Owen
The sun had set and the world had gone dark around us as we recapped our visit to the Leech Museum, laughing so hard tears ran down Lila’s face. We weren’t far from Newport when my stomach growled so loudly that she peered over and smirked at me.
“Hungry? There’s a great diner a few exits up,” I said. “They have gluten-free options.”
“Really?” She perked up. “That’s amazing.”
With a simple nod, I tapped the steering wheel. In reality, I’d obsessively googled gluten-free restaurants in preparation for our trip. Not that I’d admit that to her. I was surprised by the sheer number I found. Maybe Maine wasn’t as backward as I’d thought.
The diner was large and decorated with mid-century kitsch and filled with locals. The booths were vinyl, the jukebox was vintage, and the place smelled incredible.
“I think I want a milkshake,” Lila said, studying the menu. Her eye makeup was smudged and her hair was falling out of its clip, but she looked as incredible as ever.
I’d always been a serial monogamist. I typically went for sophisticated women with impressive careers who were as busy as I was. Women who were, quite often, older than me.
We’d meet for dinner at hot spots, go to the symphony, or sit behind home plate at a Revs game. Nothing too cozy. Nothing too intimate. Companionship, shared interests. That kind of thing.
And it suited me just fine. I was not in the market for a wife, and I’d never been interested in having children. So at thirty-eight, I was content with the routines I’d created.
I’d never found that one great love, and I’d never had my heart broken. I’d spent my life devoted to working and doing the things I enjoyed.
It was good. It was safe and steady and convenient. No risk of failure and no need to make room in my life for the needs of another person.
But sitting here, watching her order strawberry milkshakes for both of us, it hit me. I’d blow it all up for her. It should have terrified me.
Lila wasn’t the kind of woman I could compartmentalize. She wasn’t a puzzle piece that fit just right into my busy life.
Decades of habits, opinions, and beliefs dissipated as we chatted. We laughed about Dr. Leech and his machines, about the bear meat jerky we’d seen at the mom-and-pop gas station, and about how thoroughly we’d dismantled the lawyers this morning.
“I’ve had more fun today than I’ve had in a long time,” she said. “Thank you for including me.”
“I should be thanking you. I meant what I said. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
She took a bite of her burger—on a gluten-free bun—and moaned. “Wow. that’s really good.”
I lowered my gaze to my chicken sandwich, pretending to be absorbed in my own dinner.
If I got even the smallest glimpse of the look on her face that accompanied that sound, I was sure I’d throw her over my shoulder and take her back to my cabin, caveman style.
It was bad enough that my pants were getting tight again.
I cleared my throat and threw out the first topic I could think of to get my mind off how badly I wanted to strip her out of her clothes and make her moan like that again. “Maine is so weird.”
“You have no idea. It’s such an oddball state. We have more coastline than California. The home of great thinkers and artists like Longfellow and Winslow Homer. And random stuff has been invented here too, like the snowmobile, the whoopie pie, and my personal favorite, ear muffs.”
I shook my head and bit into my sandwich.
“Here.” She put her burger down and reached for her phone. “I’ve got a list in my notes app. I’m so glad we went to the Leech Museum. I’ve wanted to go there forever.”
“Happy to help.”
“I made the list so I can soak up all the strange before I leave for New York.”
I held out a hand for her phone. “What else did you put on the list?” I scrolled down. “The world’s largest crank telephone in Bryant Pond? That’s not far. Same with the Moxie bottling plant. Desert of Maine? Isn’t that in Freeport?”
She nodded, picking at her burger.
“That’s close to the L.L. Bean boot and the fisherman statue.
We could group a few of these together in a weekend.
” The words were out of my mouth before the meaning behind them registered.
“I mean you could,” I muttered, pushing the phone across the table.
To keep myself from saying more, I ducked my head and shoveled several fries into my mouth.
“That sounds awesome,” she said, her eyes on her plate too.
I avoided looking at her full-on, but as I glanced up quickly, I caught sight of a faint flush creeping up her neck.
“It would be weird for me to geek out over the world’s largest rotating globe alone.”
“Right,” I said, working through our conversation, searching for deeper meaning. Was Lila interested? She was friendly and a little flirtatious at times, but I’d chalked it up to her sunny personality.
But today alone, she’d called me a fine vintage, then she’d attempted to hold my hand. I’d even caught her staring at me while Doris droned on about masturbation.
But she was so much younger than me. Then there was Cole. And my life in Boston. And her grad school plans.
In moments like these, I really disliked my brother. How could he have found a woman as spectacular as Lila and managed to fuck it up? Not that I was complaining that she was single.
My mind spun, but I did my best to keep my expression neutral, desperate to mask the gut feeling that had swept over me. Despite all the supposed barriers between us, it felt simple. I liked her and she liked me. The pull I felt was natural and completely terrifying at the same time.
I ached to touch her, kiss her, hold her. Was it crazy to think that she could feel the same way?
As I paid for our meal, after I’d declined to let her repay me, reminding her that it was a business expense, I made up my mind.
I’d put myself out there tonight. See if this was something worth trying.
There were millions of reasons not to get involved with Lila, but when I put my arm around her as we stepped out into the parking lot, none of them mattered.
Being with Lila made me feel brave. I had to at least try.
We were about an hour from home when my phone buzzed on the console. A glance at it told me it was an alert from our security cameras.
I pulled onto the shoulder so I could open the app and monitor the feeds.
Lila shifted to face me. “Everything okay?”
With a nod, I unlocked the screen. “Probably an animal. The damn moose is always creeping around. But as late as it is, it wouldn’t hurt to check.
” We’d thought the thefts would slow down eventually.
After my dad was arrested, there were a few disgruntled employees looking to take advantage of the chaos.
But break-ins, missing equipment, and vandalism persisted.
And, of course, the police hadn’t been much help.
My stomach sank this time, though, as I zoomed in.
Because the figure on the screen was clearly a person.
I was kicking myself for not investing in better lighting when the cameras went up, because like this, the image was too dark and grainy.
It was clear enough, though, to make it obvious that they were trying to break into the equipment shop.
Dammit. The last thing we needed was more criminal shit to deal with. Pulse pounding in my ears, I pulled up Gus’s contact and got back on the highway.
“Already saw it,” he said in way of greeting. “I’m driving there now.”
“Don’t do anything stupid,” I cautioned. “Call the police.”
“It could be nothing.”
“Given Dad’s criminal associations, we can’t afford to make that assumption. Just call the police.”
I held my breath, certain he’d argue, but he agreed quickly and disconnected the call.
Even with his reassurance, as I sped along the highway, I was worried sick that he’d try to be a hero and get himself hurt in the process.
There had been way too much violence in Lovewell recently, and although we didn’t always see eye to eye, I’d rather die than see anything happen to him.
I broke many laws getting back there as quickly as I could.
Lila didn’t complain. She sat quietly beside me, watching the camera feed on my phone.
The angles were off, so all she could see were headlights and shadows of other people who’d arrived.
God, if anything happened to my brother, there was no way I could live with myself.
When the police cars came into view, I let out a sigh of relief.
I pulled in next to Gus’s truck, which was parked haphazardly by the front door, and hopped out.
With my heart still lodged in my throat, I ran toward the back buildings, where I could see Chief Souza.
He was headed my way, along with a couple of deputies.
As we got closer to one another, I could make out their faces, as well as the face of the man they were leading out in handcuffs.
Cole.
My stomach dropped. “What’s going on?” I demanded, just as Lila caught up to me.
The chief’s lip curled as he assessed me. Not only was he suddenly not a fan of the Heberts, he was distrustful of outsiders, and I’d been gone long enough to be considered one, I supposed.
“Your brother here decided to engage in a little vandalism tonight,” he said, nodding toward Cole and the deputy holding his arm.
“What the fuck?” I yelled, stepping up close to my little brother.
Cole was thinner than he’d been since high school, and his eyes were sunken. He reeked of weed and booze, and his T-shirt was torn.
His only response was a silent glare.
“Chief,” Gus begged. “Is this necessary? An arrest?”
“We caught him damaging heavy equipment, spray painting the building, and slashing truck tires. We’ve got to take him in and book him.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I shouted. Confusion washed through me as pain lanced my chest. Cole was a fuckup, but he wasn’t a criminal.
“Why is she here?” he spat, eyes narrowed on Lila.
“Owen and I were on our way home from a meeting,” she said calmly, keeping her attention set on him.
He swayed on his feet, clearly blitzed out of his mind. “Moving in on my girl, Owen? Figures you’d find another way to stab me in the back.”
That pain was quickly morphing into fury. I clenched my fists at my sides and bit back a retort.
“You’re drunk,” Lila said, crossing her arms. “And I’m working with Owen.”
“Sure you are,” he slurred. “Just remember, he’s a pathetic old man who’s probably trying to get in your pants.”
He turned toward me wearing a cruel smirk. “She’ll let you too. Gold-digging bitch.”
I lunged at him, intent on punching his smug face. I didn’t care that he was my brother and in handcuffs. The way he spoke about Lila sent me over the edge.
Gus grabbed my shoulders and yanked me back before I could make contact. “Do not do this, Owen,” he said. “He’s spiraling and trying to drag you down with him.”
My body shook with rage and confusion. How was this my family? What had happened to us?
Lila walked past me and straight up to Cole.
He towered over her, but she popped up on her tiptoes and slapped him in the face.
The sound carried across the dark parking lot, stunning the rest of us into silence.
“Get your shit together, Cole,” she said, her voice strained. “This isn’t you.”
The slap hadn’t fazed him, but he winced in response to her words. His face was etched with pain and his shoulders were slumped.
Despite being livid with him, I couldn’t help but pity him too. He was a mess. But he wasn’t the only one hurting. All our lives had been upended by our dad and his bullshit, yet Cole was the only one using it as an excuse to behave poorly.
Lila turned toward Chief Souza and affected her best pageant smile. “He should probably sleep this off.”
The chief nodded. “A night in a holding cell might help him realize what a fool he’s making of himself.” When he turned to Gus and me, his expression soured. “You all can come bail him out tomorrow morning and talk to the county prosecutor then.”
With that, he waved at his deputies, who led Cole toward the cruisers.
Cole’s head was bowed and he dragged his feet. For an instant, I was hit with a flash of him as a little boy, on one of the many occasions he’d been scolded for God knew what. We’d all gotten into our fair share of trouble. I shook off the image and turned back to Gus and Lila.
Gus ran his hands through his chin-length hair. “Fuck.” With a frustrated sigh, he kicked a large rock with his boot. “I’ll go take photos, see how much damage he did. We can’t afford this shit.”
I was frozen to the spot, because as I’d turned my focus from Cole to myself and this situation, rage ignited in me and sang through every one of my nerve endings.
I was an idiot for thinking I could swoop in, save the day, sell the company, and make my family whole again.
Hell, I even thought I could get the girl.
But this family, this life, was too damn broken and fucked up for any of it. This company was a cancer in all of our lives. And it needed to be removed.
Once I’d done that, I’d go. I’d get far away from all the pain and dysfunction and back to my real life.