“It’s hot here,” Claire whines, tugging at her sweater. In my head, I can’t call her Chloe no matter how hard I try. It’s like when Frannie died, something was lifted off of me and I was given a small taste of freedom. I didn’t have to hide anymore. But I still look around every corner and watched every person who crosses in front of my path; it’s ingrained in me and I don’t think I’ll ever stop.
“I think you’ll love it,” I tell her as I pull her through the parking lot of the car rental place. Tucker wanted to pick us up, but I wanted a car. There are things I need to do while here and I don’t want to depend on him. Besides, if I need to escape, I want the ability to do so. Or go to the mall. It’s been so long since I’ve been to a mall. When I decide to start shopping I don’t want any sideways glances at the amount of stuff I have. No one knows what it’s like to go from having massive malls at your disposal to not having one at all.
It only takes a few minutes before I get my bearings straight. Sitting at the first red light, I close my eyes and listen to the traffic whizzing by. Most people move to get away from this type of stuff, and here I am relishing in being back.
“You’re being weird.”
“I know. I can’t help it,” I tell her. “I’ve missed the sun and noise.”
“I like the quiet.”
I won’t argue with her, not today. I can’t force this on her. It has to be something she wants. I made that promise to her.
Before I know it, I’m pulling into the storage unit parking lot and shutting off my car. The last time I was here, I was running for my life to protect my baby. Now I’m back and refuse to let Lawson keep me scared.
“Come on,” I say to Claire as I get out of the car. She’s right, it is hot, but it feels so good. As soon her door slams, I’m reaching out for her hand. She rolls her eyes, but slips her hand into mine. I don’t know if I’ll ever tell her about Lawson, but I have told her that I almost lost her once and that’ll never happen again.
The chime above the door rings out and Buzz pops his head up. By the look on his face, I’d say he’s surprised to see me.
“Hello, Buzz.”
“Mrs. McCoy, I didn’t expect to see you come in … ever.”
I don’t correct him on the usage of my last name and technically he’s right. Tucker’s return nullified my marriage to Ray, not that it was probably legal to begin with since I was using a fake name.
“It’s good to see you, Buzz. I wanted to thank you for making sure the agents were given my name.”
“I didn’t cause any trouble for you, did I?”
I shake my head and offer him a smile. “None whatsoever.” I leave out the part where Ray died and Frannie attacked us. He doesn’t need to know any of that. I wouldn’t want him to feel guilty for trying to help me.
“I have to say, you’re looking much better this time around.”
Smiling bashfully, I accept his compliment.
“And I see she’s all grown up.”
I squeeze Claire’s hand, but refrain from introducing her. Some things are left unsaid and this is one of them.
“I just wanted to thank you in person.”
“You’re welcome,” he says as I turn and leave.
Back in the car I pull up the directions Tucker sent me, plug them into my GPS, and head off in the right direction. While I remember most places, going someplace new could be a challenge. It’s only a matter of minutes before I’m crossing the bridge into Coronado.
“We’re up so high. Oh, Mom, look at those planes.”
I try to look but am afraid I’ll swerve off the bridge. The first night I met Tucker he showed me the planes and told me he’s the guy who protects me while I’m sleeping. I still believe that about him.
“They’re all over the place around here.”
“And that boat.”
“It’s a ship, honey. Tucker can take you on one if you want to go.”
Claire presses her face to the glass and sighs. “Do you love him?”
“Yes, I do,” I tell her truthfully. I never stopped loving him. “But I also love Ray just as much.”
“But he’s gone and Tucker’s not.”
“No, Tucker isn’t and he’s not going anywhere. I think if you give him a chance, you might like him.”
“We’ll see,” she says, sighing again. I can’t force her, but I may push her a little. Tucker and her could have a few daddy and daughter days while we’re here.
As soon as I’m off the bridge and into downtown, everything is coming back to me. I loved living here. The town is cute, quaint, and very friendly. Not to mention the eye candy that’s always walking around. Even when Tucker and I were together, I’d often comment, especially with Ryley, about the very good looking men. Tucker would act hurt, but he knew I only had eyes for him.
My GPS tells me I’ve reached my destination when I pull up in front of a cute yellow bungalow. Claire is out of the car as soon as I shut it off and walking through the white picket fence gate before I can even verify the address or get out of the car. For someone who is hell bent on not welcoming Tucker, she sure is eager to see his house.