Living in Shadow

by Georgia Florey-Evans

  The drive into town seemed to take twice as long as the actual twenty minutes. He was pleased when he pulled in at the drugstore and saw only one other vehicle. He wouldn't have to worry about curious people paying too much attention to his purchases.

  “Good evening.” The young lady at the cash register greeted him as he walked through the sliding door.

  He nodded in response and headed toward the aisle he wanted. He soon had a box of men’s hair color that would wash out with a couple of shampoos, a pair of nearly clear reading glasses, and a baseball cap. He had just turned the corner to head to the magazines when he nearly mowed somebody over.

  “Excuse me.” The woman in front of him was upset by their near collision. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

  Hardy gave her a cursory glance. “Neither was I.” She looked vaguely familiar, but he didn’t have the time or inclination to figure out why. He started around her to his right.

  At the same time, she moved to her left. This time he hit her with enough force the things she’d been holding dropped to the floor.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She rushed to apologize as she bent to retrieve the items, even more flustered.

  Hardy sighed. “It was my fault. Let me help.” He tried to shift his items into one hand so he could help her but nearly dropped them. “I guess my hands are too full.”

  She looked up at him and smiled, displaying startling blue eyes and the biggest dimples he’d ever seen. Had he ever seen a woman more exquisite? “H—“ No. He didn’t have time to appreciate a woman, no matter how attractive he found her. His life was in enough of a mess without adding a female to the mix.

  He mumbled something he hoped passed for an apology and stepped around her. The magazines in front of him became his main focal point as he steadfastly ignored the woman behind him.

  After mindlessly scanning magazines for nearly every interest imaginable, Hardy finally remembered what he was looking for. He carefully examined variety puzzle books, looking for ones he knew his mom would enjoy. If he knew her, she wouldn’t leave his father’s side any longer than necessary, so she would need something to pass the time. Flowers or balloons would draw too much attention to him anyway, so he’d settle for the gift of a puzzle book.

  Hardy breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the dimpled beauty walk out the door. The fascination he fought wouldn't be tested.

  He forced his gaze back to the bubble gum-popping clerk.

  "You're a sweet man." She picked up the hair dye. “I bet your grandpa will be tickled like a pickle."

  Hardy fought the urge to ask if she had to return to the "home" after she got off work.

  "Yeah."

  "Men usually aren't so thoughtful, so you are an original. My ex-boyfriend, Rudy, thinks he's an original, but— “

  "Grandpa's waiting."

  His blunt statement worked. She stopped talking and resumed ringing up his purchases.

  As he accepted his change and picked up the plastic shopping bag, her motor kicked back in.

  "So, I don't have a boyfriend right now. Do you have a girlfriend? Do you drink coffee?"

  Hardy thought of how his mom would say to handle this situation. Speaking as kindly as possible for him, he said, "Miss, you can't be much over twenty. I am thirty-four. You don't know me at all, and you're set to meet me somewhere for coffee."

  "You're a good guy. I can tell."

  "Not that you can safely make that call, but if I am, it doesn't mean the next guy you flirt with will be."

  A few moments later, as he left the drugstore, he glanced over to see his gum-popper seemed subdued. Maybe he hadn’t helped her, but at least he tried.

  As he drove, he thought of girls like that getting into trouble. To keep from blowing his cover, he had to sit back and watch members of the Dohner "family" seduce young women, then toss them away like a well-read newspaper.

  Soon, he pulled into the only gas station in town that offered an exterior-doored bathroom which remained unlocked unless occupied. While it wasn’t as clean as he would have preferred, it suited his purposes just fine.

  Twenty minutes later, a man appearing to be twenty years older than Hardy, with graying hair and glasses, walked out of the bathroom. He pulled his baseball cap down low on his head to change his profile. Anybody looking at him closely would recognize him, but at a glance, it would do. He purposely slowed his stride as he stepped into the guise of an older man.

  Becoming someone else was nothing new to Hardy, but he found it didn’t have the same appeal it had in the past. Maybe the normal life he’d lived the past five months had changed his outlook. Given the situation, Hardy wasn’t sure if that were a good thing.

  Looking around and seeing nobody paying any attention to him, Hardy climbed back into his truck. He would be a little early for his meeting, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a look around the parking lot before he pulled in. Though he’d never admit it to anybody, the television program featuring his death had put him on edge. He’d just be a little more watchful now. That would have to be enough since he wasn’t ready to give up his life as Beau Harding just yet.

  In fact, he found himself liking this life a little too much. As quickly as he had the thought, he shoved it away. Thinking like that could get him killed.

  Chapter 4

  “And so I told him to count it again if he didn’t believe me.” Wyatt Millan laughed at the story he had just taken twenty minutes to share. Unfortunately, none of the other three people present were able to manage much more than a polite chuckle.

  He looked at Haley. “So, tell me about yourself.” What? He knew there were other people there besides him?

  “I’m just a small-town girl.” Not the type of woman he was familiar with.

  “What is there to do for fun around here?” Well, she’d held his interest a long time.

  Wayne answered. “We have several good restaurants and a pretty big movie theater. Or if you’re physically active, we have a bowling alley and skating rink.”

  Wyatt looked disbelievingly at Wayne before returning his focus to Haley. “What does a lovely woman like you enjoy?”

  Haley exchanged pointed looks with her friends, who appeared to regret trying to fix her up with Wyatt. She decided to answer honestly. “I am very active in my church. God has given me all I have, so I try to do my best to use it for His glory.”

  Wyatt looked at her as though she had just announced she was from the planet Mars. “I didn’t take you for one of those people.”

  She had never been particularly fond of being dismissed as a strange duck simply because of her faith. Haley felt a spark of energy light her heart and travel to her mouth.

  “Well, if you mean a Christian, then I am. I believe in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. I believe Jesus Christ suffered on the cross and died for me, to take away my sins. I know I’m saved by grace alone since there’s nothing I can do to deserve it. I will mess up and do things that break his heart, but there is nothing I can do that will make God stop loving me. I believe in doing my best to see my fellow brothers and sisters as God wants me to.” Even when the person was aggravating her beyond belief. “Any questions?” Haley hoped he did; she would be happy to set him straight. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lori hiding a smile behind her hand and Wayne just outright grinning.

  Wyatt Millan sat there with his mouth hanging partially open. It seemed that Haley’s witnessing had taken him enough by surprise to make him speechless. She silently apologized to God when she couldn’t help but wish she’d witnessed to him four stories earlier.

  “Uh . . . up in Chicago, at least the people I hung out with, weren’t church-goers. I’ve never heard it put that way before.” The too-handsome man seemed sincerely taken aback.

  Haley immediately felt ashamed of her attitude. “I’d be happy to tell you all about my faith. Jesus died just as much for you as He did for me.”

  Wyatt seemed to have regained some of his equilibrium. �
��I suppose lots of people go to church. I mean, do most people around here go?”

  Lori answered him. “You’ll find nearly everybody you work with goes. Nanette and Polly go to the same church Wayne and I attend.” She looked at Haley. ”Mr. Houston and his wife still attend your church, don’t they?”

  The bank president had been the church council president for the past four years. “Every Sunday.” If Wyatt’s boss attending church didn’t impress him, she didn’t know what would.

  A speculative look came to his eyes as he seemed to consider Haley’s statement. “Would it be possible for me to go to church with you sometime?”

  While the expensively dressed, not a dark brown hair out of place, self-centered man didn’t seem to be a person Haley would choose to build a relationship with, she couldn’t refuse to help him find God. “Just let me know when you’d like to go.”

  “You’re welcome to go with us, too.” Wayne gave Haley an apologetic look. She doubted he and Lori would be fixing her up on any blind dates for a while. “We go to a different church than Haley. You can try both of them if you like…to see which one you feel most at home in.”

  “Thank you.” Wyatt’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, and, when he shifted his attention back to Haley, there was something about his expression that made her uncomfortable. “What about your job? You work with Wayne, right?”

  Work was a nice neutral topic. “Yes. I’m the chief dispatcher for the Shadow County Sheriff’s office.”

  Interest showed in his eyes. “I imagine that’s an interesting job. Are there many crimes in Shadow?”

  Haley thought about the type of calls she regularly fielded, and for just a moment the image of Beau Harding popped into her head. She’d practically run him over in the drug store after work and was mortified when he started to help retrieve the feminine hygiene products she dropped.

  “What types of crime do you have in town?” Wyatt’s repeated question jolted Haley out of her thoughts.

  Reckless driving, possible domestic violence which usually turned out to be Mrs. Turner dumping Mr. Turner’s alcohol down the drain, minor thefts, very rarely shoplifters, and of course, the routine indecent exposure complaints. “Probably not what you would consider real crimes. Do you agree, Wayne?”

  Wayne chuckled. “Let’s just say they’ll never have one of those true-life police shows following any of us around with a camera.”

  Wyatt perked up. “Speaking of those shows, did any of you see the episode of Last Run Sunday night?”

  “No.” Haley answered while Wayne and Lori shook their heads. “What was it about?”

  “I guess I found it interesting because it happened just north of Chicago.” Wyatt sat forward in his chair. “Almost a year ago, an undercover cop was involved in a hostage situation. The hostage was killed, and so was he. They showed footage from the store where it happened, and it was wild. The cop and the hold-up guy killed each other, but not before the hostage ended up shot in the head.”

  Haley didn’t care for those types of television programs. “That sounds perfectly dreadful.”

  Wyatt’s enthusiasm didn’t wane. “The guy with the gun was the shooter, but according to the detective they interviewed, there was another man who got away. That’s why they had it on Last Run. They’re hoping somebody with information about the shooting will come forward so they can catch him.”

  Wayne caught Haley’s eye and winked before he spoke to Wyatt. “Well, we don’t have anything like that happening around here, I’m happy to say. Shadow will be a big change from Chicago for you.”

  “We’ll never be on television,” Haley agreed, glad to shift the discussion away from the violent event.

  “Although, if we were, they’d have to black out part of the picture if they followed us on one of our routine complaints.” Confused by Wayne’s statement, Haley looked at him. When he mimicked someone washing themselves, she knew what—or who—he was referring to. She had to laugh.

  “I don’t suppose the viewing public would receive Hubert very well,” she commented.

  Wayne had noticed Wyatt’s curious expression. “We have a gentleman in town who likes outdoor sponge baths. He claims they’re why he’s still alive.”

  “So, you have to arrest him?” Wyatt didn’t seem very amused by the idea. “Just how many officers are there in the department?”

  Haley exchanged a puzzled glance with Wayne, uncertain why Wyatt would respond so dismissively to Hubert’s story when most people found it amusing. “Since the county isn’t that large, the sheriff’s department takes care of the city, too. Mitch Landon is the sheriff. The board just hired two new deputies, so he has five now—Wayne, Jeff Fielding, Jerry Young, Tom Winkler, and Hank Stone.” That was common knowledge, so Haley didn’t see any harm in answering his question.

  The banker’s brows shot up. “Six police officers for the entire county? That doesn’t seem sufficient to me.”

  Wayne spoke up. “When we get something big, the state police over in Pattinton send officers to help us out. We’ve only had to call them in for support a handful of times.”

  Wyatt’s eyes narrowed. “So, there are more than just the six officers in the sheriff’s department to keep us safe and sound.”

  Haley wondered if he could be concerned about his own safety in Shadow. “If we need them.”

  “Would anybody care for a piece of cake?” Lori stood up, effectively ending the police-related conversation.

  “Please.” Wyatt had an inscrutable look on his face for a moment before he smiled. “It’s not often I get homemade desserts.”

  “I’ll help you,” Haley told Lori as she stood up and followed her into the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry.” Lori spoke softly enough her voice wouldn’t carry into the living room. “He doesn’t act like that at work. I’ve never heard him tell stories at all, let alone carry on about himself.”

  Haley shrugged. “Maybe he’s lonely. I shouldn’t have been so hard on him.”

  “It was considerate of you to agree to his visit at your church.” Lori appeared troubled as she sliced the pineapple-upside-down cake in front of her. “But, what if he thinks of going to church with you as a date, Haley? That could become uncomfortable quickly.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.” Haley picked up two plates of cake and headed into the dining room. She wondered if she should clarify that attending church together would in no way be a date. But, how would that be done in a polite way? "Maybe she was overthinking; maybe nothing would come from it at all.

  Thankfully, Wyatt didn’t seem inclined to make a late evening of it, so it was relatively early when Haley pulled into her parking space. Her heart lifted when she saw the car parked in the visitor’s spot and the woman standing there.

  “What are you doing out this time of the night?” Haley asked Missy Landon.

  Mitch’s twin sister returned Haley’s smile. ”Joe and I set the date. We’re getting married in May. That’s only seven months away.” She leaned over the hood of her car and straightened back up, holding a stack of magazines. “I wanted you to help me look for a dress since yours will have to match mine.”

  Haley’s heart felt lighter than it had all evening. “That sounds fun. Come on in.”

  It was really too late in the evening to begin the search for a wedding dress, but somehow, the thought of it offset the disquieting evening she’d spent with Wyatt Millan.

  The two women were soon sitting side by side on Haley’s sofa, the magazines spread on the coffee table in front of them.

  “Will your parents be able to come home for your wedding?” Missy’s mom had severe arthritis, and when it was at its worst, she couldn't get around at all. So, Missy and Will had talked before about having a simple ceremony with Mitch giving her away. Then she and Joe would follow it up with a trip to see her parents before they went on their honeymoon.

  Missy’s smile brightened. “Mom’s doctor is trying a new medication, and she's muc
h better."

  "That's great." Haley had good memories of the kind carpenter and his wife.

  "Yes, it is. They're planning to come. Dad says he'll be here no matter what. If anybody gets the pleasure of giving one of his kids away, it’s going to be him.” She giggled. “Although he says he’d rather give Mitch away since he’s the one responsible for all the gray hair on his and Mom’s heads.”

  Haley pointed to a picture in the magazine on her lap. “Here you go. This dress is for you.”

  Both women laughed when Melissa took a good look at the dress with an enormous puffy bow over the posterior.

  “How on earth would a woman sit down wearing that?” Missy shook her head. “I’d have to stay standing for the entire reception. I can see it now. Everybody’s sitting down, and there I am standing at attention.” She gestured toward the picture. “Not to mention how large my tush would look.”

  “They don’t show a picture of this dress from the front.” Haley could imagine her friend in it. Missy would be sure everyone knew why she was standing and probably end up having all her guests do the same.

  Missy seemed skeptical. “It’s most likely because the bow sticks out so far you can see it.”

  That sent both women into peals of laughter.

  “I kind of like this one.” Melissa showed a picture to Haley a few minutes later.

  “It’s strapless.” It was Missy’s wedding, and as maid of honor, Haley was obliged to wear a matching dress, but Haley did not want to wear a strapless dress. “Wouldn’t it be uncomfortable when you dance?” And heaven help them if one of them sneezed.

  Melissa sighed. “You’re right.” She leafed through the magazine. “Have you thought about who you’re asking to Mitch and Tessa’s wedding?”

  It was Haley’s turn to sigh. “Just because the invitation is for Haley Johnson plus one, doesn’t mean I have to bring a date.”

  Her friend looked into her eyes. “But you should.” Her eyes brightened. “And I know who you should ask.”