Chapter 18 Aspen
ASPEN
Maddie and Cady belted out the lyrics to Shake It Off as we pulled into the elementary school parking lot. Neither of them was particularly on key, which just made me smile wider.
Maddie came to a stop and turned down the stereo. “You ready for an awesome day?”
“The awesomest,” Cady said with a grin.
“That’s my bestie. We shake off the haters.” She held out a hand for a high-five.
Cady slapped her palm against Maddie’s. “Think Taylor Swift likes glitter?”
“Duh,” Maddie said.
I chuckled, hopping out of the SUV and letting Cady out.
Katelyn walked by with Heather in tow. “Still without a car?”
I forced a grin. “I really appreciate just how much you look out for me, Katelyn.”
Katelyn’s haughty smile faltered. It was almost as if my back-handed compliment had short-circuited her brain. She huffed out a breath and stormed toward the school.
“She’s grumpy all the time, not just when she needs a snack,” Cady piped in.
I laughed and pulled her into a hug. “Some people are just unhappy, Katydid.”
She tipped her head back so she could look up at me. “It’s a lot more fun being happy.”
“I agree.” I kissed the top of her head. “Where’s Charlie?” Usually, we got here at the same time.
Cady frowned. “He had to come early today because his dad had to work.”
I mirrored Cady’s frown. Lawson could’ve dropped Charlie off with me instead of sending him to the school’s early care program. “Well, you’d better go find him. He’s probably been missing his best pal.”
That was all Cady needed. She took off running, her pink glitter backpack slapping against her back.
Once she disappeared, I hurried to Maddie’s SUV and slid inside.
“What did the queen bitch have to say?”
I grimaced. “Some snarky comment about me still not having a car.”
“That woman needs a life,” Maddie mumbled as she headed out of the lot.
“You aren’t wrong. How are things with Nash?”
A soft smile spread across her lips as she glanced down at her ring glimmering in the morning light. “Really good.”
“Love seeing you happy like this,” I said softly.
“Do not make me cry. I’ll boob punch you.”
I snorted. “I’ve been officially warned.”
She pulled into the lot at the body shop and parked, looking over at me. “I want you to have this kind of joy.”
“I’m happy. I’ve got Cady and the animals and amazing friends.”
Maddie studied me for a moment. “Don’t you want more? A partner? Ridiculously hot sex?”
I choked on a laugh. “I don’t know, Maddie. I’m not sure I’m built for it. It’s not the easiest for me to let people in.”
But memories from last night and this morning flashed in my mind. Stolen seconds with Roan. His tenderness with Cady.
Maddie was quiet for a moment. “You ever going to tell me why that is?”
My stomach twisted like a tightly wound ball of yarn. “It’s not important.”
Maddie reached over and squeezed my hand. “If it has marked you like this, it’s important. And I’ll be here to listen whenever you’re ready to share.”
I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth. “Thank you.”
I didn’t deserve her friendship, but I was grateful for it all the same.
“Got your back. Always.”
I glanced over at her. “Same goes. Even when Nash steals the last of your ice cream.”
Maddie barked out a laugh. “Us doing battle over the last of the ice cream is something no one wants to get in the middle of.”
“Consider me warned.” I opened my door and climbed out, rounding to the back passenger seat. I unhooked Cady’s booster seat. “Thank you so much for carting us around the last two days.”
“Please, I got Taylor Swift sing-alongs and promises of glitter manicures. I’m a happy camper.”
I laughed. “You and Cady are a match made in heaven.”
Maddie grinned at me. “She’s my girl.”
I adored how my friends loved her. “See you later.”
Maddie gave me a wave as I shut the door and started toward the office. Footsteps sounded on the pavement, and I jerked.
The younger mechanic stopped in his tracks. “Sorry, ma’am. I was just gonna take that for you and put it in your wagon.”
I sent him a wobbly smile. “Guess I’m a little jumpy this morning. Thank you.”
“It’s no problem,” he said, taking the booster seat. “I’ve got a little sister who still uses one of these. I’m an expert at taking them out and putting them in.”
“It is a science.”
He chuckled. “First time I tried, I was cussing up a storm.”
“You and me both.”
He laughed as he jogged back toward an open bay.
I let out a breath. “Get it together,” I whispered to myself.
The electronic bell dinged as I opened the door. Jim looked up from the reception desk. “I’m just finalizing your paperwork. Good news is that it wasn’t nearly as bad as it first looked.”
The tension that had held me captive for the last few days released a fraction. “Really?”
“Really. We got you a new set of tires and fixed those corroded cables. Just cleaned up everything here and there.”
“How much do I owe you?” I braced.
Jim scanned his sheet. “With the discount for letting me take my time and the used tires, the total comes to six-fifty.”
I blinked. I thought for sure the work would be in the multiple thousands. “That’s it?”
He bobbed his head in a nod. “That’s it. Jake’s bringing it around front now.”
I pulled my wallet out of my purse and found my debit card, handing it to Jim. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
I studied the mechanic for a moment. Why did I have a feeling he was cutting me a deal that was a little too good?
“Four-letter word for a creepy crawler’s home?” Jonesy called.
“Dirt,” Elsie answered without looking up from her computer.
I grinned as I rounded the counter with my coffeepot. These were my favorite days. The ones in our slower months when it was just the regulars. It felt like spending the day with old friends just shooting the shit.
Elsie looked up as I refilled her mug. “You are an angel on Earth.”
I chuckled. “If only everyone were so easy to please. How are the photos coming?”
Elsie flipped her computer around. “What do you think?”
I sucked in a breath. The image was incredible. It was of a path through the forest, but the way she’d done the exposure made it moody and alluring. It pulled you in and didn’t let go.
“That’s amazing. I can’t wait to order the book.”
Elsie nibbled on the corner of her thumbnail. “I’ve still got a few more spots to shoot.”
“I’m gonna miss you around here when you go.”
She glanced out the window. “I’ll miss it here, too. There’s something about the peace.”
“I know. Most places don’t have it.”
Jonesy held up his mug for a refill. “I think she just needs to move here. Make it her base of operations.”
Elsie chuckled. “I gotta get a real job after I finish this book. Sadly, the payout for photography books isn’t the greatest.”
“You should think about staying. There’s a bunch of galleries in town that I’m sure would love to show your stuff,” I said.
She seemed to mull it over. “Maybe.”
The bell over the door chimed, and I turned to greet the newcomers. When Steven and Tyson strolled in, the words died on my lips. My mouth went dry, and I gripped the coffeepot tighter.
Tyson spoke first. “We just want to talk. Hear your side of the story.”
“You need to leave.” My voice didn’t give away the fear that had begun to take root, and I was grateful for that.
“Not talking just tells us you have something to hide,” Steven said with a sneer.
The handle of the coffeepot dug into my palm. I wanted to bean him with it.
“This is a privately owned business. We have the right to refuse service to anyone. Leave. Now.” My voice vibrated a bit, but it could’ve been fury.
“The story’s out there,” Steven said snidely. “If you don’t want to talk, we’ll just fill in the blank spots.”
Elsie’s chair scraped back. “She asked you to leave.”
Steven’s eyes narrowed on her. “This is none of your business.”
“You’re making it everyone’s business by making a scene in a public place,” Elsie shot back.
Steven turned back to me. “Your buddies know you’re a manipulative liar? That you cost a man his life? His daughter?”
My mouth went desert-dry as blood started to roar in my ears.
The bell on the door jingled, the happy sound so contradictory to what was happening in front of me.
Footsteps reverberated on the hardwood, but I couldn’t look away from the two men in front of me. As though if I took my gaze off them for a single second, they would strike.
A throat cleared. “Steven Christensen, Tyson Moss.”
Lawson’s voice made a little of the fear slip away.
They both turned to face him. At the sight of his uniform, Tyson’s eyes went wide, panicked. “We were just talking to her.”
“I think harassing is a better word, and that’s a criminal offense,” Lawson shot back.
Steven scoffed. “We’ve got freedom of the press.”
Lawson looked at him like he was a moron. “That allows you to publish articles without fear of retribution. But even that has its limits. Like when you publish out-and-out lies.”
Anger lit in Steven’s gray eyes. “It’s a man’s story. He’s not allowed to speak his truth?”
My stomach cramped in a vicious twist. They’d spoken to John. And at least Steven had been taken in by him. That charm had always been John’s best weapon. Oren Randal, the reporter back in Mississippi, had been taken in the same way. It’d nearly cost me everything.
Lawson shrugged. “I’d just be real sure your past is squeaky clean before you go around trying to expose others’. People might start taking a closer look at you.”
The threat hummed just below his words. But everyone heard it.
Tyson grabbed Steven’s arm. “Let’s go, man.”
The dark-haired one’s eyes hardened on Lawson. “Shouldn’t be shocked a pig’s trying to silence me.”
“Just trying to keep you from bothering my citizens.”
Tyson dragged his friend toward the door, whispering under his breath.
The moment the door closed, I started to shake.
“Are you okay?” Elsie whispered.
I nodded numbly. “Sorry about that.”
“I’m gonna take her to get some tea,” Lawson said, moving closer.
Elsie flushed. “Oh, yeah. Of course.”
Lawson guided me into the kitchen and began pulling cabinets open until he found what he needed. A few minutes later, he was shoving a warm mug into my hands. The scent of lemongrass teased my nose.
“I think we have grounds for a restraining order,” he said evenly. “You might not get a permanent one, but I’m guessing a judge would give you a temporary one.”
I concentrated on the warmth seeping into my palms. “But then everything would be on the public record.”
“It would.”
I held the mug tighter. “No. It’s not worth it.”
Lawson sighed, leaning back against the counter. “I can have another conversation with them tomorrow if they don’t leave, but they seem pretty damned determined to release this podcast.”
“Roan filled you in?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
Lawson nodded. “Wish like hell you would’ve told me long before now.”
I winced. “I’m sorry. I—”
He held up a hand. “I get having secrets. I’m just glad that you told Roan. That he’s helping. I think you two are good for each other.”
“I didn’t exactly tell him. He showed up when Steven and Tyson were at my house.”
Lawson arched a brow. “And you couldn’t have talked your way out of it? I find that hard to believe.”
He was right. I’d been recognized before. I’d play dumb, come up with a million and one excuses, and always talked people around to my side. But I hadn’t with Roan.
The truth was, I’d wanted to tell him. To open up to someone and let all the burdens go. But I hadn’t gone to a friend. To Maddie, Grae, Wren, or Lawson. I’d gone to Roan.
And I was terrified about what that meant.