14. Fate Dives Overboard
Chapter 14
Fate Dives Overboard
When they hit the outskirts of town, Reece turned right. Normally, they would go straight down Bowen Street, past her clinic, to the Miners Tavern.
Neve glanced out the window. “Where are you going?”
“The rec center. I want to see if they’ve started on the ice sculptures yet.”
Ice sculpting was an annual tradition in Fall River, where local artists would carve blocks of ice into incredible creations. The start date was always a moving target, though. Sometimes the ice arrived the day before Thanksgiving, and sometimes the day after. Either way, rolling past the rec center to see the latest goings-on would be a welcome slice of normal pie in an otherwise bizarre twenty-four- hour stretch.
As they looped through the park, it became obvious the ice hadn’t made it yet. Bodies moving across the ice rink caught Neve’s eye. “Looks like they’ve got a pickup game going.”
“Yeah, kinda thin, though. You gonna play this weekend?”
“I don’t know. Depends on what kind of workload I’m facing after skipping school for two days.”
Her ringing phone jarred her. More jarring was the name on the Tahoe’s center screen.
“You gonna answer that?” Reece prompted.
“And have you listen in? No way.” She tapped the red button. “I’ll tell Leo my ‘news’ later and suffer in private, thank you very much.” Between the crash and returning to the quiet streets of Fall River, Neve had managed to slide the weight of what they’d done to the back burner, where it had been quietly simmering. Now that reality reared back into her consciousness, though, she shriveled inside. How would she extricate herself from a marriage she’d never planned on? Well, she’d planned on it since elementary school, but it had never gone down like this in her dreams.
A new thought jarred her. “Reece! If this turns out to be binding, and we can’t get it annulled, we’re each going to have a divorce on our record!”
He slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road and lay his head back against the headrest. “Then maybe we stay married.”
She blinked. “Are you nuts?”
“Probably. Okay, so maybe that’s not a great idea.” He let up on the brake, and the Tahoe began moving again. “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, okay?” He reached across the console and squeezed her arm. “Until we have more information, there’s no point in worrying.”
He parked between his red truck and Dixie’s car in the lot behind the Miners Tavern.
“I thought the tavern was closed today,” Neve remarked.
“It is. Knowing Dix, she’s here on a cleaning frenzy while the place is empty.” Reece cut the engine and tossed Neve her keys before hopping out of the SUV, taking his bag with him. “Hey, why don’t you come upstairs for a minute and see how Mr. Whiskers is doing? He’s really filled out.”
A chance to see how much the cat had improved? That would be a bright spot. As anxious as Neve was to get away from Reece so she could sort her thoughts, she couldn’t resist this chance to see the cat thriving. She unfastened her seat belt and joined Reece by the back door. “Only for a minute.”
He unlocked the door and held it for her, calling out, “Dixie? I’m back.”
Before they were fully inside, Dixie rushed through the doorway that connected the dining area to the rear entry. She was out of breath, and steam puffed from her mouth.
Neve wrapped her arms around herself. “Why is it so cold in here?”
Reece placed his bag on the floor. “What’s going on?”
“The heat stopped working, and one of the pipes is busted.”
Dixie’s husband, Dewey—who doubled as the tavern’s cook—appeared behind her … which was a little tough to tell because Dixie’s ample frame overshadowed her husband’s shorter, wiry one. “I had to shut everything off.” His voice was its usual rasp, like sandpaper on metal.
Reece glanced at the flight of stairs behind them. “What about my cat?”
“I don’t know. We’ve had our hands full with this mess, and I didn’t get a chance to check.” She narrowed her eyes on him. “Besides, you changed the locks and left a spare with Amy, but you didn’t think to leave me one.”
With good reason. Dixie was nothing if not nosy. Neve snickered in silence.
Reece spun and took the stairs two at a time. Neve made to follow, but Dixie’s scream stopped her in her tracks.
“Oh my land! Doc, did you get hitched alongside the boss and Hailey?”
Heat raced from Neve’s chest to her scalp, broadcasting her alarm. “What? No, of course not! What makes you say that?”
Dixie pointed at Neve’s hand. “That gigantic sparkler on your left ring finger, child.”
Neve stuffed her hand behind her back.
The woman craned her neck to look up the stairs Reece had scaled a beat before. “Was it to His-Search-and-Rescue-Nibs? I hope it was him and not that rich son of a gun from Silver Summit.” Dixie’s gaze landed back on Neve. “Stop hiding it, hon. Let me see that thing.” She held out a palm.
Lifting her hand, Neve forced a laugh and gave the ring a nonchalant once-over. “ This thing? It’s not real, Dixie. Just something I won at the craps table. You wouldn’t catch me dead wearing anything this gaudy if it were genuine.”
Dixie lowered a skeptical eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure they trade strictly in cash at them casinos.”
“Oh, you’re right. Silly me.” Neve let out a hyena laugh that had Dixie dropping her second eyebrow. “It was one of those claw machines. You know, where you operate the crane levers to snag prizes? I won this plastic ring.” She hooked a thumb toward the stairs. “I’d better go see if Reece needs my help.” She spun without looking back and raced to the landing in record time. Reece had only just stepped inside, and he called for Mr. Whiskers. Did the animal even know his placeholder name yet?
“I’ll search down here. You go upstairs,” he ordered.
She dashed up a flight of metal stairs to an open bedroom loft barely high enough to stand in. The space was a bachelor-style mess, dominated by a mattress on the floor that was nearly as destroyed as the bed in his hotel suite had been. Maybe he’s a thrasher. He’s definitely a morning humper.
Stop it!
She focused her attention on the loft’s contents. A cardboard box stood in as a nightstand, and on it were a book, a stress ball, and a squeezy hand exerciser. She told her mind not to wander to what else he might squeeze while lying in bed.
Taking up the rest of the floor was several days’ worth of a masculine wardrobe: jeans, T-shirts, boxers, and socks.
Who knew the man was such a slob?
“Uh, let’s switch. I should take the upstairs,” the slob called from below. No doubt he recalled the state he’d left the space in.
“Too late. I’ve already seen your entire collection of dirty underwear.” She averted her eyes to protect them from evidence of other parts of his life she wasn’t prepared to see, such as condom wrappers or articles of clothing of the feminine variety.
A meow sounded from a heap of tangled blue sheets, and Neve approached cautiously. “I think I found him.” She dropped her voice to a singsong. “Are you hiding in there, Mr. Whiskers?” Gingerly, she pulled back the covers over a telltale lump, and the cat poked his head out and gave her a lazy one-eyed blink.
Reece was beside her in an instant, throwing out apologies for the disheveled room and peeling the covers off the cat. He lifted Mr. Whiskers into his arms and held him close to his body, stroking his fur. The animal vibrated with a full-throttle purr. Crossing her arms, Neve stood back and took in the adorable sight of a burly man cuddling a six-pound cat in his muscle-layered arms. Reece continued caressing the cat and speaking to it in soothing tones. Finally, he spared Neve a glance. “I think he’s all right. Should you take a closer look to be sure, though?”
“I will if you want me to, but he looks fine to me. It’s cold in here, but not dangerously so, and he found the warmest spot. Cats are smart that way.”
“He doesn’t usually sleep in the bed.”
“He probably missed you and wanted to be where your scent is strongest.” Neve’s gaze took another abbreviated tour around the room. “Although he could have picked any of these piles to do that. Maybe now I understand how your bed at Eterna Luxe got so trashed. Are you always this messy?”
“I was in a hurry when I left yesterday. As for the bed at the hotel, you helped with that,” he clipped. “Let’s go downstairs.”
Back in the main living space—which was essentially one open room containing a kitchenette, a broken-down couch, and another box that doubled as a coffee table—Reece handed the cat to Neve and flipped a few light switches without success. “They probably turned off the electricity.” He peered under the kitchen sink.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking the pipes to see if they’re frozen, but it’s too dark.”
Cat tucked under her arm, Neve proceeded to raise a few window shades. “Maybe if we let in some light …”
He whipped a flashlight out of a drawer and held it up. “I got this.” From the glimpse Neve managed, it looked as though he had plucked it from among at least six other flashlights.
Within minutes, they were back in the tavern facing Dewey in the dining room. He held up a wrench. “Caught it in time. Drained the pipes so’s they don’t freeze. Good thing we’s closed for the holiday.”
Neve discreetly tucked her left hand behind her back when Dixie appeared beside him, her hands flapping. “You better find yourself somewhere else to stay, Reece. And get that cat out of here before he sheds all over my restaurant. I don’t need no health inspector snooping around and finding cat hairs! ”
Reece turned to Neve. “Do you think you could take him to your clinic until I figure out where I’m going to stay? I need to make a few calls.”
“I’ll take him, but why not just go to your folks’ house? I’m sure they would love to have you.”
One of his eyebrows dipped. “I’m thirty-two.”
“Yes, I knew that.” She stifled a laugh, reminding herself this wasn’t funny. Nothing about the past twenty-four hours was funny.
“That means I’m too old to bunk with my parents.”
“Got it. How about if I drop him off before I pick up Pearl from Luanne’s?” Neve held out her hands for the cat hand-off, keeping the ring out of sight. An idea struck. “Maybe you could, uh, stay at the clinic? I’ve got a couch in my office that’s too short for you, but I also have a shower, and there’s heat and running water.”
Hope glinted in his dark olive orbs. “That wouldn’t be too much trouble?”
“You’d actually be helping me out by acting as my human security system.” Dixie’s inquisitive gaze slid between them repeatedly, making stops in between in the general direction of Reece’s left hand. Neve opted not to elaborate on why she needed security. If word got out that someone in this town might be making meds disappear from her clinic’s pharmacy, the bad publicity could shrink her bottom line further.
Reece gave a mild chuckle. “I’ve slept in worse conditions. The couch in your clinic will work fine. And thank you. I’m sure it won’t be more than one night.” He clopped upstairs to pack his clothes.
“I also have a washer and dryer, in case you need to, ah, clean some clothes.” An image of navy-blue and black knit boxers strewn over the floor came swirling back into her mind. Him standing in those boxers—and nothing else—also took a turn in her imagination, and she shut her eyes briefly to change the picture.
Once he was out of earshot, Dixie gave her a playful elbow poke. “Oh, hon, I’m so happy you two kids finally got out of your own way and started down the path of happily ever after together. All’s I can say is it’s about time! But really, you’re going to make him sleep at the clinic? Why on this God’s green earth wouldn’t you take that man home with you and knock yourselves out making whoopee?” Her painted-on brows bounced above her blue-lidded eyes .
Warning bells clanged in Neve’s head, reigniting her hangover. “Dixie, read my lips. The ring is a fake. Reece and I aren’t together.”
“Sure, hon. And I guess the band on his left hand came out of the same gumball machine and coincidentally matches yours.” Patting Neve’s shoulder, she broke out in a sly grin. “Ah, I think I understand what’s going on between you two. You just had your first lovers’ spat, huh? And now you’re playing coy. Well, good to get that over with, but don’t wait too long to make up.” Dixie winked. “That’s the fun part anyway.”
Reece was back with a smaller duffel in one hand and an occupied cat carrier in the other, saving Neve from having to counter whatever Dixie thought she knew. Except there was his shiny ring, on full display.
Damn it! By the time they walked out of the tavern, Dixie’s theory would be all over town.
The woman gave her another wink and flounced toward her husband, singing over her shoulder, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, you two.”
“Well, that sure as hell leaves the possibilities wide open,” Reece muttered after her.
“That’s the idea, sugar,” Dixie hummed.
Reece stowed his stuff in the back seat of Neve’s Tahoe. “Damn. I forgot the cat’s food. Be right back.”
Neve settled herself behind the steering wheel while she waited. A text chimed, and she looked down and groaned. Leo was sending her a friendly “hello.”
She tapped the phone icon and held her breath. Box breathing was out. Her chest was too compressed for anything beyond tiny sips of air.
“Hey, I was wondering if I’d hear from you,” came his cheerful voice. “How was Vegas?”
“Everything was amazing. I’m sure you’ll be hearing many thank-yous from Noah and Hailey, but I wanted to add mine too. Thank you so much. It made everything so special. As for the rest, it was, uh, interesting.”
A note of caution entered his tone. “Did the bride and groom become … bride and groom?”
“Oh yes. In fact, Charlie and Joy thought it was such a great idea that they decided to tie the knot too.”
“You’re kidding! How did that happen?”
“I think it’s safe to say the impulse was fed by an overabundance of alcohol. ”
“Wow! Well, good for them. What did you and Reece do while the foursome got themselves entangled?”
She paused for a beat, then flung herself into the deep end. “Apparently, we thought it was such a great idea that we got on board too.”
Silence crackled through the line. “Not sure I heard you right. Are you saying …?”
“Yes. Reece and I got married. We were so drunk we don’t remember doing it, but we have a marriage license that says so. Under the circumstances, I don’t know how valid it is, but we plan to find out and undo what we did. Reece isn’t any happier about it than I am. I’m so sorry, Leo.” The rest of the air she’d been holding in squeezed from her lungs. “Are you still there?”
“I’m here,” he answered quietly, “but I’ve got to admit I don’t know what to say, Neve.”
“I’m at a loss too, Leo. I’m so sorry. This isn’t like me. I’m not someone who gets drunk, gets a wild hair, and acts on it. I’m not that girl.”
His voice tightened. “Obviously, some part of you is that girl, Neve. Getting so wasted you don’t remember … The alcohol merely removed a barrier. The desire had to be there for you to go through with something so … so reckless. Unless someone held a gun to your head.”
God, she wanted to scream that yes, someone had. Barring that lie, her next urge was to crawl into a shell and stay there the rest of her life. “To my knowledge, no one did.”
Extended moments of squirm-worthy silence passed.
“Leo, I—”
“Look, Neve, I have some obligations to take care of. Let’s leave it at this: You go work out whatever you need to with Reece. Assuming that involves getting un married, we’ll talk after that. In the meantime, I wish you the best.”
She’d been on the verge of apologizing again because she’d needed to fill the void with something , but he’d taken care of it with a polite good-bye they both knew masked the real message: never again in this lifetime, sister. Take your marbles and go home . She had been so far out of his moving-and-shaking league anyway, and this pushed her farther into orbit .
They hung up, and she cycled fresh air through her lungs. By the time Reece emerged from the tavern with a bag of kibble, she’d cleared some debris from her head.
“I just told Leo,” she announced.
Reece’s green eyes widened. “How did that go?”
She shrugged. “About as well as you’d expect, but at least he heard it straight from me and not through the Fall River wireless. In case you’re wondering, he broke it off.”
One Reece eyebrow lowered with concern. “You could have let it ride, you know. You didn’t have to tell him.”
“Yes, I did. Not telling him would have been morally reprehensible, and I can’t believe you, Mr. Upstanding Citizen, would even suggest such a thing.”
While he mumbled something about not always being honorable, his eyes blazed with contrition. “Are you all right?”
“Surprisingly, yes.” Funny, she should have been devastated over the humiliating breakup with the first man who’d shown interest in a very long time, but the overriding emotion taking up space in her chest was … relief. She’d been so busy worrying about her low-life roots and comparing herself to the high-class beauties at his disposal that she’d always felt a little on edge around him. Not quite good enough to simply be Neve Embry, small-town vet.
Leo Cantrell’s exit left her with one less troubling detail in her life.
Reece seemed to appraise her for a long moment—probably satisfying himself she wasn’t going to go to pieces right before his eyes—then gave her a curt head bob.
They clambered into their vehicles and headed down Bowen Street. Reece’s truck trailed her the four blocks to the clinic. The shops were normally closed this time of year, but on Thanksgiving Day, the streets were even more deserted than usual. An urgency to get Reece settled, get her dog, and curl up on her couch with a cup of hot tea and a Hallmark Christmas movie rose up inside her and moved to the front of her priority line. If she was really lucky, she’d discover a sleeve of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls in her fridge she could heat up—the big ones.
Reece was low-maintenance. Getting him settled wouldn’t take long. They could work out the other “stuff” tomorrow. She, at least, needed a decent night’s sleep before tackling the disquieting possibility they needed to legally undo their epically impulsive mistake.
As they rolled closer to their destination, something looked off, and her brain struggled to process what her eyes reported. Her clinic came fully into view, and her hopes and plans for a quiet, numbing afternoon filled with artery-clogging pastry evaporated. Parked out front was Shane’s deputy sheriff’s SUV beside Sheriff Chesterton’s vehicle. The sheriff’s presence at her place of business raised the fine hairs on her nape and arms. If the sheriff was here instead of solving crimes somewhere else in their vast county, something was very, very wrong.
Then came the confirming, crushing blow: Jagged glass in her front door marked where the pane had been when she’d locked up yesterday. The frame holding the glass hung drunkenly on its hinges, and she swallowed down her rising alarm.
Not bothering to park in a proper slot, she came to a screeching halt and sprang from her vehicle. Shane and the sheriff emerged from inside, ducking through the gaping hole.
“O’Brien, I’ll look for your report.” Turning toward her, Sheriff Chesterton tipped his hat. “Doc, Deputy O’Brien will fill you in.” Then he gave Reece a nod. “Hunnicutt, glad you’re here to help the little lady.”
Neve was too stunned to react to the “little lady” comment. Instead, she lasered in on Shane, who held up in his hands in a placating gesture.
“Doc, I’m glad you’re back. Now don’t panic, but I’ve got some bad news.”
The all-too-common refrain set off a visceral reaction deep in the pit of her stomach, and she ran to the bushes and threw up.