He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. It had been eight years since the last time he’d laid eyes on her. Tears streaming down her face as she’d ripped his heart out of his chest and left him high and dry.
“Not sure how long she’s staying before going back to Texas. I think her flight arrives sometime this evening. Soon as I know what is going on funeral wise, I’ll call you and Mom to let y’all know.”
Jayson spoke with Christy for several more minutes before hanging up. He knew there was a chance he’d be back, but he kept telling himself the opposite.
“Adam Three to dispatch, be advised that the disturbance at the Pennington home was a mistake. It’s just Mr. Pennington’s daughter home to take care of his body and estate.”
“Ten-four, Adam Three.”
She was home. At her dad’s.
CHAPTER
FOUR
His phone rang. Without looking at the caller ID he answered without a word.
“Rusty’s after shift ends? I need a fucking beer, man,” Peter James announced after a beat.
“Yeah. I need to grab a shower and change clothes. I’ll meet you there,” Jayson agreed, knowing he’d need the alcohol.
Rusty’s was one of the local bars he would go to when he didn’t feel like hooking up with anyone. When you were born and raised in a small town, one tended to know everyone more than they really wanted to.
It’s why Jayson usually went to the bars outside of Hellburn Falls. He usually would go into Asheville or Swannanoa where the tourists would frequent since most were only in town for the weekend.
He didn’t have to worry about them wanting the white picket fence dream. The one time he made the drunken mistake of hooking up with a local right after coming home, he couldn’t get rid of her for months.
She’d been determined to rekindle their relationship and was already talking about wedding bells and babies. That shit wasn’t happening.
When she’d caught him with another woman, she’d lost her shit. But it did what he’d wanted to do, so far.
Tonight, he wasn’t going to fuck another woman to forget Lana Pennington. Hadn’t worked for him these last six years, so tonight would only be a drunk night.
Three hours later, Jayson walked into Rusty’s and found Peter at the bar with his beer waiting. After ordering a cheeseburger and fries, he started drinking his beer.
“Lana’s back in town,” Peter started right off the bat with the news he’d already figured out.
“So, I’ve heard. Christy’s meeting her tomorrow to help with the dad’s arrangements.” Jayson took a gulp of his beer.
“She’s not here alone.”
“So, she’s found her someone who makes her happy. Good for her. Proves she never cared about me.”
Jayson downed his beer in three more swallows, slamming the glass on the bar. After signaling to the bartender to get him another one, he turned to survey the crowd.
“It wasn’t a man. She has two of her teammates here with her. Turns out she’s a cop in Houston. Part of some spec ops task force there. When I arrived on scene, they were in the kitchen of Lana’s old house with Nan, having sweet tea. Nan says she’s not hitched.”
“She got out of the Army?” Jayson looked over at Peter in shock.
“Yeah.”
Jayson watched his friend fiddle around a little, appearing nervous about something. He kept studying his friend until the guy sighed heavily.
“She has a kid, Jayson. Her friend, Sunny said she was knocked up by an ex who cheated on her with another woman that he’d also gotten pregnant when she was in the Army. Isaw the little girl, Jay. She’s a spitting image of you and Lana together.”
Jayson looked at his best friend in shock, listening to what Peter had told him made all the memories of the night Lana had left him rush forward. Memories he’d tried for years to forget but never worked.
“She wouldn’t do that to me…”
