Page 69 of Dreaming at Seaside
Bella felt her cheeks flush.
Caden cleared his throat. “Cells don’t work on the beaches, so call me when you guys leave? The shift is from eleven to seven, and if he gets too mouthy, just bring him home.”
“Dad,” Evan snapped.
“I’m kidding,” Caden said. “Sort of. Behave, okay?”
Evan rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
Bella loved that Caden cared enough to say it, but she was pretty sure it was unnecessary. Evan seemed like he was in a fine mood, and she probably handled teens better than she handled adults.
“We’ll be fine. Anything I need to know? Rules for the ocean?” Even though Bella wished Caden was going with them to the beach, she knew they’d have fun and she was glad for the chance to spend time with Evan. Maybe she could find out what types of things were going on in his teenage brain and help ease the rough spots.
“Evan’s a good swimmer, but you know, just keep an eye on the undertow and look out for sharks, of course.”
“Can we go? Please?” Evan tossed Caden his keys before heading out the door.
Caden caught the keys in one hand, then pressed a soft kiss to Bella’s lips.
“Have I told you lately how great you are?”
“No, but between that and the promise of you being on top, the day’s looking better and better.”
“GRANT. COME IN here, will ya?” Chief Bassett waved him into his office.
“What’s up, Chief?”
“Have a seat. We’ve got a lead on the thefts.” Chief Bassett pushed a stack of papers across the desk. “An eyewitness put two teens hanging around the Dunes the day of the theft.” The Dunes was a cottage community in South Wellfleet. The property was heavily treed, making visibility from the road into the community nearly impossible.
Caden scanned the report.
“Can they identify them?” Caden asked.
“No. But this confirms what we’ve thought all along. Kids looking for trouble.” Chief Bassett locked his hands behind his head. “Now we just have to catch them.”
“Chief, the description is pretty vague, don’t you think? Two teenage boys with darkish hair.” Caden met his serious gaze. “That describes half the population. That even describes Evan.” The thought made his gut ache. “Thankfully, he was home with me last night, so that’s one Wellfleet teenager off the list.”
“I know. It’s not much to go on, but when you’re out on patrol today, spend your free time trolling the rental communities and the beach parking lots. See if anything stands out. They’re hitting cars and cottages during the day, with a few rare exceptions, like over at Healy’s.”
“I’ll keep my eyes open.” Caden rose to leave.
“Grant, sorry to pull you in on your day off. Your dedication is duly noted.” He nodded a dismissal.
“Thanks, Chief.” Even though he knew Evan wasn’t involved, he was glad he was spending the day with Bella. The less time he had to get roped into something like this, the better.
BELLA SAT ON a beach chair at the edge of the surf and, with Evan’s safety in her hands, she finally understood why her parents were so overprotective of her when she was growing up. Every time Evan disappeared under the waves, the pit of Bella’s stomach sank and she held her breath until he reappeared on the other side. Riding waves and smiling when he broke through the surface, Evan looked so different from the brooding teenager she knew him to be at times. It was funny how a dark hoodie and a cell phone could change the image of a person.
He came out of the surf shivering; his hair fell long and streaky across his face. He crossed his skinny arms over his chest and squinted against the sun.
“Wanna boogie board with me?” he asked.
“I haven’t been boogie boarding for a while, but heck yeah.” She wrapped the Velcro strap of her board around her wrist and stepped into the icy water.
“My dad loves to boogie board.” Evan carried his board over his head while Bella clung to hers for warmth.
Her teeth were already chattering.
“Come on!” Evan waved her out deeper. He eased his rangy body onto the board and paddled over the next wave.
