Page 83 of Destroyer
“I’m gonna fire up the grill,” Mark said.
Kathrine got busy pulling sides from the fridge. Caroline and Aunt Valerie jumped in to help, but Sydney made her way over to her cousin.
“Too many cooks,” she said. “Let’s catch up on the porch.”
With drinks in hand, they made their way into the screened room. Sydney eased onto the sofa, the one that hugged the back wall—the one that hid her from a sniper’s bullet.
Robby leaned his back against the chair rail, shot her a relaxed smile. “I would’ve walked right by you on the street.”
“Same.” She sipped the chilled tea. “Either we have terrible memories or we look nothing like we used to.”
He chuckled. “When was the last time we saw each other?”
“I think it was at your dad’s funeral.”
“That was the worst.”
She nodded. “How long ago was that?”
“Twenty years last month. I was twelve, so you would’ve been?—”
“Eleven.” Thinking about death made her stomach hurt. “Whatever happened to the family cabin? Do you remember all those fun summers there?”
“We had a blast,” he said. “It was in my dad’s family, so I’m pretty sure my uncle sold it. I haven’t been back there in forever.”
They reminisced how every summer, she, Caroline, and their mom would spend the summer at the cabin. Her dad would spend every weekend there, then stay for the last two weeks. Robby and his parents were there for the entire summer, every summer, along with Robby’s dad’s brother and his family.
“Do you remember that rope swing over the lake?” Sydney asked.
“Yep, and all the afternoons we’d play hide-n-seek in the woods.” Robby smiled. “Good times.”
“Those summers seem like a lifetime ago.” Sydney wished her life was that carefree, but she’d chosen a challenging and demanding career path for herself.
Hunting the devil is never easy.
The more she talked to Robby, the more he started to resemble his childhood self. Though stocky, he still had the same strong nose, close-knit eyes, and easygoing smile.
“So, you’re thirty-two,” she said. “Did you get married? Are you seeing anyone?”
“Never married,” he said. “I’ve got a few girlfriends, but nothing serious. You?”
Am I seeing Tank or was that just a hookup?
Before she could answer, Robby said, “Oh, yeah, you’re definitely seeing someone.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re smiling.”
“It’s always fun when there’s someone new, right?”
“Absolutely,” he agreed as his phone started ringing. He lifted it from his pocket. “Sorry, work.” He answered as he made his way toward the French doors. “What’s the word?”
He vanished inside the house as her dad walked past with the platter of grilled flank steaks. “Time for sup, Syd.” He flashed her a smile. If there was one phrase he loved saying, that was it.
She followed her dad inside. In the kitchen, she spotted her cousin talking on the phone in the nearby family room. His brows were slashed down and he looked angry. When he caught her gaze, he flashed her a smile.
“Robby, dinner,” his mom called.
