“Oh yeah, I think I’ve read it somewhere too,” Emil agreed. Then, being the little hellion he was, he smirked. “I gotta remember to find some of the nail polish I promised to get her. I have old ones I don’t use anymore. She saw me with some a while back and got really into the idea.”
Mark finally seemed to crack. “I don’t get why she’s doing that to her son.”
Makai realized the guy thought his boss was farther away and not right behind him.
“What is she doing?” Erin played innocent.
“Putting a little boy in dresses and letting him have long hair. That’s almost as bad as child abuse!”
“You do know there’s actual scientific proof of there being more than two genders and that gender identity, sex, and sexuality are three different things?” Emil asked casually.
“Even if that’s true, it’s not like a kid that young would know anything about those things!”
“So what you’re saying is that Lotte is a bad mother for letting her child express their gender identity in this way?” Makai raised a brow at Mark.
“Yes! She’s gonna turn that boy queer and—”
“And what, exactly, would there be wrong with Joie being homosexual?” the sheriff asked in a forced calm tone from right behind Mark’s back.
For a cop, the guy had no situational awareness. Makai didn’t feel bad for him.
“Uh, I mean—”
“What you mean is that there’s something wrong about people who aren’t straight, right?”
“That would be me,” Emil said, lifting a hand and wiggling his fingers at Mark.
“And me,” Makai added his own cheery wave.
“Guess what, Mark,” Erin said and smirked at her colleague. “That’d be me too.”
“While I am pretty positive I’m heterosexual, mysonisn’t,” Sheriff Newman said in a dangerous tone.
Mark was starting to look a bit green.
One of the firemen pushed the wheelbarrow to them and seemed to notice the weirdness going on. “What’s up?” he asked, and Erin turned to him.
“Oh hey, Gray, we’re just talking about how Mark thinks there’s something wrong with people who aren’t straight,” she said in a conversational tone that made Makai snicker on the inside.
Gray stopped, looked at Mark, and shook his head. “Dude. My sister is gay, and my uncle too. What’s with this bigoted shit? You got some issues with your own sexuality?”
Mark sputtered and was about to turn and walk off when the sheriff took a firm hold of his forearm.
“Deputy Forrest,” he said in a deadly tone. “If you choose to continue thinking this way, instead of educating yourself and opening your eyes, I expect you to keep your mouth shut around my family and everyone else in this town your words might hurt. And if Ieverhear about you pulling this shit while on duty, there will be repercussions. Am I making myself clear?”
Mark tensed his jaw, face reddening when he nodded. “Yes, sir.”
To Makai’s surprise, the sheriff looked at him next, a question in his expression. Then it hit him what the man was doing.
“I would appreciate it if you would leave my property. I will not have myself, Erin, Emil, and especially not Joy, treated with hostility and prejudice,” he said evenly, feeling backed up by the others standing there.
The sheriff let go of Mark’s arm before he had time to break out of the hold, and the deputy marched away without saying a word.
“I’m sorry he’s an asshole,” Erin said, grimacing.
“Hey, not your fault, only his,” Makai reassured her.
“If he gives any of you or anyone you know trouble, just let me know. I won’t tolerate that sort of shit in this town,” Sheriff Newman said firmly, and everyone nodded.
