Searching for Mine(17)

Sons of bitches.

He knew it was the gang that had picked on Luke. He’d need to get some security cameras installed or set up a watch. Probably was retaliation for the DS incident. Catching his breath, he walked back, mad at himself for not pushing faster, and noticed a black object on the pavement.

He picked it up and turned it over in his gloved hands.

Glasses. Black rimmed glasses like Harry Potter.

Ah, crap. Was Ella’s son now involved with their gang? He seemed like a good kid, but maybe he’d gone the other route. Join the bullies rather than be picked on. He didn’t blame him. Sometimes, it felt like the easy way out, but no way was he getting away with this. Ella needed to know.

Connor headed back and inspected the damage on the tire. He had a spare, but these suckers were expensive. Pushing away his irritation, he walked next door and rang the bell.

Her face reflected the same irritation he felt. He figured she’d be friendlier after his visit, but in a way, she’d grown even colder. Her dark hair was twisted tightly back in a severe braid. Today she wore baggy tweed trousers, black waterproof boots that looked squishy soft, and a black turtleneck. The only color was her lips, which thankfully were bare from her usual orange garish color. “Hi. Is something wrong? I’m running late.”

Her politeness rubbed his nerves. Even as his professor and next-door neighbor, she treated him with icy politeness. Hadn’t he offered to babysit and help out? Hadn’t he proved he wasn’t a jerk? “I think your son vandalized my car.”

She jerked back. Her mouth made a little O before her brow snapped into a frown. “That’s impossible. Luke would never do anything like that. What happened?”

“My tire was slashed by the gang of boys who likes to hang out around here. I think I saw Luke running away with them.”

She blew out a breath. “Trust me, you’re mistaken. He still doesn’t have many friends, and he’s a good boy. He would never hurt someone or their property.”

He lifted the evidence. “Are these his glasses?”

Ella blinked, then slowly reached out to take them. “Oh, my God. Where did you find these?”

“Scene of the crime. They were running from me and one kid dropped this. Does he wear a red jacket?”

“Yes. But-but this is impossible. Luke doesn’t do things like this, I swear to you. They slashed your tire?”

He nodded. Regret flowed through him. He knew kids did bad things sometimes, it was part of life, but he had a gut feeling Luke could go down a wrong turn. His parents were divorced and he’d moved to a new school. Ella had said his dad wasn’t around a lot. That was a lot of shit to deal with. “He’s probably acting out. Who knows what happened. Do you want me to talk to him?”

She shook her head, dark eyes filled with grief. His heart squeezed in sympathy. “I don’t know. Maybe I should handle it? I’m so sorry about this. I can call the school right now and find out what’s going on.”

“No, don’t. Let him finish out the day and feel guilty. It’s the best punishment for a kid like Luke. If it’s okay, I’d like to offer him a deal to work off the tire.”

“I’ll pay for the damage, Connor. I feel terrible—this has never happened before.”

He shifted his feet. How involved should he get with this? He didn’t want to pretend he knew what she should do, but he knew Luke’s behavior needed a strong hand. “I’m not worried about the tire, Ella. I’ve been through this stuff before. I’m not trying to tell you how to be a mom, but I had issues like this raising my brother. I’d like to tell Luke he needs to pay off the tire by working for me. It shouldn’t be your responsibility, and if you pay for him, he’ll figure he won.”

She tilted her head in interest. “What type of work?”

“I do snow plowing with my truck in the local area. Have a list of clients. I usually shovel out their pathways manually. Luke could do that for me.”

Ella nodded slowly. “Sounds fair.”

“I also have some projects I’m working on in between work and school. Building my brother a shed up in Verily when the snow stops. He can help and I can teach him some stuff.”

Those brown eyes narrowed as she studied him. Once again, the golden swirls around her irises intrigued him, as if trying to tell him there was something deeper about Ella Blake if he only one took the time to look.

Not that he had the time or interest.

“You have a very busy schedule,” she finally said.

“I told you that in class when you agreed to give me extra time for my paper.”

Surprisingly, her lips twitched in a smile. “You did. But I never agreed to more time.”