Keeping Guard (6 page)

If only he could say the same about his restaurant.

“It's not much to look at, but the food is good.” Nate saw the doubt on her face.

Harvey and Darlene waited on the porch, waving at them. Nate tried to put the voice mail messages out of his mind as they joined them by the front door. But the stalker's voice wouldn't leave his mind. He could only imagine what it was doing to Kylie.

If that man found her here in Yorktown, there was no telling how he'd lash out. From what Nate understood, the man had never been violent with Kylie before. Nate would bet by the sound of those messages and the threats he'd given that the man would want to make sure Kylie never went off his radar again.

“Nate?”

He snapped away from his thoughts and saw Kylie staring at him, her eyebrows scrunched together in concern. She nodded toward the dining room. “They're waiting to seat us.”

He took her elbow and directed her behind Harvey and Darlene. “Let's not keeping them waiting, then.”

Despite the fact that he tried to appear nonchalant, he'd be keeping a closer eye on Kylie, making sure there was no one suspicious watching her from the shadows. Not on his watch.

K
ylie enjoyed the pulled-pork barbecue, served on a bun with chunky coleslaw and lots of tangy hot sauce. Even the french fries, hand-cut and cooked in peanut oil, exceeded her expectations with a nice crunchy outside and warm moist inside.

But even better than the food was the conversation. Harvey and Darlene kept her entertained with their banter and their good-natured ribbing of Nate. Nate took it well, smiling and laughing pleasantly. Maybe Kylie had misjudged Nate. When he stepped away from the restaurant, he actually seemed likable.

“Ready to go?” Nate looked at her from across the table.

Kylie nodded. “I am. The food was wonderful. I'm really glad you brought me here.”

“You're going to take her to see Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown while she's here, aren't you?” Darlene gave Nate a pointed look. “And, of course, she's got to get a guided tour of Yorktown, the place where the Revolutionary War was won. It's only the best little town in America. That's my unbiased opinion.”

Kylie could see Nate trying to come up with an excuse as to why he couldn't be her tour guide. She put him out of his misery. “I'm sure I won't have time. I won't be in town long, and while I'm here I want to get all the experience I can at Nate's restaurant.”

“How's it going so far? Nate's not working you too hard, is he?” Harvey leaned across the table on his elbows and suspended his shaggy eyebrows. “If he is, I'm going to have to have a little talk with him.” His raised his eyebrows higher in exaggerated anger.

Kylie laughed. “No, he's not. Besides, hard work is good for the soul.”

Darlene winked at Nate. “I knew I liked this girl for some reason. She's pretty
and
she likes to work hard. Now that's a great combination.”

They all chuckled as they stood and went outside to their cars. The sun felt warm on Kylie's shoulders, even though the breeze had a slight chill to it.

After Kylie had climbed into Nate's truck, he turned to her. “Where to? Grocery store? Mall? Drugstore?”

“The grocery store is fine. I just need to pick up a few things to hold me over until I go back home.”

Nate went inside the grocery store with her and Kylie didn't miss how he scanned every aisle. Bruce had said she'd be safe with Nate, and apparently he was right. Nate never seemed to let down his guard. After Kylie paid for her groceries, they went back to the truck and started to Yorktown. Silence stretched between them as the truck rumbled down the road.

Ten minutes into the trip, Nate finally spoke. “Listen, I was thinking that this might be your only opportunity while you're here to see the town. What do you say we put these groceries away and go explore Yorktown? It's nice outside. You never know around here. It could be snowing tomorrow.”

Kylie wondered about his sudden change in plans. Earlier he'd seemed dead-set against showing her around town. What had changed his mind? “A tour of Yorktown sounds nice. But I don't want impose on you.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

Were his words sincere? For the time being, she'd believe
they were. Besides, spending the afternoon with Nate beat being cooped up in that apartment until the morning.

 

After putting the groceries away, Kylie changed into jeans, a sweatshirt and sneakers. Nate promptly knocked on her door at the promised time. When Kylie saw him, she again had to suck in a breath. Even dressed in jeans and a casual, button-down shirt he made her heart race inexplicably. The last thing she needed from her visit here in Yorktown was to develop a crush on someone who already considered her a burden.

She stepped out of her apartment, looking away from Nate in hopes of slowing her heart down.

“You mind walking?” Nate asked as they walked down the stairs.

“Some exercise would be nice.”

She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt as they started toward the sandy beach across from the restaurant. As they walked, seagulls cried their sad songs as they circled overhead, looking for bread crumbs or any other food that the sparse crowd on the beach might offer. The sand cushioned Kylie's feet and gentle waves lapped at the shore. A group of college kids played Frisbee in the distance and a young family picnicked on a blanket.

Kylie noticed that despite the difference in their heights, her and Nate's strides matched well. Colin had always been a fast walker, and she'd had to practically race to keep up with him. He'd had a brisk pace, while she enjoyed taking life at a more leisurely speed. She liked the fact that Nate walked with his hands casually stuffed into his jeans, looking as if he enjoyed simply being around the water.

After walking around a rock jetty, Nate showed her an historic cave that nestled into the bluff. Cornwallis's Cave, he'd said. Then they started down the pier that jutted out into the river. Several people fished off the side of the wooden structure, while others took pictures or simply looked at the
beautiful river in front of them. Nate and Kylie walked to the end and leaned against the railing. Out in the river, three rubber-sided rescue boats skimmed the water.

Nate pointed to them. “Those are Coast Guard boats. They're doing training exercises. The Training Center isn't too far from here, so you'll see a lot of these exercises while you're here.”

“Bruce said you received a medal of honor from the government before you retired from the Coast Guard. He always spoke—speaks, I should say—highly of you.” Kylie watched Nate as his eyes focused on the crews out in the water. “Do you miss the Coast Guard?”

“It was my life, what I'd always wanted to do since I was a boy. I would come out here and watch practice exercises similar to these on the river. I knew that's what I wanted. In high school, I took swim lessons and worked the summers as a lifeguard in Virginia Beach. Whatever I could do to get experience. After high school, I enlisted, went through training in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. I spent the rest of my career there as an aviation survival technician, also known as a helicopter rescue swimmer.”

“Why did you get out when you did, then?” Kylie inhaled deeply as the scent of river water blew up with the breeze.

He shrugged. “So I could take over the restaurant. You know what they say about the best-laid plans…”

“I do. I really thought I wanted to play oboe for the symphony one day.”

“What happened?”

She sucked in a breath. “In high school, I got accepted into a national music program, one that would look great on my résumé. I thought my life was laid out in front of me.”

“Your dad was a music teacher, right?”

Kylie nodded. “Yes, and he was thrilled that I wanted to follow in his footsteps and pursue music. I think he'd always
wanted to play music for a living instead of teach, but life didn't work out that way for him.”

“I have a feeling there's a ‘but' in here somewhere for you, too.” Nate glanced at her, his eyes showing he had truly taken an interest in the conversation.

Kylie licked her lips, leaning still against the railing of the pier as she vividly remembered that time of her life. “A week before I was supposed to leave for the music program, I was diagnosed with lymphoma.”

Nate's eyes widened. “Cancer?”

She nodded. “Yep. Cancer. At sixteen. It's not a diagnosis you expect to hear.”

“I can't imagine.” His voice sounded soft, as if he really cared. “What happened?”

That period of her life came back in a flash of vivid memories. “I decided not to go to the program. I had more important things to do, things like chemo. The cancer took a year to beat. But I did.” At just the mention of chemo, the scar from her medical port began to throb. It also reminded her of the obstacles she'd overcome in life.

“How did this lead to you becoming a chef?”

“I thought playing the oboe would help me through the tough days. But it didn't. Cooking did. Whenever I wasn't nauseous from treatments or medications, I cooked. Being in the kitchen helped me keep my sanity. That's when I knew what I wanted to do.”

She was already the youngest of four siblings in the family, prone to being babied. But when the lymphoma diagnosis had come, everyone had stepped it up to another level. Suddenly she was fragile, and somehow that translated into being incompetent to make her own decisions, as well. Her fight for independence had begun then. Her parents didn't hover over her as much anymore—they'd retired to Florida. Her other siblings had also moved to various parts of the country, but
Bruce still lived close and worried about her enough to make up for everyone else's absence.

“How have you been doing since the chemo ended?”

“I've been cancer-free for twelve years.”

“Praise God.”

Kylie wished she could agree with him, but the scars from the disease had lasted longer than she'd anticipated. Praising God was the last thing she'd been doing since her diagnosis. A disease that had once pulled her closer to her Creator now pulled them apart. Once in remission, she'd begun to ask herself why—why had God chosen her to go through that whole ordeal? What had she done to deserve that punishment? She'd allowed those questions to cause a rift between her and God. She'd assumed the gap would close with time, that the questions would fade. Instead, she'd stepped further away from God. She'd never felt as far away as she did now.

 

Nate vaguely remembered Bruce telling him about his sister's illness. By the time he and Bruce had met, Kylie must have been in remission. Now that he thought about it, for as long as Nate had known Bruce, Bruce had been worried about his sister for one reason or another. Now he knew why.

He stole another glance at Kylie, wishing he had some uninterrupted time to soak in her delicate profile. No wonder she was so stubborn. If she could beat cancer, she probably thought she could beat anything.

They watched the Coast Guard crew perform a few more exercises before walking back to the beach and continuing down the shore. Nate felt sure Kylie's stalker wasn't here, but still he scanned the people out enjoying the day. He'd learned in the Coast Guard that you always had to be aware of your surroundings so you could search out any potential threats. He never would have thought he'd be using that training now to protect Kylie.

As they neared the shopping area of town, the sound of
Yorktown's Fife and Drum filled the air, the melody patriotic and eerie at the same time. Kylie paused and put her hand on his arm. He ignored the jolt that electrified him at her touch. She closed her eyes as if delighting in the moment. “That sound is just magical. It makes me feel…”

“Like you've been transported back in time?”

“Exactly. It's fabulous.”

Nate smiled. A group of tourists approached them on a walking tour while a tour guide dressed in period attire told them stories of the town.

“That's actually the ghost tour,” Nate whispered. “All of the buildings in this area are old and almost all of them have some sort of ghost story. Tourists eat it up.”

Kylie's gaze scanned the crowd. “That's a lot of tourists. I bet it's tempting to keep the restaurant open today.”

“It is. I bet we'd do great business. But that was one of my father's wishes for the restaurant, that it be closed on Sundays so we could honor the Lord's Day. I had to respect his wishes.”

“That's admirable. And wise, really, especially since you work so much already. You need one day of rest. It's good for the soul.”

Somehow, Kylie's words brought an unusual comfort to him. Everyone seemed to think the decision was ill-advised, especially since the restaurant was struggling. Hearing Kylie agree with his choice gave him a sense of affirmation and comfort.

Kylie continued to stroll, her hands stuffed deep into her pockets. She looked casual and comfortable as the breeze blew her hair away from her face and revealed her creamy skin. For some reason, when Bruce had asked him about Kylie coming here, he'd continually pictured a little girl, a “little sister” being here under his care. Kylie was anything but a girl.

“You asked me how I usually spend my Sundays.” Kylie
glanced over at him. “What do you usually do on your day of rest?”

“Church, lunch.” Nate paused, realizing he was about to incriminate himself. “Then I usually do paperwork for the restaurant. You know—place orders to the distributors, make up the work schedule, etc.”

“I guess I can't say anything. Sure, I take Sundays off, but I haven't had a vacation in months. Longer than months. It's probably been more than a year, truth be told.” She kicked a rock. “Of course, everyone thinks I'm on vacation right now.” She threw her hands up and laughed. “Yes, this is my vacation. My life sounds a little pathetic, doesn't it?”

Nate didn't think Kylie sounded pathetic at all. She sounded like a hard worker, doing what she could to make it. Wasn't that the American dream? To pursue your passions, to work hard, to get ahead?

They walked in silence down the historic streets, Nate enjoying the day more than he would have thought he would. Kylie made for decent company. When the wind blew, it carried the sweet scent of Kylie's perfume, which for some reason made his heart race. His attraction to Kylie couldn't grow any more than his initial feelings. Soon, she'd be back in Kentucky. Besides, Nate didn't have time to date and run a restaurant. Combining the two would only spell disaster.

“Do you mind if we go in here?” Kylie pointed to a gift store.

Playing tourist in his hometown had its appeal. “Of course.”

The store's owner, one of the regulars at Nate's place, called a greeting before continuing to count receipts on the counter. Nate watched as Kylie delighted in all the little knickknacks featured in the store. Seeing Kylie marvel at everything in the town made his heart warm. Yorktown meant everything to him, and being with someone who appreciated the town as much as he did created a bond.