every once in a while, he’d study one dog a little longer and pet it. Mimi was impressed by how serious he was taking the whole thing.
Zeke walked alongside her, or rather loomed alongside her, like he owned all the space around him. And everything in it, too. Including her. “How are you feeling?” he asked quietly. There was sympathy mixed with humor in his voice.
