PROLOGUE
CENTRAL FLORIDA
M idnight had come and gone by the time fifteen-year-old Jackson Davenport hiked his way back to his old neighborhood on foot. Keeping an eye out for the cops and the neighborhood watch, he snuck between the upscale houses, winding his way over to Brook Tree Lane. When he spotted the house he’d grown up in, a wave of impotent fury shook him, the same reaction he experienced every time he’d seen it since leaving. Another family lived there now, maybe with a son who occupied his old room, the one with a window facing the tree shrouded creek in the back. A bitter smile curled his lip as he wondered if that family hid secrets as well. Then he remembered his mission and, clutching the white bag in his hand, dashed across the street and slipped between his old home and Julie’s house next door.
After searching the ground for a handful of small rocks, he let loose with one, pinging the stone off his nine-year-old, ex-neighbor’s window. “Come on, kid,” he grumbled, tossing another stone. Little Julie Martin and animals were the only ones he usually bore unlimited patience toward, but tonight he didn’t have much time, not if he intended to get b
ack before someone discovered he’d left. Last fall, Jackson had promised his grandmother he would stay in school and behave, and he hadn’t intended to break that promise. After returning from a grueling summer camp for teen boys like him who fought back in destructive ways against their crappy home lives, he’d meant it. At fourteen, he’d been the youngest, but that hadn’t spared him from the physical regimen or the intense, mind-probing counseling. The parole officers and ex-cons who ran the camp seemed to have a sixth sense for what each kid needed and didn’t hesitate to dish it out. At least they included compassion and good-natured ribbing when not raking them over the coals.
But last week, between his birthday and the last day of school, Grandma announced he would be going to live with his aunt in Orlando this summer. So much for being good, he’d sneered at her, and not even her tears could dampen his anger. Not only did he hate big cities, but who would look after Julie if he left? She tried reasoning with him, reminding him he’d only be a thirty-minute drive from the small suburb he’d grown up in. For a kid who wouldn’t be able to drive alone for another two years, that thirty minutes might as well be thirty hours.
The third toss finally caught someone’s attention, and Jackson prayed it was Julie and not one of her controlling parents. A dim light glowed behind the dark glass then the window began inching up. From his position around the corner of his old home, he watched her shimmy out backwards then drop to her feet, her long, ink-black hair swirling around her waist, her bare feet getting caught up in the ankle-length pink robe wrapped around her too skinny frame. As he’d figured, she hadn’t put on any weight in the month since he’d seen her, and he cursed her parents for that too.
Jackson stepped out from his hiding place and, like always, she whirled and threw herself at him with a squeal. “Shh!” he admonished, hugging her small frame before setting her down. “Come on, Monkey, I don’t have much time.” He grabbed Julie’s hand and they sprinted across the yard, knowing their way by heart through the dark. The small fort he’d built years ago still sat nestled in the trees and, with a flick of his small flashlight, they crawled inside.
“What’d you bring me, Jackson? French fries?” Julie asked in a hushed, breathless voice.
“Of course. And a double cheeseburger.” Handing her the bag, he leaned back and watched her dig into the fast food with relish. “Tell me what’s new.” Anything to keep his mind off leaving. Wasn’t it bad enough he’d had his whole world uprooted last year? Why did he have to go through another change, another move even further away from where he’d grown up?
Julie shrugged then spoke with her mouth full. “Same stuff. I have a pageant in June, which means practice, practice, practice.”
“So tell them no,” he growled, hating the way her parents, especially her mother, exploited their only child.
“I’m a kid, not big like you,” she sighed. “When I am big, I will. This is really good, Jackson. Thank you.”
He smiled, watching her devour the calorie-laden, late-night meal. “You’re welcome, kid. Just don’t give away our secret.” Jackson hesitated, hating to burst her bubble, but it couldn’t be helped. “I got bad news. Grandma’s sending me to live with Aunt Joyce in two weeks.”
“But… but why? You’ve been so good!” she wailed, forcing him to shush her again before they got caught.
“Quiet, or I won’t be able to sneak away when we come visit. Orlando’s not far and Aunt Joyce is always at Grandma’s house on weekends. I’ll find a way to get away once in a while, just like I have been this past year.”
Jackson heard Julie sniffle and it broke his heart. He never could stand seeing those big, violet eyes sad. “Come on, let’s come up with ways you can flub the next pageant. I’m sure winning all the time is getting boring.” Her giggle eased the tightness in his chest.
“I took third last February and Mom signed me up for modeling classes, to improve my walk and posture,” she grumbled with an eyeball roll.
“Your mom’s a…” He bit off what he was going to say. She was only nine. “A tough taskmaster. Just trip or something. If you screw up often enough, they’ll give in, won’t they?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I better get back to my room.”
“Then let’s go. I’ll be back, Julie. I promise.”
THREE YEARS LATER
Jackson spotted Julie sitting with a group of pre-teen girls at a table in the mall’s food court. He had been drawn to the cute kid next door the minute he’d stepped out their back door and seen her go flying off a swing to land in a tangle of arms and legs. When she’d popped up with a laugh, her impish face dominated by large, dark eyes, a small clutch had gripped his chest, the same as he experienced now. A wide grin split his face when Julie squealed upon seeing him. She leapt up, and he braced himself for the impact of her skinny, twelve-year-old body.
“You haven’t changed, Monkey,” he huffed on a laugh. Squeezing her, he pried her arms from around him and held her at arm’s length. “Look at you. I swear you’ve grown another two inches since I saw you last.”
“And I still have to crane my neck to see you. What’d you bring me?” She made to snatch the bag out of his hand but he held it away with another laugh.
“Let’s sit down. I only have a few minutes.”
They took a seat at a smaller table after Julie waved to her friends, indicating she’d be right back. “You been staying out of trouble?” Jackson pulled out a warm, cinnamon-coated pretzel and handed it to her.
“Yum! And, of course.” Rolling her eyes, she added with her mouth full, “Do you really think my parents would have it any other way?”
Unfortunately, he knew they wouldn’t. How she stayed so sweet and upbeat with the way they stifled her childhood with their demands and insistence on exploiting her beauty by pushing her into one pageant after another was beyond him. The poor kid had worn make-up slathered on her attractive face at the young age of five, and missed out on all the fun foods kids loved because of her mother’s insistence on maintaining a strict diet for her.
“I guess not. Seventh grade is coming up fast. Are you looking forward to going back to school?”
“Yes, but I wish I had time to join a club or go to games. Why do you have to go so far, Jackson?” Julie gazed at him with watery, violet eyes even as she stuffed a big bite into her mouth.
“Gainesville isn’t that far, and that’s where both the University of Florida and Veterinary college are. We’ll keep in touch, just like we’ve been doing by phone.” He still couldn’t believe Dr. Drake, the veterinarian who’d given him a summer job the last two years, had offered to sponsor him. Curtis Drake was one of the few adults who didn’t hold the sins of Jackson’s parents against him.
“It’s further than Orlando, and I’ve barely seen you since you moved there. I wish I was grown up, then I could do what I want.” She pouted.
“Spoken like a typical kid.” Although, in her case, he could see why she craved independence already. “I have to go.” Standing, he bent and kissed her forehead. “Later, kid. Behave.”
EIGHT YEARS LATER
Jackson was prepared for the instant clutch around his heart when he parked his car and glimpsed Julie leaning back on a tire swing, her long hair blowing out behind her. Sliding out, he lounged against the hood, waiting until she spotted him, then wasn’t disappointed when she squealed and came flying across the park playground to launch herself at him. With a laugh, he caught and hugged her five-foot-eight, slender frame before tugging her hair to get her to let go. What he wasn’t prepared for was the way his cock stirred with the press of her soft breasts against his chest and the feel of those long, bare legs sliding down his. The little girl next door had grown into a beautiful, desirable young lady, but his reaction caught him off guard nonetheless. Even though she’d been meeting him periodically without her parents’ knowledge throughout her teen years, he’d never thought of her as anything except the kid next door who needed his friendship.
“I
still have to crane my neck back to look up at you!” Julie exclaimed.
Smiling down into her laughing face, he said, “Get used to it, kid. Your chances of reaching six four are nil.” Handing her the bag she kept trying to snatch out of his hand, he steered her over to a covered picnic table. The summer heat and humidity drew a bead of perspiration down his back, but Julie still managed to look cool in a tank top and shorts.
“A burger and fries. Gee, how’d you know?” Julie didn’t wait for him to pull out his own lunch before delving in.
“Years of sneaking food to you?” Jackson enjoyed a huge bite of his double cheeseburger before bringing up the reason for this lunch. “So, now who’s moving away, and a hell of a lot further than Gainesville?”
“I know; can you believe it? A modeling contract and New York, how freaking awesome is that?” She stuffed two fries in her mouth and continued while chewing. “I still can’t believe it, Jackson. My parents are thrilled and, of course, taking all the credit.” She rolled her eyes.
A pang tightened his abdomen. She had always been the one to bemoan the distance between them and now here she was, embracing this big move with whole-hearted enthusiasm. He couldn’t blame her, could only hope the big city didn’t chew her up and spit her out. That would break his heart.
“It’s a big change, kid. You’ll forget all about me in no time.” That was what worried him most.
“Never! Besides, you’ll come visit, won’t you? You have to.”
Jackson sighed. He hated big cities and crowds, and New York boasted both. “You know I’m starting my practice down near Piedmont. I can’t afford to take off, at least not for a while. Your turn to come to me.” He still couldn’t believe Dr. Drake had left him ten acres and the family home when he’d passed away two months ago after a long battle with cancer. All the times the veterinarian referred to him as ‘son’, Jackson now realized how much he’d meant it.