Page 21 of Under His Protection
My guess is Meachum put Kramer up to stealing from the company, and then she turned on him.
Jake and I walk back to the restaurant parking lot. He nods to the diner. “How about a debriefing?”
“Sure.” I could eat, and I’m parched.
We walk into the diner and are seated right away at a corner booth. We both order colas and burgers with fries.
“I’ve notified Shane,” Jake says as he takes a swig of his soft drink. “He wants us to meet with him later this afternoon for a debriefing.”
Our food is delivered, and we dig in.
“How’s Haley?” Jake asks. “Is she settling in to campus life?”
I nod. “She’s doing well as far as I can tell. I’m sure it’s an adjustment for her, moving out of her mother’s house and living on her own for the first time. Well, sort of on her own. She has a roommate.” I chuckle. “Haley’s pre-law, and her roommate is pre-med. They’re a perfect match. Two brainiacs.”
Jake laughs. “That reminds me of Annie, when we were in school. She was always the smartest kid in the room. She intimidated the hell out of me.” Smiling, he shakes his head, as if he’s remembering the past.
“You two were high school sweethearts, weren’t you?”
Jake nods. “Yeah. The brainiac and the brawn.” He grins. “God, I was so gone over her.”
The similarities between Jake’s relationship with Annie and mine with Haley hit me hard. “But you two broke up at the end of your senior year in school?” This is my fear. That Haley will outgrow me. That she’ll realize I’m not enough.
Jake winces. Clearly, it’s still a sore spot for him. “We did break up, but only because Annie’s bitch of a mother lied to both of us. We were both young and easily manipulated. We didn’tfind out what her mother had done until years later, after we reconnected.”
“Wasn’t Annie’s ex-husband stalking her?”
“Yes.Ted.” Jake scowls. “He’s no longer an issue, thank God.” Then Jake’s expression changes completely, and his smile is genuine. “Now we’re happily married with three kids and another one on the way.”
“The brainiac and the brawn. That’s pretty applicable to me and Haley.” I frown at the similarity.
“What’s wrong?”
“Haley’s so young. I’m afraid she’ll realize I’m not the right one for her. That she can do better.”
Jake shakes his head. “Don’t be so melodramatic, pal. I’ve seen how she is around you. She’s smitten. And you’re a real catch. She’d be an idiot not to realize that.”
“But I’m her first boyfriend—”
“I was Annie’s first boyfriend, too. If her mother hadn’t separated us the way she did, I’m pretty sure we would have gotten married right after high school. We were already talking about it.” Jake pops a fry in his mouth and chews. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
When we leave the restaurant and walk out to our vehicles, Jake claps me on the shoulder. “Don’t overthink this, kid. You’re a good man, and you’d be a great husband. Just be yourself.”
* * *
After I get home from work, I inhale some leftovers and then crash on the sofa and call Haley.
I ask her about her classes. I love hearing her enthusiasm as she tells me all about them. Hell, she could say anything and I’d be happy to listen. I just love hearing her voice.
When she asks me about my day, I tell her all about what went down today.
She gasps. “Oh, my God, Philip! You could have gotten hurt!”
I chuckle. “Don’t worry. I was never in harm’s way. I’m just the one who called 911.”
She tells me about the book she’s reading for her Brit lit course. She tells me about howthought-provoking—her words—her political science class is.
Before I know it, we’ve been on the phone for over an hour.
