Playboy Ever After

by Chance Carter

  “It is. All this land is mine, from the edge of the lake on the other side to the top of that hill. See?”

  He turned and pointed past the cabin to the edge of the crest of a hill off in the distance.

  “It's a fair size, don't you think so?”

  “I do indeed.” Isabelle nodded with enthusiasm.

  He hadn't seen a child smile as much as this one had since she had been out here. The open air was doing her some good.

  “I think this is simply the most amazing place I have ever been to.”

  “Well, thank you very much, Miss Dale.”

  Her smile suddenly disappeared.

  “I wish I could stay here forever with you and your dog.”

  Roy dropped to a crouch in front of her.

  “Now first off, that there isn't my dog.”

  The animal barked as if to disagree and circled them both before he dropped down in a sweaty heap beside him.

  “It sure looks like your dog,” Isabelle laughed. “I bet you have a name for him and everything.”

  “Dog, of course. Plain and simple.”

  Isabelle laughed again until Roy took her little hands in his own much larger ones.

  “Now you listen here, little missy. You are in very good hands with that lady in there. She's your aunt, and that means she is family to you. It’s a damn sight more family than I've got, believe me. You’re lucky she came all this way to take care of you.”

  “Except I don't think she really wants to.”

  Isabelle jutted out her chin, a sure sign she was holding back a flood of tears.

  “I think she really just wants to get rid of me. I wish my mom was alive so I could just be at home right now with her. I wish my daddy wasn't locked away in jail. I wish he didn’t kill my mommy.”

  She paused to sniff loudly.

  “That is what happened, isn't it? My daddy killed my mommy?”

  “Who told you such a thing?”

  Roy held her hands for comfort.

  “Whoever told you that is wrong, very wrong. Your dad would never hurt your mom like that, and I think you know that already.”

  “But he told me so,” Isabelle protested.

  “Who? Who would fill your head with such foolish notions?” he asked her.

  Isabelle stared across at him. Her blue eyes were welling up with tears.

  “The man at the wake.”

  “What man?” Roy asked, although he had a pretty good idea who Isabelle might have been referring to. “What did he look like?”

  “A policeman. The tallest, scariest one.”

  * * *

  Jenny watched from the cabin's living room window as Roy and Isabelle interacted down on the beach.

  She had to admit, she was feeling unmistakable pangs of jealousy. She only wished she could talk to her niece as easily as Roy could and have her respond in the same way. Since she had met the child at the station, it seemed as if she hadn't been welcome. Isabelle would rather have been with absolutely anyone else in this town, but her.

  Jenny felt like she would be stealing Isabelle’s life away by taking her back to New York, but what choice did she have? Her life was there and all of her responsibilities. Without them, she had nothing. It was her whole life and one she worked hard to build for herself. She couldn't give it up now, especially not to remain here in this backward town full of difficult memories.

  Not that she was entirely sure she had a career to go back to. It had been five days since she’d been given the editor position. She knew it didn’t look good that she’d left town the day after the promotion. The fashion magazine business, was tough, fast, and competitive. If she couldn't step up to the plate and get the work done, she would be toast and all of her hard work to get to this point will have been for nothing.

  Jenny turned away from the window and sank down onto the old couch, crossing her arms across her chest. It wasn’t fair that she was back where she started.

  Although, last night with Roy had been pretty amazing. She could get used to that. He had been confident and took control of the situation, qualities she liked in a man.

  He brought out her confidence as well. She gave herself freely to him, with no inhibitions. She had loved every minute of it. She could still recall each and every caress. She closed her eyes and recalled each delicious kiss. Her body burned with the desire to reconnect with him.

  It had been a long time since she had taken a lover. Her days were spent mostly at the desk in her office or back in her apartment sleeping off the stress of her job in the fashion industry.

  As much as friends tried to drag her out to the latest club or trendy bar, Jenny just had a hard time letting herself go. She made a good first impression, with a knack for making quick conversation with strangers when she had to, but that was where her involvement stopped. She didn't have the same desire to build something romance-wise with anyone. No one had tickled her fancy.

  Until now. Since her first meeting with Roy, he held a spot in the back of her mind, even when he was getting under her skin.

  She had wondered if she would run into him again, half wanting to and half dreading it. Seeing him at the funeral had sent her heart, and body, into a frenzy, and she was pleased that they were now on speaking terms and becoming more. She hoped it was more.

  Jenny wished he weren’t so angry with her. Surely he realized she had to go back eventually. It was her livelihood. How else was she going to make good money? A girl had to eat, live, and shop. Just because he lived off the land and made do with the simple way of life didn't mean it was for everyone.

  She leaned forward and let her head drop into her hands as a headache creeped up on her.

  Chapter 14

  Roy told Isabelle she could help cook breakfast, and he watched as she happily skipped on ahead of him toward the cabin. Her mood had brightened considerably after he explained to her how wrong the police officer at the wake had been to say those things about her parents.

  He knew immediately that it would have been Chief Cartright who had said those horrible things to a little girl. No man of any character would have done it.

  Cartright often ran his mouth around town. He was especially obnoxious when he had a few drinks in him, and yet he was still widely respected and trusted by most people in Ombrea. Chief Cartright had even been named Town Official of the Year a couple years prior. The brass plaque was displayed proudly on his office wall, or at least it was the last time Roy reported to duty, two years ago this November.

  Roy had been quite friendly with Chief Cartright when he first joined the service. He would even go so far as to say they had been close. It was Chief Cartright who took a chance on him when he showed up one cold, rainy morning with no formal police training or education. He had only his army training and experience to back him up. That, along with determination and willpower. He had those in spades.

  In a small town like Ombrea, anybody willing to report on time to duty and put his life on the line was taken on almost immediately.

  Things progressed quickly from there. Roy did well in the position and proved himself to be an asset to the team. He was told he would be working with Joey Dale on his fifth day. It was a Friday, and the two of them, the service's two newest recruits, bonded quickly as they carried out their duties together.

  They spent the first afternoon working traffic up on the main road, the task being to ensure construction on the new stop light didn't slow traffic to a dead stop. Roy found Joey fun to work with. He was quick with the jokes and chatty. None of the police officers Roy had worked with up to that point had been as friendly as Joey. He knew they had been trying to intimidate him and keep him on his toes while they trained him, but he learned more from Joey than any one of them, and he started to enjoy the job.

  After Natalie died, everything changed. He no longer cared about the police force or those he worked with. He constantly showed up late or in such a bad mood. He was quickly reprimanded.

  After a number o
f reprimands, he was eventually called into Chief Cartright's office and relieved of his duties. He turned in his badge and gun without a peep. He just didn't care. All he wanted was his beautiful wife back, and if he couldn’t have that, he didn't want anything.

  Chief Cartright didn’t speak to him again until the trouble began with Joey.

  Roy had gone home the afternoon of his termination with a plan. He had his father's old shotgun in the house. It wasn't the cleanest of ways to go, but it would do the trick.

  Roy slammed the front door shut behind him and walked straight through the cabin to the gun locker in the study. He found the old key tucked away in his desk drawer. It had been a long time since he had taken the gun out of its storage unit.

  He unlocked the cabinet easily. The lock snapped back and he flung open the door. He bent to collect a couple of shells from the metal tub at the bottom of the old unit and stood, reaching for the gun. He unlatched it from the wooden holding frame.

  Roy pulled the desk chair across the room and propped his foot up on it so he could load the weapon more easily. When he clicked the barrel back into place, he felt his first feelings of doubt. Maybe this wasn't such a good decision to be making. Maybe he was being a little overly-dramatic in thinking he should end it all so suddenly.

  He locked back up the gun and dropped the key once again into the cluttered desk drawer. He closed it firmly and left the study the way he found it.

  Roy never considered doing away with himself again. In fact, he made sure to hide the key a few days later just to be sure he wouldn't repeat his actions. The downside was that he had done the hiding while drinking whiskey and still had to find where the new hiding place was.

  Now, as he followed Isabelle into the cozy cabin, he was especially grateful that he hadn't chosen to end his life that day. His place was here, fighting for a good cause. That good cause was Joey Dale.

  No one else would be stepping up to fight for Joey’s freedom. Not even his own sister would have been there for Joey if it weren’t for him. Roy was the one who convinced her that her brother had been set up. Joey would have been screwed.

  But their fight still was just beginning. They still had to prove their case to the authorities and have Joey freed from jail. Right now, he had to figure out how to go about doing that. They would start with the fire. If they could find the person or persons who wanted Jenny Dale dead, it would lead to new information about Chloe’s death.

  * * *

  Roy didn't see Jenny when he came inside, but he could hear the shower running and figured she would be avoiding him at all costs. He was fine with that. He was still upset that she intended to return to New York, even after what happened between them last night. Some distance would do them both good. He didn't want to look like a fool for thinking last night meant more.

  He told Isabelle which ingredients to fetch and she went to the fridge to find them. He figured a large breakfast would do them all some good. They needed rest and nourishment for hunting down leads.

  Soon, the kitchen was alive with the smells of cooked bacon and sausages. He pulled over a stool from beneath the open sink and showed Isabelle how to fry the eggs until they were over easy and perfect. He was impressed by how quickly she caught on.

  He let Isabelle set the table. Isabelle demanded a tablecloth like the one her mother had always used. He dug around a few cabinets while she monitored the cooking. He was relieved to find an old, blue one he hadn't seen in years. Natalie had laid this one out on the table when they first moved in. She said blue was her favorite color.

  He gave the cloth to Isabelle and took over the duties at the stove.

  Roy was sliding the food onto warm plates when he heard soft footsteps coming down the hall. Jenny arrived in the kitchen doorway a moment later, her hair in a towel.

  He was expecting her to be in the same, red dress she had worn last night, until he remembered he had brought her duffel bag from the end of her bed. She was constantly surprising him. Instead of being dressed to the nines like she usually was, she looked pretty in jeans and a red sweater. She had on a little bit of makeup, but she really didn’t need any. She was a natural beauty. Around her neck she wore a simple, black beaded necklace.

  “Hey.”

  He noticed she avoided eye contact when she spoke to him. She crossed the room to the table and took a seat beside Isabelle.

  Roy distributed the plates. Isabelle must have listened to what he said about Jenny, because she began telling her at length of her involvement in the preparation of breakfast.

  As he tucked into his own food, Roy couldn't help but notice Jenny's happiness and relief as the little girl chatted away to her for the first time. She joined in wholeheartedly, and before long, any awkwardness there had been was distinguished.

  Roy was relieved too. He was concerned when he heard through the grapevine that an estranged aunt was to take over Isabelle’s care. He had never met Joey's sister, but judging by how little Joey spoke of her, he didn't think she would be a good fit.

  Now watching the two of them together, he could see that Isabelle was in good hands. He only hoped that Jenny would see it too.

  Chapter 15

  Jenny was still feeling bad about how she and Roy had left things, so she offered to do the dishes. She left Isabelle and Roy to chat without her at the table while she cleared away the plates.

  Filling the wide, ceramic sink with hot water, she had time to think. When she was in the shower, an idea had come to mind, and she hadn't been able to get it out of her mind. She just wasn't sure it would work.

  She added some dishwashing liquid to the hot water and set the dishes in, one by one, using the time to debate in her head the pros and cons of her her idea.

  She had never been especially close with Joey. He had only been just over a year younger than her, but when they were children, it had seemed like a huge difference. They had nothing in common, so far as she could remember. That became obvious the first few time he was whisked home in a police car, a cocky smirk on his face. The life he led had held no interest for her. It was childish and immature. She never wanted any part of it. His behavior and her disagreement with his choices had led to their tension.

  She could remember very clearly one night in high school. He was sent home with a warning. The officer told their grandparents he had been caught with a couple of spray cans out at the train tracks. When asked what the hell he thought he was doing, Joey told them all he only wanted spray paint his name on the cars so it could feel like he was getting out of this place every time the train left the station. He wanted strangers to see his name out there in the world beyond Ombrea and wonder about who he was and what he believed in. He claimed it was poetic, but no one was convinced.

  After being sent to his room, Jenny confronted him in the hall. It was the week she had been nominated for homecoming queen, and she was feeling very proud of herself at the time. With her chin jutted out, she pointed a finger into his chest and told him to get his life together. You're making it too easy for me to be the favorite, she said. Now she regretted having said it. She couldn't imagine how he must have felt when he heard those words from her mouth. If she were him, she would have hated her.

  He must still hate her for saying it.

  That settled it. Now was her chance to make it up to her brother. She abandoned him when he needed her most. He was an orphan like her, but he didn’t just lose his parents, he lost everyone. He was crying out for attention and she was too wrapped up in her own life to see to it that he was okay.

  She wouldn’t make that mistake again. She would stay in Ombrea to care for Isabelle and fight for her brother’s innocence. Her life could wait.

  Jenny was so deep in thought that she didn’t notice when Isabelle left the kitchen to play outside with her dolls. She finished up, drying her hands. When she turned around to hang the towel back over the stove handle, Roy was standing behind her, his mind occupied with serious thoughts of his own.

 
; “I owe you an apology,” he said sheepishly. “I shouldn't be upset that you want to get back to New York. This wasn’t part of your plan. You have a life there and a job. I can’t expect you to give it all up and move back to Ombrea. I wasn’t only thinking of Isabelle either. I was being selfish. I really enjoyed last night,” he said, his face turning pink. “I guess I had hoped there would be more nights like it. I’m not one for casual hookups. But I’m not from the city, either.”

  Jenny was surprised to hear what Roy had to say. Did he think she slept with men all the time? Did he think it was just random sex for her?

  “You have no need to apologize to me,” she started.

  “But I do,” he cut in. “I didn't mean to be a prick. Or make you feel guilty. I'm sure Isabelle will love New York when she has had a chance to settle in. There must be a ton of things to keep a child stimulated there, so many more opportunities than this small town has to offer.”

  “I guess so, but,”

  “Schools, for one. She would have plenty of friends. I bet you have a really nice place out there.”

  Yeah, Jenny thought herself, a gorgeous, one-bedroom that barely fit a bed and her shoe collection. It would be a tight squeeze to add a child and all the toys and clothes she would bring with her. She would have to sell her place and find somewhere bigger to live. It would cost a lot more for a suitable place in the city. She didn’t even know if her job would be there for her when she got back. She hadn’t heard a peep from Joy Magazine.

  “Roy, hear me out.” Jenny said, “About last night…”

  “Hey, Roy!”

  Jenny was cut off when Isabelle arrived in the doorway. Perfect timing, kid, she thought sarcastically. It looked like her conversation with Roy would have to have to wait until a later time.

  “What's up, kid?” he said, looking over at Jenny and smiling apologetically.

  “Will you teach me how to fish?” Isabelle asked eagerly.

  She had his battered, green, bait box in her hand. She must have found it on the deck while she was outside playing.