“Stay right there,” he demands, shining his flashlight on Adam.
“Are we doing anything wrong?” Adam says, standing still.
“A thug like you? I can only imagine. You know your kind isn’t welcome in our town,” the officer spits out.
“My kind?” Adam says in disbelief.
I exit the truck, but Adam reaches out his hand, keeping me behind him, protecting me.
“I don’t know who you have behind you there, but she’s not welcome either. Now, pack up whatever drinks or drugs you guys have and get out of here.”
“Excuse me? Are we on private property or something?”
“As I already stated, your kind isn’t welcome here. Go back to the city or wherever you came from. We don’t allow riffraff like you here.”
Adam tenses, and I feel his hand turn to a fist against me. “How am I riffraff? We’ve done nothing wrong here. You can’t just come and harass us like this.”
The cop steps closer. “I’ve asked you nicely to leave. If you’d rather me force you to leave, we can make that happen.”
“Force me?” Adam stands taller, not backing down.
The cop reaches out to grab Adam, but he yanks out of his grasp.
“Don’t you dare touch me,” he growls.
The guy gets in Adam’s face, and I jump in between the two of them.
“Stop. Just stop. There’s no reason for this to escalate like this. Officer, it’s okay. We weren’t doing anything.”
“Sarah?” the officer asks in disbelief.
I turn to get a closer look and recognize who he is instantly. “Yes, Officer Kelly. It’s me. Now, can I ask what’s going on here?”
He glares over my shoulder at Adam. “I should ask you the same thing. What are you doing out here with this trash?”
“Trash?” Adam asks in shock.
I place my hand on Adam’s chest, trying to calm him down. “Officer Kelly, I’d like to introduce you to Adam Jacobson, the owner of the Pleasants Valley property and my friend.”
I watch as his jaw twitches. I left out who he is, knowing when I mentioned the Pleasants Valley property, all would click into place.
His eyes flick from me to Adam and back to me. “Does your father know you’re out here?”
My chest tightens, but I try not to back down. If I do, I know he’ll go straight to my father, filling him in on my evening before I even wake up tomorrow.
“No, I haven’t lived with him in years, and I’m not in the habit of telling him of my every move. I was showing Adam around his new town. His daughter is in my class, and we were just looking out at the view.”
His eyes narrow as he takes me in. He purses his lips and shakes his head. “Well, we don’t allow people to come out here. We’ve had some problems with drinking and leaving a mess, and the homeowners have been complaining. So, why don’t you guys pack up and head back down the hill?”
Relief floods through me, glad that the situation is ending there. “We will.”
I reach behind me, grasping Adam’s hand, making sure he’s calming down as well and praying he doesn’t say anything to ignite another fire. He has every right to with the way he was just verbally attacked, but I hope he knows that some fights aren’t worth it.
He grips my hand tighter, letting me know he’s okay, and when Officer Kelly leaves to get back in his car, I turn and meet Adam’s eyes. The fury is evident as his jaw is still clenched shut, his vision glued to the police car.
I place my hand on his cheek, trying to bring him back to me. “Don’t let him bother you. You heard him; there’ve been problems with teenagers. That’s all that was.”
He tilts his head, giving me an exasperated expression. I have no doubt that he’s not buying my excuse for the way he was just treated. I at least hope he’s not too offended by it.
