My fingers tap against the steering wheel, and I'm a nervous wreck to face him again. Owen doesn't notice, which I’m thankful for, but I still need to talk to him about Noah living there temporarily. After I park, I turn around and grab his attention in the back seat.
“I’ve gotta tell you something before we go inside,” I say.
Owen furrows his brow. “Okay, what?”
I swallow hard. “Well, there’s gonna be a man staying here for a little while.”
“Who?”
“It’s Gemma’s brother, but it's really important you don't tell anybody that he's here,” I explain.
“Why?”
“Because bad people are trying to hurt him, so I want to keep him safe, which is why it needs to stay a secret.”
Owen’s eyes widen as he tries to understand. “Why do they want to hurt him?”
It's a question that's way too complicated to answer. I haven't explained to him exactly what happened to his dad other than he had an accident and passed away. I've never said who was responsible or gave any details to what happened that night. I’ve been waiting for him to get older so maybe he’d comprehend it better. I haven't lied to Owen, but I haven't given him every detail. He's still too young to know the full story.
“Well, that's hard to explain. I don't know why anyone would want to hurt him. Gemma asked if her brother could stay until things were safe for everyone, and I said yes. But it's very, very, very important that you don't tell anyone. Not Mimi, Pepaw, Memaw, or Pawpaw. Nobody. It would put him in danger if anyone knew. Do you understand?” I tell him directly and clearly, then wait patiently for his response.
He nods. “I won't tell anyone.”
“Not even your teachers or friends at school,” I add.
“I promise.” Owen holds out his pinky finger, and I hook it with mine. He pinky promises and swears to keep it to himself.
“Is he here now?” he asks.
“Not yet. He'll be arriving soon, though.”
We get out of the car and go inside.
I turn on one of the space heaters to warm up the place. As I walk through and make mental notes of what I want to do today, I can tell Owen is already getting bored.
“Memaw will be here to pick you up for basketball practice in thirty minutes,” I remind him. “Not too much longer, promise.”
Owen forces a smile, but I can see right through him. Once this place is finished, he’s going to love it, but right now, all he sees it as is work. He’d rather play with friends than help me, so I don’t force him if he isn’t interested. He sits on a stool in the middle of the living room and kicks his legs out as he plays on his tablet.
I hear a knock on the back door, and my heart races in anticipation.
“Hello,” I greet Noah and Gemma. She smiles wide, and I glare in return. “C’mon in.”
“Thank you...” Noah says, walking past me with his arms full of stuff. “For letting me stay here.”
I swallow hard, avoiding his eyes. “Mm-hmm.”
The tension between us is so thick I almost feel bad for Gemma standing awkwardly between us.
“Well, uh...where do you want me to go?” Noah asks.
“A thousand miles north?” I smirk.
“Let’s just get you settled into the master bedroom,” Gemma interjects.
“Are you sure she won’t kill me in my sleep?” Noah mumbles under his breath.
“No, I mean…” Gemma shrugs with a grin. “Probably not.”
“If I was gonna kill you, I wouldn’t do it in my own house. Unless of course, I can get the concrete truck out here sooner.”
Gemma chokes back a laugh, then quickly clears her throat to cover it up. “She’s kiddin’,” she tells Noah as she grabs his arm and leads him through the house.
I arch a brow. “Or am I?”
When they get to the kitchen, Noah stops and stares at Owen.
I walk around them and kneel beside Owen and speak to him. “This is who I was talking about.”
Noah's mouth falls open and closes. I brought Owen with me to the retirement party, but we didn’t stay long, and Owen was busy with his friend Anthony. This is the first time Noah's gotten a close look at Gabe’s son.
“Hi, I’m Noah,” he says nervously.
“I’m Owen.”
Noah smiles, then shakes his little hand. “It’s nice to officially meet you.”
“My mama told me not to tell anyone you’re here. I’ll keep it a secret. I promise,” Owen says.
“Thank you.”
“Since you don’t have any appliances, I told Noah I’d bring him food, or he can sneak over to the cottage, so you won’t have to worry about him much,” Gemma says. “You won’t even know he’s here.”
I grunt, crossing my arms. “Doubtful, but alright.”
Gemma smacks my arm and looks at me with a warning. “Do I need to bring a rifle?”