Hard Core by Tess Oliver Read Free Book Online

“She’s a great kid, but there’s a lot going on with her.”
    I leaned against the railing on the pier. “What do you mean?” 
    With some effort, Mike pushed up to his feet. He shifted most of his weight to his good leg, giving him the lopsided stance. “Once you’ve spent time on a battlefield, you get good at seeing into people’s souls. The poor girl has some dark stuff going on. Not quite sure what, but whatever it is, she’s here at Rockwood Beach trying to get away from it. Leaving shadows behind isn’t easy though. Another thing I learned as a soldier. You can’t erase the bad once it’s been etched in your memory. Seems like we hang onto the bad a lot longer and harder than the good.” He looked at me, and for the first time, I saw in his eyes a depth, a pool of understanding that I hadn’t noticed before. He’d seen stuff. He’d mentioned his army days almost as an afterthought, but they were a lot more than that.
    “Like you, Ledger.” He inclined his head my direction. “I can see you’ve got plenty bound up in that soul of yours.”
    I stared down at my shoes, almost convinced he could read everything on my face.
    A gruff laugh rolled up from his belly. “Maybe someday, when you’re up to it, we’ll sit down on that bench, watch the waves, avoid the seagull shit and you can tell me about it.”
    I smiled at him. “Sounds like a plan. Guess sitting up here on this pier and watching the world stroll by, you get a pretty deep understanding of people.”
    He chased down a muffin bite with his coffee. “If there’s one thing I’ve never been called, Ledger, it’s deep. I’m the bicycle man to people in this town and nothing else.”
    “Then the people in this town aren’t paying attention.”
    “I talked to Frank, the landscaper. I told him I’d met a young man in need of work who looked like he could dig a swimming pool with a garden shovel. He’s interested.” He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. “This is the address he’s working at this week. It’s the yacht club in the next town. They’re updating their sprinkler system.”
    I looked at him. He answered my question without me having to ask it.
    “I told him you got yourself into some trouble when you were younger but that you’re looking to turn things around. He’s willing to talk to you, so put on your most charming smile and give it a go.”
    “I owe you, Mike.” I tucked the paper in my pocket. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

Chapter 10
    -Ledger-
    I unfolded the rickety beach chair. A spider popped out of it and crawled across my hand. I tossed it away, and it hiked over the warped floor toward my mattress. I let it live. I viewed it as a step up from the complete solitude I was feeling.
    The chair creaked and wobbled unstably under my weight. I’d saved it and its even more rusted twin from a dumpster. They were the kind that you could use to sit on the sand, but they worked perfectly in front of the picture window overlooking the beach, the only good thing about Bombay Cottage. I popped open my soda and held it up in toast to the empty chair next to me.
    The job interview had gone well. I’d even bought a phone right afterward to convince myself I was part of the real world again. The boss, Frank, was kind of a grouch, but he had plenty of work. I’d be spending a lot of time digging ditches, mindless work but a task that would keep me from going stir crazy here in my shack. The pay was decent, for someone whose main job was shoveling dirt. I was sure there were better jobs and opportunities inland, near the big cities, but I decided to stick it out here for awhile. My delusional plan had brought me to Rockwood Beach, and even if it wasn’t going to turn out the way I’d hoped, I could at least hang around, enjoy the beach and figure out what the hell I was going to do with the rest of my life.
    The sun had set on the beach. The moon was on the waning or downhill side of full, but it