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“You mean like getting into my new school?”
“Exactly. What do you think they’d do if they knew what you’d been up to tonight?”
“They wouldn’t want me anymore.” His chin wobbled, not a lot, but enough to prove to Luke he was getting through.
“You want to go there, don’t you?”
Simon nodded. “It’s gonna be so cool, Sheriff. All their computers and classes. I’m going to join the engineering club, so I can learn to build things. I can take what I want to take and you know what the best part is? No homework! Everything gets done in the classroom. I’ll just be there longer.”
Giving Holly even more of a break. All the more reason to make sure Simon was admitted.
“But if they find out about all this, you can’t go there,” Luke said. “And all the money your mom’s borrowed to pay for your school, she’d still have to pay it all back. Did you know that?”
Simon shook his head.
“You know what I think? I think you’re so determined to help other people, you don’t consider the consequences of your actions if you get caught. Because you haven’t been caught before, have you?”
“He’s been caught,” Holly said from the doorway, her father behind her. Luke rose, the strain on Holly’s face making Luke second-guess his decision not to give her a heads-up. She aimed angry eyes on her son. “Your grandfather filled me in on what you’ve been up to, young man.”
Luke looked between mother and son, his heart stuttering. There was anger, yes, but there was nothing but love radiating between the two of them. There wouldn’t be any fists flying or glass breaking or raised voices. There would be talking and punishment and actions to be taken, but at the end, Simon and Holly would be better for it.
Luke cleared his throat. “In Simon’s defense—”
“In his what?” Holly glared at Luke. “You cannot be serious. He broke into your office twice in as many days. He hacked your computer, installed a virus, did who knows what to that poor coffeemaker...”
“He was trying to fix what he’d done,” Luke explained. “He knew he made a mistake. Right, Simon?”
“Right.” Wide eyes stared up at him.
“I’m sure we understand each other a little better now,” Luke added. “And I doubt Simon’s going to be venturing out on any more vendettas anytime soon.”
“No, sir.” Simon’s vehement agreement had Luke’s lips twitching.
“You’re letting him off the hook?” Holly gaped at Luke.
“I am not.”
“You’re not?” Simon’s face fell.
“Once your mother has her say, you and I will sit down and come to an arrangement concerning your punishment. In exchange for keeping what happened here yesterday and tonight off any public record.”
He heard Holly let out a broken sigh. When he looked back at her she’d covered her mouth and aimed such a look of gratitude at him he squashed the urge to squirm. She held out her hand. “Simon, come here, please.”
Simon jumped down from Luke’s chair and circled around his desk to stand in front of his mother. She gripped his arms and held him hard. “You frightened the life out of me, you realize that?” She blinked back tears, something Luke knew would only hit the emotional target on her son. “When I woke up and you weren’t there, I thought something horrible had happened to you.”
“I’m sorry, Mom. I was just so mad, but I wanted to be able to work with Grandpa and Sheriff Saxon on the new youth center.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” She looked between Luke and her father.
“We might have mentioned over breakfast anyone coming to the center needed to have been on the straight and narrow,” Jake said as he carried his coffee into the office and took a seat on the sofa.
“Over...breakfast.” Holly’s eyes turned fierce. “You set him up.”
“Huh?” Simon spun toward his grandfather then whirled on Luke. “You did?” Was that admiration on his face?
“We created an opportunity Simon did not have to take,” Luke asserted, determined not to relinquish control. “Simon now knows if he has a problem with me, he can come and talk to me about it, man-to-man. Right, Simon?” He angled the boy the kind of look he’d seen Jake use on occasion.
“I wanted to make him go away,” Simon admitted. “Because he made you sad. And he made Grandpa sad by taking his job.”
“Oh, Simon.” The tone she used made Luke realize she’d been waiting for him to strike out.
“I was never mad at Luke, Simon,” Jake said, sipping his coffee. “He made a mistake a very long time ago. One with serious consequences. More serious than what you’re facing, but because of it, a lot of lives were changed. Including mine and your mother’s. But never once was I mad at Luke. If I was, I wouldn’t have kept tabs on him all these years. You helped me with that, Simon. By teaching me how to do those internet searches.”
“That’s what we were doing?” Simon asked.
“That’s what we were doing.” Jake nodded. “Now, Holly, I think you and Simon should head home. There’s a conversation the two of you need to have, and Luke and I have a window lock to replace. Simon?”
“Yes, sir?” Simon squirmed tighter against his mother.
“No more of these shenanigans, you hear me?”
Simon nodded after a brief hesitation, something Luke made note of for the future. It wasn’t going to be like flipping a switch and there wasn’t any way Simon hadn’t already been percolating other ideas.
“You need to be taking care of your mom, not upsetting her or scaring her to death,” Jake added.
“I’ll walk the two of you out,” Luke said, heading over to the door.
“Thank you, Luke.” Holly’s gaze didn’t meet his for more than a second, as if she was both ashamed and embarrassed Simon’s behavior had gotten so out of her control. And all because she hadn’t been able to let go of her anger over something a teenage boy had done years before. “I appreciate you keeping this among us.”
“Not a problem. It’s tough having a superhero for a kid. But you’ve got a support system.” He’d committed himself to many things—changing his life, swearing loyalty to his country, serving on the police force—but he’d never committed himself to another person in any way. Until now. Because Holly—and Simon—were worth the risk. “Whatever you need, Holly, anytime you need it. You just let me know.”
* * *
HOLLY STARED UP at the water stain on her bedroom ceiling. Any hope of more sleep had evaporated hours ago when she’d awoken to an empty house and a renegade, runaway child.
She flopped her arms on the mattress, repressed the urge to scream. How had she missed it? She’d kept an eye on Simon for what felt like 24/7 and her son had still managed to risk his entire future with two break-ins in the space of two days.
Of all the records for him to attempt to break.
Holly rolled onto her side, hugged the second pillow against her chest as she squeezed her eyes shut. Never in her wildest imagination could she have imagined Luke Saxon saving the day. Saving her son. But he had. He’d protected Simon’s future, promised to help her when she needed it.
She couldn’t lock Simon in his room, but she knew she only had to ask and Simon would be kept under the watchful eye of local law enforcement. Until tonight, she hadn’t understood her father’s soft spot for Luke. The way Luke had been with her son—compassionate, firm, resolute—had shown the person Jake had believed him to be all those years ago.
Something she’d never allowed herself to see given her anger.
The questions continued to whirl in her mind; she wanted to know more, to know everything her father had alluded to when it came to Luke’s past, but there had been enough drama for one night. But tomorrow...
“Mom?” Simon knocked on her door. “Are you asleep?”
Was he serious? “Come on in.” She reached over and flicked on the light, but remained where she was—prone, exhausted and so wired she may as well have been mainlining coffee for the past day and a half. Simon pushed the door open, dressed in his Proton Patrol pajamas, his hair tousled as if he’d had as much trouble getting to sleep as she did. She glanced at the clock. “It’s after midnight, bud.”
“I can’t sleep.”
Gee, I wonder why? She scooted back and patted her hand on the mattress, unable to stop the surge of love as he snuggled into her arms. “You’ve had a pretty full few days.” She pressed a kiss on the top of his head, giving silent thanks that things had turned out the way they did. “Sheriff Saxon was awfully nice to you even though you were mean to him.”
Simon nodded. “Yeah.”
