Chapter 45
They celebrate the Fourth of July on the fifth of July. Zoey had to work on the fourth: Crowd control at the parade down Riverwood’s main street. Pulling over drunk drivers on ATVs. Writing citations to exploders of illegal fireworks. But today they gather at Clay’s house for a family cookout.
Sue and Carol are on the back patio taking the ribs out of the smoker. The meat has to rest for an hour before serving. Sue and Carol insist on that and tent the platter with foil.
Zoey, Deb, and Mei drove off to Value Foods. Zoey forgot to bring whipping cream for the rhubarb crumble. Mei and Deb went along for the ride.
Clay stands over the kitchen sink peeling back corn husks and removing the silk.
He then replaces the corn husks and drops the cobs into a tub of water to soak so the kernels can steam-cook on the grill.
Judd halves cherry tomatoes and tosses them into a big bowl of spring greens.
He wears a ring of black silicone on his left ring finger.
Mei wears the same in pink. They’re engagement rings.
Mei proposed during the fireworks last night.
Got down on one knee and everything. Made it kind of hard for Judd to say no.
That’s the joke he’s been telling all day.
Clay and Judd work in silence for a few minutes, hearing only the sound of Judd’s knife on the cutting board as he halves the tomatoes and Clay’s peeling of corn husks. Then Judd says, “Is it serious? Because it looks serious.”
“We’re only a few weeks in,” says Clay. “But so far, so good.”
Judd nods to himself and says, “You could do a lot worse than Zoey Jensen.”
Clay smiles. “Is that a wholehearted vote of approval?”
Judd doesn’t answer right away. He bisects a cherry tomato, tosses the halves into the salad, then bisects another. “Has she told you her story?”
Clay’s smile fades. He’s not sure if he’s going to like what’s coming.
He says, “I know she was married before. I know she’s not in contact with her ex.
She doesn’t have kids. Before moving to Riverwood, she lived her entire life in Granite Pines except for the four years she spent at the University of Minnesota. Is there something I’m missing?”
Sue enters the kitchen through the slider to the deck and says, “One platter’s not big enough. Got another?”
“Sure do,” says Clay. He opens a cabinet door under the kitchen island and takes out a white ceramic platter. “Big enough?”
“I think so,” says Sue. “Thank you.” She takes it and heads back outside.
Judd sips from a bottle of beer and then sets it down. “Zoey’s ex is a man named Shane Welter,” says Judd. “The town of Granite Pines is full of Welters. The family goes way back to before Minnesota was even a territory. And Shane, he was the chief of police in town. Zoey was his lieutenant.”
“I didn’t know she was married to a cop,” says Clay. “I figure she’ll tell me more when she’s ready.”
“I’m sure she will. I’m just telling you this now because I think you have a right to know.”
“That she was married to a cop?”
“Shane Welter was a bad cop. Rotten. You know what I’m saying?”
“Dirty,” says Clay.
“Yep,” says Judd. He halves another tomato.
“Zoey’s the one who busted him. Sent him to Stillwater for twenty, not eligible for parole for ten.
Half the town hates her for it. All those Welters and all their supporters.
She had to leave for the good of the police force. And to be frank, for her own safety.”
This is news to Clay. He takes a moment to think it through.
It does nothing to diminish the way he feels about her.
Except maybe he admires and respects her that much more.
“Just like me,” says Clay. “Holing up in Riverwood after things went bad.” He drops another de-silked cob into the tub of water. “What’d she bust him for?”
“Fentanyl,” says Judd. “Bringing the stuff in through commercial shipping vessels that docked in Duluth and then hooked into networks that distributed all over the country. The bust made the news for half a second—that was before you came home. She was going by her married name then—Zoey Welter.”
“And you’re telling me this because you think I should know before I get too involved with her?”
“I’m telling you this,” says Judd, “because Shane Welter and his lawyers just won their appeal two days ago. Got off on a technicality. Shane’s been released from prison. I don’t know why Zoey hasn’t told you, but yeah, I think you should know.”
Clay looks out the window and sees Braedon and Daniel speaking animatedly to the phone in Braedon’s hand. Carrying on like the twelve-year-olds they are.
“Thank you for telling me,” says Clay. “I’m falling pretty hard for Zoey. It doesn’t change anything in that department.”
“Didn’t expect it would,” says Judd. “Wouldn’t for me either if I were you. I’m just…” Judd trails off. The plastic clamshell of cherry tomatoes is empty. He walks it over to the sink, rinses it out, and drops it into the recycling bin.
“You just what?” says Clay.
“Maybe you and me,” says Judd, “maybe you and me can talk more. Start chipping away at all those years when I could have done better by you. Should have done better. A lot better.”
They hear a car pull into the driveway, gravel crunching under its tires. Car doors open and shut.
“We were both in a lot of pain back then,” says Clay. “We got through it. That’s not nothing.”
Judd nods. That’s as close as they’re going to get to anyone saying I’m sorry or I forgive you. At least for now. The front door swings open. Mei, Deb, and Zoey step into the foyer. Their voices fill the house like birdsong.