“No, he volunteered after he hinted that he wanted me to come alone,” I told him.
Dorchester blew out a low whistle. “What did you say?”
“I told him it wasn’t going to happen.”
“Looks like we need to find your other boy toy, Paul, and have a chat with him about his contacts in the Casino Control Commission,” Dorchester joked. I pinned him with my bad cop glare, letting him know I didn’t think he was that funny. “Okay, I was over the line. I won’t do it again.”
“Yeah, I won’t hold my breath,” I told him.
“I wouldn’t either if I was you.” Dorchester whistled a jaunty tune as he walked away.
My phone buzzed with an incoming text, I knew it was going to be from Josh before I even looked.Crossing my fingers it goes well. Be safe. Love you.Those ten words gave me energy and propelled me out the door to find Paul. I could start making some phone calls and make use of my down time while we waited to meet with Silver.
IHAD WEIRD-ASS DREAMSinvolving my new neighbor and didn’t sleep very well. They weren’t sexy dreams or anything to be ashamed of, but I didn’t talk about them with Gabe. He had enough on his plate already without adding my paranoid premonitions to the mix. Included in the myriad emotions, was the guilt I felt about my new neighbor.
Even though I remained unsure of his reasons for being in town, and I in no way believed it was coincidental, it was wrong of me to blatantly lie to him. Finding out about him losing his husband and the ways he tried to right the wrongs punched me hard in the gut. Being skeptical of his presence was one thing, but being outright rude wasn’t acceptable. Letting down my defenses and falling in love with Gabriel Wyatt changed how I viewed the world. Pre-Gabe, I wouldn’t have felt bad about my behavior with Emory, but post-Gabe, I realized that our first impressions weren’t always accurate.
I had set out on my morning run with Buddy, hoping to get the blood pumping and wake myself up for the long day ahead of me. I noticed that the lights were on inside Emory’s house as I ran by and I wondered what his life was like before the accident. What did he do for a living before his world turned upside down? How long had he known his husband? Random questions kept popping up, and the inquisitive side to my personality was quickly taking over the cautious side.
I decided to stop at The Brew for a cup of strong coffee and a pastry on my way back through town. I couldn’t take Buddy inside with me, but there was always someone willing to wait with him outside while I ran in for a coffee. I pretended not to see Mrs. Perkins give Buddy a bite of her strawberry cream cheese pastry.
There were a few people ahead of me in line, and I took that time to peruse the baked goodies in the display counter. My eyes caught on the large chocolate chip cookies and thought they’d make a nice welcome to the neighborhood gift. I doubted they were as good as my homemade ones, but I only gave my cookies to Gabe, literally and figuratively, otherwise I might have a mutiny on my hands.
I ordered a half dozen cookies and a lemon poppy seed muffin for myself with my coffee. “Can you put those cookies in a cute box? They’re a gift,” I remarked.
I accepted my goodies and turned from the counter to leave when I saw a familiar figure coming through the door. It was all I could do not to groan out loud at being in the same room as Rocky Beaumont. I had never forgiven the way he treated Georgia, who I was proud to call my friend, even though she wasn’t perfect. I had forgiven his second wife for the hateful things she said to Georgia before her death because I felt her genuine sorrow for the way she treated Georgia. We all screwed up in life and deserved a second chance. Rocky had been given plenty chances to prove that he had an ounce of decency inside him, but he never did. He was a user, a liar, and a motherfucking cheater.
I might not have groaned out loud, but my facial expression must’ve given me away because Rocky narrowed his eyes and scrutinized my reaction. I told myself to keep my mouth shut and not betray any of the secrets Gabe accidentally spilled about Rocky having an affair with Commissioner Wallace. I nodded politely at the mayor then walked right past him and out the door without a word.
“Thank you, Mrs. Perkins, for hanging out with Buddy.”
“It was my pleasure, dear. Buddy’s such a delightful boy. He reminds me of the dog I had growing up. His name was Baxter, and he was a lab and shepherd mix too.” Mrs. Perkins gave Buddy’s ears a good scratching before she said her goodbyes and walked in the opposite direction of my house or we would’ve walked with her.
Buddy sniffed the air hoping for another treat, but he knew better than to expect sugary sweets from his dads. I planned to give him one of the homemade dog cookies made from sweet potatoes that I bought from Brook’s over the weekend, but only after we made a quick stop at Emory’s to give him my peace offering.
“A word please, Josh,” came a hissing, angry request behind me.
I turned slowly and faced Rocky Beaumont. “Mayor,” I replied, not even trying to hide my contempt for the man.
Rocky closed the small distance between us and lowered his voice. “Listen to me very carefully,” he said in a menacing voice, “I’ll make your life a living hell if you breathe a word of what your boyfriend told you.”
I stood as tall as my five-ten frame allowed, which happened to be several inches over his short, stocky build, and stared him down. Josh Roman backed down from no one, and the pissant mayor was no exception. “Gabe is a man of honor whonevertalks about his cases,” I told the offensive man. Rocky didn’t need to know that my man let his secret slip in a moment of weakness and it wasn’t like the mayor was going to know firsthand how magic my hands were.
“You know my secret,” he hissed. “I can see it in your eyes.”
“A person would need to give a shit about you to want to know your secrets,” I replied. “I promise you that I don’t give a damn about your personal life.” I stepped even closer, causing him to back up. “As for your threat, who the fuck do you think you are? Did you threaten me or my business just now? Your position as mayor in this town is basically for decoration. You don’t have any real authority here, Rocky. You ride around on the back of a convertible during parades and have ribbon cutting ceremonies at businesses that the county commissioners approve or deny. All the county commissioners are my clients, or they’re spouses of my clients, so don’t think you’ll get them to shut me down, asshole.” By that time, Buddy had picked up on my anger and began growling at the reason for it.
Rocky flinched like he didn’t know I owned a pair or something. “Well, I…”
“Don’t threaten to malign Gabriel and me because you’re a pathetic piece of shit.” Subtle was not my middle name. I almost slipped and said something about not keeping it in his pants. His affair with Nadine while married to Georgia was public knowledge, but I doubted Rocky would believe that was the affair I meant. I refused to do anything that caused Gabe to look poorly in the eyes of the public he valiantly served, unlike the sniveling, scoundrel who stood before me.
“Who do you think you are, you little fa…”
“Is there a problem here?” A voice I didn’t recognize interrupted Rocky before he could finish what he was going to say. I turned an irritated face on the interloper because I really wanted to hear what my mayor thought about me. My eyes widened a bit when I saw it was my new neighbor and the reason for my sleepless night. “Josh, are you okay?” Emory asked, looking between Rocky and me. His concern showed in the etched groove in his brow.
“We’re fine,” Rocky said, stepping back. “Thanks for clearing the air, Josh.”
“Anytime you need me to straighten you out.” My fake smile was met with a sneer.
