“Don’t forget, Deputy Matthews, that I’ll be looking for you on Christmas Eve.”
Mrs. Kenny’s voice broke into his thoughts. Reese smiled again. “I’ll definitely be there.”
He was assigned to the 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. shift to cover the tree-lighting ceremony; as the last hired, he was scheduled to work most holidays. The sheriff’s department staff included the chief and four deputies who rotated eight-hour shifts five days a week with two days off. Reese spent his days off in the workshop on the property behind his house. The instant he picked up a circular saw or touched a wood chisel, he recalled the many hours he’d spent in the workshop, watching Papa cut and sand a piece of wood for various pieces of furniture. His grandfather had taught him to identify different types of wood and their uses. And Reese knew that, if he hadn’t joined the military, he would have become a master carpenter like Raymond Matthews.
Reese walked the four square blocks that made up the downtown business district. The shopkeepers had swept the sidewalks in front of their businesses and picked up any debris that had collected along the curbs. Years ago, the local chamber of commerce had embarked on a beautification program to install awnings over every shop and replace the existing lampposts with those resembling gaslights from the Victorian era. The cobblestones along the alleys were restored, and decorative brickwork covered the sidewalks throughout the entire business district.
Reese had lived and attended school on the mainland, but what he remembered most about growing up on Coates Island was crossing the bridge linking it to what locals called the island. There wasn’t need to drive to a larger city to hang out at a mall because the beach had become his playground. He and his friends jogged along the sand, swam in the ocean, gathered driftwood to start a fire to roast s’mores; when they were exhausted, they fell asleep until the sun dipped beyond the horizon and the air cooled, signaling it was time they return home. Teens still tended to congregate on the sand, listening to music until sunset or sometimes later. However, no one was permitted on the beach after midnight, and the regulation was strictly enforced by local law enforcement.
He walked into the supermarket and made his way to the deli counter to pick up something for dinner. Normally, he would’ve called in an order to the Seaside Café, but with them closing for two weeks, he would alternate using the supermarket’s deli or cooking for himself. Although he had breaks and lunch and dinner hours, Reese preferred eating in the breakroom at the station house. His current shift began at eight in the morning and ended at four, and once he was home, it usually took a while for him to unwind, and he didn’t want to spend time cooking.
“What can I get for you, Deputy?” the man wearing a colorful tie-dyed bandana asked.
“What’s good, Mike?”
The elderly man glared at him under lowered bushy eyebrows from behind the counter. “Why in blazes do you ask me the same damn thing each and every time you come in here?”
Reese dipped his head, hoping to conceal the smile tilting the corners of his mouth. The deli man was all bark and no bite. “Inquiring minds need to know.” He wanted to remind Mike that the only time he came in to order was when the Seaside Café wasn’t open for business.
“Know, my ass.”
Reese’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “My, my. Aren’t we touchy today?”
Mike sighed and closed his eyes. “I don’t mean to take my bad mood out on you, Deputy. I just had one of my full-time workers quit on me. How do you call in and say you’re not coming back anymore without a warning or even an explanation.”
Remorse replaced Reese’s teasing. Michael Fennell had become a permanent fixture in the deli section once the supermarket expanded beyond the meat and produce departments. He was aware that Mike came in early to prepare dishes for those wishing to purchase more than cold cuts and cheese.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Enough about my problems.” He waved a hand in dismissal. “The smothered pork chops are really good. I made ’em myself. It was my grandmama’s recipe.”
“I’ll take that, along with the steak fries and garlic green beans.”
“Good choice, if I have to say so myself,” Mike said, chuckling under his breath before he sobered. “If you hear of someone, anyone, needing a job, please tell them I’m looking and willing to pay more than minimum wage.”
“Have you considered hiring two part-timers?” Reese questioned.
Mike paused. “No. What are you getting at?”
“Hire a retiree for the morning hours and a high school student for the afternoon.”
“Hey, I think you’re on to something,” Mike drawled, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m going to put an ad in theClarion. Thanks.”
Reese nodded. He took the bag, made his way to the checkout, and paid for his purchase. Minutes later, he retraced his steps to where he’d parked the cruiser. His shift would end, barring an emergency call, in three hours, and he was looking forward to returning home to unwind.
Crime on Coates Island was negligible when compared to other towns, but that was not to say there weren’t break-ins, car thefts, underage drinking, and an occasional assault. Almost all of the criminal activity was on the mainland, while calls from the island were usually attributed to domestic disputes that were quickly resolved once a uniformed officer arrived.
Once Reese made the decision to return to Coates Island to live, he had to ask himself if he would be content not moving every few years. He’d lost count of the number of bases he’d been assigned to during several deployments, the number of countries he’d visited during his twenty-plus years of active duty. The first month, he slept twelve or more hours a day, watched endless hours of television, and when he did leave the house, it was to sit on the beach. That had become his time to reflect on where he’d come from and where he wanted to go.
He’d asked himself the same question over and over: Can I spend the rest of my life on Coates Island? It was a place that, when he was a teenager, he couldn’t wait to leave. His hometown had become too small, a place where one day blended into the next without change. He got up every morning to attend school, returned home to do homework, and on weekends, he worked alongside his grandfather, even when there were times when he’d wanted to hang out with his friends.
Fast-forward, and the answer was apparent. Yes, he could. He’d survived several deployments and had returned physically whole and grateful that he’d been given the opportunity to embark on a second career to protect and serve his hometown.
Reese enjoyed reconnecting with people he’d known all his life and becoming acquainted with some of the new residents who had moved to Coates Island. He enjoyed his work as a deputy and had settled comfortably in the home where he’d grown up.
He’d just turned down the street when he saw her again. This time, the woman he’d seen talking to Bettina Wilson and then later, that afternoon, in the Seaside Café was pointing to something in the window of the jewelry store. Reese didn’t know why, other than her natural beauty, he found himself intrigued with her. He knew it was easy enough to discover her name by walking into the office of the town clerk and searching through the deeds for the name of the owner of the property that once belonged to Jeremy and Katherine Murphy. Or run her license plate number through a national database. He quickly dismissed those tactics, which he thought of as snooping and wholly deceptive. And there was the possibility that she was either married, engaged, or cohabitating. Without warning, the woman turned and met his eyes before she opened the door to the store and disappeared inside; at the same time, he did not break stride. He made it to the alley and got inside the cruiser.
It had been a while—in fact, a very long time—since a woman had attracted his rapt attention like this stranger had. The first and last one he’d married.Act in haste, repent in leisure.Reese still could not understand why his Gram’s wise sayings flooded his mind when he least expected them. However, if he had heeded her warnings, they would have saved him a great deal of heartbreak and disappointment.
