Page 10 of Defenseless
Sabina sat forward in her chair. He was so obviously excited to share his idea that his emotions were catching. “Yes?” she prompted.
“Olivia Rodriguez,” he said.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” Chad replied, making Sabina smile at his disgruntled tone.
“Who is Olivia Rodriguez?” she asked.
“She’s the computer science teacher at the high school. The main one,” Chad answered. Mystery Lake had three high schools, but only one was the “main one.” One of the others was private, and the third was a highly regarded, though small, charter school that focused on trade skills.
“She started the Hedy Experience this year, a group that supports girls interested in learning about technology. I bet she’d love having you. Not only can you help teach, but you can also mentor and be a live example of how cool it can be to work with computers,” Ethan said.
Sabina smiled. “Named after Hedy Lamarr?” The men nodded.
The thought of working with teenage girls was simultaneously terrifying and exciting. Sabinalovedher work. If it hadn’t been for her aunt pushing her, though, she never would have stepped into the world that now occupied her life. Maybe none of the girls in the program would ever go on to have careers in the tech industry. But if she could help open their minds to the possibility, that could be a win.
She smiled her first real smile in weeks. “That would be perfect. Can you introduce me to her?”
Chad nodded. “I’ll send you email intros tomorrow.” The fact that Chad knew what was going on in his hometown—even after living elsewhere for decades—was not lost on her. A flicker of disappointment threatened to overshadow her excitement. She wished she had that closeness—with family, with a place, with a community.
But she didn’t. And that wasn’t going to change. There were things she could change, though, and maybe, just maybe, connecting with Olivia Rodriguez would be the start of something good.
“That would be great, thanks,” she said. As soon as she spoke those words, a deafening sound shot through the bar. On instinct, Sabina scrambled off her chair and ducked down. Adrenaline pulsed through her body as her eyes scanned the bar, looking for the origin.
“Sabina?”
It took her longer than it should have to recognize Chad’s voice. Chad’s voice that was coming from Chad’s body that was still sitting in the chair he’d been in. She searched his face as he looked down at her. He held Ethan’s beer, and his brow was furrowed in concern.
“It was just Angelica coming through the door,” he said. “Are you okay?”
Again, it took a few seconds for the words to sink in. Angelica was Oscar’s daughter, who helped her father out on occasion. It was just a door. Not a gun or someone busting into the bar.
“Sorry,” she mumbled as she rose from her crouch and retook her seat. Ethan and Chad watched her. “I guess I’ve been hanging out in cities for too long,” she said. “It sounded like a gunshot to me.”
Ethan and Chad shared a look before Ethan spoke. “Angelica is getting ready to decorate for Halloween. She does it every year. She was bringing some of the boxes up from the basement.”
Sabina glanced around. Sure enough, Angelica was standing at one end of the bar, a box open in front of her and a fake skeleton in one hand.
“The town has this unwritten rule that decorations can’t go up before the first of October. Angelica has a title to defend, though, so no doubt she’s working on her plans,” Chad added.
Sabina heard what both men were saying, but it wasn’t computing. The adrenaline still pumping through her system was interfering with her logic. “What?” she asked, knowing she sounded as lost as she felt.
Chad smiled. “Halloween is huge in this town. Not sure why, but it is. My grandfather throws a big party, but the town itself goes crazy, too. In a couple of weeks, Main Street will look like a set from a movie. The chamber of commerce holds an annual decoration competition. Angelica, and the Dirty Boom, has won it the last two years. No one has ever won it three years in a row, and she wants the trifecta. I’ve heard that Ernie is going to give her a run for her money this year, though, and that he has something special planned.”
“Ernie?” she asked.
“Ernie West,” Ethan answered. “He owns the car repair shop on Main and Fourth. His daughter and granddaughter are coming to visit this year, so he wants to go all out.”
“And Angelica is feeling the heat,” Chad threw in.
Sabina nodded, still not processing the information completely. She was taking it in, but processing it was something else altogether. “Okay,” she said, drawing out the word. “Sounds fun. Can we participate?” she asked, because it seemed like something a normal person would ask.
Chad shook his head. “Not in the business category. That’s limited to businesses within the city limits. But you can participate in the residential category since you said you live in town.”
Sabina considered this. It was a much more interesting idea to think about than the reason for her overreaction moments ago. “That actually sounds like fun. Maybe I will.”
Chad smiled, and her heart tripped a little bit. It had been a long time since she’d seen that smile. The one that was kind of understated and a little intimate. As if she’d done or said something meaningful to him.
Oh, how she liked that smile. It felt a little like a shared secret between the two of them.
