Page 46 of Dreaming at Seaside
Caden scanned the parking lot as she blew off steam, ranting about how little respect people had for others. He spotted Evan and a group of kids unlocking their bikes from the bike rack by the snack bar. He took the report as quickly as he could and wondered how many more would roll in before the end of the evening. Then he went to talk to Evan.
Evan and a handful of friends sat on their bikes, front tires angled toward one another in a circle. Two of the boys carried towels around their necks, and three wore backpacks strapped to their backs. They were all laughing as he approached.
“Evan.” The laughter silenced, and Caden sized up the group. They looked to be between fourteen and sixteen—hard to tell at that age. Mike and another boy shifted their eyes away again.
“Hey,” Evan said.
Hey?Not,Hey, Dad?That rubbed Caden the wrong way, but he cut Evan slack again and chalked it up to the whole cool image thing boys went through at his age.
“What’s your plan?” Caden asked with a tone that was more serious than he’d have used if Evan were by himself.
Evan shrugged. “We’re going to hang out at Bobby’s.”
Bobby looked over at the sound of his name and nodded. “Hey, Mr. Grant.”
“How’s it going, Bobby?”
“It’s cool,” he answered with another nod.
Caden sensed the boys watching him. Thinking of what Kristie had said, he slid the other boys a serious stare followed by a smile.
“I’m Evan’s father,” he said to two boys he hadn’t met.
“I’m Brett,” the blond boy said.
“David,” the darker-haired boy said.
He picked up on their bouncing legs and glanced at Evan again. Caden was used to kids being nervous around him when he was in uniform, but it had been a very long time since he’d had to evaluate kids he didn’t know as friends for his son, and he found himself scrutinizing every twitch.
“Hey, Ev, come talk to me for a minute.” He lifted his chin and indicated for Evan to walk with him.
Evan climbed off his bike with a tortured sigh.
Caden waited until they were far enough away from the others to talk to him. He set a narrow-eyed stare on his son to let him know he was serious, but spoke with his normal fatherly tenderness.
“How’s it going?”
Evan shrugged. “Fine.”
“Did you have fun at the beach?”
“Yeah.” Evan watched a girl walk by.
“Ev, I’m in a weird position here. I don’t know these guys, but I’m getting a funny vibe. Should I be worried?”
Evan’s eyes tracked another bikini-clad girl. “No.”
Caden touched his shoulder to draw his eyes to his. “Look me in the eye.”
Evan met his gaze; the muscle in his jaw clenched.
“If you tell me these guys are good kids, I’ll trust your word, but if they’re trouble, you know our deal.”
Evan rolled his eyes.
“I want to hear it.” He’d drilled a very simple—and in his eyes, freeing—rule into Evan’s head since he was a little boy. Through the years, Evan had always lived up to his side of the deal, and Caden had lived up to his side, too.
“Come on, Dad.” Evan shifted from one foot to the other.
