Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Lena
“ H ow are you, dear?” Mrs. Clofton asks as she pats my hand gently.
I should have canceled this town hall meeting. I knew it would be full of people in town wanting to gossip and not trying to fix the town’s problems.
“I’m good, Mrs. C.”
“Henry was such a good man. The world lost such a light,” she murmurs.
“I would agree.” I smile.
“No man should have to bury their child. Henry just wasn’t the same after Aaron passed away. Aaron was such a good man, and that Gavin…”
Aaron had this entire town fooled.
“Miss Mayor, I do need your assistance,” my best friend, Tatum, calls out in a deep Southern accent.
“It was good to see you, Mrs. C,” I reply with a forced smile as I scurry away.
Henry wasn’t just Aaron’s father; he was Hicks Creek’s father. A fixture. An anchor as the sheriff before his son took over. When he retired, he tended to the family farm and quietly supported this town without fanfare or fuss. And now he’s gone too.
“God bless you,” I tell Tatum quietly.
“I swear if the new sheriff mentions that new parking ordinance one more time, I’m going to toss my water bottle at him.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “You won’t. You love that water bottle too much.”
“True, but still, he’s driving me nuts.”
“Well, he is the only person wanting to address town concerns. And everything is driving me bananas lately.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Tatum teases. “I know these townsfolk are driving you nuts with their fake concern, but I also know you’re freaking out about the possibility of Gavin coming.”
Freaking out is an understatement. I’ve been an anxious mess while I overthink everything about whether he will or won’t come home.
Taking care of Henry’s estate shouldn’t fall on me. I’ll do it, but every time I have to do something, I get even angrier at Gavin.
“You think he’ll come?” I chuckle dryly as I roll my eyes. “He didn’t come back for his own brother’s funeral. I doubt he’ll come back for a man he despised.”
I’m still bitter about that. I’m bitter about a lot when it comes to Gavin Wells. The coward has hidden from me for the past eighteen years, and I’d be more than happy if I never saw him again.
“Part of me hopes he comes back.” Tatum sighs. “Because I’d like to read him the riot act…the other part of me hopes he doesn’t come back because I know how much he’s hurt you.”
“I’m over it,” I say dismissively.
The meeting finally wraps up, and I’m ready to dart out of here.
“Please tell me there’s a glass of wine with my name on it,” she groans.
“Oh, there’s more than one. They better leave us a few bottles.”
I grab my bag, and we head out, weaving through the crowd of familiar faces offering nods and waves. I can’t tell you how many people try to get my attention to talk. Everyone wants to know if Gavin will be home, but I don’t have a definitive answer.
I tried calling, and he ignored me. That annoys me more than anything.
Everyone wants the gossip. They’re not asking because they care. That’s Hicks Creek for you—small, tight-knit, and always in your business.
We walk to the tavern down the street, a cozy little place called The Tap, where the bartender already knows our order. Tatum grabs a booth by the window, and I slide across from her, feeling the tension ease out of my shoulders for the first time all day.
“What’s your plan for tomorrow?” Tatum asks, swirling her wine in the glass.
“Survive.”
“Good plan. You’ll be fine, though. You always are.”
“Yeah, well, funerals tend to bring out the worst in people. Especially ones like this. I swear if Gavin does show up…”
I can feel the tightness in my chest again. All of the doubts, the insecurities, and the hurt rush back as I think about having to see Gavin again.
“He won’t.” Tatum waves her hand dismissively. “He’s too wrapped up in his Wall Street life. He probably forgot Hicks Creek even exists.”
“I hope you’re right.”
And at the same time, a small part of me wants to see that gorgeous face again.
I close my eyes and blow out a breath.
Stop thinking about that man.
Before I can take another sip, a familiar voice cuts through the air, and I inwardly groan.
“Well, if it isn’t Lena Marshall, the prettiest widow in town.” Hank Riggs leans against our booth with a smirk he must think is charming. “You still not ready for a real man to take you out?”
Tatum hides her chuckle behind her hand, and I force a smile. “Hi, Hank.”
“You know, I have some new land I just bought up near the lake,” he announces, completely ignoring my tone. “Would love to show it to you sometime. Nice private spot. Perfect for a picnic.”
And to hide a few bodies.
Aaron always thought this man had a screw loose and that one day he’d find missing women out there.
“Hank, if that’s the same plot of land you bought a few years ago,” Tatum interjects with a grin, “isn’t it underwater now?”
His smirk falters, and he scratches the back of his neck. “Well, it’s still a good spot when it’s not raining.”
“Lena, sweetheart!” Mrs. Emerson, one of the town’s most well-meaning but meddlesome elders, appears at our table, beaming. “I was just telling my son, Roy, that you’d make the perfect couple! Now, don’t be shy, dear. He’s such a catch.”
Roy Emerson is fifty, balding, and lives in his mother’s basement. Not exactly the “catch” she thinks he is.
Why does everyone think I need a man in my life? I have too much on my plate as it is.
“Oh, Mrs. Emerson, you’re too kind.” I giggle. “But I think Roy and I are better as friends.”
“Nonsense! You just need to give him a chance.” She leans in, lowering her voice like she’s sharing a secret. “I know it’s hard to move on after having such a good marriage with Aaron. But my boy’s got such good manners, you know. Unlike some people in this town, he never interrupts me when I’m talking.”
This whole town was so blind to what my marriage actually was.
I glance at Tatum, who is trying and failing not to burst out laughing. I offer Mrs. Emerson a kind smile. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”
“Oh, I know you will, dear.”
She pats my shoulder and finally, mercifully, moves on to another unsuspecting table.
The second she’s out of earshot, Tatum snorts. “I swear, this town is going to marry you off to someone whether you like it or not.”
“As long as it’s not Hank or Roy,” I mutter, taking a long drink of my wine.
“Don’t worry. I’ll fend them off for you.”
“I like a…strong man, one who takes care of himself while also not taking shit from anyone. A motivated man who’s not whiny.”
“You better start shopping outside of Hicks Creek for that one.” She laughs hard. “It’s just a bunch of mama’s boys up here.”
“Couldn’t be any worse than my marriage to Aaron,” I mumble.
Tatum reaches over and squeezes my hand just as two elderly men, Ed and Harvey, shuffle up to our table, both red-faced and huffing.
“Mayor Marshall, you need to settle something,” Ed demands, folding his arms. “Harvey here thinks that damn maple tree on Maple Street is his. But we all know it’s on my property.”
“Oh, for crying out loud, Ed,” Harvey shoots back. “You don’t even live on Maple Street anymore!”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t own the tree!”
“Gentlemen, I’m not exactly a tree expert.”
“That’s not the point,” Ed insists. “You’re the most reasonable person in this town. You should be the one to decide.”
“Or you could ask the town surveyor,” Tatum suggests, leaning back with a mischievous smile.
Harvey glares at Ed. “Surveyor? We don’t need some fancy-schmancy surveyor telling us who owns what. We’ll settle this right here, right now.”
“I’m flattered that you think I can solve this, but maybe we should table it for later?” I offer diplomatically, hoping to steer the conversation away from the tree and back to my wine.
Harvey grumbles something under his breath, but Ed huffs before he can press the issue. “Fine. But next time, you’ll see. That tree is mine.”
The two of them shuffle off, still muttering. I lean back in the booth, finally letting out a laugh.
“I swear, it’s something new with those two every week.”
“They’re like kids fighting over toys,” Tatum adds. “Last week, it was about a flower bed, wasn’t it?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if next week it’s about a bird’s nest or something.”
Tatum raises her glass. “Here’s to the drama of Hicks Creek. May it never stop.”
I clink my glass against hers.
“I needed this.”
“Me too, Mama, me too.” She giggles.
“I swear, no one in this town can solve their own problems, and everyone thinks they need to be in my business.”
“Perk of being part of the first family. It’s all out of love, but I get how that could be annoying as all get-out.”
“Beyond. Heaven forbid I ever do start dating again. It’ll be like the poor man is dating the entire town.”
“You know, maybe we can put you on one of those reality television shows. The spin is that the entire town gets to vote on the five guys to date you. They have the ultimate say in all of it.”
“Please don’t say that too loud,” I groan. “Mrs. Emerson will make that the next church fundraiser.”
“You’re a hot commodity around here, Mrs. Mayor.”
Only because half the town thinks being the mayor is a high-paying job and that I struck it rich when Aaron died. No, seriously, someone actually alluded to me paying a hitman to kill him.
The gossip queens in this town know no bounds.
“I should have known I’d find you two here.” Michael, Tatum’s husband, laughs as he sits beside Tatum.
“You know how those town halls are.” Tatum waves him off as she leans into him playfully.
“It’s why I stopped going.”
“Wish I had that option,” I interject.
“Everything is ready to go for tomorrow. The VFW is taking care of the 21-gun salute and…”
“Thanks so much for…”
He reaches over and puts his hand on top of mine. “Henry was like a dad to me. Aaron and I joined the Army because of him, and…well, with Aaron gone and Gavin in the wind, it shouldn’t all rest on your shoulders.”
“You’re seriously the best, Michael.”
“He really is,” Tatum states as she looks up at her husband adoringly.
I never understood how Michael and Aaron could be best friends. Aaron was always so closed off and haughty. Yes, my late husband would do anything for someone in the public eye, but not for me, Jayla, or his family. Michael is just a good man all around.
“Have you heard from Gavin?” I ask cautiously.
I grip the edge of the vinyl seat underneath me. My stomach clenches as I wait for his answer.
“Nah, I tried calling and texting him, but he didn’t reply. I’m not sure what I expected, really.”
I swallow hard and look away.
I’m not sure what answer I wanted. Part of me, the old Lena who was madly in love with him, wishes nothing more than for him to be here, to wrap his arms around me and take care of everything like he always did. The other part of me doesn’t want to lay eyes on the man who destroyed my heart.
“We don’t need him coming to cause issues. He would just make everything about him anyway,” I hiss quietly. “Hopefully, he deals with Henry’s estate. I can’t handle any more surprises from the Wells men.”
“Oh no,” Tatum groans with wide eyes. “Drake Johnson is on his way over here right now.”
“Do I have time to jump under the table?”
“No, but we can get up and leave right now. Michael will stay to pay the bill.”
“Gee, thanks,” Michael grouses as Tatum and I hurriedly climb out of the booth.
“You know how annoying he is. Run interference,” Tatum calls quietly over her shoulder.
Annoying is an understatement. He’s a man who dresses and talks as though he was a fifties greaser in another life.
“Thanks for the save,” I tell Tatum once we are standing outside my car in the parking lot.
“I’ve always got your back.”
“You’ll be there tomorrow?”
“Like that should even be a question,” she answers softly. “I’ll be at your house first thing in the morning. Whatever happens, whether Gavin shows up or not, everything will be okay.”
I wish I believed her.
“Thank you.”
She hugs me tightly before I climb into my car and drive home. When I get inside the house, Jayla is sound asleep on the couch, curled up under her dad’s old Georgia Bulldogs blanket. She looks so peaceful that I let her stay there.
I go into my bedroom and begin to get ready for bed. When I walk into the bathroom to wash my makeup off, I take a good look at myself in the mirror.
Tatum is right. Gavin won’t show up tomorrow. He left town and never looked back. He cut off ties with everyone, and I have to remind myself that I’m one of the people he left.