close to six feet, his posture straight. He seemed very polite with me, yet looking in his dark gaze, I saw shrewdness, as if while we were talking, he was assessing me. I didn’t think he was this thoughtful with everyone.
“Yes. My son, Chris, is away at college and is much too big to wear it anymore. I thought Jackson might get enjoyment out of it.”
“He left his at home and did some extra chores as punishment. Motorcycle, bicycle, a brain bucket’s a must. You’re a smart lady.”
I sighed. “Smart? I’m not sure about that, but I’ve raised a boy, so I know what can happen. We’ve gone through our fair share of bumps and scrapes.”
“No doubt at your work as well,” Mr. Baker added, looking down at the light blue scrubs I wore.
“Yes, that’s true.” I wondered how much about me Simon had shared and how much he’d dug up on his own.
“Won’t keep you as you must be beat, but I’d like to buy you a meal from our restaurant as a thank you.”
“Restaurant?”
“The Double-B Diner.”
I quickly made the connection. The place had been around for as long as I could remember. Since it was on the other side of town, I’d never eaten there.
“Have a meal, coffee, on the house.”
“That’s very kind of you, Mr. Baker, but I can’t go like this, and I’d need to clean up and—”
He held up his hand to stop me. “Call me Quake. Not tonight then, I understand. Tomorrow?”
He was certainly insistent.
“I work again tomorrow and Wednesday.”
Jackson remained quiet as we spoke, watching us both earnestly.
“Then I’ll get the food to you,” Mr. Baker… Quake, said with a nod. “I’ll have dinner packaged and brought here tomorrow night. Then no cooking after another long day. Don’t even have to go out when all you want to do is put your feet up.” He picked up one of the bags of groceries and started up the steps. “Jackson.” He pointed to the other bag, and the child grabbed it and followed. I had no choice but to follow as well.
I doubted he would take no for an answer, so I agreed to his offer with a thank you.
The crunching of glass had Quake stopping, lifting his foot. “What’s this?”
Looking up at the front of my house, I saw that my outdoor lights were broken, and the glass scattered on the steps and concrete. I had a small light by the door that was connected to a timer, turning on and off with dusk and dawn, but I also had a motion sensor light off to one side. Simon had installed it after he moved in, so it lit up the space between both of our houses.
“What on earth?” I said to no one in particular. Shit, what a mess! I wanted to swear out loud, but I was used to tempering those words around kids. “The lights are all broken.”
Quake frowned, and Jackson watched both of us, unsure.
I sighed, then remembered myself. “Here, sorry.”
I unlocked the front door, taking the grocery bags from both of them, sticking them inside.
“This happened before?” Quake asked, glancing down the street one way then the other, his look shrewd. While a car drove by, nothing seemed unusual. I didn't see any glass on Simon's stoop nor the house on the other side.
“No,” I grumbled, tossing up my hands. “Just leave it. I’ll sweep it up, so no one gets cut. I’ll get new bulbs after work tomorrow.”
Quake shook his head. “Nah. I’ll have this taken care of.” When I was about to object, he cut me off by holding up his hand. “My son, Frank, will deal with it while you’re working. He’ll be here at seven thirty tomorrow night for you to test the lights, and he’ll bring your meal. All right?”
Tilting my head, I eyed the man, trying to read him, which seemed impossible. I didn’t want to play poker with him, and I doubted many said no to him. “I have a feeling you’re going to get your way, aren’t you?”
I glanced down at Jackson for confirmation, and he just grinned, a dimple creasing his cheek. “He always gets his way,” he whispered, but Quake heard and chuckled.
“Yeah, make it easy on yourself and say yes. You took care of Jackson, so now we take care of you.”
I wasn’t sure who the we was, but I was too tired to argue.
11
EMORY
By the time I’d showered, eaten and swept up the glass, it was