Chapter Fifty-Two
Brian
I decided to see if my bullshit story flew outside Adam and Lainey’s kitchen, so after breakfast, I asked Lainey, “Can I borrow your car? I need to swing by and see my parents.”
“Of course. Mi coche es su coche.”
I chuckled at her attempt to twist the familiar Spanish saying, Mi casa es su casa.
I kissed her forehead and replied, “Gracias, mi amiga,” before pulling the sparkly keyring that I assumed wasn’t Adam’s from the hook and headed out the back door.
I opened the driver’s door, looked inside, then turned around.
Poking my head through the screen door, I called out, “Do you need Conor’s car seat?”
Adam came around the corner, wiping his hands on a dish towel. “No, I have one in the Bronco, too.”
I grinned at him. “They’ve only been here, what? A week? And you’ve already got this dad thing down.”
He was unapologetic when he replied, “Damn straight.” Then he leveled me with a look and added, “It’s amazing what can happen in a week.”
I decided not to pull on that thread and ask him what that was supposed to mean. Instead, I waved and said, “I’ll bring the Honda back as soon as I can.”
“Take your time. I’m off today, so she doesn’t need it.”
As I walked to the car, I wondered if maybe Adam was right; this wasn’t the way to handle things. A sliver of doubt started to creep in over what I was about to do.
~~~~
I was on my way to my parents’ when I spotted Dad’s department-issued Ford F150 angled into its usual spot in front of the diner.
Figures. If Angus O’Shaughnessy wasn’t at the station or at home, he was at Clay’s Diner with a cup of black coffee and a front-row seat to the Haven Springs rumor mill.
Perfect.
This was the place to be if I wanted to plant the story so it would take on a life of its own.
The bell over the door gave me away when I stepped inside, and the whole restaurant erupted in cheers at the sight of me.
“Brian! It’s good to see you!”
“Glad you’re feeling better!”
“Breakfast is on me!”
Hank Saxon, clad in overalls, a plaid shirt, and John Deere trucker’s hat exclaimed, “Looking good, boy!” and stood to clasp my shoulder as I walked by.
“Thank you, sir.” I gave the room a sheepish smile and wave before sitting down at the counter next to my dad.
“How ya feeling?” Angus asked when I flipped the coffee cup over as our server approached.
I was already plenty caffeinated, so I said, “Decaf, please, Rhonda.”
She gave me a wink. “You got it, sugar. It’s good to see you.”
I nodded in acknowledgement, then turned back to my dad’s question.
“I’m definitely feeling better, but I wouldn’t say I’m ready for duty just yet.”
“That’s good, because you’re still not cleared to come back—even for light duty.”
I felt my eyebrows shoot up. “Really? Should I be worried?”
Rhonda returned to pour my coffee, and I noticed she took her time while my dad replied, “Not at all. SLED’s in charge of the investigation, and you know how they are—slow and by the book.
I spoke with the major running it. They’re just making sure every I’s dotted and T’s crossed before they release their findings. It’ll come back as justifiable.”
SLED was South Carolina’s Law Enforcement Division. It was typical for them to lead an officer-involved shooting investigation.
I reached for the creamer. “That’s good. Any idea how much longer?”
There was no way I was going to be able to sit around my house doing nothing without going crazy.
That would be too much time to reminisce about my time with Jade and wonder what could have been—frankly, what should be but probably never will.
The least I could do was clean up this mess I’d started at the bank.
“Any progress on who leaked the bank footage?”
“We’re still working on that.”
I leaned back, trying to look casual as I glanced around, making sure at least someone was listening, before I said, “You know that was bullshit, right? Rachel hit on me in front of Jade, then was rude to Jade, and it pissed me off.”
“So, you kissed Jade to put Rachel in her place,” Angus supplied.
“Yeah. Obviously we’re not dating. But then those stills came out, and it went viral. When we noticed we were being watched at the Cape, we leaned into it. That’s all. There’s nothing going on between us.”
“So why were you sneaking out of her house yesterday morning?”
Fuck, I forgot about that one.
The bullshit I came up with on the fly impressed even me.
“We switched phones on accident. Her alarm went off, and she didn’t answer my call, so I wanted to make sure she wasn’t late for work or anything.”
Angus’s eyebrows knitted together, like he wasn’t buying it.
Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that impressive.
“It was completely innocent, and it’s getting twisted.”
I noticed it had gotten unusually quiet around us—no clanking of silverware or murmur of other people talking.
“So, you’re not dating Jade?”
“No. We’re just friends.”
“With benefits,” I heard someone snicker.
Oh, hell no. Had I just made it worse?
I turned to the man who’d said it and firmly put him in his place. “Don’t be an ass. Jade did me a solid by helping me get out of town and away from those cameras. That’s it.”
I don’t think the guy was expecting to be called out, because he simply swallowed hard and gave an embarrassed nod.
Dad held the coffee mug to his lips with a smirk.
“I guess you cleared that up.”
“Good. I don’t want people talking about her.”
He nodded thoughtfully as he took a sip. Finally, he reached in his pocket for his wallet, then threw a ten-dollar bill on the counter and gestured toward the door.
“Come on. I’m sure your mother would like to see you.”
We walked outside, and Dad looked around at the vehicles on the street. “Where’s your truck?”
“Still in Massachusetts. Alan is bringing it back next week.”
His eyes narrowed. “So, how’d you get to Jade’s yesterday?”
“I walked.”
His eyebrows went to his hairline. “You walked?”
I shrugged like it hadn’t been a big deal. “Yeah.”
“And did you walk here?”
I spun Lainey’s bedazzled keyring on my index finger. “Lainey let me borrow her Civic.”
He clicked his fob to unlock the doors of his truck and said, “Come on. I’ll drive.”
We climbed into the cab, and he started the engine.
“How’s Lainey doing?”
“She seems to be okay. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Adam alone, but they’re definitely in the honeymoon phase.”
“Yeah. I’m trying to keep his schedule the same so he can be home with her and the baby at night. She’s a strong woman, but she needs to feel safe—especially since you and Jade took off.”
“We didn’t take off,” I grumbled defensively. “We just used some of the mountain of PTO each of us has racked up.”
“Actually, you didn’t. You’re still on paid administrative leave.”
“Well, then she used some of hers.”
“So. A woman who never goes on vacation suddenly decides to go on one. With you. Alone. To a cottage with one bedroom. Because you’re friends.”
“I told you, it was just for show.”
“Bullshit.” His bluntness caught me off guard, and all I could do was stare at him while he continued, “I saw the video and the pictures. You’re not that good of an actor, Son.
You’re into that girl. And she’s into you.
So, you can sell that story in the diner all you want, but don’t try selling it to me. ”
I almost argued but decided not to bother. My dad knew me pretty well. Instead, I leaned back with a sigh. “It doesn’t matter. We decided not to date in Haven Springs.”
“Why not?”
Okay, I was not going to tell Angus that we’d agreed to just have a fling in Cape Cod and leave it there.
I decided to go with an explanation rooted in some truth.
“Because neither of us wants to give the town a front-row seat to our business. She got hauled into HR yesterday. I just want this to go away for her.”
Dad gave a short nod. “Can’t blame you there.”
He paused, then added, “Doesn’t usually stop people from talking, though.” He glanced at me as he turned onto his street. “But if she’s worth it, you stop caring what they say.”
“I don’t give a shit what people say about me, but I’ll be damned if they’re going to talk about her.”
Angus chuckled as he pulled into the drive.
“If only love were that easy, Son.”
Love? I’m not in love with—
Oh, shit.
I’m in love with Jade Beaumont.