“It’s okay.”
“He was still lying in the parking lot when we saw you crossing the highway,” she said, tilting her head to the side.
I didn’t say anything.
“Whatever he did, I’m sure he deserved it,” she said.
I shrugged.
She held out her hand. “I’m Bella, by the way.”
I shook her hand. “Noah.”
She smiled. “Jackson said you had an ark.”
“I don’t,” I said. “I wouldn’t know how to build one.”
She nodded and looked past me. “You live here?”
I hesitated. “Yeah.”
We stood there quietly for a few moments. I’d never been uncomfortable around people. But that was before. Bella was nice, but it didn’t change the fact that I was hiding.
“So,” she finally said. “Could I please buy you dinner?”
“You really don’t have to.”
She blinked. “Jackson would really like it. He said you were nice to him.”
On cue, the back window rolled down and he poked his head out.
“Do you like hamburgers?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Me too,” he said, grinning. “But not the ones with tomatoes on them. Those are bad.”
“I’m with you,” I said, unable to ignore his smile. “Those are bad.”
“Come eat with us,” he said, his hands grasping the door. “Please?”
My stomach bounced. I didn’t like being out in public and I really wasn’t crazy about the idea of talking to strangers. But they weren’t strangers anymore. They had names…and they knew mine.
I glanced back at the house and my space in the garage. I could say no and slip back inside. But I knew what would be waiting for me there. Suffocating air and memories of Liz.
I looked at Bella. “Let me go grab a shirt.”
SEVEN
The hamburger place was attached to a carwash.
Bella drove east down the highway and into the larger tourist area of Destin. Where Fort Walton was quieter, a bit more local, Destin seemed as if it had been created specifically for people to visit. Massive, high-rise condominium complexes lined the Gulf Shore, with scores of chain restaurants and shops sandwiched in between.
Jackson kept up the chatter the entire drive, calling out the names of the hotels and condos as we passed each one. I cracked the window and leaned toward the door, letting the warm air hit me in the face as we drove. Bella didn’t complain.
When she turned into the parking lot, I was confused.
“This is a restaurant?” I asked.
She pointed at the bright red sign. “Tops. It’s just a drive-up place. I know. It’s goofy. Attached to the self- serve carwash. But it’s good. Trust me.”
“Yeah!” Jackson said. “It’s awesome!”
He was already out of his seatbelt and opening the door as Bella pulled into a parking slot. He bolted from the car and attached himself to one of the small tables outside the car wash.
She smiled at him as she pulled out the key. “Can you tell he likes it? Unless we eat at my work, this is the only place we go.”
I nodded and got out.
“Come sit with me!” Jackson yelled.
“Go ahead,” Bella said. “I’ll order. Burger, fries and a drink is good? And no tomatoes, right?”
I smiled. “Yeah. Thanks.”
She walked over to the small window to order and I sat down on the metal chair across from Jackson.
“Have you eaten here before?” he asked, getting up on his knees and setting his hands on the table.
“Nope. But I guess you have.”
He nodded. “Yeah. It’s better than McDonald’s.”
“Better than your mom’s restaurant?”
“Well, it’s free at work, so it’s kinda different,” he said, tracing his finger aimlessly on the table top.
He was savvy for such a young kid.
I liked him.
The heavy traffic buzzed by on the highway, pushing waves of thick, humid air in our direction. The condos on the other side blocked my view of the Gulf.
“Do you have any kids?” he asked.
“Nope.”
“How come?”
I shifted in the chair. “Well, I’m not married.”
He squinted at me. “My mom’s not married.”
Again. Savvy.
“I guess I just haven’t met someone I wanna have kids with.” I swallowed against the lump that suddenly formed in my throat.
He nodded like that made sense. “Do you like Spongebob?”
I couldn’t help but smile at his pin-balling between subjects. “I do like Spongebob.”
“Maybe you could watch with me sometime?”
“Sure.”
Bella returned to the table with a red plastic tray overflowing with food. Jackson bounced with excitement as she pulled his burger and fries from the bag. He unwrapped the burger and took as big of a bite as his tiny mouth would allow.
She laughed. “He’s not one for waiting.”
“He’s hungry.”
She set my food in front of me. “He’s always hungry. Eats like a piranha. I think all boys do. Little ones, anyway.”
Jackson continued to devour the burger, oblivious to her words.
“You didn’t have to do this,” I said. “But thank you.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Again. For helping Jackson. And for the parking lot stuff.”
I wasn’t sure what that meant. Was she thanking me for bringing Jackson to her? For breaking Colin’s finger? I didn’t want to ask.
Bella took a bite of her hamburger and stared at me while she chewed.
It unnerved me. “What?”
“There are all these stories about you,” she said. “Out on the beach. Because you aren’t from here. All us locals notice when someone new shows up. And then love to run our mouths.”
I felt the slight stab of panic I always felt when someone alluded to the fact that I was drawing attention of any kind. “Oh yeah?”
“Oh yeah,” she said, folding the paper around the sandwich. “I’ve heard all sorts of things about you.”
“Like?”
She took a small bite and thought for a moment. “That you’re in the witness protection program. That you’re homeless. That you’re from New York. That you can’t swim.”
The panic subsided. “Ah.”
