“Yeah, it really was.”Rosa pressed her lips together.“This time Eddie was real upset.I don’t know what about exactly, and Eddie wouldn’t say.I think he thought he was protecting me by not telling me stuff like that.But I heard him on the phone with Gil one night, and it shocked me.”
“They were fighting?”
She frowned.“Eddie wasn’t yelling or anything, but his voice was cold.That wasn’t him at all.Whatever Gil did, it was bad enough to change how Eddie talked to him.Thought of him.”She glanced up, and her confusion was genuine.“It bothered Eddie enough that he wasn’t sleeping well.He’d get up in the middle of the night and sit in the kitchen in the dark.”
“Was there anything else going on that might have been bothering Eddie?Anything outside the fishing?”
“There really wasn’t much in Eddie’s life but fishing and family.”She paused.“He didn’t have a lot of time for hobbies or things like that.A fisherman’s life isn’t an easy one.”
“No, I don’t suppose it would be,” I said sympathetically.
“Eddie worked real hard, but even so, we just couldn’t always keep up, you know?”She wiped at her eyes, her bottom lip trembling.“Now with him dying, I’ll have money because of his life insurance.”A tear dribbled down her cheek.“But I don’t have Eddie, and I’d much rather have him here than money.”
“Of course,” I said hoarsely, my chest tight.
She’d been holding up pretty well, but she seemed to crack suddenly.“It’s not fair that Eddie is gone,” she wailed and began sobbing.“It’s just not fair.Why would this happen?I don’t understand.”
The red-haired woman from the kitchen came bustling in.“I think you should go,” she said brusquely, giving me a dirty look.“You’ve got her all upset again.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”I stood and shut off the recorder on my phone.Then, feeling like a jerk, I left Rosa’s home.
On the drive back to my place, I turned over everything Rosa had said.She’d confirmed that Gil and Eddie had been at odds with each other before his death, but since she didn’t know why they’d been fighting, it didn’t clear anything up.
But Margot didn’t want me digging into anything anyway, so I decided to punch out for the day.I went home, showered, changed into clean clothes, and slapped on some cologne.Then I headed to the Rusty Anchor for dinner.I was in desperate need of fried fish and a nice cold beer.
* * *
The Rusty Anchor wasn’t a slick establishment, but the locals loved it because it had good food, good drinks, and good prices.The dated nautical décor wouldn’t win any decorating awards, but it told you exactly what you were in for when you stepped inside.Dark wood paneling, big booths with red vinyl upholstery, a pool table, neon beer signs in the windows, and a jukebox loaded with classic rock.Tonight, the place was only half-full, with fishermen sitting at the bar and several couples in the booths.
I took a stool at the bar where I could see the room and ordered a beer.I’d been coming here two or three nights a week since I moved to Coral Cove, and the two bartenders, Dom and Tess, knew my order by heart.Tonight Dom was on shift.I liked Dom.He was a stocky guy who didn’t try to make conversation unless I started it.In my book, that was the mark of a good bartender.
I was nearly through my first beer and thinking about having a second when I saw Declan Hale seated in a booth near the back.I hadn’t noticed him when I’d come in and wasn’t sure who had arrived first.He was wearing a dark henley that clung to his chest and biceps nicely.And he wasn’t alone.Across from him sat a blonde woman, pretty, maybe early thirties, laughing at something he’d said.
She had her hand on the table near his, and she was leaning in the way people lean when they’re interested.He was smiling.I hadn’t seen him smile before.It changed his whole face, softened the hard angles, and made him look younger and less world-weary.
Seeing him with a woman was mildly disappointing.I wasn’t sure why, really.It wasn’t like I thought I was his type.Even if he had been gay, and I had no reason to think he was, I’d only had one conversation with the guy, and it had been adversarial at best.Still, with the depressingly limited supply of gay men in Coral Cove, I couldn’t deny the small twist of disappointment he wasn’t playing for my team.
I knew it was simply that I was lonely.Or perhaps not lonely so much as in need of physical release.It had been a while since I’d bothered to seek out the company of another man.I wasn’t a fan of the apps.They tended to attract either guys who were complete alpha assholes or super needy men looking for true love.I wanted something in between.Casual, but regular.That wasn’t easy to find in a little town like Coral Cove.
I turned back to my beer and focused on the TV above the bar, which was showing a Phoenix Suns game that nobody seemed to be watching.I pulled the trigger on a second beer and thought about Rosa and how lonely she must be tonight.Better to have loved and lost, my ass.If the love of your life was ripped away from you, how was it better to know the pain of that loss?
“Well, if it isn’t the illustrious Spencer Cross,” a deep, droll voice said from beside me.
I recognized Hale’s husky voice instantly.I slowly turned my head and found him standing at the bar, two feet away, holding his wallet.His date was gone from the booth.Restroom break, probably.Up close and out of the CCPD windbreaker, he looked different.More human.Less chief-of-police.The henley sleeves were pushed up, revealing muscular forearms dusted with silky auburn hairs.His cheeks had a slight flush that suggested he was a beer or two into the evening himself.
“Well, I don’t know that I’millustrious.”I smirked.“But I like to think I might be memorable.”
His lips twitched.“I certainly found you memorable.”
My pulse sped up.“Oh really?Tell me more.”
He laughed and looked away.“No, I think I’ve said enough.”
Is he flirting with me?
I was so stunned at the difference from how he’d been yesterday with me, I wasn’t sure how to respond.So I went with something safe.“I’m surprised to see you in here.I don’t think I have before.”I took a sip of my beer, happy when my hand didn’t shake.
“I come here all the time.We probably don’t have the same hours.”
