He finished chewing. “When I heard there was a ski resort, I was expecting it to be like Aspen or Vail. I had no idea it would be so … small. Why do you choose to live here when you could live anywhere?”
Sasha heard the note of disdain in his voice, as if he, like her family, couldn’t understand what she saw in this town. She tried not to get defensive. “I moved here because this is where the Team is headquartered, but I fell in love with the place and the people. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. I know some of the people can seem a little eccentric.”
“Alittleeccentric?” There was a hint of a smile on his lips. “Within ten minutes of pulling into town, I ran into a guy with a long beard dressed in buckskin standing in the roundabout, a man who was drinking beer at nine in the morning wearing his wife’s bathrobe and underwear, and a woman who said I had warrior energy and wanted to give me a free tarot reading.”
Sasha couldn’t help but smile. “The man in the buckskin—that’s Bear.”
Darius looked like he might laugh. “Bear?”
“His real name is Matthew, but we call him Bear. When he was a little boy, his family had a homestead west of town. His entire family died of scarlet fever except for him. He grew up alone up there until he learned to trust us and began coming into town.”
Darius’ brow furrowed. “That’s rough.”
“The fever damaged his brain. He’s got the mind of a child—a child who knows his Bible verses by heart. He’s probably the gentlest, meekest person I know. A couple of years back, the town pulled together to hire an attorney to ensure that the homestead remained in his hands after the county tried to steal it. That’s the thing I love most—people here take care of each other.”
“And the guy in the bathrobe—what’s his story?”
“That was Bob Jewell, owner of the Inn. His first wife died when his daughters were little, leaving him heartbroken. He remarried, but he drinks too much. I think he likes to antagonize Rose across the street by going out in his underwear. She’s the one who offered you the tarot reading. She means well, but she can’t keep a secret.”
Darius had finished his chili now. “I understand living here to be close to the mountains and Team headquarters. I think it’s great that people support each other, but I wouldn’t like everyone knowing my business. Don’t you find it cloying?”
Sasha shook her head. “No. It’s like having a backstop.”
“Scarlet Springs is one square mile surrounded by reality.” He chuckled at his own joke. “I would find it suffocating.”
Some part of Sasha wanted to defend the town, but she knew there was no point. She’d done the same for years with her parents, and they still made fun of Scarlet. Besides, she didn’t want to argue with Darius. He was trying to help her.
She looked down at her lunch, realized she’d eaten only a few bites of her chili. “I guess I’m not really hungry. The salad filled me up.”
“I’m not surprised. Narcotics suppress a person’s appetite.” He stood, carried their dishes into the kitchen, rinsed his bowl, and stuck it in the dishwasher. “Where do you keep the plastic wrap?”
“That drawer.” She watched as he tore off a piece, covered her bowl, and stuck it and the red pot back into the fridge. “Thanks. I know this isn’t part of your job description.”
“At least you haven’t asked me to make you a martini or give you a massage.”
She stared at him. “People have done that?”
“And worse.” He met her gaze, his eyes hard as slate once again, any hint of warmth gone. “I should get back to work. Thanks for lunch.”
“You’re welcome.” Sasha watched him walk away, feeling strangely disappointed.
Darius filteredthrough Ms. Dillon’s emails, irritated with himself. He’d known he shouldn’t eat lunch with her, but he’d done it anyway. Yes, it had saved time, but at a price. He’d let down his professional barrier, and he’d hurt her. He’d seen it in her eyes.
He’d been honest when he’d said he would find small-town life suffocating. He much preferred the anonymity of the big city. He could get on with his life, surrounded by people, and yet be completely alone. His last girlfriend had called him a misanthrope. But it wasn’t that he disliked people. He simply didn’t trust them.
And that right there is why you’re still single.
It was probably for the best. Darius’ job with Major Crimes demanded long hours and came with real risks. It would complicate his life to have a wife and kids at home. His career had come between him and every woman he’d dated. Darcangelo and Hunter had families and somehow made it work. But they’d gotten lucky.
Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.
He shifted his thoughts back to Ms. Dillon’s emails. He found a folder labeledHatersin her Saved folder and opened it. It was like taking a deep dive through the darkness of the toxic male psyche. A momentary stab of sympathy cut through his concentration. He knew only too well what it was like to be the target of hate.
He found threats of violence and rape, as well as harassment, much of it sexual in nature. He flagged them all for upload into the system for analysis and tracing, then focused on the emails from the past six months. There’d definitely been an uptick in hate mail after she’d exposed Riggs last April. Most of the senders seemed outraged that she’d reported Riggs, accusing her of seeking publicity and trashing his career. Apparently, Riggs couldn’t be blamed for his actions because Sasha, as a woman, had asked for it.
What do you expect when you flaunt yourself in tight shorts? Any real man would react.
Arealman. Right. Asshole.
