He slowly turned and looked at me. “Do you remember how you felt the day Natalie died?” I swallowed hard and nodded. “Do you remember begging for her to hang on? Because I remember all of that. It’s on replay every fucking minute of my life. I kept thinking if we had just left…if we had dropped Alessa off with Eric and let it end then, Natalie would still be alive. Jack, I don’t mean to be an asshole, but you’re a sheriff in the middle of fucking nowhere. These guys had the means to track us and find us when we were living off the grid. And let me tell you, everyone in that family is a bunch of backstabbing motherfuckers. So, no, I don’t think that if I went to you that it would have changed anything. I think a lot more people would have died. And I don’t need one more person’s death on my conscience.”
After walking into the community center, Josh and I parted ways. I couldn’t say I was too upset about that. After hearing his speech about how many people could have died, I knew he was right. There was nothing I could have done to help him. Natalie might have died sooner. Maybe several people in his family would have died. Who the fuck knew?
I strolled over to the bar and grabbed a water, watching as the whole town showed up in their Titanic themed night clothes. It was a little morbid if you asked me. Dressing up as people that died on a sinking ship wasn’t exactly a poker theme in my opinion, but then again, the west wasn’t exactly a civil society back in the day.
Carter strolled in with Abby on his arm. I grinned as he walked in dressed like a penguin. Abby had on a beautiful dress. It made me wonder where all these people were going for their costumes.
As Carter walked over, I nodded. “Mr. Popper.”
“Oh, you’re funny.”
I shrugged. “I try.”
“So, no lady on your arm tonight?”
“And which lady would I have on my arm?”
“Oh, I don’t know. A pretty lady that just moved back to town.”
“Carter,” I glared at him. “Shut it.”
“See,” he turned to Abby. “His best friend as a kid just moved back to town. Well, they were best friends, until Jack met Natalie. Then Christy moved away, and now she’s back, looking sexy as hell.”
“Christ, is it really necessary to comment on another woman right in front of Abby?”
“Hey, I’m just saying, if she does show up, things could get very interesting.”
“You know what else could be very interesting?” He quirked an eyebrow at me. “My fist in your face.”
“Yeah,” Abby patted Carter on the chest, “you really need to stop trying to set him up with people.”
“Hey, I'm just saying,” he shrugged. “She’s hot, a long-lost…person, and he’s single. It’s literally the perfect situation.”
“Yeah,” I sneered. “What could go wrong?”
“Exactly. You need a new woman.”
“I think Abby’s going to end up single if you keep talking.”
“Hey, I’m just saying, you need to get laid, Jack. Tell him, Abby.”
“You know, this is really more of a guy thing, and I'm not going to get involved.” She glanced away, pointing at the bar. “Look, drinks! See you later,” she grinned, rushing off.
“Look, I'm just saying, you need to get laid by a hot woman, and Christy is most definitely a hot woman. I mean, no guarantees you’ll get her. You’re probably a little rusty.”
I gritted my teeth and did my best not to punch him in the face.
“You did get burned pretty bad the other day.”
“I didn’t get burned,” I snapped. “There was no burning because I wasn’t trying to get—“ Throwing my hands up in frustration, I stomped away, only to turn and get in his face. “You know, this is why I don’t talk to you about this shit. You’re getting all weird, thinking that I’m going to end up with Christy. It’s not going to happen. We’re just friends, and it’s going to stay that way.”
“Yeah, because you don’t have the balls to ask her out on a date.”
“Because I don’t want a date. I don’t think of her like that.”
“Are you sure about that?” he grinned.
“Positive.”
He hissed in a breath. “Then I sure would hate to be you right now.”
“Why?”
“Because she just walked in and…” He nodded the way Andrew or Joe did when they had something to say, but couldn’t spit out the words.
I slowly turned around and there she was, standing in the doorway in a black gown that was fit for a queen. She looked radiant. I felt Carter clap me on the shoulder and squeeze. All the oxygen left my lungs as I stared at my former best friend.
“Yeah,” Carter said over my shoulder. “You don’t want her at all.” Laughing, he slapped me on the shoulder. “You know you want her.”
He wasn’t wrong. I did want her. I wasn’t sure in what way, whether as a friend or maybe as a lover. It was weird because I never thought of her in any sexual way before. It wasn’t until she came back that I even saw her as anything but my best friend. Now I was staring at her and wondering what she looked like naked. And that made me feel like shit because if I was thinking about anyone, it should be Natalie.
“Holy fuck,” I muttered as she turned and I got a good look at just how spectacularly that dress fit her.
“See, now you tell me that when you look at her, you’re not thinking Damn, I’d like to bang that woman.”
I shoved my water in his face, marching off toward the door to see Christy. But just as I was approaching her, Plaid Man stepped in front of me.
“And what's a beautiful lady doing here all by herself?”
Grabbing Plaid Man by the shirt, I pulled him back a step, shoving him off to the side.
“Hey, I was talking to her.”
“And now you’re not,” I snapped.
“What is it with this town?” he asked. “I stop and talk to one woman, and suddenly there’s a fight breaking out. Is there some rule that I don’t know about where I’m not allowed to talk to women in this town?”
“Not this woman,” I grumbled under my breath.
“Jack, what are you doing?” Christy asked.
“Just making sure Plaid Man knows where he stands, and that he’s not bothering anyone.”
“He actually wasn’t bothering me. He said hello like a normal person, and I was going to respond with Hi, my name is Christy. But then you interfered and I never even got to introduce myself.”
“Rightly so. You don't need to mess around with him. Plaid Man’s dangerous.”
“I am not dangerous,” he scoffed.
“You are too dangerous. There's a reason they sent you out here.”
“Wait, who sent him out here?”
“Exactly,” I said, pointing a finger at Plaid Man, as if that answered everyone’s questions. Christ, I was turning into Joe and Andrew.
“What are you talking about?” Plaid Man said angrily. “Nobody sent me out here.”
“That's not what I heard. According to Derek, they sent you out here to get you away from another man's wife.”
Christy gasped. “Is that true?”
“Of course it's not true. Look, I was friends with a woman. Her husband thought I was trying to seduce her or something, but we were just friends. They're married and have kids. I have no desire to date her.”
“Like she’s going to believe that,” I snorted.
“You know, I just came to relax,” Christy said. “So, whatever’s going on here, I’m out.”
She walked away, leaving me alone with Plaid Man.
“What’s your problem?”
I turned to him and got in his face. “You want to know what my problem is? Your shirt is my problem.”
“My shirt?”
“Yeah, it offends me. Who wears that much plaid? This is a theme night. It’s supposed to be the Titanic, and I’m pretty sure no one on the Titanic wore plaid.”
“Not the rich half. They had no style,” he grumbled.
“Pla
id isn’t a style. And let me tell you, if you want to get a woman’s attention, don’t wear plaid every fucking day.”
“I had no trouble getting Christy’s attention. That is until you came running in and ruined everything.”
“Let me make one thing very clear,” I said in a low voice. “She’s off limits. You don’t go near her. You don’t try to charm her with your plaid tales. As far as you’re concerned, she doesn’t exist. Got it?”
He rolled his eyes at me. “You know, you could just say you like her.”
He shoved past me, slamming his shoulder into mine. Like I would admit that I liked a woman when she was just my friend. Technically, she wasn’t even that at the moment. No, he needed to stay away from her because…because I said so. Nodding to myself, I stalked over to the counter to take my seat and watch the games. Hell, I knew the men in this town, and Plaid Man definitely wasn’t for her.
12
Christy
I wasn't even sure why I came out tonight. I was tired. I had plenty of stuff to do, but part of me wanted to get back into the swing of things in town and just feel normal for one night after unpacking all day. And on top of the stress of moving, I was still having nightmares, constantly remembering what I walked in on at that house.
I hadn’t been able to talk to anyone yet. Katherine suggested I speak with a counselor, but it felt wrong to discuss how I felt. I was the cause of them being killed. I had hoped that if I came out tonight, I could grab a few drinks and forget for just one night about the nightmare that became my life.
And then I saw Jack. My heart ached every time I saw him. I wished more than anything that I could just accept his friendship and go back to what we used to be, but that would never work. I would always want Jack in a way that he would never want me.
“He’s hot, isn’t he?”
A woman sidled up beside me and sipped on her drink. “Um…who are we talking about?”
“The man in the suit.”
I tried to pinpoint which man she was talking about, but they were all in suits. Except for one.
“You’re going to have to be more specific.”
“Carter, the man standing next to the sheriff.”
“Yeah, I know Carter.”
“I’m Abby.” She held out her hand and I took it.
“Christy.”
“Are you new in town?”
“Returning. I was away for seven years.”
“Like, prison?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. With a big sigh, she nodded. “I know what that’s like. Carter arrested me once. Let me tell you, doing that hard time really changed my life.”
“Carter arrested you and you went to jail?”
She nodded with big eyes. “Thank God he doesn’t mind sleeping with a criminal.”
My eyebrows shot up. “He’s…you’re…”
“Yeah, we had this whole amazing kiss under the rain…well, it was a fire hydrant that I hit, but it was still romantic as hell.”
“Wow, I guess I never saw Carter dating a…”
“A criminal,” she nodded. “It’s okay. You can say it.”
“What did you do?”
“Well, it started off completely innocent. I walked into the bakery and this bitch started telling me I needed help. And then Anna came and defended me—”
“Wait, Anna who?”
“Oh.” She scanned the crowd and then pointed to a woman that looked awfully familiar.
“Yeah, Anna…I remember her.”
“Well, she’s married to Robert Cortell. Anyway, she defended me against the psychotherapy bitch. And the next thing I knew, we were covered in whipped cream and I was hobbling out with only one shoe on.”
I frowned. “So, what was the crime exactly?”
She huffed out a laugh. “You name it. Destruction of property, assault and battery…the list is a mile long.”
“And Carter arrested you?”
Carter walked up beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Are you telling that story again, babe?”
“She needs to know who she’s dealing with,” she said to Carter. Then she turned to me quickly. “Not that I’m threatening you. I just want you to be aware that you’re hanging out with a criminal right now, and that could affect how others see you.”
Carter sighed heavily. “She is not a criminal. She was handcuffed to a jail cell for five minutes. No charges were pressed.”
“He’s downplaying how bad it was.”
“No, but I will tell you never to get in a car with her. She’s a terrible driver.”
“I’m an amazing driver,” she said angrily. She turned to me with the sweetest smile on her face. “You should have seen the J turn I pulled in New York. Downtown, middle of traffic, but the man I loved was going to get away. I had to get him back.”
“You could have called me.”
“That’s not nearly as romantic,” she argued.
He turned to me with a tired expression. “I had to badge them.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“I showed them my badge so they would back off. She had four police cars chasing her, she hit several cars, and she busted a fire hydrant.”
“And I had my license taken away,” she said solemnly. “So, as much as I want to be friends, I’ll understand if you don’t want to be associated with me.”
She hung her head and I looked up at Carter with a what the fuck expression. He just grinned at me like he was hopelessly in love.
“Um…well, I have no problem hanging out with you, and I’m sure you’re not that bad of a driver.”
“Oh, she is,” Carter laughed. “Oh, and don’t take any home remedies from her. You might end up in the hospital.”
And with that, he guided her over to a poker table and sat down beside her.
“Well, if it isn’t Christy Price,” a male voice said from behind me. I spun around and grinned when I saw Robert standing behind me with Anna on his arm.
“Hey, I hear you’re married now,” I said, leaning in and giving him a hug. “You’re very lucky,” I said, hugging Anna.
“Oh, she knows it.”
“I was talking to you. You’re lucky she ever gave you the time of day.”
“Well, she couldn’t resist my charms.”
I had heard the gossip from my mom. I knew exactly what happened. “Yeah, I heard that you were a badass lawyer in Chicago, but… what was it?” I feigned ignorance. “Oh yes, you gave it all up for Anna.”
“He wouldn’t have survived in Chicago without me. When I saw him again, he was wearing expensive suits and shoes made out of dog skin.”
“Dog skin?” I grimaced.
“They weren’t dog skin,” he rolled his eyes.
“And he had an automated shower,” Anna continued. “He actually programmed it from his phone.”
I smothered a laugh and nodded. “Yeah, it sounds like she swooped in at just the right time.”
“I wasn’t that bad.”
“He never went anywhere without his phone,” she continued.
“I had a lot of clients.”
“You didn’t have a driver, did you?” I asked, holding back a wince.
Anna burst out laughing, “Yes, he did! How did you know?”
“I lived in Chicago for seven years. Trust me. I’ve seen it all.”
“Well, thank God he moved back here. He only wears his dog shoes on Fridays.”
“They’re not dog shoes, woman!”
Ignoring her husband, she turned back to me. “So, tell us all about you. We haven’t really heard anything since you left for that big time job.”
“It wasn’t a big time job. I was a social worker in Chicago, but it was time for a change.”
“Yikes, I don’t think I could do a job like that. I just run the office for Eric’s construction company.”
“Trust me, I would take that any day over what I was doing. The stuff you see…you just can’t unsee that.”
“So
, have you seen Jack yet?” Robert asked.
It took everything in me not to look over at him. I spotted him the minute I walked through the door, but I had purposely ignored him. However, everyone in town knew how close we once were. It wasn’t exactly a secret.
“Yeah, I ran into him. I even met his son.”
“That kid is going to be trouble,” Robert grinned. “Oh, excuse me. I need to go stop my brother before he gets himself killed.”
I watched him walk over to his youngest brother, Andrew, pulling him away from a woman.
“Who’s that?”
“That would be Lorelei. They’re quite the deadly pair.”
“They fight a lot?”
“No, they cause trouble. Okay, so now that Robert’s gone, what’s really going on with you and Jack?”
My head snapped back to meet her gaze. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, come on. It was so obvious when you left town. Well, it was obvious to all the women.”
“Really?” I asked, swallowing down the bile climbing in my throat. “You could tell?”
“That you were in love with your best friend?” she asked sadly. “Yeah, we all knew in high school you were in love with him, but then when he met Natalie…I always thought you would end up together.”
I glanced around the room, suddenly self-conscious. “How many people knew?”
“Anyone with a brain. I doubt any guys saw it, but yeah, I could always tell.”
“Great,” I muttered.
“How was it when you saw him?”
“Awkward? Extremely uncomfortable. He seems to think we’ll just pick up as best friends.”
“Yeah, Robert thought he would swoop in and take over when we got back together.”
“I just can’t go through that again,” I said, looking out of the corner of my eye at Jack.
“He’s single now,” she said hopefully.
“He’s got a dead wife. Sorry to sound so crass, but how do I compete with that?”
She shrugged. “I still find it hard to believe that he never caught on to your feelings for him.”
Four Horsemen: A Small Town Romance (A Good Run Of Bad Luck Book 5) Page 9