The Bad Boy of Butterfly Harbor(40)

Her lips curved into the saddest smile he’d ever seen and for a moment, all he wanted to do was stretch out his arms and hold her, tell her there was living to do even after life dumped all over you, but who was he kidding? How could he convince Holly Campbell when he didn’t believe it anymore himself?

“Gray was big on promises he couldn’t keep. The day finally came when I stopped believing anything he said. By then there wasn’t anything left. What about you?”

Luke shook himself out of the burgeoning hope that maybe he was wrong, that a friendship could be salvaged between them. “What about me?”

“Obviously you got sober,” she said. “How long has it been?”

“Since I had a drink?” It never occurred to him to lie. “Twelve years. Give or take.”

“Twelve years?” Was that shock or disbelief on her face? “You mean you haven’t had a drink since—”

“The night of the accident.”

She frowned, as if unwilling to believe, but then her expression turned quizzical. “Because of your dad?”

“Because of yours.”

Holly stared at him. Luke could see she was struggling with whether to believe him or not; probably in the same way she’d done with Gray.

“I don’t know what to say.” She didn’t move, but something shifted between them, a charge in the air. A glimmer of understanding, perhaps. Or maybe gratitude. Or maybe Holly was finally beginning to understand he really had turned his life around.

“There’s nothing to say.” Luke gave her the out for the conversation they probably never should have started. “It is what it is. Did you really come all the way down here to check on me, Holly?”

“Why else would I be here?” Was that surprise on her face...or guilt?

“To talk about Simon.” Luke’s eyes skimmed the window ledge as he put the pieces of the station’s invasion together. He really wanted to be wrong about her son. “I thought I saw something that said he’d gotten into some trouble a while ago.” So much for not lying to her. He hadn’t found any reports. What he had heard were rumblings around town stating Simon had a penchant for getting into sticky situations, and while he was certain Charlie had been either in or near his office today, the little girl didn’t have the computer knowledge to hack into their system and install a malware program. Since he and Holly had declared a sort of truce, he didn’t want to break it by prematurely accusing her son of breaking and entering.

“Oh. That.” Holly shoved her hands into her hair that for once hung loose and curled around her shoulders, the way he preferred. She was so pretty with her hair down. Without the harsh control the ponytail evoked. “I didn’t realize Dad had put anything in writing.”

“I’d like to hear your side.” It was then he realized he could listen to her all day. Talk to her all day. Look at her all day.

She shook her head, her expression shifting between frustration and helplessness, and for an instant, Luke regretted having to ask. “I don’t know why he does what he does, what goes on in his brain. Maybe it’s those superhero comics he’s always reading. Believing he can be just like them, helping people, but those synapses of his fire constantly. Personally I think the fact he could hack into almost anyone’s computer is pretty amazing—don’t tell him I said so,” she added with a warning look.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Luke drawled. Little did she know she wasn’t helping her son’s case.

“He won’t tell me why he did it,” Holly continued, “but he piggybacked onto the neighbor’s Wi-Fi and changed all their computer passwords and then renamed all their files after supervillains.”

Despite her confirming Luke’s suspicions, he pressed his lips together to stop from smiling. Man, Simon had flair.

“I know.” She pressed her palms against her flushed cheeks and shook her head. “I know! He’s like a supervillain in training and far too smart for his own good. I’ve already had to have a meeting with his new principal and school hasn’t even started yet. If he gets into any more trouble, they’re going to revoke his admittance and I’ll be out his first semester’s tuition.”

“That’s why you’ve been watching him constantly.” He couldn’t fathom how much attention of hers that took. When did she get a break?

“But he’s doing better,” Holly insisted. “Now that he has Charlie around, I don’t think he’ll be getting into much trouble.”

Oh, if only that was true. “Tell me about his new school.”