by Mia Carson
“No,” she snapped, pausing to take a deep breath. “No, you should have. That bastard. I’m going to deck him the next time I see him. His girl—who the fuck does he think he is?”
He pulled them to a stop and stared into her eyes. “You have that look on your face.”
“What look?” she snarled, but he knew it wasn’t directed towards him.
“The look that says you need a drink.”
She opened her mouth then clamped it shut so hard her teeth clacked together. “No, I’m not. I’m going straight home to punch the crap out of my pillow while picturing his face.”
“You sure you want to be alone tonight?” he asked, worried what she might do. After Nikki trashed him, he went through a self-destructive streak, but it only lasted a few days. From what he’d heard, Iris’s had been going on for years, and either everyone was too blind to see it or no one cared. He was not going to watch her tear herself apart over some asshole ex-boyfriend.
“No, but I’ll survive,” she said, sounding defeated, and pulled her hand from his. “I always do. I think I can make it on my own from here.”
He wanted to stay with her but reminded himself they only met last night. “You have my number. Call me if you change your mind. I’m serious, Iris,” he said firmly when she looked ready to wave him off. “Anything at all, you call me.”
“I will, promise,” she said, but she lied. “Thanks for today. It was fun.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” he replied, every muscle in his body straining to stay put instead of going after her. “See you at the range?”
“It’s a date,” she said with a smile, turned around, shoved her hands in her butt pockets, and strolled down the sidewalk. He stayed where he was, watching her until she turned the corner to her street. He was halfway to his house when he remembered his truck was still parked at Iris’s place.
“Figures,” he muttered, but continued for home. He’d get it tomorrow after he showed Jenson up at the gun range. He probably should have told Iris that part, too, but he’d stressed her out enough. He’d put Jenson in his place and maybe he’d take it like a man and leave her alone.
A cop car pulled down Main Street, slowing as it passed Alec. When he glanced at the window, he saw the man himself glaring daggers at him. Jenson’s face curled up in a leer before he stepped on the gas and drove on past, leaving Alec hating that man even more than he did before. One more day, then he’d prove who the better man was.
Maybe by tomorrow, too, he’d have a better understanding of what Iris did to him.
Chapter 7
Iris spent the rest of Saturday evening having a stare-down with the bottle of wine on her kitchen table, but she didn’t touch it. Several times, her fingers nearly called Alec to ask him to come over, but she resisted the urge, even though she had good reason. His truck was parked in front of her house. Eventually, she assumed, he would want it back.
When she woke up Sunday morning, exhausted from lack of sleep, she stayed in bed and stared at her ceiling, wondering what was happening. She was so used to her life being a train-wreck that the last two days caught her completely off-guard, and any minute now, she expected to wake up and find it all a dream. Alec coming into her life was unexpected, but now, she couldn’t picture not talking to him every day or seeing him again. They hardly knew each other, yet every time she was around him, it was as if they’d been together for a long time.
And his kiss. If he kept kissing her like he had at the hospital, he was going to be trouble sooner rather than later. Her fingers touched her lips, remembering how his lips had pressed sweetly against hers. She craved to feel him again, hold him in her arms, and forget she ever had to worry about Jenson. At least now, she knew what he was running from. An ex, and Alec’s darkened eyes at the mention of her name told Iris that their relationship had not ended well either. She hated to be happy about the fact that if this did go further, she wouldn’t be the only one bringing a little baggage into the relationship.
“Listen to yourself,” she mumbled, tossing the covers off and traipsing into the bathroom. “Already talking about a relationship after one failed date and one okay date that didn’t even end with a kiss!” She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, tugging her hair into a messy ponytail. “We’re not ready,” she told her reflection. “Not with Sam coming home and a new job. One step at a time.”
As she got ready for the day and picking up Sam from the hospital, she pushed any thoughts of Alec to the side, trying to remain focused on the goal at hand—work until she had some money to pay off the mounting debt and medical bills. Then, maybe, there’d be time for a relationship with the new guy in town. She picked up her purse and keys, convincing herself to tell Alec they had to put whatever this was on hold, and opened the front door. The sight of what lay on the doormat brought her up short, and all resolve shattered.
“Damn that man,” she whispered and bent down, a smile curling her lips.
Sitting on the front porch was a small bouquet of orange tiger lilies with a note. She glanced up, but the truck was gone. She wondered when Alec had stopped by to get it. She opened the note and read it: Hope you enjoy the lilies, you didn’t seem like a roses kind of woman. I enjoyed yesterday immensely and look forward to seeing you again soon. If you’re not busy, I’d like to meet you for drinks tomorrow to celebrate your first day. Tell Sam I said hello, Alec.
She tucked the note into her back pocket and inhaled the sweet aroma of the lilies. “You guessed right,” she whispered. “I’m so screwed.”
There was no getting away from this man, not now. Jenson had never done anything nice like this for her, and certainly never tried to figure out what she actually liked. He’d always assumed she would like whatever he gave her. Alec actually gave a shit, and that, more than anything, told Iris what she needed to know. This mysterious man cared about her, and she wouldn’t be able to push him away. Those lilies were an unspoken promise that he would be in her life for a long time and that he would wait until she was ready. Iris turned back inside, filled a vase with water, and set the lilies in it before she breathed them in and walked out the door.
When she arrived at the hospital, Sam was packed and ready to go. Dr. Wallace handed over the recommended diet and exercise plan for Sam’s recovery and to help him regain his strength. It would take time, something Wallace reiterated repeatedly to the anxious Sam who was bouncing in his wheelchair, ready to get out of there and back home. Iris was just as excited to have her brother back in the house. The place was lonely without him, but she knew it would be harder, now, to hide their money troubles. So far, she’d kept him in the dark, but her brother wasn’t an idiot. If he started snooping around, he’d figure it out real quick.
The car ride to the house was filled with Sam asking about her date with Alec and her unsuccessfully avoiding all his questions about it.
“Can we get you inside at least?” she said, exasperated after the tenth question.
“Fine. Can we have pizza for dinner?” he asked as she parked the car in the drive.
She shut off the engine and stared at him. “I’m pretty sure pizza is not one of the things Wallace recommended you eat.”
“Oh, come on, I haven’t had a damn pizza in months!”
Iris rested her head back. “I’ll make you deal. I’ll order you a damn pizza, but you have to limit your questions about me and Alec to five, got it?”
Sam tapped his fingers on his legs, and she stared him down hard. “Five, deal, but I want pineapple.”
“That’s disgusting,” she grumbled as they climbed out of the car. “Why do you insist on pineapple? It doesn’t belong on a damn pizza!”
“Says who?” a man asked from the front porch.
Immediately, Iris put herself in front of Sam and reached into her purse for her cell. Her hand only stilled when she spotted Sheriff Pueller standing behind Jenson, taking his hat off and waving at her.
“There he is,” Pueller said, and I
ris forced a smile to her face as she stepped aside. “Sam, my boy, you’re looking much better.”
“Thank, Sheriff,” Sam said brightly. His sideways glance at Iris said he was going to have questions for her once they got inside, and not about Alec. “Doc says I should be looking even better after getting my strength back.”
“Glad to hear it,” Pueller said. “A few of us down at the station put together a welcome home basket for you. Something to cheer you up.”
Sam stepped forward and took the basket Jenson held in his hands. “Thanks, really. You guys didn’t have to do that.”
Pueller shrugged and messed up Sam’s hair playfully. “We all loved your dad. I even watched you a few times myself, kid, and I’ve never seen anyone fight so hard and never lose hope. You deserve it. We have to get back to the station, but you take care of your sister now, you hear?”
“Will do, sir, thanks again,” Sam said politely.
“Jenson, after you,” Wallace said. Jenson nodded with a grin to Sam, but when he passed Iris, it turned into a leer that sent a shiver down her spine. They walked down the drive to the sidewalk and down three houses where their car sat. Iris hadn’t even seen it.
She steered Sam inside and closed the door behind them, making sure she threw the deadbolt and closed the front blinds. “Alright, pizza it is,” she conceded as she pulled out her cell and dialed the only pizza parlor in town. She kicked off her shoes and flopped down on the couch.
Sam set the basket on the kitchen table, and Iris watched as he walked slowly around the house, flipping lights on and looking at everything. He hadn’t been home in weeks, and the look in his eyes said he’d missed it more than he would ever admit. He stopped beside the family photo hanging on the wall and frowned, turning to her after she’d hung up.
“It’ll be here in fifteen,” she told him. “What’s with the face?”
“I just miss them,” he said quietly, but she knew there was more to it than that. “Going to tell me what’s going on between you and Jenson?”
“I thought you wanted to ask questions about Alec,” she reminded him, grabbing the closet thing she could squeeze to death while imagining Jenson.
“You’re going to ruin that pillow,” he told her with a crooked smile.
“Don’t care.”
“Has he been coming around again?” Sam asked. “Don’t lie to me, sis. Has he?”
She slouched down on the couch and felt like she was staring at her dad and not her kid brother. “Friday. He came by Friday, and we had an interesting conversation that ended with me threatening him with a wine bottle.”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell Pueller?”
“You didn’t notice? Jenson is the new deputy in town,” she spat, tugging at a loose thread on the pillow. “Everyone loves him, and if you recall, no one in this damn town likes your sister. They think I’m a drunk, amongst other things.”
Sam sighed and walked over to the couch, shoving her feet aside so he could sit with her. “What does Alec think?”
A grin came unbidden to her face. “He hates Jenson as much as I do—stood up to him Friday night at the bar and got me home in one piece.” She reached out and held Sam’s shoulder. “Get that look off your face. If Jenson comes around again, I’ll deal with it. You’re just supposed to focus on your recovery.”
“If you say so,” he whispered and rested back against the couch. “Still sucks.”
“It’s old,” she said, patting the back of the couch. “Give the poor couch a break.”
“Think we can get a new one soon? I know you’ve been holding onto things for Mom and Dad, but… but I think we can start moving on a little, don’t you?”
Iris’s chest tightened and she gripped the pillow harder, looking away from her brother. Unshed tears burned her eyes, and she wiped them hastily away, but too late. Sam saw them and tugged her hands away.
“Iris? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring them up.”
She sucked in a breath to calm herself and readjusted so she could throw an arm around her brother. He was nearly a head taller than her, but he managed to lay his head on her shoulder. “Oh, kid, we have a lot to talk about. I might as well just tell you all the bad news now.”
Sitting on the couch, holding her brother close, Iris told Sam everything that had happened since their parents died, every last issue and problem they faced. She didn’t know how he would take it, but she couldn’t handle lying to him anymore, and sooner or later, she knew she’d also have to tell the whole sad story to Alec if she wanted to keep him in her life.
***
The gun range would close in an hour, and Alec wiped down the glass counter, watching the front door. There’d been no sign of Jenson so far, and he grinned, assuming the man had chickened out at the last second. He walked around to straighten a few brochures when the doors opened and the damn man strolled in, looking as if he ruled the world.
“Why, there he is,” Jenson called out loudly. “If it’s not the man who thinks he’s going to own my girl.”
Alec’s hands tightened into fists, but he forced a smile to his face. “I don’t think Iris would appreciate you saying that about her,” he said sternly. “And I don’t want to own her.”
Jenson shrugged and rested his hands on his belt. “Whatever you say, doesn’t matter. I’m about to show you up. Where’s the owner? I want to make sure if we do this, we do it right.”
Alec crossed his arms over his chest and walked forward as August came out of the back room. “You’re looking at him. Welcome to my gun range, Deputy Jenson Drayer, and since you’re such an upstanding citizen of this here town, I’m not even going to charge you. I think the burn from me kicking your ass will be enough payment.”
Jenson stalked closer, and Alec braced himself in case the man decided to hit him. Since he was a deputy, he wouldn’t hit first, but the second Jenson raised his fist, all bets were off. He had security cameras all over the place.
“You going to keep talking or are we doing this?” Jenson snarled.
“August, set up lanes one and two for me. Twenty yards good for you?”
Jenson raised his lip then leaned back and wiped his nose on his arm. “Make it thirty.”
“Thirty it is. Care to pick out your weapon of choice? August will make sure they’re set up on the lanes for us,” he added. The idea of Jenson carrying around a loaded gun wasn’t ideal, but he assumed the man wasn’t such an idiot he would turn a loaded weapon on someone. For all Alec knew, he was packing his service weapon, but Alec had his Glock holstered at his lower back, too, tucked in an inside holster and out of sight.
Jenson peered through the glass at the choice of handguns and nodded in approval. “You have quite a number of choices here.”
“Anything to keep the customers happy.”
“That one,” he said, pointing to a Glock 17. “What about you?”
“I’ll do the same,” Alec said with a forced smile. “Get your gear on, and I’ll take you to the lanes.”
When they walked to the lanes, August had laid both guns out on the counters, each with a magazine loaded with ten rounds, ready to go. The targets hung between the partitions, waiting to be sent out to the thirty-yard mark. Alec pressed the button as Jenson did so, and both targets zoomed out quickly, fluttering as they went. Once they were steadied, Alec turned to Jenson and smirked. The man’s eyes darted nervously to the target then to the handgun.
“You have ten shots,” he told Jenson. “Let’s see who the best shooter is.”
Jenson stepped forward, as did Alec, and both men slid the magazines into their guns. Alec pulled the slide back, raised both hands with the Glock, and aimed down the barrel. He waited to see if Jenson would shoot first, but when he didn’t hear a shot, he pressed his finger against the trigger and pulled. Ten shots later, he lowered his weapon, pulled out the empty magazine, and left the Glock on the counter with the slide open to show the empty chamber. Not all of his shots were dead center, but they
all fell within the same spot on his target.
Beside him, he heard a muttered curse as Jenson pulled the trigger. Ten shots later, Alec heard him set the gun down, and they pressed the button to bring their targets back in to add up the points.
Alec glanced over at Jenson’s spattered shots and swallowed a cackle. “Not too bad, for a deputy,” he said and pulled his target down.
He’d barely turned around when the target was ripped from his hands. Jenson grabbed his shirt, pinning him up against the partition. “You think you’re the better man because you shoot better than me? I’m having an off day.”
“Course you are. You’re sober,” Alec shot back with a glare.
Jenson’s grip tightened on him, and he spat at Alec’s feet. “You stay the fuck away from Iris, got it? She’s mine.”
“Does she know that? I'm pretty sure she’s her own woman and she wants nothing to do with you.”
Jenson raised his fist with a yell. Alec shifted at the last second, and Jenson yelped when his hand hit the hard partition. Alec reached up and gripped Jenson’s hand, still fisted in his shirt, and twisted it until the other man winced and tried to fall back.
“How about you stay away from Iris?” Alec growled. “She wants nothing to do with you, and if I see you around her again, I’ll take this video to the sheriff and show him just what type of man you are.” His eyes darted to the right, and Jenson’s gaze followed to the small camera and the blinking red light, indicating it was recording. “Go home, Deputy Drayer, and please, feel free to come and practice anytime. I’ll be sure to give you a discount.”
He shoved Jenson back, and the man stumbled into the wall, holding his hand and glaring fiercely at Alec. “This isn’t over,” he warned and took off out the door to the lanes.
“Yeah, I figured,” Alec muttered and shook his head as August walked in.