Chapter 14 Rowan
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
rowan
I squint up at the street signs, but they’re unreadable after having been peppered to death with a BB gun.
Between the emotional rollercoaster of seeing Claire again and the cleanup efforts after the conclusion of Daisy and Landry’s wedding reception, I’m utterly exhausted.
And while rubbing my eyelids usually helps refresh my dry contact lenses, all it does is cloud my vision and make it even harder to see this time.
My right lens wrinkles, so I shift my truck into park and flip down the visor to get it straight.
Blinding blue lights flash in the mirror, making me wince and scrape my eyeball.
Then I flinch twice as hard a second later when an unexpected knock scares the heck out of me, and I accidentally dislodge the contact lens altogether.
“ ‘Scuse me, sir. I’m gonna need you to get down from ya truck, please,” says a muffled voice with a strong accent.
“One second, I have to find my contact before it dries up!” I call out and lean down to search the floorboards, but I get an even more emphatic warning as the cop pounds against the driver’s side door.
“I’m sorry,” I say with my eyes closed, immediately raising my hands. “I just … I got lost, and I can’t see.”
“Sir, step outta the vehicle,” he demands.
I groan. “My contact lens fell out while I was driving, and if I don’t get it now—”
“And I told you to get outta the damned truck, boy. Don’t make me tell you again.”
“Okay, okay. I’m coming out,” I say as placatingly as possible and force my eyes open.
The deputy takes a step back when I open the door, his palm resting on the gun at his hip. Although I’m not sure how easy it would be for him to pull it out with the holster tucked under his gut that way. “Keep your hands up where I can see ‘em, just like that.”
I follow orders until he shines a flashlight directly into my already sensitive eyes, after which I stumble backward, bumping into the driver’s side door and earning myself another warning. Pain pulses through my head when he scolds me again.
“You just don’t listen, do ya?”
“I’m sorry. You’re killing me with the lights,” I retort angrily to my own surprise. While I’d normally pride myself on remaining compliant and respectful in a situation like this, this guy is catching me on a bad night. Or maybe I’m simply too tired, and my give a care is broken.
“Put ya hands back up,” he scolds me, and I cringe as I obey. “You ain’t from Camellia, are you, boy?”
“No, sir. I only came for my sister’s wedding,” I explain as calmly as I can.
“Wedding, huh? You kin to Coach Reed’s people?”
“I am now.”
He raises an eyebrow and spits on the ground at the hint of sarcasm in my reply. “Don’t get sassy with me.”
I let out a long exhale. “My sister, Daisy, married his son, Landry. In fact, I was trying to make my way to Coach Reed’s house to stay for the night. I’m sure if I could call—”
“His boy, Landry, he’s a doctor now, ain’t he?” the deputy interrupts, still regarding me suspiciously.
“Yes, sir. We went to medical school together.”
He stares at my pickup before he continues. “Well, Doc, whatcha doin’ in that ol’ Toyota with all that money you oughta have?”
I swallow hard. “My truck might be old, but it runs just fine. And I don’t care much for fancy things.”
As soon as I say the words, Claire pops into my head again.
I bite my lip as I think about tracing the outline of her tattoos and wrapping her silky hair around my fingers.
Then I clear my throat and shake my head, reminding myself that this isn’t the time to fantasize about a woman I can’t have.
Not that there’s ever a good time for that.
“Hmm. You been drinkin’ tonight, son?” the officer asks.
“No, sir,” I reply too quickly. “Well, technically, I had a small sip of champagne at the end of the wedding toast, but that’s all. I don’t really drink.”
He narrows his eyes at me and steps in closer. “How ‘bout a little sobriety test, then? Just to make sure you’re fit to drive.”
Is this thing on?
I blink at him. “But I’m not fit to drive. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
“So you’re admitting to driving under the influence?”
“No, but I am currently blind in one eye, since I won’t be able to unstick my contact lens from the floor mat by now,” I say, unable to keep my annoyance from leaking into my tone again.
“Now, you listen here—”
“What’s going on? Mr. Godchaux, is that you out there?” a female voice calls out.
“Who’s dat?” the deputy asks, turning the beam of his flashlight to reveal the outline of a dark-haired woman a few yards away.
“Claire Bergeron, the ag teacher.” I tilt my head back and let out another loud groan. “I welded that front grill onto your patrol car the other day, remember?” Claire adds when the deputy doesn’t respond right away, I’m guessing because of the name change.
“Oh, hey, Claire. You all right?” he asks, glaring at me after my rude interruption.
“Yeah, fine,” she answers, turning to face me. “Just came out to see who was blocking my driveway.”
Of course she’s going to witness my accidental DUI.
What are the chances this would happen in front of her house?
Wasn’t it enough that I had to watch her interact with my family from afar all night after I butchered our reunion, then swallow my pride again when she so generously volunteered to stay behind and help us clean the reception hall?
My pulse quickens, and I scold myself for being more concerned with someone witnessing this whole fiasco than the possibility of actually going to jail. Because it can’t just be the sound of Claire’s voice making my heart go crazy right now, can it?
“Sorry ‘bout that, sweetheart. But I’m in the middle of something right here, so I’m gonna need you to go back inside, for your own safety. At least until I can get this uncooperative drunk driver off the road for the night.”
I roll my eyes and scoff, and Claire snorts out a laugh of her own. “This one might be uncooperative, but I don’t think we have anything to worry about,” she calls out with a tinge of amusement.
“You know this stranger?” Mr. Godchaux asks in surprise.
I close my right eye and attempt to make out Claire’s expression in the dark. Yeah, she’s definitely enjoying this.
“We’ve met,” she replies cooly.
“Mais ouai, I guess you been at the Reed wedding, too,” he says thoughtfully. “That little bride teaches wit’ ya, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, sir,” Claire replies. “And she’s a sweet girl. The whole family seems nice.”
I sigh in relief when she takes pity on me. “Claire, please tell him I’m not drunk. I’ve never even been drunk in my life.”
“I don’t know about that last part, but I have seen him under the influence of allergy meds before. And he’s a lot more fun when he’s less sober,” she says dryly. It seems like she might be moving closer, but it’s still hard for me to tell. I squint again, and she pins me with a confused glare.
“What’s wrong wit’ you, boy? And why the hell you keep try’na wink at everyone?” the deputy asks, shining his light in my face again.
I wince. “Like I said, my eye hurts. And the way you keep blinding me isn’t helping.”
“Yeah, but there’s something else,” he insists. “You ain’t from the city, are you?”
“Grew up on a farm,” I mutter.
“Maybe it’s because he was homeschooled,” Claire chimes in, barely containing her laughter.
The cop shakes his head. “That ain’t it, either. You on something else? Some of dem funny gummies?”
“Nah, he’s too straight-laced for that. I think he’s just weird,” Claire says with her hands on her hips.
“Sure, because wearing contacts makes me the weirdo here,” I grind out.
“Oh, I get it,” the deputy says before turning to Claire and whispering, “He’s gotta lil sugar in his tank.”
Claire coughs as she stifles her laughter. “That would explain a lot.”
A growl escapes my throat. “You really wanna know what’s wrong with me?
I’m exhausted, okay? I just married my baby sister off to my best friend, which leaves me all alone, the last of my nine siblings.
And I am a good guy, all right? I definitely like women, for the record, and I respect them.
Heck, I help women for a living. I never drink and drive.
I love kids. I’m a really good uncle and a Parrain to a ton of my nieces and nephews.
I go to church, I give to charity, and I pray the rosary, like, every day,” I tell them, ticking my qualities off on my fingers.
“I’m the kind of guy who walks across the parking lot to save his shopping buggy.
Yet, there are eight examples of people with the same genes and upbringing as mine who were able to find true love—nine if you count the control group, AKA the grumpy asshole that’s currently embarking on a honeymoon with my sister—and I can’t even manage to avoid the emergency room or a sober DUI in front of the first woman I’ve liked in as long as I can remember! ”
I hear Claire snort beside us, but I don’t look her way.
“So while the idea of drowning my sorrows with a few mood-stabilizing gummies and the rest of that champagne I passed on earlier sounds pretty damned good right now, I can honestly say I’m not high or drunk.
I’m just pathetic and tired, and quite possibly blind in one eye.
And I wanna go home, but I live two hours away.
So my only option is to crash with Coach Reed, which probably speaks for itself. ”
Mr. Godchaux nods at that. “Yeah, Leslie Reed has always been an asshole,” he offers, then flinches. “Sorry ‘bout my language, sweetheart,” he directs at Claire.
“I’m honestly more surprised to hear Dr. Green Flag knows how to cuss,” she replies.
I shake my head and slump back against my truck. “Seriously, what do I have to do to get out of this? Can I call a lawyer? I’ve got one in Camellia who owes me a couple of favors.”
The deputy clears his throat. “If I let you go now, how are you going to get to Coach Reed’s?”
“I’ll drive him,” Claire answers for me.
“You will?” I ask hesitantly.
“Yeah.” It looks like her arms are crossed again, but I still can’t make out her expression. “You can leave your truck in my driveway and pick it up in the morning.”
I gulp. “Thank you, Claire.”
Deputy Godchaux looks back and forth between us a couple of times before he nods. “All right, then. I’ll let you take it from here, sweetheart. If you’re sure?”
“You heard the man. He’s too down on his luck to give me any trouble,” Claire says tauntingly. “Plus, I’m single now, and he sounds like quite the catch.”
I stifle a smile, and the deputy chuckles one more time. “Y’all be careful. And you better show this young lady some gratitude, you hear?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be sure to repay her for her trouble,” I reply, unable to hide my grin now.
He tips his head and goes back to his patrol car, leaving us alone in the dark.
“Thank you for that. I owe you one,” I volunteer as she walks over. I open the door for her, and she smirks at me as she slides into the driver’s seat.
“I’ll add it to your tab, Dr. Green Flag.”