Hammered (Blue Bay Crew #3)- Cathryn Fox Page 0,59
making up for that later. We continue to talk, and eat, and joke around the table, and I don’t miss the way Carter keeps glancing at me, like he has something on his mind.
After our meal, Jace presents us all with apple crisp, and Haven is definitely going to pay for all the moans of pleasure she keeps making. She turns her attention to Jamie, and asks about his tattoo business. She listens intently as he tells her all about it, and she asks about his tattoos and the meanings. I love how she’s interested in my family, and how they have all brought her into our circle, treating her like she’s one of us. I did tell her that my family was hers for while she was here, but it’s clear how much she loves this, craves this kind of normalcy.
Once the dessert has been devoured, Haven helps Summer with Devon, and I find Carter. We both step outside and crickets chirp around us and we sit on the front porch.
“Something on your mind?” I ask.
“Yeah, actually,” he says and scrubs his chin. “You asked me to keep my eyes open for anything or anyone strange, and there was this guy I didn’t recognize him from the cast. He looked like he was in his late teens, baggy jeans, black ball cap. Anyway, he was scoping out Haven’s trailer.”
My stomach squeezes. “You got a good look at him?”
“Pretty good. I don’t think he’s a local. I went to approach him, but when he saw me coming, he took off.”
“On foot?”
“Yeah, through the trees, and down to the ocean. He was fucking fast, and it was obvious I frightened him, which tells me he was up to no good. I was about to chase him, but Mason flagged me down. Needed some design changes made.” He puts his hand on my tense shoulder. “Sorry I let you down, cuz.”
I look at the long driveway. I still have an hour or so before I have to bring Haven to the cabin for her surprise, and dammit, I want to talk to this kid. It could be nothing more than some punk wanting a glimpse at the gorgeous movie star, or it could be more. “Want to hit Winchester’s, ask around?”
“Is this something you should talk to Officer Walker about?”
I glance over my shoulder to make sure we’re alone. “If I have to, I will.” I know I promised Haven I wouldn’t go to the cops, but if this guy was trespassing, Walker should know about it. Christ, Summer almost ended up dead from her secrets. I’m not going to let anything like that happen to Haven.
“Let’s ride our bikes. Scare the little motherfucker straight if we find him.”
Carter grins. “People should know better than to fuck with any middle child.”
As his bark of laughter curls around me, I push to my feet. “I’ll let the others know we’re taking a quick ride.”
Inside the house, I walk through the rooms until I find Haven. She has baby Jesse in her arms and he’s drooling all over her. She has a huge smile on her face, and my throat squeezes. That baby looks good on her. She said kids didn’t fit into her lifestyle, but what if she changed that lifestyle?
What the fuck am I saying?
Haven is here for the shoot, and deep down has no idea who she is or what she wants. Why I’m suddenly envisioning a future together here in Blue Bay is beyond me, and fucking ridiculous. As if feeling my eyes on her, her head lifts, and the warmth and softness in her eyes messes with my ability to think. I stand there a beat longer, just staring at her, until Summer clears her throat.
“Are you just going to stand there looking like the village idiot, Tyler,” she teases, with an-all knowing smirk on her face. I really wish my sisters-in-law couldn’t read me so well.
“Carter and I are just taking a quick ride. Are you okay here until I get back?” I ask Haven.
“She’s perfectly fine,” Kylee says. “Now go. We have some more girl bonding to do, and I haven’t finished telling her all the stories from your childhood.”
I shake my head. “Don’t believe anything they say,” I warn Haven, who is looking at me with concern in her eyes. It’s not like me to leave her alone, and I can just imagine what’s going through her head right now. “Just a quick ride,” I say