Chapter 8
Willow woke up with a splitting headache. She needed Tylenol and a good hearty breakfast. She couldn’t even remember what happened the night before. She just knew she needed someone to take her to get her car.
“Before you rush off to work, I need a ride to get my car. I’m almost positive it’s at the bar.”
“Yes, it is. I don’t mind. It’s on the way.” Brandi smiled. She had coffee and croissants ready for Willow. Brandi could cook but she didn’t do it often. She had no time for that. She was busy at all times of the day.
She loved her career. It afforded her more than she ever dreamed of. Willow grabbed a croissant and poured her coffee into a thermos before following Brandi out the door.
“So, not trying to police what you do. You’re grown and whatnot, but be careful when you go into town, please,” Brandi cautioned. She didn’t mention her conversation with Tommy because she didn’t want to deter Willow from having a great time. Tommy was harmless but Brandi was still upset with him for the way he had handled things with her sister’s death. Deep inside, she knew it wasn’t his fault. But he just disappeared. He didn’t do enough for her.
It really bothered her because before her sister was killed, they had a horrible argument and were estranged. She never got a chance to fix it. That same night, she was taken from her. She loved her sister dearly. They were both just so stubborn. She wished there was something she could do to turn back the hands of time. Have you ever wished that you could change something? She wished she had a time machine. She knew being upset with Tommy was unfair but couldn’t help herself. She missed her sister. In fact, her sister was why she decided to become a partner at her firm. She needed to be able to fight the good fight.
“Be careful when I go into town? Got it. I will make sure of it.” Willow knew that Brandi just wanted to help her. She was so used to Charlie gaslighting her and manipulating her that she almost wanted to rebel. But she knew Brandi was genuinely concerned about her.
Why is she warning me like this? I didn’t even drive home drunk. That Tommy guy brought me home. Oh, that’s right, Tommy brought me home. I wonder if she knows Tommy or Micah. They both said they’ve been here their whole lives.
“I see your wheels spinning. What’s up?”
“Do you happen to know Micah?” she asked.
“Micah Landry? Yea. I definitely do. He owns the bar. He’s a nice guy. Very mild mannered. Why?”
“He’s a sweet guy; every time I go to the bar, he makes sure I’m well taken care of.”
“Oh… does he now?”
She noticed Brandi’s expression had changed. She was intrigued.
“He definitely does. He makes sure I’m waited on hand and foot. It’s nice to be catered to.”
“So, wait, you went out with Micah but came home with Tommy?”
“He insisted that he give me a ride. He said he didn’t want me drinking and driving. He just wanted to make sure I got home safely.”
Brandi thought before she responded. He may not have done right by her sister, but he had definitely scored points with her by making sure her bestie arrived alive.
“Well, that was nice of him. I’m glad he was there to help. Seems like he really cared about your well-being. I’m asking you to care about your well-being as well,” she cautioned Willow.
Willow was finally getting the attention she deserved. Yet, she couldn’t figure out why she couldn’t get that same attention from her own husband. She thought about that night she went out before she came to Sanibel; how she had that conversation with Carlos. She wished she would have moved differently. She was hopelessly loyal to a man who didn’t even want to be married to her anymore. And couldn’t figure out how to stop doing so. She was raised to stick through the hard times. But, after being in Sanibel and receiving the attention she desired, she was ready to throw in the towel. And who could blame her?
“I’ll see you tonight?” Willow asked.
“Sure will.”
At the bar, she’d gotten into her car and driven to the museum. She was an avid art lover. She learned so much from being with Charlie and visiting so many different museums out of the country. She had an eye for some of the rawest talent. She felt like she lived an abstract life, so it only made sense to her.
While walking around the museum, she was so caught up in her own thoughts. She’d thought about Charlie, about the divorce, about Tommy and even about Micah. She had options, but she wasn’t sure which way to go. It was a tangled web. To go from such mental abuse to having men fawning all over her was such a 180. She enjoyed the attention. Sometimes, she even felt like it was too much attention. She remembered vividly laughing and smiling with Charlie like that when they first got together. He had given her the world. He was so attentive then, and then, it was gone.
Her dad taught her at an early age, what a man does to get you, he should continue to do to keep you. She lived by that. She didn’t want a stale marriage. She didn’t want to feel undesired. She wanted the passion back in her life. She couldn’t even work because Charlie was so insecure. He felt a woman should stay home and take care of the house.
Funny enough, she even wanted children. But, Charlie didn’t want kids. He just wanted their life to be theirs. So she quickly adapted to his wants and his lifestyle while she suffered in silence. It sucked.
“Well, well, well. I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Are you?” She laughed.
Richy smiled and joined her.
“You know, somehow, I didn’t peg you for the artsy type.” She laughed as they explored the museum.
“You didn’t? Funny enough. I’m actually quite the painter in my spare time.”
“You have spare time, other than showing up out of nowhere to figure out what I’m up to?”
“Oooh. Burn. But, yes. I do. I enjoy abstract.”
“Oh do you?”
“Yes. A great deal actually.”
“Tell me why.”
“Because it only has to make sense to me. I’m not really in the business of explaining why I painted this way or that way. I just like to paint to evoke emotion.”
“I can certainly understand that.”
“Do you mind if I show my favorite piece here?”
“Actually, I’d love that.”
He’d shown her every piece that meant something to him. He was actually a pretty cool guy when he wasn’t being annoying. They’d talked about the art she was into, while showing each other pieces they enjoyed a lot. It was a really nice day. She hadn’t noticed the time but they had gone through the entire museum twice and found themselves circling back due to being so deep into the conversation at hand.
When they left the museum, she’d spotted Tommy. She almost hadn’t recognized him. He was in a Sheriff’s uniform. She had been flirting with the town Sheriff the whole time and didn’t even know it? Micah certainly never said a word.
“Well!” She greeted him.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Willow.” He smiled. He’d been shy but this time he wasn’t. He projected his voice and it bellowed. It really did something for her.
She couldn’t believe her eyes.
This whole time this man has been the Sheriff of Sanibel? And nobody thought to say a word to me. Oh my god! I’m certain I embarrassed myself last night. I was so drunk. He must think I’m pathetic. I want to hide but it won’t do me any good. He looks so good in uniform though. Look at him.
She couldn’t say anything. She was in awe. Frozen in time.
“Thomas. Have you two met?” Richy laughed.
“Richard.” He laughed back. The two knew each other well. It was clear to Richy that they were flirting.
“Are you enjoying the view? Another unsuspecting tourist for your belt?”
“Don’t give me that, Scratch! I’ll kick your ass when I’m off duty!” They both teased each other.
“Wait, you two know each other?”
Willow had no idea Richy was talking about Tommy, the sheriff.
“Yea, he’s like my uncle. Friend of the family. I’ve been around him since I was a baby. He can be pretty cool when he’s not a grumpy old man.”
“Watch your mouth. I ain’t old. I’m seasoned.” Tommy laughed while he straightened his belt.
“Okay Mr. Seasoned.”
This is like the twilight zone. Does everyone in this town know each other or is it just me? And they’re bonding. Like, I don’t get it. I know, I know. I’m the newbie but seriously. Am I the only newbie? I hope not.
Once she got back to the cottage, it was apparent that this town was smaller than she realized. She had a great time with Richy. She had no clue what to do about Sheriff Tommy, though, but she was glad to know that he had mutual feelings of attraction for her. They had a great conversation once Richy finally left. It was refreshing for her. She learned that before his father became a drunk, he had been sheriff, and before his father made his mother give up her career, she was a school teacher. It explained Tommy’s comforting demeanor. They even made plans to hang out later on that evening.
Willow did think about the way Brandi had cautioned her earlier, though. Brandi rarely cautioned her about the way she lived her life so if there were ever a time she should listen, that would be the time.
She had gotten a call from a familiar enough number. When she answered, she immediately dropped the phone.
“Stop looking for my son,” the female voice said.
Mrs. Shorts never cared much for Willow. She actually said she couldn’t stand her. She was upset that she took her son away from her. Charlie wasn’t an only child but he was definitely a favorite.
“All I need to know is that he’s alive and breathing.”
“He don’t wanna be found by nobody, especially not some bimbo who took off in the middle of the night.”
She had been more than patient with Mrs. Shorts for years. At this point, she really tried not to let her have it; despite her believing she deserved it.
“What do you want?”
“You to leave my son alone. He’s been done with you for a while. And here you are causing trouble looking for him. He doesn’t want to be found. He’s fine.”
“How was I supposed to know that? Why didn’t he just file for divorce if he doesn’t want to be bothered with me?”
There was an awkward, long silence before the phone went dead.
The nerve of this woman to call me with this foolishness. I can’t believe I’m even still entertaining this. How could she think it’s okay to speak to her son’s wife that way? I’m still very much legally his wife. He loves me. I know he does. Why is he hiding from me? Is everything they’re saying about him true? If it is, I should just file now. I don’t want to be an accessory.
She couldn’t believe her ears. That woman had been torturing her since she said I do. And seeing as she was alluding to the fact that she knew where Charlie was, but wouldn’t tell her anything, was really bothering her. Why would she even call her? Things were more complicated than she wanted them to be. How could a person she never had contact with even know that she had called around asking about Charlie? She bet it was Mark. He probably called his mother right away, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
Seemed to her that Mark was just as lost as she was. But he wouldn’t dare tell her that. The fact that Mrs. Shorts would call her to threaten her really didn’t sit well with her.
Later that day, she met up with Tommy. They spent a lot of time together. They laughed and joked about everything they could while letting the waves dance at their feet. The conversation became deep when she asked if he’d been seeing anyone.
“No. There was one girl though. She was special.”
“So, what happened? If she was special, isn’t that a reason to hold on to her?”
“You can’t hold on to someone who is no longer living.”
“Oh, oh my god, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”
He knew she didn’t know so he wasn’t upset with her. He smiled at her and it scared him a little. He hadn’t said much but the last time he smiled that hard, he was with her. It was such a strange feeling to him. He felt like maybe he was cheating.
“You weren’t. You didn’t know. Listen, I could get used to this. Hanging out with you and learning about you but, I have to be honest when I say, something about you is so mysterious.”
“You’re a whole sheriff. You could run my background at any time if you wanted to. I have nothing to hide.”
“You think I hadn’t thought to do that?”
“I think you haven’t done it yet.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Doesn’t really seem like your thing.”
It really wasn’t his thing. Though he could find out everything he needed to know at the click of a button, he really didn’t want to learn about her that way. He’d rather learn about her from her. He wanted to take things slow, get to know her and move organically. He liked the feeling he got when he was with her. A little too much. More than he was comfortable with. It was new having fuzzy feelings for someone, especially after years of being closed off.
“You’re good at that.”
“At what?”
“Reading people.”
“No. I’m really not. Trust me. If I were, I wouldn’t be in…”
She stopped herself mid sentence. He was the Sheriff. If she told him more, he would surely be spooked. How do you tell a Sheriff you’re married to a scammer who has been letting you live off his money for years?
You didn’t. That’s how.
She was going to have to figure out how to keep it to herself. She was hoping that Richy wouldn’t spill the beans either. It worried her that he would tell him everything, especially after she found out they were practically family.
“Be in what?”
“This town,” she replied. They left the beach and he headed back to town. She didn’t know how to tell him. Nor was she ready to. But she knew eventually she had to.