Chapter 5
five
MADDOX
Blinking my eyes open, I lie here and stare at the ceiling above. My night was restless. I kept dreaming of a woman with killer curves but she was always just out of my reach. Our hands were a hair’s breadth apart, but no matter how much each of us wriggled our fingers, we never touched. Every time I thought I was going to catch her, she would once again slip through my grasp.
Touching my head, I wince. It’s throbbing and still hurts like a bitch. I can’t believe I crashed my car. That’s going to go over well when I head into the station later today to meet up with everyone before I officially start next week.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee and pastries has me climbing out of bed and shuffling out to the kitchen.
“Ugh, dude,” my sister screeches, covering her eyes. “Put some clothes on.”
Looking down, I smirk when I realize I’m only in my briefs and my morning wood is standing to attention, waving hello. “Oops, sorry, Sis, I’m used to living alone and not having to worry about…” I point to my junk, earning myself a disgusted shudder from my sister .
“Go put some clothes on, you freak. A girl does not need to see her brother like that first thing in the morning … or ever. I need to bleach my eyes.”
“Under the sink,” I unhelpfully sing out as I walk back into my room to pull on a pair of gray sweatpants. Walking back out to the kitchen, I smile at my sister. “Better?”
“Not really … you’ve just ruined gray sweatpants for me.” Staring at her I wait for an explanation, because right now, I’m confused as hell. Then, it clicks in my brain just as she says, “Heroes in romance novels always wear gray sweatpants ’cause hello, they are hot, but now I will associate them with you and you’re my brother.”
“Are you saying I’m hot?”
“You know you are. So many of my friends at school had a crush on you back in the day.”
But I only ever wanted one friend of yours , I think to myself as I shuffle over to the coffeepot and pour myself a mug. “Top up?”
“Please.” She nods and slides her mug over to me.
“Thanks again for letting me crash here last night.”
“Well, I couldn’t leave you stranded in the snow.” She chuckles. “Still can’t believe you crashed after a run-in with Murray.”
“Murray is dead next time I see him.”
“Leave the poor deer alone, besides, if you do anything to him, you will have two very sad nieces.”
“You know I would never harm an animal, and now I know Cass and Mon are fans of his, I will not touch a hair on his stupid head.”
“Good,” she states with a nod.
“Think you can give me a lift into town?”
“Sure, I need to stop at Hanson’s to stock up for girls’ weekend so once we get here, we don’t need to go anywhere.”
“Can I ask you a question? ”
“You can, but whether I answer or not is another thing.”
“I swear, your sass has increased tenfold over the years.”
“You’re welcome.” She takes a bow and jumps up onto the counter next to where I’m leaning. “What’s your question?”
“What do you really think of Ruby’s fiancé?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Humor me,” I tell her.
She purses her lips and furrows her brows. “Okay, fine, I’ll tell you what I feel, but if you utter a word of this to anyone, itchy powder in your undies will seem like a walk in the park with what I will do to you.”
“Scout’s honor.” I hold my fingers up.
“Joel’s a dick, if you ask me. I’ve never really liked him, but Ruby is head over heels, ass over tit, in love with him.” She pauses. “It’s funny, when I think back to then, we got back from Christmas break in our first year at college, Ruby was different but a few months later, she met Joel and the old Rubes came back. But over the years, before my eyes, I’ve seen her slowly dying again.” She takes a deep breath. “And while I’m being brutally honest, he’s not who I pictured Rubes ending up with. He’s so, square and straitlaced and Ruby is not a square bear. She’s adventurous and free-spirited and wild.”— Ohh, I know she’s wild— “She needs someone who is going to challenge her and support her.”
“He doesn’t support her?”
“He does, but he also thinks her store is silly. ‘Romance isn’t a way to make a living’ he always tells her.”
“Does he not know romance is one of the highest-selling genres out there?”
“Are we a closeted romance reader?”
“I’m a reader, Sab. As long as the story hooks me, I’ll read it … and if it has a side of porn, I’m down with that too.”
“Romance does not equal porn, Mad. ”
“Fine, how’s this then, as long as the story hooks me, I’ll read it … and if it has a side of spice, I’m down with that.”
“Better, but seriously, you read smut?”
With a shrug and a cheeky wink, I swallow the last of my coffee. Placing my mug in the dishwasher, I turn to my sister. “What time did you want to head into town?”
“Give me ten to shower and we can go.”
“Great, see you in an hour,” I tease.
“Sooo funny,” she throws back at me, but we both know I’m right. My sister takes forever to get ready … and I was right. Forty minutes later, we climb into her Range Rover and we head into town. She drops me off at the station and we go our separate ways, with her agreeing to help me unpack a few things later today.
Walking into the station, a feeling of being home washes over me. When I walk up to the front counter, Deputy Dennis Mitchell and Stan Wolensky start a slow clap, and then Stan mimics a crash with his hands—and what I think is meant to be a crashing sound—but it sounds more like a deer giving birth.
“Crashing into town like a champ, I see,” Dennis teases, offering me his hand for a shake.
“Hardy har har, Dennis. I see news travels fast around here.”
“Umm, hello, it’s Evergreen Lake. Nothing is ever a secret around here.”
That’s the only downfall to moving back here, news here travels faster than the speed of light and like Telephone, often the story changes and morphs into a wicked tale. “Who spilled the beans?” I ask, as I walk around the desk into the back, shaking Stan’s hand as I pass him.
“Three guesses?” Dennis says, holding up three fingers.
Taking a guess, I say the first busybody’s name to come to mind. “Sheila?”
“Ding-Ding-Ding, we have a winner.”
“How did she find out?”
“Delivery Dan saw your car when he was out and about this morning. He mentioned to Mary seeing the car when he did the delivery at Sips earlier and the gossip queens were there, and well, now everyone knows. Welcome back, Sheriff.”
“What are the chances this will be kept quiet?” Dennis and Stan both crack up laughing. “Fuck,” I hiss and squeeze the back of my neck to ease the tension knot forming. I slept like shit last night and my body is a little sore after my crash.
“On that note,” Dennis says once he’s stopped laughing at me. “Your car has been towed to Chris’s and he’s already working on it for you.”
“Thanks, Dennis, appreciate it. Is Sheriff Roberts in?”
Dennis shakes his head, “Nah, he’s in town making the final arrangements for tonight.”
“Okay, thanks, I’ll catch up with him there.”
“Looking forward to working with you, Maddox,” Dennis says.
“Me too,” Stan adds.
“I’m looking forward to it too. I’ll catch up with you both tonight.”
Saying our goodbyes, I head into town to meet up with Sheriff Roberts, but I get sidetracked when I come across a quaint little bookstore on Main Street.