14. Game On
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Dalton
Game On
W hen Dalton got back to his grandmother’s house after his long day, he just wanted to take a cold shower and sleep for at least ten hours. He’d stayed for Max’s entire game but kept his distance from Brooke. As much as he wanted to be close to her, he didn’t want to push her too fast. He saw Miles and most of the town at the ballfield, but he didn’t see Tyler.
Now, as he sat in the driveway, he could tell sleep wasn’t going to happen soon. The entire house was lit up, there was music blasting, and there were quite a few other cars in the driveway. Part of him wanted to call Wes and make him deal with it, but it was his turn. So he parked, walked up the shell driveway, and opened the screen door to head into the fray. To his surprise the house looked like there had been a fancy cocktail party, with half-filled dainty glasses scattered around, hors d’oeuvres, and half-eaten pastries. There were party lights strung up across the massive built-in bookcases, but there was no one in sight. He was almost getting worried about where they might be, but then he heard laughter over the music that was coming from the back porch.
When he walked into the dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows, he discovered his grandmother and about a dozen of her friends wearing cowboy boots and old-fashioned hats, dancing in the garden. He knew he’d best make himself scarce, but still stay and make sure no one tried to drive home. He’d almost made it to the back staircase when a woman pushed open the screen door and gasped.
“Oh my, Dalton Hart, are you a sight for old, tired eyes. You’re so handsome, just like your brothers.” The woman was practically purring.
“Good evening, I was just checking on Gran and about to head back out again.”
“Oh no, you should stay, the girls would love to see you.” Then, with a grip he didn’t expect from a woman in her seventies, the woman dragged him out onto the covered porch that led to his grandmother’s expansive garden. It was an enviable Southern garden overflowing with roses, leafy green plants, and a large weeping willow tree.
“Look who I found! He’s joining the party, girls. Our very own Navy SEAL!” The woman’s voice was booming and all eyes fell on him. His gran had the biggest smile of all, and Dalton succumbed to letting her and her friends preen over him and repeat how lucky his gran was to have such accomplished grandsons.
A half hour later Dalton had managed to lock up everyone’s keys and the booze, then escaped his grandmother’s house with no intentions of returning until they had all sobered up. He had two choices, the diner or the pub, so he decided he had earned a beer and found Wes and Declan seated at the bar.
With a slap on his brother’s shoulder, he sat down next to him. “Hey, thanks for the invite.”
“Oh, my bad, bro, I thought for sure you’d have made other plans for your first Saturday night back in town,” Wes said.
The bartender set a bottled beer in front of him and he took a long swig before responding. “Well, I did get two very tawdry offers from Gran’s bingo partners tonight, but I decided I’d better wait and see what my other options are.”
Wes and Declan both laughed at his expense as he filled them in.
“I guess you could stay out at Levi’s place and get more privacy that way.”
“I keep forgetting to ask you about it. I didn’t realize he had a place.”
“Yah, he built another home on the family land out closer to the beach. Great views.”
“How come you don’t live out there?”
“Your brother is married to this town; he’d be too far away all the way out at the beach.”
“Yes, all four miles away,” Dalton noted.
“I have a place in town because it’s easier.”
“Exactly like I said, married to this town,” Declan said.
“Any chance you have a key to Levi’s place?” Dalton asked.
“That bad? Did you find anyone to help with Gran like we talked about?”
“No, I’m not exactly sure how to word the job description. ‘Companion wanted for wild grandmother, light cleaning and stalking needed.’”
Wes laughed. “That sounds about right.”
“I know the perfect person for the job,” Declan said.
“Who?” Wes and Dalton said in unison.
“My cousin Missy; she just dropped out of law school in her final year. Says she hates the legal system and is going to pursue her art.” Declan took another swig of his beer.
“What art?” Wes asked.
“She’s a painter, says she can sell them on her social media. Claims she’s already got a bunch of followers. As if that will pay her bills and health insurance for the rest of her life.”
“I’m really sorry, man. I know you were counting on her joining the practice, but maybe you can get another lawyer to take on some of the cases. You know what they say about working with family,” Wes said.
“I don’t know. I’m not eager to bring in a stranger as a partner. I may just try to take on fewer clients. It’s the safest option.”
“Well, how does this cousin feel about working part-time with free room and board?” Dalton said.
“After another few nights at my house with the twins, I bet she’ll love it. Throw in a room with a good view where she can paint, and she’ll have a tough time saying no. To be honest you’d be helping me out.”
“Something else we need to know?” Wes asked.
“Missy moved in when she was fourteen and I was still in the Army. All my mama said was Missy needed a real home and she was ours now. My mother’s sister was Missy’s mom, and I suspect she hung around the wrong type of men when trying to raise a teenage daughter. Missy’s ten years younger than me so we’ve never really been super close. But after my mom died, I was the only family she had left and ever since Missy’s seemed a bit lost.”
Wes nodded. “Losing a parent young is life-changing. I take it her dad isn’t in the picture?”
“Nah, he never was. So maybe spending time with your grandmother is just what Missy needs. A stable female role model,” Declan said.
Now Dalton was laughing. “Well, I’m not sure Gran is in her prime for stable grandmotherly behavior, but it would be the perfect way to sell it. We tell Gran that Missy needs a woman in her life, and we tell Missy that Gran needs someone looking out for her on a daily basis.”
“It just might work,” Declan said.
“I think you’re both delusional. Women always know when we’re full of shit, but it’s worth a try,” Wes said. “I’m leaving this one up to Dalton because it’s his freedom on the line.” Wes gave him a big smile before he polished off his beer.
“Why don’t I stop by your place tomorrow, Declan, when your cousin’s around? And say I just happen to need help with my gran?” Dalton asked.
“Perfect, if you come early we can maximize the morning chaos and Missy will be more receptive to finding a better living situation. My boys are rambunctious.” Then Declan stood, dropped some money on the bar, and gave Wes a pat on the back. “Thanks for the beer, Chief.”
“Thank you, sir,” Wes said.
“Dalton, arrive around eight thirty for some family law advice and we’ll see if Missy has had enough of all the testosterone at my house.” Declan shook his hand.
“See you then, Counselor.”
“You really think you can outsmart Gran and convince her Missy is moving in just so she can get some motherly advice?” Wes asked.
“No, but she might agree if I say I’m going to be helping out at the hospital in town for a few months.”
“Since when?”
“Since I chatted with the docs at the game earlier today and they made the hard sell.”
“So.”
“So, I’m not used to not working, and I don’t like having so much idle time on my hands,” Dalton said, grabbing a menu and looking over his options.
“Does this have anything to do with Brooke Garcia, who also happens to work at the hospital?”
“Maybe.”
“Just remember she’s a mom now, and her ex isn’t exactly a stand-up guy. The more he sees you around Brooke, the more vengeful he’ll get.”
“I’m just looking for a part-time gig while we get Gran settled and then I can figure out what I want to do with my life.”
“Let me know how that goes.”
“Speaking of, how come everyone in this town calls you the real sheriff?”
Wes sighed. “It’s just easier I guess. But the sheriff is more of a political appointment. Our current sheriff is old school, and he’s been in place for three decades.”
“But?”
“But he’s been asking me to run when his term is up next year. He’s not interested in modern policing with body cams and technology.”
“Wow. Sheriff Hart has a nice ring to it.”
“We’ll see, I’m not sure I want the job. I sorta fell into law enforcement after Mom and Dad died. Maybe we both need to figure out what we’re going to do next.”
“If I stayed in Sandy Point, would you want to go back to the city?”
Dalton remembered the day Wes returned home with a few suitcases; it was the same day of their parents’ funeral. He’d had a job and an apartment in the city, probably an entire life. But he’d moved home to make sure Levi and Dalton had what they needed. Three months later, Dalton left for the Naval Academy and never came back. But Levi had been only sixteen and needed a guardian. Between Wes and Gran, they made sure Levi channeled his grief into sports. He finished at the top of his class and was recruited by several Division One schools and got a full scholarship in Georgia. By then Wes had been working in the local police department and stayed to manage the family estate.
“I guess I never considered leaving again. If we sell off the pier and some land, there won’t be much here for me to manage besides Gran. If you stay, that does leave me with more options.”
“I forgot about the pier, and you didn’t say anything about selling off the land,” Dalton said.
“Do you know how expensive property taxes are on a hundred acres? Or a pier that’s in need of a million-dollar repair?”
“Point made. Look, I support whatever you decide, but am I allowed to ask what the options are?”
Wes nodded. “I’m happy to tell you anything, you and Levi just never seemed to worry about it or care.”
“Have you talked to Levi about potentially funding the pier repairs? I feel like after years in the MLB just a fraction of his salary could cover it and he should get the option to say no.”
“Our little brother has been dodging my calls, so unless you can get him to cut us a check, I need to make a decision by the end of the month. It won’t really matter who we sell to if we can’t afford to keep it.”
A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. “Let me guess, a prominent local family wants to buy the pier and turn it into a tourist attraction, along with our land?” Dalton stood.
“Yup, and when you put this place in your rearview again, it won’t matter if the Banks family owns this town or if I’m the sheriff for the next thirty years,” Wes said matter-of-factly as he stood. “Come on, I’ll get you into Levi’s place and make sure it’s hospitable, then swing by Gran’s and see if any of those party animals need a ride home.”
Dalton didn’t like the idea of his brother feeling trapped by obligations to stay in Sandy Point or selling the family land to the one family they had such a bad history with. But the question remained, what was he going to do about it? Because staying in Sandy Point wasn’t an option, and now he might be forced to tell Wes why. Then his brother was definitely never going to want to see him again.