Page 28 of First Chance

“How’d you know that?”

How do I know that?

“His service photo is framed in the living room.”

“Fine.” He starts looking over some of the papers I left out for him as I tap my pointer finger against the space bar on my laptop.

He leans back in his chair and raises his arms over his head to rub his hands through his hair as he sighs, somehow making him look larger. He’s wearing a plain gray T-shirt today and clings to his arms at the largest part of his bicep. I’ve never noticed that before. Or, how the material stretches across his chest when he raises his arms.

He has jagged bolts of black lightning tattooed on his forearm, scattered across his skin, ending just above his wrist. If you aren’t looking closely enough, it looks vascular… Like ink in his veins.

“How often do you leave this place?”

“I go pick up feed twice a week, go buy new tools, and machinery. I drive hours in any direction to retrieve the bear when one needs to be transported here.” He shrugs like, “What else do you want from me?”

“I meant, do you ever go anywhere for fun?”

“I don’t have fun,” he states plainly, and I roll my eyes, but unfortunately, I believe him.

“It’s going to be a long summer,” I mumble, turning my attention back to my laptop.

“I’m sure you’ll make it interesting,” he mutters, getting a beer from the fridge. It’s only 3 pm.

“Are you done working for the day?”

“I’m never done working.” He harrumphs, noticing me eyeballing his drink. “Don’t worry, I’ve cut back recently,” he says right before downing the rest of the can.

He grabs a water bottle next and sticks it in his back pocket, turning to snatch his boots off the floor before leaving out the back door.

Almost as soon as the backdoor latches shut, someone knocks on the front door.

There’s no peephole, only small window cutouts toward the top of the wooden door. When I glance out, I see Frank at the same time that he sees me. He smiles, waiting for me to open the door. Which I do, reluctantly.

“Hi, Frank. Lochlan isn’t here.”

“Oh, I know. He was out on the other side of the property last I saw.” His smile doesn’t slip, but it makes me uneasy. He’s never done anything to make me feel afraid of him, but he’s bolder than the other guys. He says what’s on his mind a little too easily.

“Actually, he was ju–” I try to correct him, but he interrupts, cutting me off.

“I was coming back from a beer run, and I wanted to invite you to the bunkhouse tonight for a fire.”

“Oh, um, I don’t know if I should.” It seems innocent enough of a request, but Lochlan’s voice echoes in my head.No socializing. Behave.“All the guys will be there?”

His mouth twitches in amusement. “Yes, ma’am. Of course.”

“Maybe,” I utter, shifting my weight and preparing to close the door, but he leans in, resting his forearm on the door jam.

“Frank, what the hell are you doing up here?” Lochlan’s voice booms from the other side of the porch.

“Just getting back to work, boss.” He tips his head to me and scurries down the porch steps by the time Lochlan gets to me.

“What did he want?”

“He invited me to a bonfire at the bunkhouse later. Will you be there?”

He contemplates my question, glancing toward Frank’s retreating form. I watch his brow deepen into a furrowed glare. “I’ll be there.”

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