28. Maisie
Chapter 28
Maisie
T he website was a lie. A little one, but a lie all the same.
I really just want to talk to Jem. To share a little bit of the happiness shooting out of every pore of my body with a friend.
Harlan and I had sex. Amazing sex. Fantastic sex. Stupendous sex, and I need to talk to someone.
I’m staying in Everette. Maybe not forever — but for now. I’m staying.
It’s hard to think in terms of forever when I haven’t in so long. So for now, I’m staying, and that’s all that matters.
When Jem, Andy, and Giselle told me I’d need to make a decision, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to decide the future for me and Audra, not when I spent the last year and half planning where to go next, how to cover my tracks in case Sean found me — found us. Letting go of the decision-making for the short amount of time was a relief. Being stuck here with nowhere to go took the decision out of my hands. I had to stop running.
And now I have. And it feels really fucking good .
Let Sean come. He won’t find the same damaged woman that he beat down to nothing if he were to find me right now.
I’m stronger now. Surer of myself. It doesn’t hurt having Harlan in my corner either. He knows everything, and that by itself, is a gift of relief I didn’t know that I needed.
He knows everything — and still wants me.
In wanting me, even with my past, he healed a small part of me that still believed I was worthless, undesirable, a waste of space.
Harlan didn’t fix me. He just reminded me of who I am and what I’m capable of.
Harlan pulls into a parking spot outside of Brewed Awakening and puts the SUV into park. I’m still leery of the sheriff’s station, and I think he knows that since he offered to drop me here and then pick me up once he makes sure that his deputies are covered for the day.
“I shouldn’t be more than an hour. Is that going to be enough time for you girls?”
I cock an eyebrow at the teasing in his tone. “Yeah?”
Harlan chuckles. “Maisie. You can go girl gab with Jem and it’s not going to bother me.”
I draw back in fake shock. “What?”
“Sunshine, you didn’t even bring your laptop.”
My cheeks heat at being caught. He’s right. I didn’t bring my laptop, or anything else work related. I was too busy getting Audra ready and packing her diaper bag for the day.
“Sorry.” I blush through a smile.
He wags his eyebrows at me. “Don’t be. Just say nice things about me, and we’re good.”
I lean over and kiss him. Tasting the amusement on his lips before pulling back. “I promise to say all of the very best things. They’re true anyway, so there’s that.”
A single eyebrow lift is the only response I get before I escape the car and snag Audra from the backseat.
The early morning crowd has cleared out from the shop and there are only a few patrons eating at some of the tables.
“Is Jem here?” I ask the barista manning the register.
“She’s doing inventory in the back, one sec.” She holler’s Jem’s name over her shoulder. “How’s it going, Maisie? You want a tea while you wait?”
I nod. “It’s going great. And sure, can it be one of those gummy teas?”
“The gummy bear? Sure.” She snags one of the plastic to-go cups and adds ice. I pay just as Jem pushes through the door from the back.
“Hey, Maisie. Audra.” She makes a goofy face at my daughter. “What’s up?”
I’m standing to the left of the register and baked goods display case and whisper-shout, “Do you have a minute?”
Jem grins at me. “I think I know where this is going, and for girl talk that gets me out of inventory, I absolutely have time.” She snags a mug from behind the counter, and we head over to a table by the door with a view of the square.
“So you and Harlan?” Jem cocks an eyebrow at me.
I nod and grin. My head bouncing up and down like a crazy person. “Me and Harlan.” My heart sighs at the sound of it.
“Eeeep! High five, girl!” Jem holds her hand up to mine, and I slap my palm to hers.
Audra giggles in my arms and the sound couldn’t be more perfect for the moment.
“Sooo. How was it? ”
“It was… everything… I don’t know how to explain it. With Sean…”
“Nope.” Jem slashes her hand through the air. “None of that. No losing the happy orgasm glow. Your ex was a piece of shit, and if he ever shows his face in this town, I will personally rip off his dick and feed him to the vultures.”
The saccharine sweet way she says that with a smile makes me kind of scared of her.
“Um. Thank you?” I don’t really know what else to say to that.
“Back to you and Harlan. So it was good?”
“The best.” Hope takes flight in my chest like a flock of doves.
“I’m so stinking happy for you. I’m definitely biased, since he’s my brother-in-law, but those Calhoun boys know how to treat a woman. I just have one question though — why are you here in my coffee shop instead of still being in bed with that man?”
Audra slaps her hands to my chest and wiggles in my arms. Jem’s eyes drop to her before she grins at my daughter. “Fair enough. Probably hard to have a lot of alone time with a baby around. You know I’d be more than happy to watch her for the night if you wanted to debauch Harlan for an uninterrupted evening.” She shoots me a dirty grin, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you, he’s actually taking us somewhere today. He just stopped by the station to make sure all was good there, and then we’re leaving for the day.”
“Where?” she asks and takes a sip of her coffee.
“No idea. He just told me to pack a swimsuit, which I don’t own, so I’ve got a pair of shorts and spare t-shirt in our bag.”
Jem’s smile turns knowingly. “I’m not going to ruin the surprise, but you’re gonna have a good time. Promise. And it looks like you’ve made a decision?”
I nod. “I’m staying. Which is scary and terrifying to think about, but I’m done running.”
Jem reaches out and puts her hand on mine. “Good for you, girl. I know that we just met, and don’t know each other super well yet, but I’m really proud of you. I can’t imagine…” She trails off as her eyes go glassy and mine tear up as well. “I can’t imagine what you went through, but we’ve got your back. Okay?”
I nod and sniffle. Sucking back the tears that want to fall.
“Thank you.” I’ll forever be grateful for this little town and the slice of happiness I’m finding here.
Behind me the door chimes, and Andy barrels through it before it opens fully, a newspaper clasped in her hands. Her eyes scan the space, and when they catch on us, she all but sprints to the table.
“Have you seen this shit?” She slaps the paper to the table between us.
“Whoa, where’s the fire?” Jem turns the corner of the paper, and my heart leaps into my throat.
Right there, on the front page of the Everette Gazette is a picture of Harlan and I, him kissing me at the concert.
Oh my god.
Fuck.
Shit.
I scan the article under the picture each word punching me in the throat until I can’t catch my breath.
They don’t name me specifically, the article is more pointing the finger at Harlan and his running for the next term of sheriff of Everette. Each phrase slyly questioning if he’s fit to lead the police force in this town after getting involved with an accident victim that happened in his jurisdiction. That he’s abusing his power by becoming involved with me — letting me and Audra stay at his place, by being with me.
“What the fuck?!” Jem practically shouts.
“Right?” Andy says.
I can’t breathe. I never thought that being with Harlan had the potential to hurt his career. I know that he’s up for reelection, I know that he is the sheriff of this town — that the job fits him down to the bone. And the way they’re painting him in this article is ugly. It’s ugly and horrible, and I’m hurting him. Maybe not directly, but being linked with me and the ugly way our relationship is being painted to the whole town is only going to hurt his chances at being reelected.
“I have to go.” I don’t think before I stand, swiping the paper with my free hand and setting Audra on my hip before shooting out of the café to the sound of Jem and Andy calling me back.
I practically sprint through the square. Eyes are on me from the people milling the sidewalks and it makes my skin crawl — the feeling of being watched. Have they read the article? Do they think that Harlan isn’t fit to be sheriff anymore? The questions fly through my head the closer I get to the station until I’m standing in front of the glass doors breathing hard. Audra starts to cry in my arms, probably picking up on my tension and stress, and I work to slow my breathing as I try to calm her down.
Fear has me in a chokehold as I reach for the handle to the door. I haven’t set foot in a police station or come anywhere near one for as long as I can remember. Sean killed the hope that there would be help for me from the first time he hit me. Swearing up and down that he had more than enough friends on the force to hide whatever he did to me, and that if I opened my mouth, it would be so much worse for me.
Harlan isn’t Sean. He’ll never be Sean. The people who work with him — for him — won’t be like that.
I make myself reach for the handle and pull the door open. The interior is quiet, and there’s a woman behind the front desk, her hair a bright shimmering purple. She looks like a grandma, one who sneaks cookies to her kids and their kids.
She smiles at me. “You must be Maisie… and this must be Audra. I’m Betty. It’s so nice to meet you.” Her smile is friendly, warm, and welcoming. All of the things that I’ve come to love about this little town and that makes the fear at being in a police station ease off a little.
“Maisie? What are you doing here?” I glance behind the desk, to the sectioned off area where there are desks set up. Cassie’s looking at me in confusion, and I wonder if she’s seen the article yet — and if she has, does she agree with it?
“Nice to meet you,” I say to Betty. “Is Harlan available? I need to talk to him,” I say to Cassie. I know he’s in the building, but what if he’s in a meeting or something and can’t be disturbed.
Betty smiles at me. “Sure he is. Cassie, why don’t you take her back?”
I follow Cassie behind the desk and through the station until we come to a stop at a closed door. There’s a plaque on the wall with Harlan’s name and title on it. How long is he going to hold that title with me messing up his life?
Will being with me remove any chance he has at reelection? I don’t know anything about his competition other than the stray bits of commentary I’ve picked up from the Calhouns, but I know that he’s been stressed about it. I know it’s a concern for him, not to mention the way he shies away from the topic when it comes up into conversation with his brothers.
Cassie raps her knuckles against the door and creeps the door open. “Harlan, you have a visitor.”
Harlan looks up from behind the desk, his eyes locked on me and Audra, and I can see it in his eyes. He knows. He knows about the article, but I can’t tell what he’s thinking, or feeling.
“Thanks, Cass.”
Cassie retreats, and I step into the office closing the door behind me. His desk is covered in files, and there’s two visitor chairs stationed in front of the desk. I step around them and set the paper on his desk.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t think… I never thought that…” I trail off unable to get the apology out through stuttering breaths.
“Maisie. Sunshine. I need you to take a breath. It’s okay. Everything is okay.”
I shake my head. “It’s not. They’re saying really ugly things about you. Did you read it?”
Harlan nods. “I did. And it’s all bullshit. Stacey — the journalist — can write whatever she likes, it doesn’t matter.” He reaches out and curls his hand around mine, his hazel eyes steady.
“It does matter. This is your job. Your life … you love being the sheriff. What if this — what if you and me ruin that?”
“Baby, take a breath. Here, let me hold Audra, sit down.” He twists and opens a small fridge behind his desk, pulling out a bottle of water before handing it to me. “Take a sip. Take a second to calm down and we’ll talk about it.” He takes Audra from me and settles her on his lap. She plops backward and her lips spread in a gummy smile at Harlan, completely comfortable with him.
Instead of sitting down, I prop a hip against his desk and take the bottle from him and sip until the riot of emotions threatening to swallow me whole chill out.
“First up. You, me and you. That’s between us. Whatever the town wants to speculate or read in the paper doesn’t have any bearing on us. Agreed?”
I shake my head. “How can you be so calm about this?” I wave a hand in the direction of the newspaper.
“Maisie. Stacey dated Cormac in high school. For all I know, she wrote that as a favor to him, to skew the town toward his favor. I put in a call to the paper, and James, the editor, didn’t even know that it ran until this morning after it printed since he’s been out of the office all week with a summer flu. She slipped it in without him knowing, and if the anger from James is any indication, then she and the managing editor are in a world of trouble. I’ve called the mayor, they know where I stand on the article and I set the record straight on why you’re staying at my place. They understand. If anything, this little stunt has hurt Cormac’s standing in the town council’s eyes.”
“But Harlan, what about everyone else?” His family, this town, the people he serves. What is he going to do when they turn and side eye us when we’re in town together?
“They don’t matter. I love this town and the people in it, but if they think that I’m not fit for the job based off who I’m seeing, then that’s their problem. The only thing that matters to me right now is you. Everything else — every body else can wait. Are you okay?”
He lifts and shifts Audra to settle her against his chest and my baby girl’s head drops to his shoulder as she snuggles in for cuddles. That more than anything softens the anxiety and tension that hit me in the café.
“Yeah. I’m fine. I’ll be fine. But you have to promise me, you won’t let this — us — derail your career.”
“It won’t. I promise.” There’s a glint of something in his eyes. Something that I can’t pinpoint, but if I had to guess, Harlan’s got his own plans for Cormac.