Without killing the engine, I exit the car. Her eyes dart my way, but she makes no moves to leave. She puts her hand on the jerk’s shoulder and leans closer.
My footsteps are heavy against the concrete sidewalk. I can sense Eden’s discomfort now. I bet she thought I wouldn’t confront her in public, but she doesn’t know me well, and I’m almost out of patience with this little cat-and-mouse game she continues to play.
“I’ll call you,” the man says.
Like hell he will.
Eden giggles, but it sounds nervous. She clears her throat and puts a trembling hand on her long neck.
“Hey,” I yell.
Eden jumps, and he finally faces me. He arches an eyebrow as if I’m inconveniencing whatever the fuck this is. I recognize him. That’s the asshole she was dancing with at Paulene’s a few weeks ago. Preppy, college boy fuck. I eye him up and down. He straightens but doesn’t move away. He eyes her, then me, but I focus on her and slowly raise an eyebrow.
She crosses her arms in defiance. No one speaks. I notice a police car slowing down, but I don’t care. Whoever the officer is, they let off a warning siren. Eden moves away from the building.
“That’s my dad,” she says to the fool.
The idiot straightens and runs his hand down his shirt. I hear a loud throat clearing before I face Sheriff Rose. His steps falter when he sees me. His jaw clenches, and his right cheek twitches. He offers me no smile, but I hold his stare and dare him to say a word.
“Dandy,” he says. His eyes light up when he sees Eden. He holds out his hand, and she takes it. He pulls her away from the idiot, and that fool doesn’t know how lucky he is that the sheriff just saved him from the ass whooping of his life. “Who do we have here?” He’s all smiles for this man.
I stand there so I can wait and hear this fool’s name.
“Daddy, this is Austin Washington. Austin, this is my dad, Randall Rose.”
“Washington,” Mr. Rose says. “You look like someone I went to school with. Are you related to a Jerome Washington?”
“He was my dad,” Austin states.
I can tell by the way he stands that he’s proud of his father.
The two men shake hands, and the sheriff says, “I heard he passed a couple of years ago. My condolences. He was a good man.” Sheriff straightens and looks at this guy. “Are you moving here? Your dad never returned to Shadow Cove after college.”
“Just visiting my grandmother.” Austin looks at Eden and says, “But maybe now I’ll have another reason to come back.”
Sheriff Rose grins from ear to ear. Eden blushes for this loser, but won’t look at me.
“I have to go. I’ll call you, Eden,” he says. He walks away, and Randall puts a protective arm around his daughter. He studies but doesn’t address me.
“Dandy, go wait for me in the car.”
She doesn’t question him.
“Yes, Daddy,” she says as she runs to the safety of his car.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Randall growls once Eden is out of earshot. He inches closer to me and puts a hand on his gun.
I don’t answer his question. I look into his eyes, then at his car to make my point clear.
“You stay the fuck away from my daughter. Do you hear me, you thug?”
I move closer and get in his face.
“Or what?” I challenge.
He doesn’t answer.
“And I may be a thug, but at least I’m nota—”
