Chapter 5
five
. . .
Bridger
The fact that I was now walking in the dark behind a woman who’d shown up on my doorstep just to blast me was absolute insanity.
But she was all worked up and looked like she was about to cry, and it was dark outside, and she shouldn’t be walking alone. It was tourist season. God knows who was here in town.
And I may not have liked Emilia Taylor, but I sure as shit wouldn’t have her get murdered on my watch. I wasn’t a complete dick.
Still didn’t mean I’d apologize.
I wasn’t an apologizer.
It just wasn’t my thing.
If I made a mistake, I tried to learn from it. I looked forward, not backward.
And in all honestly, I could count on one hand how many times I’d been wrong about something that I’d been this certain of.
So I’d need to check out this polygraph and make sure it was aboveboard, and then I’d decide if she was telling the truth.
“Why are you following me?” she hissed as she turned around, and if looks could kill, I had no doubt I’d be a dead man.
“That’s a bit narcissistic, even for you, Emilia. I’m out for a walk. We just happen to be going in the same direction,” I said, my voice flat, unlike hers, which had reached unusually high pitches tonight.
She turned around, grunted, and kept walking, taking a right on the next street and then a left on the next, before she turned around again. “If you aren’t going to apologize, then stop following me.”
“I don’t believe you own the roads, last I checked. Just mind your own business and go home,” I commanded.
“You are the absolute worst, you know that?” she said, but she didn’t turn around this time. She kept her back to me as she marched forward, hostility radiating from her body.
“So I’ve been told.”
She came to a stop in front of her house and turned slowly. “Why do you hate me so much?”
Her voice was totally different now. There was no anger, no rage.
Just sadness.
If I had a heart that worked, it may have cracked a little.
I did feel the slightest bit of pressure in my chest, which was most likely indigestion from the meal I’d had at the Honey Biscuit Café.
“‘Hate’ is a strong word. Go inside,” I commanded again, irritated that she’d even asked the question.
I wasn’t here for small talk.
I was here to make sure the woman didn’t get murdered, because my mother would lose her shit if I let her walk home alone.
And Ellie Chadwick was my North Star.
She’d saved me when I was baby, and the least I could do was respect her wishes about not being a complete asshole all the time.
Emilia flipped me off for the second time tonight, and I compressed my lips, refusing to react to such childish behavior.
She moved inside and slammed the door.
Good. My work here is done.
I made my way home and poured a glass of whiskey before sitting on the couch in my living room. I glanced around the space at the roaring fire and bare walls, which led to twenty-foot vaulted ceilings.
My mother and my sister were constantly riding my ass about fixing this place up, but from where I sat gazing out the floor-to-ceiling glass doors at the view of the river below, with the mountains rising above, it looked pretty damn good to me.
I had the home where everyone wanted to throw events, just because of the size of the lot and where it sat above the river. My horses had a large barn. The outside space was what had sold me on the property.
I didn’t care much about the interior. I wasn’t a dude who wanted porcelain cats sitting on glass shelving and colorful wallpaper.
My phone vibrated, and I glanced down to see the never-ending text chain with my brothers and cousins lighting up.
Rafe
Lulu just told me about the polygraph test.
Easton
Yes. Apparently, we weren’t allowed to know about it until Emilia delivered the goods to Bridger.
Axel
I’m lost. I don’t know what we’re talking about.
Consider yourself lucky.
Archer
Polygraph?
Rafe
Emilia Taylor scheduled and paid for a polygraph test to prove that she isn’t writing the Taylor Tea.
Easton
You’ve got to give her credit for going that far to prove her innocence. You must feel like a real asshole right now, Bridger.
That’s a big negative. I feel fine.
Archer
Axel
Damn. You were so sure it was her. Did you apologize?
No. I need to take a look at the polygraph in more detail.
Rafe
Dude, if she were writing the damn column, I’m guessing she’d be proud of it, not take a polygraph to prove it wasn’t her. Just fucking say it. You were wrong.
You were wrong.
Rafe
I was wrong. It happens every now and then.
Easton
Apparently, all she wants is an apology, and we can all move on.
I scratched the back of my neck.
Axel
Seems like a fair request. You have tortured her for months about this.
“Tortured” is a bit dramatic.
Archer
You did call her out at her place of business.
Rafe
And because of that, her building got egged.
I’m sorry, Dr. Phil. I wasn’t looking for a therapy session. What the fuck is this?
Easton
Apologize, dickhead. You owe her that much.
Archer
We know that apologizing isn’t really Bridger’s thing.
Rafe
Remember when he used the waistband of my briefs and hung me on the branch of the willow tree in our backyard? I still never got an apology.
Easton
That was the most epic wedgie I’ve ever seen.
Rafe
I will not joke about that. I had rug burns on my ass crack for weeks.
Archer
Too bad you didn’t have your fancy toilet back then to massage your chaffed ass crack.
You stole my car and rolled it into a ditch. You’re lucky that’s all I did to you.
Rafe
I was 16 years old, assmunch. And “stole” is a strong word. I borrowed it, without permission.
Easton
You could have pulled it off if you hadn’t wound up in a ditch.
Axel
Wasn’t he making out with someone when it happened?
Rafe
Denise Calamari. She hit the gear shift when she tried to climb on my lap and put us in reverse. We rolled right down the hill into that ditch.
Easton
Her last name is Calman not Calamari. She’s a client of mine.
Rafe
Well, I’ve always liked calamari. I’m a sucker for squid.
Archer
The ADHD is definitely ADHD’ing right now.
I shook my head with disbelief at the ridiculousness of this conversation. Rafe had the attention span of a toddler on a sugar high, and we all knew it.
I’m done with this conversation.
Easton
Humans usually say goodbye when they feel this emotion.
Archer
Manners are not his strength.
Axel
Neither are apologies.
Rafe
Neither are warm hugs and normal human behavior.
I blew out a breath and reached for the polygraph results that I’d set on the coffee table. The test looked legit. I read the questions, and they were clear and to the point. She’d answered them with ease, and there were no issues with any of the four questions they’d asked her.
I tossed the papers on the coffee table and tipped my head back to polish off my whiskey, then walked to the kitchen and set the glass in the sink. I returned to my phone and sent a text to Brenner.
I need to have someone sent over to the Vintage Rose tomorrow to power wash the building and front window.
Brenner
Second time we’re doing something at the flower shop. Something you want to tell me, boss?
Why did everyone in my life want to make small talk about every little thing I asked?
Yes. As I said above, send a fucking cleaning company over there to clean up the egg on her building.
Brenner
Got it, sunshine.
Let’s lead with that next time. And I’d like you to personally oversee the job and make sure it gets done.
Brenner
Happy to oblige. I enjoy flower shops.
I rolled my eyes and set my phone down. Brenner was damn good at his job, but he was chattier than I preferred. He’d known me for many years, so he was used to me ending the conversation abruptly.
This was a good peace offering.
I’d accused her of writing the fucked-up column, and it appeared I was wrong, assuming we were putting all of our eggs in a basket lined with polygraph paper.
But there was an 80 to 90 percent chance she was telling the truth, and the fact that she’d gone to all that effort seemed to mean she had something to prove.
So, I’d get her building cleaned.
Even if a pregnant woman was the actual culprit of the egging—I’d do this as a peace offering.
I’d much rather get her building cleaned than apologize.
And most people preferred a gift over words, right?
Easy fix.
Those were my favorite.