His irritation and anger quickly turned to a rosier shade of satisfaction as he blinked a few times and listened to what the nervous voice on the other end of the line had to say to him. A frightening smile slowly spread across his face and he gruffly told his caller to repeat what he had just said. He wondered if the voice on the phone could tell that he had been drinking, and then he dismissed the idea. When it came down to it, he didn’t really care.
“Give me the number,” Ethan said evenly. The voice on the phone quickly began a scripted answer regarding payment for his company’s services.
“I said give me the goddamn number,” he repeated more harshly. He did not have time to sit and listen to this man’s ridiculous rant about being paid on time when he had more pressing matters to tend to. The voice on the other end of the phone hesitated, but then quickly relented and rhymed off the information to Ethan, as requested.
“And where the hell is she?” Ethan said. He was struggling to see straight, and he wasn’t sure if it was from the abundance of vodka in his bloodstream or the elation at his impending victory. He quickly turned the phone off, abruptly ending the call once he had written down the information his caller had reiterated to him.
“Park’s Peak,” Ethan muttered to himself. What the hell was Amy doing in Colorado? Again, Ethan shrugged. It didn’t matter either way. He smiled and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to relish in the satisfaction that engulfed him. He had done it. He had found her, just as he said he would.
Amy was his again, and she didn’t even know it yet.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Mid-week, Jeremy showed up at the bar again before the lunchtime rush began. He immediately noticed the cell phone peeking out from my back pocket as I worked, serving drinks to patrons and taking some plates of food to a couple of tables in the far corner.
“Thought you said you didn’t have a cell phone, princess?”
“It’s new, Officer. Cool your jets,” I said admonishingly. I liked how I could be so sarcastic with him. Our pretend-to-hate friendship made things interesting for me, even if Ryan didn’t like him hanging around the bar all the time. “Besides,” I added, “It was a gift.”
A slow, knowing grin spread across Jeremy’s face. “Oh, let me guess. From Cole?”
“As a matter of fact, it is from him. I’ve been trying to tell you—”
“Enough, princess. Say no more. You two are in love, aren’t you?” He leaned on his elbows and rested his chin in his hands, grinning at me with a humor I couldn’t quite read. I set down the plate in my hands and popped the cap off another beer.
“Jeremy, you’re being dramatic. I really think—”
“I don’t even remember it, you know,” Jeremy said, and I looked at him.
“Remember what?”
“The night I fooled around with Denise.”
I stopped trying to work and just stared at Jeremy. He didn’t remember sleeping with his best friend’s girlfriend? Not only was I shocked he’d bring this subject up here, I was also surprised he’d think he needed to tell me.
“Jeremy, you don’t need to…”
“I’d never been so drunk in my whole life, Amy,” he practically hissed at me. “I swear to God, I don’t remember a damn thing from that night. All I know is I woke up on my own doorstep with some mighty big bruises on my face, bruised ribs, and the worst hangover I’ve ever had.”
“And a ruined friendship,” I added. While I knew I probably shouldn’t have said that, not only because it was stating the obvious but because I was adding pain to an already painful situation, I knew this was undoubtedly the part about that night that bothered him most.
“Exactly,” Jeremy said, looking up to meet my eyes. “So, Denise got what she wanted and I got the raw end of the deal.”
I crinkled my forehead. “Denise got what she wanted?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s the best part, princess. Denise set me up. She told me so. A week or so later, I saw her just before she left town. She said she was sorry for using me to leave Cole. She knew he’d try everything to get her to stay if she just said she was leaving him, so she did the only thing she could think of, so she said. She caught me at the weakest moment and made sure Cole would find out. Problem solved. For her, anyway.”
I just stared at Jeremy, appalled. I truly had no idea what I was supposed to say to that. When an awkward silence fell between us, my mind detoured to thoughts of the ways Ethan acted when he was drunk, all the cruel things he said and the violent things he did.
“Drunk or not, unfortunately, you still did it,” I blurted out. I hadn’t meant to say it out loud so bluntly, and I’m certain the shock at the sound of my own voice was apparent. If I’d hurt Jeremy further, he didn’t let on.
“Anyway.” He tossed his wallet on the counter and started digging for his money. “I just wanted to make sure someone else knew the truth, too. I’d never have touched Denise if I’d been sober. I’m not saying I don’t have fault in it, I just wanted you to know I’m not as bad as everyone seems to believe I am.”
“I already knew that, Jeremy,” I said slowly, patting his hand cautiously at first, then squeezing it to let him know I meant it. I bit my lip when he immediately turned his hand over and gripped my hand between his fingers, holding it as though it were a lifeline.
“Cole’s a good guy, Amy, I won’t deny it. But you can’t ignore what we’ve got, you know that, right?”
My eyes widened and I tried to pull my hand away, but Jeremy held on.
“Jeremy, I told you...”
“Admit it, Amy. You like me, too.”
“I never said…”
“Admit it.”
I sighed. “Jeremy, yes, damn it. I like you, all right? But you can’t keep…”
He gave my hand another tight squeeze and released it. “All I needed to hear, princess.” He said it with too much hopefulness, and I knew he wasn’t listening to anything else I was saying. After that, he offered to give me a ride back to my place that afternoon after my shift ended. Because Cole wasn’t due back in town from his job site until later and Jeremy was just so persistent, I let him.
“Thank you, Officer,” I offered. “I promise I’ll be looking for a vehicle just as soon as I can afford one.”
Jeremy’s eyes glinted as he patted my knee. “Anytime, princess,” he replied, and I knew he meant it.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
After Jeremy dropped me off at home, I spent the afternoon puttering around my house, oddly more content with this task than I had ever been since the first day I came here. Was it possible that I was actually settling into a routine? Was I growing comfortable in the surroundings I’d come to not only tolerate but maybe, just maybe, actually like?
Things were going well in Park’s Peak, better than I could have ever imagined. If I was honest with myself, I could even say that I was becoming…happy? Maybe happy was still a stretch, but for the first time in a long while I could actually say that I could see myself being happy, if I wasn’t already.
I had a place of my own, and though it wasn’t perfect, it was mine. That meant something to me, more than I thought it would. I also had my job at the bar. I didn’t dread going to work every night, and I got along splendidly with both Ryan and Maria, even if they were a little on the nosy side. They meant well though, and I knew that. That meant a lot to me, too.
And then there was Cole. I couldn’t lie about it, I had feelings for him. He was the totally unexpected part of this equation, a beautiful twist of fate. He was smart, passionate about things, and had a great sense of humor. I was extremely attracted to him, and there was no denying his attraction to me as well.
He had a past, and so did I. Didn’t everyone? Maybe that was why we seemed to fit together so well. We had both been hurt by those who claimed to love us, and we’d both risen from the ashes of those heartbreaks, even if we hadn’t yet completely recovered from it. Perhaps we never would, and we were both aware of that, too. Maybe t
here was no better way to truly heal from such heartache than to do it together.
Which brought me to my next point of questioning in this little life I had created—Jeremy. He was a crucial part of Cole’s heartache, even if he hadn’t done it intentionally. Jeremy, however, was also a common denominator in my everyday life, too. We had become friends.
I wondered if that was enough for him. He wanted more from me; I knew it very well. I had tried on numerous occasions to talk to him about the budding relationship between Cole and me, but he wouldn’t listen, no matter how hard I tried. The nagging thought that I was leading him on chipped away at my subconscious. It was never my intention, but until he heard me say that I was with Cole and would only ever be friends with him, until he actually listened to those words, I would be no further ahead and we would still be in a situation that could potentially end in disaster. I vowed to try harder to talk to Jeremy about Cole and me. The last thing I wanted was for someone else to get hurt.
I was still engrossed in my thoughts when the doorbell rang, a loud clanging sound that seemed befitting of an old gothic Addams Family type of mansion, not a dilapidated home on a lonely stretch of highway just outside of town. I glanced quickly at the drawer with the gun in it, then thought better of it knowing that if it were Ethan, he wouldn’t be ringing the doorbell. I arched an eyebrow when I saw Cole’s hazy silhouette through the sheer curtain of the door’s window. My lips tugged upward at the corners as I opened the door a few inches.
“You’re supposed to be at work still.”
Cole chuckled softly, holding up a small bouquet of gerbera daisies. “I managed to finish up a bit early. Surprised?” He offered the bouquet toward me and I opened the door widely. I was blushing already, but I didn’t care. I was genuinely happy to see him and couldn’t hide it. I took the flowers from him, grinning from ear to ear as I plucked the enveloped card from between the stems.
“Quite surprised actually,” I said as I opened the card, still unable to suppress the happiness written on my face. I slid the card from the envelope and bit my lip as I read its words.
Just a little something to brighten your day. We all need a reminder sometimes that there is always something still able to make things better.
Cole
“You’re very sweet, you know that, right?” I said, trying carefully to hide the emotion I could feel tightening in my throat. “Thank you,” I added, hoping those words sounded stronger than the ones uttered before. Cole reached out to rub my arm gently, knowing he’d struck a chord somewhere deep within my emotions.
“You’re more than welcome, Ames. Want some coffee? I’ll make it.”
“A man after my own heart,” I quipped. “You know me, bring flowers and I’ll swoon, but offer to make coffee and I’m forever in your debt.” I sifted through the upper cupboards and found an old violet colored glass container that resembled a vase. I tucked the flowers into it and filled it with tap water. “Actually though, I was just going to take a break from my tidying up and sit outside for a few minutes. It’s nice enough outside that it’s actually hard to stay in. Care to join me?”
Cole nodded and held the door for me as I carried the vase of flowers out onto the porch with me, setting them in the sun on the railing. I smiled up at them from the steps where I sat down and took in the slowly disappearing sunlight. He lowered himself down onto the step beside me, letting out a slow exhale as he settled in and turned his glance just ahead to the fading sun and long shadows beginning to creep across the front yard.
“So, how was your day, Ames? Work was good?”
I chuckled softly in spite of myself. We’d become those folks who traded recaps of their day in the evening. How interesting. My mind tugged me toward the revelation that I didn’t remember Ethan ever asking me such questions, but I quickly did my best to push the thought out of my head.
“It was good. Uneventful even, just the way I like it,” I replied.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Cole’s hand twitching hesitantly, and I knew he was trying to decide if he should reach for my hand or not. I bit my lip and took the chance myself, moving my arm slowly toward his and intertwining our fingers. Afterward, I raised my gaze to his and saw the surprise there.
Neither of us said a word, but the gentle squeeze of his hand surrounding mine told me we were on the same page. I gave him a shy smile in hopes of easing the hesitation that seemed to be etched on his face. Then again, perhaps the hesitation was on my part because a moment later he leaned toward me slowly and touched his lips to mine. He was slow and extremely gentle, savoring the feather light touch of his lips on mine, and I knew he was giving me the space and time to pull away. I surprised myself when the idea of pulling away from him didn’t even occur to me. I wanted to kiss him, to be close to him, and, in that particular moment, no element of our pasts could ruin such wanting.
I leaned closer to Cole, placing my hands on his collar bone. There was no denying the pressure of his lips against mine now. He was kissing me with more intensity, and I wasn’t going to be the one to stop him. I wasn’t sure how to describe it, but I felt free. There was no mental war going on inside me, no fear as to what might happen next. I realized then that I trusted him, enough to know he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me and enough to know he’d listen if I asked him to stop or slow down. I didn’t ask him to stop and I didn’t ask him to slow down. Instead, I fueled the fire and kissed him back with the same sensual fever he was exploring me with.
Cole was the one to break the kiss, and he chuckled as his gaze roamed my face amusedly. “You’re too beautiful for words, Ames,” he whispered hoarsely, reaching up to push my hair back behind my ear with a gentle brush of his fingers.
The sound of a car door slamming prevented me from replying, and we both looked up into Jeremy’s narrowed eyes. He was in full police uniform and had removed his aviator sunglasses. From the look on his face as he walked toward us, I knew he was angry. He was trying to mask it, but the anger was very much evident. He didn’t even take his eyes off us when a second vehicle pulled up in front of the house. I didn’t know the gentleman who got out of the old pick-up truck, but the reassuring pat on my hand from Cole let me know he did.
“You two lookin’ for an indecent exposure charge or something?” Jeremy announced, looking from me to Cole. The sneer that followed made me realize I had better diffuse this situation now, before things got out of hand.
“Jeremy, hey,” I said as I stood up, letting go of Cole’s hand in the process. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were stopping by.”
He let a scoffing sound escape his lips. “Well, that’s pretty obvious, Amy. You don’t strike me as the type to plan for me to show up in the middle of your little make-out session with someone else.”
I arched an eyebrow and held my hands up in surrender. “Now, wait, Jeremy. Someone else? That’s not fair. You’re making it sound like I…like we…” I stopped, at a loss for words. I took a deep breath and tried again, looking him in the eyes. “I tried to tell you, Jeremy.”
He just snickered. I stole a brief look behind me to see Cole still sitting on the porch steps. Not surprisingly, his hands were clenched so hard his knuckles were white, but he hadn’t moved a muscle. I was thankful he had the mindfulness to let me try to fight this battle on my own.
“Well, princess, I think you could have tried a little harder,” Jeremy spat out. He finally looked away from me when he dug into his pocket and pulled out a single key on a key chain. He tossed the key to me and I caught it.
“What’s this, Jeremy?” I asked, perplexed.
He pointed to the pick-up truck that had pulled up after him. “That,” he stated, looking at me coldly. I just stared back at him incredulously.
“Jeremy, I can’t take your truck!” I exclaimed. I didn’t even dare look at Cole’s expression now.
“It’s mine, but I brought it here so you can drive it. You know, until you get something of your own,” Jeremy explained as he
held his hands up and mimicked quotations, repeating the words I’d said to him the other day.
“Jeremy, I can’t take your truck,” I repeated a bit more calmly.
“But you can take a cell phone from one of your other friends?” He spat the word at me like it left him with a bad taste in his mouth. “You can accept a gift from him, but not from me?”
I turned around just in time to see Cole lift himself from the steps. I held up my hand and gave him a look. I could practically hear the blood pounding in his ears, but he reluctantly obeyed and didn’t step any closer. I turned back to Jeremy and stated simply, “That’s not fair.”
“Not much is, Amy.” His gaze darted from me to Cole and then back again. I watched him turn and give a slight nod to the man who had been driving the pick-up truck. He returned the same gesture and proceeded to climb into the passenger side of the cop car. Just before Jeremy ducked his head into driver’s side, he stopped and looked back at me once more.
“Oh, and Amy, about the bonfire tomorrow night. I’ll see you there, but don’t wait for me to pick you up. You can go with him,” he said as he pointed in Cole’s direction.
“Jeremy, wait!” It was too late.
Officer Jeremy Allecks had already disappeared into the car, slammed the door, and was backing it out of the driveway without another glance in my direction.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The following night, as the sun started to hide behind the trees and cast elongated shadows across the ground, Cole and I were climbing out of Cole’s truck, met by the blaring sound of Springsteen in the distance and the strong smell of campfire smoke. I decided immediately that it was the most inviting scent in the world, save for the enticing aroma of Cole’s cologne. He appeared at the passenger side of the truck just as I slid out of the seat and let my feet hit the gravel.
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