Chapter 22 Evelyn
Evelyn
Parker worked the room with his father, shaking hands and taking up conversation with every person he introduced him to.
When I saw the tall blond man earlier, I felt my heart drop.
It felt like the floor had been swept from under me.
After my earlier panic, I decided to stay by the bar where I could see the whole room instead of wandering.
It's probably been an hour, and I haven't left my perch.
I've been making light conversation with the bartender, Roger, to pass the time.
Thoughts of hiding in the bathroom came to mind at one point—but I decided against it.
Roger refilled my glass of Sauvignon Blanc for the third time.
I wanted to tell him to slow down, but I felt myself loosening up more with every sip.
A few men had approached me and asked to dance, but I politely declined.
It had been a while since a man had truly hit on me, or maybe it's just been a while since I had noticed. These days, I tend to live inside my own bubble. I was a creature of habit: eating out of necessity, working, then going home to sleep. If it didn’t have to do with work, you could find me at home.
My coworkers had invited me out a couple of times, but after declining so much, they got the hint and stopped.
Just as I polished off my third glass of wine, Sheriff Strauss approached me.
“Willow, right? I thought that was you. Would you mind indulging an old man and having a dance with him?”
Something told me that he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
The sheriff was dressed in a modest black tuxedo with his dirty blond hair slicked back.
His shiny veneers gleamed under the sparkling chandelier lights as he grinned at me.
Once he was close to me, I could smell the scent of tobacco and pine.
My stomach turned; my mind returned to that dark day.
I awoke on the floor free of my binds, this time face to face with the lifeless eyes of my sister, with smoke filling the air.
Silently, I stared into her eyes, my throat too sore to scream any longer.
Her body was barely clothed as if Charles had taken more from her after he had already taken her life. I felt bile rise in my throat, and I choked.
With whatever strength I could muster, I tried to scoot as far away from her as possible before I felt the force of Charles’ hands on my ankles, dragging me through the salon.
The place didn’t resemble the newly-renovated space I had walked into. Flames danced up the walls, shattered glass and wood decorated the floors that were painted with our blood.
I was going to die in this place. I wanted to. My sister was gone.
I swayed on my feet as the memory crashed into me. Sheriff Strauss steadied me with a hand on my elbow, his touch sending me back to the present.
“You alright there, Ms. Norris?” he asked with his brows dipped low, his eyes taking me in greedily.
Forcing out a breathy laugh, I gave him a closed-lipped smile. “Oh, I’m fine. I probably shouldn’t have had that third glass of wine.” I took his outstretched hand. For the second time tonight, I felt like the floor had been swept out from under me.
Charles isn’t here. I reminded myself as my eyes searched for William in the crowd.
He chuckled as he brought me out to the dance floor with him, placing his hand on my lower back and lifting my right hand to start the dance.
My eyes wandered around the room in search of Parker with no success.
As we swayed to the unfamiliar ballad, I prayed that Parker would resurface soon.
The way the sheriff's thumb kept dipping down my back had me close to forgetting my manners and running to the nearest exit. The way he leered at me during our first encounter left me feeling exposed. My mama always said a person's eyes were the window to their soul, and Sheriff Strauss’ eyes had a treacherous glint to them with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Ms. Norris, tell me more about yourself. What brings you to our lovely town?”
Of course, it would be just my luck.
Danny and Parker made sure I knew the script, warning me to never give away more information than what is being asked. I led with half-truths with the twins, but now I was going to have to make sure my little lies were believable.
“I'm just a friend of Parker’s, tagging along for the ride."
My thoughts drifted as I considered the idea of starting my own business again.
My biggest barrier would be money. Whatever little I had in savings wouldn’t be enough to get me started.
It didn’t hurt to plan. Oakland Ridge was my temporary home while I waited for Danny to gather the evidence he needed to put Charles away.
Accepting the situation meant actually putting Dr. Beck’s advice into practice.
This was an opportunity to choose myself.
I wanted something to show for all the pain, grief, and loss.
I needed something great to be born out of this tragedy.
The sheriff’s voice broke my chain of thought, bringing me back to the dance floor.
“Oh yeah?” He quirked his brow. “You both drove from New York right? I used to live there ages ago. I decided it wasn’t for me, picked up, and never went back.”
Too much information. Keep it simple and vague.
That was a question on the ‘no-no list. Afraid to lie for a second time, I decided on a diversion instead.
“Oakland Ridge is an amazing place, so I can’t fault you for landing here.”
The song ended, and I expected the sheriff to let me go, but he gave me a spin before pulling me in closely.
My whole body shivers from the proximity, and his eyes sparkle with amusement.
He doesn’t get a chance to question me again because Parker walks up behind him, cutting him off before he can speak.
“Sheriff, thank you for keeping my girl company. If you don’t mind, I’ll be interrupting this dance. I can’t have you stealing my lady.”
Parker was full of charm and charisma, flashing a what should damn well be illegal smile as he took my hand from the sheriff and pulled me into his side. I try not to release an audible sigh at the move. Oddly enough, I felt safer here by his side than I’ve felt in the last few years.
“I was just borrowing her! I doubt she would want an old fella like me anyhow,” he said, clapping Parker on the shoulder before walking away.
“I am sorry for leaving you so long, Ev.” Parker rushed out.
Tension eased from my body as Parker pulled us into a dance, the hand at my back grounding me.
I struggled with the idea of trusting him so easily.
I was supposed to be smarter. Have better discernment.
But my body took no issue. I couldn’t help but lean closer into him as he guided our bodies across the dance floor.
“It’s okay, you’re here now. I’m sure I would’ve found a way to politely exit that dance.”
Parker lets out a dry laugh. “Does he give you the creeps, too? Strauss seems to be everywhere my father is. I understand why he associates with him. All my father cares about is wealth and status. I can imagine he probably made healthy donation to the Sheriff's department to garner this type of support. Still, I can’t help but keep my guard up around him.”
“He’s definitely not an innocent old man, I'll tell you that. His eyes wandered quite a bit.”
Parker’s hand tightened on my waist. I looked up at him, confused by the sudden tension in his hold. His lip lifted in a snarl as he shook his head.
“Parker?”
“Let’s forget about him and try to enjoy ourselves for now. I think I’ve shaken enough hands to please my father for the night.”
Parker brought our bodies closer as the band began to play a rendition of Someone Like You by Adele. I leaned my head on his chest as we danced. His hand was warm on my lower back, and his breathing was steady as we swayed to the melody.
We dance to a few more songs before dinner is announced. Parker leads us towards a table with our names on the place card. As we’re taking our seats, another couple sits down.
“I heard you were back in town, but didn’t dare believe it,” the woman said as she took the seat next to me.
“Not back, just visiting. How have you been, Denise?” Parker responded.
My attention swung to the alluring tawny woman across from me.
Denise is stunning, wearing a strapless magenta mermaid-style gown. Her locs were styled intricately atop her head in a crown. Her date was an Asian man with long black hair wearing a tuxedo and a matching magenta handkerchief.
“Oh, we are doing just wonderful, aren't we, Jackson?” Denise says cheerily, patting Jackson’s shoulder, “I’m sure you’ve heard. It’s all people are talking about these days. Anyways, Jackson and I will be having our wedding in five weeks. We hope you can make it.”
Jackson nodded while typing on his phone.
“That’s great, I’m really happy for you. We’re not sure how long we’ll be in town. Willow and I are just visiting.” Parker looked at me pointedly.
Denise looks me in the eyes, blinking twice before returning her focus to Parker.
“How rude of me!” She turns to face me. “I’m Denise Lockhart, Parker, and I go way back. It’s so nice he brought a little friend back home. Oakland Ridge doesn’t get too many outsiders.”
Little friend? She wasn’t for real. I kissed my teeth out of habit, muttering, “Bright and facety,” under my breath.
Parker lifted an arm around my shoulders, letting the rough pad of his thumb caress my skin. It sent unexpected chills down my spine, almost distracting me from responding. “Willow Norris. Nice to meet you.”
She barely registered my greeting as her eyes zoomed in on his arm around me. “Parker, we should meet up for coffee while you’re in town. Catch up a bit. I’m not sure I have the right number for you,” Denise said as she took her phone from the beaded clutch in her lap.