Chapter Twenty-One
Adam
“Do you think the guy who assaulted you yesterday is the same person who wrote this?” Brian asked as he glanced at the paper in his gloved hand.
“It seems like too big a coincidence that I got jumped outside her place yesterday morning, then she gets that today, don’t you think?”
“Totally agree.”
“Good, because if you hadn’t, then I would have to reconsider taking the job.”
“You have good instincts. You’re going to do great.”
“I don’t know. I totally fucked that letter thing up.”
I hadn’t thought to wear gloves when I handled the letter and lamented as such when Brian reached for his gloves before touching the evidence.
“Yeah, but in your defense, it sounds like Lainey just handed it to you without telling you what it was. How could you have known?”
I appreciated him trying to help me not feel so bad about fucking up.
“I know I have a lot to learn about being a cop.”
“You’ll learn a lot of what you need to know in the academy.
But honestly, common sense and a cool head will get you through ninety-five percent of the shit you’ll encounter in Haven Springs.
What happened to you, then this letter, are the most perplexing things, from an investigative standpoint, that I’ve dealt with since joining the force seven years ago. ”
“That makes me feel better.”
“Good. Now, let’s talk about your list of demands for the Chief before you accept his offer. He wasn’t joking when he said you could name your terms. I’d shoot for the moon if I were you.”
“Tell me what I should ask for, sensei,” I said with a grin.
~~~~
I almost felt bad for how easily Chief O’Shaughnessy had capitulated to my “demands,” and how he’d only negotiated on two points—the ones Brian told me he’d buck me on.
Brian had explained that Angus’s hands were tied by the state charter regarding when I’d be vested for retirement and how much the department contributed to it, so I didn’t try to negotiate those points.
But after I laid out what I wanted regarding an hourly wage, the amount of paid time off, and the percentage of my health and dental insurance the department paid without the Chief batting an eye, I asked for a shorter probation period than what he’d originally offered.
“I can’t go shorter than a year for your probation,” he’d said with a frown as he sat behind his metal desk in his messy office at the police station.
“Then it needs to be a year from the day I report to work, not when I finish the academy.”
He studied me for a beat, then said, “Okay, that’s fair since we don’t have a firm academy date. But I need you on the job in ten days, not a month. With what I’m paying you, you can afford to fly to your parents’ house and not take the bus.”
Although I didn’t think I’d need more than a week before I could be back in Haven Springs, Brian had suggested I ask for month so I’d have something to concede to Angus on.
And I’d always been able to afford to fly, I just hadn’t been in a hurry to get home and begin my new life as a construction worker.
I hoped Alan wasn’t going to be too pissed I wasn’t coming to work for him. He’d told me there was no rush when I’d called him to explain what happened to me, and why I needed to wait to travel.
“Do what you need to do to make sure that bastard is caught,” he’d snarled into the phone.
Taking a job as a cop definitely fit in that category.
I wanted the Chief to think this was a real concession on my part, so I countered, “How about ten days after I’m cleared to travel?”
“Done.”
He crossed out a date on the piece of paper in front of him, wrote something in its place, then spun the sheet around so I was no longer reading the words upside down.
“Initial here, here, here, and here,” he said as he used the tip of his pen to point to places he’d altered the typed agreement, then tapped a line with my name filled out below. “And sign here.”
I glanced at the changes he’d made, scratched my initials where’d he indicated, then scribbled my signature in the spot he’d told me to.
“Your background check should only take a couple of days. In the meantime. I’ll have these changes made so you can sign a cleaner version tomorrow,” he said as he stood up and offered me his hand.
“Welcome to the Haven Springs Police Department, Officer Callahan. You’re going to be a great asset to our town. ”
“I appreciate that, Chief.”
“I think Shawn would be happy you’re here.”
Not if he knew what I’d almost done to his girl on her kitchen counter .
I could only bring myself to nod and smile, so he continued. “It’s good that Lainey will have another person in her corner. She’s been through a lot. The whole town has tried to look out for her, but I like knowing you’ll be here to help take care of her, too.”
Yeah, if she’ll let me.
I didn’t say that, of course. Because then I’d have to explain why she wouldn’t.
****
Lainey
Brian called at five-thirty that evening, while Conor was still asleep.
“Hey, Lainey, it’s Brian.”
I couldn’t help but smile. He always opened with that, whether he was calling or texting.
“Hi, Bri. What’s up?”
“I’m just calling to check on you.”
“I’m assuming Adam showed you the letter.”
“Yeah, that was pretty messed up. You doing okay?”
“I mean, it’s obviously a little scary. I just hope you catch whoever put it under my door.”
“We dusted it for fingerprints. But I’m going to need you to come down to the station when you have time this week so we can get your prints in order to rule them out.”
“Adam touched it, too.”
“I already got his prints for his background check, so we’ll compare those, too.”
I was pretty sure I already knew the answer, but I asked, “Why are you doing a background check on him?”
“He didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“Dad hired him to be our newest officer.”
So, he really is staying.
I knew that should not make my stomach feel like it was filled with butterflies. He didn’t want to get involved with me, and I’d told him we couldn’t even be friends. The best I could offer was a friendly acquaintance, and that sounded dreadful.
“Oh, yeah. He told me, but I thought he was just joking.”
It was a lame excuse. Why would anyone joke about something like that?
“Nope. He’s staying in Haven Springs.”
“That’s great. Mrs. Cahill will be so excited to learn the rumors were true.
I’m sure she’ll have dates lined up for him by the end of the week.
” I already hated whoever he was going to get involved with.
“Fair warning—now that she believes you’ll have more free time with Adam on the force, she’s going to ask you to join her church’s singles’ group. ”
“She goes to St. Mark’s. My mother’s been trying to get me to one of those mixers for years. I will have no trouble telling Mrs. Cahill no, just like I do my mom.”
“Wow, you’re hardcore. My parents asked me to go back to school, and I couldn’t even tell them no about something that big and time consuming. If they asked me to simply go to a social gathering, I’d probably be inclined to volunteer to host it.”
He laughed. “You should go to one.”
“Um, I’m pretty sure I’d have to be Catholic to be invited.”
“Nah, not for the first one. Those Catholic matchmakers are like drug dealers—the first event’s free. But if you want to come back, they want to see you in church. That’s how they get ya.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Good to know.”
“You realize by letting Conor get baptized, they’ll be coming for him in twenty years, too.”
“I’m not worried. They’ll forget about him by then.”
Brian chuckled. “Oh, you sweet, na?ve woman. First it’s baptism.
Then when he’s in about second grade, Teresa or Granny will innocently suggest he go to catechism classes every Wednesday after school.
And you’ll take them up on the idea because, let’s face it, free babysitting.
Plus, they’ll present it like it’s no big deal.
Like it’ll be good for his moral compass.
Next thing you know, we’ll all be sitting in the front pew at St. Mark’s one Sunday in the spring watching Conor take his first communion. ”
“Doesn’t he have to have his first confession before he can take first communion?”
“Pffft, Granny O’Brien will have that knocked out of the way without you even knowing about it.”
“Yeah, I am a little worried about that. Although, I guess there are worse things she could do than take her great grandson to church.”
“I have to say, for not wanting to convert, you’re being pretty open-minded about letting Conor become Catholic.”
“I think it connects him to his dad. I know Shawn’s faith was important to him, and he would want to share that with his son. Plus, it makes Teresa and Hugh happy.”
“They’re good people. I love that you want them in Conor’s life.”
“Like you said, they’re good people. Of course I want them in his life.”
“Speaking of not good people… The camera I ordered arrived. Can Adam and I come over and install it? We’ll bring dinner.”
My heart felt like it was in my throat.
I wasn’t sure I was ready to see Adam so soon after basically throwing myself at him earlier and being turned down.
If he really moved here, how was I going to handle seeing him every day like he promised/threatened?
I needed to go out of town and have a one-night stand. Maybe if I got laid, I could be around Adam and not be affected by his toothpaste-worthy smile or muscular chest.
“Dinner, huh? What kind of dinner?”
“Whatever you want.”
“Well, I had pizza the other night, so not that. And Ralph is cooking at the diner tonight, and you know he puts way too much salt in everything, so not the diner.”
“That pretty much leaves the Golden Dragon, or we make something and bring it over.”
“Chinese it is.”
“Text me your order,” he said with a laugh. “We’ll be by in an hour?”
“I might be nursing Conor, but I’ll be here.”
“Do you want us to come later? Or earlier?”
“No, six-thirty is fine. You know what? I’ll wake up Conor as soon as we hang up, then he’ll be awake when you get here.”
“Oh, I don’t want you to do that. Won’t he be grumpy?”
“It’s close enough to his dinner time. He’ll be okay.”
“I would love to see him again, so, if you say it’s okay, I’m not going to argue.”
“Good; I say it’s okay.”
“Then we’ll see you in an hour. Don’t forget to text me your order.”
I hung up and let out a deep sigh, unsure if I’d be able to act normal around Adam in front of Brian. If I came off as anything but nice and welcoming, Brian would insist on knowing why. How would I explain that?
“Well, Bri, I wanted to get busy with Adam earlier, but he turned me down because he thinks it would be disrespectful to your dead best friend’s memory. I, however, was willing anyway. Because I’m horny and a horrible person.”
And now Adam was going to live in Haven Springs, so I’d get to relive the embarrassment often.
Grrrrreat.
But a tiny part of me was glad he wasn’t leaving.