The Switch by Debra Kayn (desktop ebook reader TXT) 📗

"Oh, yeah?"

"Her dad wanted her home at four o'clock, but he wasn't there, and now she can't find him." Kenny's gaze lifted. "What are we having for dinner?"

"Fruit salad and sandwiches." She frowned. "Has Trina tried calling him?"

"I don't think she has a phone."

"You and Zach could let her borrow yours."

"Maybe Zach did." Kenny stepped toward the door. "I'm starving. Can I get something at the store while I wait for you to get off work?"

"We're not spending any extra money. You can wait for a half-hour."

"I've got five bucks." Kenny groaned. "My stomach is growling."

"Fine, but no sugary food, or you won't eat when we get home," she said.

"I'll get a burrito." He jotted outside.

"Kenny, get a..." She peered out the door, already losing sight of him, and groaned. "Great, he'll have good teeth but clogged arteries."

Zach and Trina walked out from behind the concrete barrier at the boat dock to the river. She waved and stepped into the late afternoon sun to wait for them.

"Kenny ran over to the store but stick around. I lock up in ten minutes and we'll go home." She took in Trina, chewing on her thumbnail. "Everything okay?"

"She can't find her dad. He was supposed to be home," said Zach.

"He probably got busy or lost track of time." A sudden thought hit her. "Maybe he's at the clubhouse."

"We walked over there. His motorcycle wasn't parked out front, and no one has seen him all day." Trina scraped her teeth over her lower lip. "I don't know where else he'd go."

Trina was old enough to stay at home alone, as were Bonnie's sons, but she could tell the girl was upset, even if she tried to hide how much not finding her dad distressed her.

"If you'd like, I can help you look for your dad once I close up here," she offered.

Trina nodded ardently. "Thank you."

She went back inside. There were only a couple of minutes left, and even if a customer came in now, it would be too late to rent a bike.

She cleared the cash register of money and put it all in the green bank pouch. A member of Avery Falls Motorcycle Club would be by within fifteen minutes after closing for pickup. At her old job, she was always responsible for making the bank run after work. She preferred having the club pick it up. It saved time and was safer.

Grabbing her backpack, she looked around the interior of The Shack, making sure everything was in its place, so all Johnny had to do tomorrow morning was open the door for business. Starting in two weeks, she and Johnny would alternate working weekends when more tourists flocked the area.

A low rumble infiltrated the room. She stepped outside and locked the door, making sure to add the padlock, too.

The biker rolled to a stop. She walked over, recognizing Watch. The MC member had come by twice already in her first week.

He was quiet and had a scar across his cheek. She had a feeling he was sensitive about the disfigurement because he kept his face turned to the side while in front of her.

"Here you go." She handed over the pouch.

"Thanks." Watch stuffed the money into the inside of his vest.

She was two steps away when she walked backward. "Hey, Watch? Do you know where Speeder is?"

"He should be at home."

She lowered her voice, not wanting to alarm Trina. "His daughter has been looking for him for a few hours, and I think she's worried."

Watch leaned forward, glanced over at Zach and Trina, and then mumbled, "Tell her to go to the clubhouse and have someone there contact him."

"Okay. I'll take her over there and stay with her until she finds him." She smiled, even though Watch wasn't looking at her. "Thanks for helping."

Gathering Zach and Trina, she got them in the car when Kenny ran up. She stopped him from putting on his seatbelt when she motioned toward her mouth. He pulled up his shirt and scrubbed his face of the smear of hot sauce she knew he overloaded on his burrito.

She glanced in the rearview mirror. Trina had her head ducked and leaned toward Zach. She put the car in Reverse and then pulled out of the small gravel lot.

"We're going the wrong way," said Kenny.

"I'm going to swing by the clubhouse and help Trina find her dad before we head home." The short drive to the other end of town only took a minute.

The streets were clear of traffic. In fact, the only people out and about came from the RV Park.

She parked out by the road. "Why don't you boys stay here while I take Trina inside?"

"I want to go with her." Zach opened the car door.

Trina scrambled out of the vehicle on his side. She looked at Kenny and raised her brows. "Have they been stuck on each other all day?"

She'd dropped both kids in town that morning, knowing they were going to meet up with Trina and explore the town.

"Nah." He looked out the window. "Just since we walked her home, and her dad wasn't there."

"Hm." She patted his leg. "I'll be fast. Don't wander because I want to go home and chill."

"Nobody says chill anymore, Mom," said Kenny.

"I do." She grinned at him before heading toward the clubhouse.

Not knowing what the motorcycle club was doing inside or what she could be interrupting, she walked forward and knocked on the door.

"You can just walk in. They don't make you knock," said Trina.

"Oh. Good to know." She inhaled deeply.

Her hesitation wasn't because she was shy about being here. But she'd thought about Trip a lot since the get-together, and there was a chance he could be inside. She had no idea what she'd say to him or if she should acknowledge they knew each other when he probably had all his MC brothers around him.

Her worry was a moot point, considering she'd overreacted the last time she was around him. He probably thought she