Chapter 23
Bee
I didn’t support a life of crime, but jail was pretty cool. I wasn’t a whole new person, but I was edgier now. I might shank somebody. That guy in the corner was giving me funny looks. Oh, wait, that was a recruitment poster.
Never mind.
I understood why so many manifestos were written from jail—loads of thinking time. Not that I was a martyr of caliber like so many, but I had earned some sympathy, no doubt.
“How long has it been?” I asked, voice cracked from dehydration and arms sticking out through the bars of my holding cell. I just needed a metal cup to bang across them.
Was that why it was called a clinker? I bet Owen would know. Sweet Owen. How long until I might see him again?
Officer Martinez sighed loudly. “About two hours, Bee. Five more minutes than when you asked me last time.”
“Feels so much longer,” I said wistfully.
“Probably because you’ve talked the whole time. You should probably stop. Conserve your voice.”
“So. Thirsty.” I smacked dry lips.
“Then get some water. The cooler is over there. You aren’t even under arrest. That door isn’t even locked.”
To be fair, I wasn’t in a holding cell like the ones I’d seen in the movies. It was an average conference room inside the police station with the door open, and I had free use of the phone as the officer repeatedly reminded me. And there were no bars, technically.
It was underwhelming. My imagination was much more titillating.
“You are free to leave. In fact, soon, I’m going to have to insist on it.” He snapped out the pages of the local paper, Slippery Slopes Sheets, with a little extra emphasis. There was a story on the front about something or another involving Deckard’s mom, the mayor, and a policy she was trying to pass being blocked by the council. I wondered if our tram troubles would make the news? I wondered if anybody even noticed I was gone.
I snorted audibly, knowing the truth. Not a single person would have noticed. If this garnered any attention, it was in thanks to Owen. Officer Martinez sighed and turned his back to me. Maybe I wasn’t as easy to ignore now that I was a hardened criminal.
“I’m waiting on my ride,” I lied.
Sort of.
I didn’t have a car here as it was still at the base of The Slope. I hadn’t technically called anybody for help, and not just because my phone was dead. I could walk the mile home, but Owen had said he was coming. I didn’t want to doubt him already. I’d wait here until they made me leave. With each ticking minute, a little voice in my head warned that he’d forgotten about me and was no different from the rest of the town.
I fidgeted with the zipper on the snowsuit I now owned. Regrettably.
He would be coming. I trusted him. I remembered his face last night as he held me. The regret in it this morning as he delivered me to Benny Jr.
The officer looked at my jumping knee, shaking his cup of coffee, and sighed even more loudly. I smiled endearingly. He blinked slowly back.
Officer Martinez was surprised to learn that we’d gone to school around the same time, and I had lived in Slippery Slopes my whole life. I found this out in my nonstop questioning. Sure, he had a job to do, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t ensure he remembered me in the future.
Just then, Owen came sliding to a stop in the front entry. “Bee?” he called out. His deep voice rumbled, sending shivers down me.
“Back here!” I called.
I almost collapsed forward in relief. I trusted him, but there had still been worry.
Owen came through the small wooden half door to where Officer Martinez and I were sitting, me in the guest chair and him behind his desk. The officer straightened, wary. I guess I could see how intimidating Owen might look from his point of view—large, balled fists, anger tugging his brow to sharp points. But to me, Owen just looked … sweaty.
“Slow down, Romeo. She’s fine. Please tell me you’re here to take her?” he asked Owen.
“I got here as quick as I could. What does she need?” he asked the cop. To me, he said. “Are you okay?”
“I’m a little thirsty,” I said softly, voice rough, looking up at him through my lashes. I coughed dryly.
“For crying out loud,” Martinez mumbled and shoved a water bottle at me. “Just get her out of here. Please.”
I stood and went to Owen. My body trembled with nerves. I had worried some part of me romanticized the evening as I sometimes did. That I had inflated our connection and my feelings to the point of fantasy, but seeing him now, my knees were seconds from giving out, and my arms ached to hold him.
There he was, my big, lovable man with a heart like nobody else. I wasn’t sure what I’d done to deserve his attention, but the fear of losing it was palpable.
I kicked his shoe with my own.
“Why are you panting? Did you run all the way here?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said with his hands on his knees, looking up at me.
“From where?” I handed him the water bottle.
“Ivy’s.” He chugged it.
“That’s just behind the park,” I teased, but my heart felt like it was growing so big it might burst out of my chest. I imagined him sprinting through town, calling my name—passersby, likely thinking he was being chased by an actual bumble bee.
“I have a lot more weight to carry when I run,” he said.
“You should think about adding some cardio to your routine. Clearly, you have weightlifting covered.”
“Bee.” He straightened and pulled off his winter hat. He huffed a frustrated laugh as he shook his head. He smiled down at me. How I loved making him smile. “Are you okay?” he asked.
He examined my body and ran a thumb over the bruise on my chin from last night. I closed my eyes and leaned into his hand.
“If I say ‘no,’ will you keep checking me? You haven’t checked all areas,” I said.
Officer Martinez stood and tossed the paper on the empty front desk. “I’m out of here.” He headed toward the back. “She’s free to leave,” he said to Owen. “Benny Jr. didn’t press any charges.”
“Oh. Good.” Owen seemed surprised, if not a little disappointed.
“Were you planning to come save the day?” I asked him, looking up at him with what I’m sure were hearts in my eyes.
His shoulders slumped. “Yeah.”
Once the cop was gone, I said with a shaking voice, “Owen. Thank you.”
He stepped closer and cupped my head, gently tilting up my chin to meet his gaze. “I told you I was coming.”
“I know. I just—” I shook my head. “I’m just really glad to see you.”
The edges of his eyes crinkled with a soft smile. “I’m glad to see you too.”
I took a bracing breath and shook out any remnants of fear. I looped my arms through his and smiled brightly. “Take me back to my car at the base of the tram?”
He nodded and bent to kiss my forehead. Just like that. Just like we were a couple for years and this was a normal thing for us.
“Is Ivy okay? Did you get things squared away?” I asked as we went out the front of the police station. Pretty sure I heard Officer Martinez groan finally once we were outside .
“You’re not going to believe this.” He told me about his conversation with Ivy as he walked me the block back to his car. “Turns out she’s secretly loaded.” Owen shook his head like he was the one who couldn’t believe it.
“Ha! Good for her,” I said as we came to a stop at the passenger door of his car. I huffed a laugh and toyed with my zipper. “I guess that basically means all the trouble we went through was completely pointless. All that drama and excitement for nothing. Ah, life is funny,” I said cheerfully.
Owen did not laugh as he opened the passenger door for me. He just looked above my head at the horizon, deep in thought.
Main Street was quiet this time on New Year’s Day. The usual bustle of tourists and locals were likely sleeping off their celebrations. The sun shone bright, but the snow was thick where it wasn’t plowed by Pat, our singular snow plow in town, “Snow Business.” The mountain slope cast a long shadow on these short days. The cables of the tram could just barely be seen.
“Not for nothing,” Owen eventually said, lowering his head to kiss me on the mouth briefly. I bit my lip and tucked my chin as pure joy bubbled through me. I hadn’t been forgotten or left behind.
He hesitated to start the drive, so we stood there, and after a minute, he said, “She always talked about her having these Swiss bank accounts. I thought that was one of her jokes. Like how she jokes about blowing up the tram.”
We shared a concerned look. Then we glanced in the direction of the tram. Then back at each other. We shared a nervous laugh.
“Nah, she wouldn’t,” Owen said.
“Boom!” I yelled as he jumped about a foot in the air. “Just kidding. But that would have been great timing, you have to admit.”
Owen let out a shaking breath. “Why do I have a feeling you’re always going to keep me on my toes?”
I shrugged, tucking my short hair behind my ear, hiding my smile as he discussed a future us .
“Wait, how did you get out of charges? Not that I’m complaining, I just didn’t think Benny Jr. would ever let things go. And I guess I wanted to come rescue you a little.”
“You’re so dang sweet. But it’s all good.” I finally got in the car, but not before patting him on the cheek. “Benny realized I hadn’t done anything wrong,” I said sweetly.
He shot me a look as he walked around to the driver’s side. Once inside, he asked cajolingly, “What did you do, Bee?”
“Nothing, we just had a little chat. He apologized for almost getting us killed. I made it clear it was all a misunderstanding. Maybe he just had a visit from the ghosts of New Year’s Past, Present, and Future. But mostly past. Maybe he remembered all the shady stuff he’s ever done. Maybe he feels a little repentant about it.” I tossed my arms out with a shrug.
I called Benny Jr. and laid it all out on the table the second I got to jail. I told him about lawsuits from shoddy safety checks and how the Slippery Slopes Sheets might be interested in hearing about some of his business dealings. Long story short, I threatened to expose him for the crook he was if he didn’t let me be and guarantee Owen work as long as he needed it. I probably could have gotten him to agree to bring the tram up to date, but I didn’t want to push it. Benny Jr. was just a scared little kid in a grown man’s body.
Owen looked over at me, eyebrow raised skeptically. “Yeah. Maybe.” He shook his head as he pulled into the direction of The Slope. “You’re full of surprises,” he said.
“Never underestimate quiet people. We’re the ones to fear.”
“Quiet?” He snorted.
We were back at my car too quickly. I felt a welling of sadness mixed with that fuzzy post-adrenaline feeling of exhaustion, but too wired to rest filled me. Neither of us slept much last night due to all the naughty noodling. Any rush I got from being locked up had long crashed. Also, Owen had done all that running to save me.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked once he parked next to my car.
“Nothing.”
“Huh. The tram must still be frozen. There are no cars here.”
“Yeah,” I said.
“We can still get you up there.” Owen turned toward me and grabbed my hands. “Let me make this happen for you. I still want to help you make your dreams come true.”
“I think you did, Owen,” I said, holding his gaze, feeling my throat lock up. I wanted to confess something to him, something I’d been thinking since last night, but what would happen next? I was still so scared to be forgotten, or maybe if I came on too strong, he’d get freaked out and run. I just didn’t know how to function normally around people.
Instead, I swallowed my confession and added, “I spent the day in jail. Old Bee would never!” I risked a glance up to Owen with a forced laugh. He watched me carefully.
“What about the journalist?” he asked. “The statue?”
At the thought of Jane Smith, my heart clenched in pain. I had wanted to make things better for her. I wanted to guarantee a spot in history, but that wasn’t something I had any control over.
“They had to head back. They couldn’t get back up the mountain and had to go home.” I saw the text when I had reception and before my phone died. “But it’s okay. Honestly. The shine of the idea has sort of worn off.”
“This sucks,” he said.
“I’m a new me. Trust me, I’m changed.” I kissed his knuckles. “It wasn’t about notoriety. I mean, it was, but maybe I just needed to prove I could do something different. I think I understand that now.” I looked out the window for a long, dramatic beat. “My time in jail put things in perspective for me.”
He chuckled.
“Honestly, Owen. I’m basically a felon?—”
“Technically, you were only being held?—”
“But the point is, I am so cool now. Major street cred.” I lifted my chin. “I just hope you’re not embarrassed to be seen with such a troubled young woman.”
His eyes bounced with light as he held mine. “I guess we will have to see how it goes. On our next date? A real date.”
“A real date?” I smiled with my whole body. I could float in the air.
“Maybe we could find an old elevator to get trapped in?” he suggested with a grin.
“Maybe we could go explore some strictly off-limit caves with very small openings?” I added,
“Or we could do that workout class you’re so eager to try.”
I shuddered. “Okay, too far.” He put the car in park but left the heat running as he turned to me with another smile that I snatched up and stored away. I turned to him, pulling up my left leg to tuck under my chin. It slipped back down because of this stupid snowsuit, so I settled with leaning against the headrest. “I look forward to hearing what you come up with,” I said.
He had to want to go home and rest and change after the last twenty-four hours. I couldn’t wait to set this outfit on fire. But so long as he sat here looking at me like that, the windows slowly fogging, I wasn’t about to send him on his way.
He prodded for more information about Benny Jr. and hinted at maybe going back to school. (Thanks to my suggestion, no doubt.) I asked him more about Ivy and the home and things we might be able to do to help make it better around there. We shared stories about New Year’s gone by. We talked about lonely nights and cold beds.
He said s’mores Pop-Tarts were the best flavor, and I ignored his absurd joke.
We just talked. Even after all the talking last night, I couldn’t get enough of him. I didn’t want to let him go. My heart ached with desperation to keep him near.
But it was too soon, and I was too much. I had to let him breathe.
Eventually, he glanced at his watch. “I have to head back to Ivy’s. I promised her dinner.”
Don’t go. Invite me. Let’s stay together.
“Okay.” I sighed. “I have to find a metal trash can to burn this in,” I said with a smile and a forced laugh.
“You want to?—”
“I should let you?—”
We both started and stopped at the same time.
“You go ahead and head out,” I said and tentatively leaned forward until we hovered with our faces just a breath apart. “Tell Ivy I’ll help her blow up the tram any time.”
His low laugh rumbled through the warm comfort of the car.
“Happy New Year, Bee,” he said.
“The best start to a new year ever,” I said.
He kissed me softly on the lips, and I squeezed my eyes shut tight.
I ran up to my door before I could do or say anything I couldn’t take back. I lay in bed too long, staring at the dark ceiling, a hand on my racing heart, willing myself to believe that I would hear from him soon.