“Excellent,” Cubby said, trying to sound happy.
“I’m sorry I was rude to you when you came to find me in LA.”
“You were drunk, so you’re excused, and for the record your brother’s a mean drunk too.” Cubby tried to make her feel better.
“No he’s not, he’s even nicer.”
“Yeah.” Cubby sighed again. “He is, but he’s kinda mean when he’s tired.”
“He was meaner once.”
“Remember that too.” The current Jake McBride was nothing like the angry, resentful man who had arrived home from Iraq.
“My behavior toward you has been petty and spiteful, Cubby, and that is not me, nor the person I have become. I hope you can forgive me and we can move on.”
“Okay sure, but I expect a bit more than that.”
“What do you expect, Sheriff?”
“I expect, if you are here, that you compete in the Hot Foot so I can kick your ass, princess.”
“I won’t be here, but if I am I’ll think about it.”
“Good enough,” Cubby said.And you will be here, he added in his head.
As they approached the town Cubby said what he needed to. “Katie, those Alessis are mean sons of bitches and I need you to tell me if you see or hear anything, okay?”
“I know everything there is to know about them, Cubby, I was one of the detectives on that case. I’ll be safe, don’t worry about it. They won’t find me here, and eventually things will blow over.”
“I think you’re right, and that you’re safe here, but I need you to not use your cell or your credit cards, and anything else that people could track you down with. No social media,” he added.
“I’m not a fool, I know this stuff. No one but E.J. knows I’m here, and I want it to stay that way. No way do I want to bring any danger down on this town. I don’t have anyone I need to contact either.”
“No friends?”
She puffed out a breath. “Jessie was my friend, but other than her, not really.”
“You always had heaps of friends, why didn’t you make any in LA?” He wasn’t sure she’d answer, as the question was a personal one.
“I had a lot of colleagues, but it’s hard to make friends in our line of work, Cubby. Plus, I guess I was just never sure I wanted to put down roots there, and that’s what making friends would have done.”
“Because you were always coming back?”
She shook her head. “I was just never sure where I would end up.”
He wanted to tell her that was bullshit, she loved this place and it was home, but had no intention of riling her up again, so he left it alone.
The sound of his paddle swishing in the water was the only noise as he took them back toward the town. Pulling the kayak alongside the bank, he said, “I’ll get out, then give you a hand, seeing as you only have one.”
“I can do it.”
Cubby climbed out then turned to face her. “Are you going to do this your entire stay?”
“Do what?” She glared up at him.
“Be awkward.”
“I’m not awkward, I’m independent, and I just apologized so don’t rile me up again.”
