Free That Summer Night (Callaways #6) by Barbara Freethy Page A

at her. "I hope you're wrong."
    "But I'm not, am I?"

 
    Chapter Seven
     
    Reid didn't answer her question, which was fine, since she already knew the truth.
    "I'll take a look at the sketches with you," Shayla said. "But, first, I'm going to make some tea. Do you want some?"
    "No, thanks."
    She took her time in the kitchen, letting the water come to a full boil before finally pouring it into a mug. She let the bag steep for a couple of minutes, stirring every now and then. As she watched the color change from clear to amber, she contemplated all the twists and turns her life had taken in the past few weeks. Just when she'd thought her road had straightened out, another curve tossed her off course.
    The latest curve was Reid. He had a presence about him that demanded attention. In that way, he was a little like Robert. But Robert commanded people with his mind. With Reid, it was physical. He had strength and confidence. He was the kind of man you wanted by your side when a fight broke out, the kind of man you could lean on and be certain that he would protect you with his life.
    How hot was that? Didn't every woman want that kind of man?
    And then there was the whole sexy, scruffy thing Reid had going on. She could still feel the rasp of his five o'clock shadow against her cheeks as he slid his tongue into her mouth.
    She tried to shove the memory of that kiss to the back of her head, at least for now. Maybe later, in the dark, when she was alone, she'd let herself remember…
    She took the teabag out of her mug and headed back to the couch, settling in next to Reid. "So what have you figured out?"
    "That Robert has a very good memory. He recreated a lot of our childhood in this comic book, but I don't understand why." He looked at her with confusion in his eyes. "You said you gave him the notebook last year. Why didn't he draw something new, something different? Why rehash what he wrote when he was twelve or fourteen?"
    "Maybe there was comfort in the familiar. What's the story about?"
    "The adventures of teenage daredevil Razor and his trusty sidekick, Rocco, a golden retriever. They have superhuman skills with which they fight crime, search for treasure, and save lives." He slid closer to her and flipped through to the third page.
    She had to fight the urge to move away. She told herself not to be ridiculous. She should not be so affected by the simple brush of his leg against hers.
    "This is our house," Reid said, not at all as distracted as she was, which was a slight blow to her ego.
    She forced herself to focus on the sketch, curious to see where Reid and Robert had lived as kids. The two-story house looked like a typical suburban home for a young family, but the action in front was far more disturbing. On the porch swing, the dog, Rocco, watched the teenaged Razor sail a skateboard down the front steps toward two hideous looking demons. In Razor's hand was a mighty sword, apparently to be used to vanquish the evil in front of him.
    There was something very familiar about Razor. "That's you," she said, suddenly realizing the truth. "You're Razor."
    Reid frowned as he gazed at the sketch. "I don't think that's true."
    "Come on, it looks just like you."
    "I don't see it."
    "The kid is a warrior about to do battle, and if that isn't you, I don’t know who it is."
    "Maybe it's Robert living out some fantasy," he suggested.
    She thought about that. It would make sense for a young artist to put himself in the story, but this sketch didn't feel like Robert. As she took a closer look, she saw a face in the upstairs window. "Hang on. I think I found Robert." She pointed to the figure barely visible behind a curtain.
    Reid slowly nodded. "Yeah, you're right. That's Robert. That was his bedroom window. I used to see him sitting up there studying at his desk when I was outside playing with the other kids."
    "Robert didn't join you?"
    "Almost never. He was always about the books."
    As she stared at the face of the little boy in