20. Maya
She completely understood why he wanted to extract himself from the situation, and only wished he had taken her with him. Maya felt like she was going to die, both of embarrassment and a wicked hangover. Her mouth was dry, her head was pounding, and everything she had consumed last night was sitting somewhere between her mouth and stomach threatening to come back up with one false move. She wanted a bagel, a glass of water, more Tylenol, some Tums, and more sleep. Preferably curled up against Reed because being in his arms last night felt so good, even if it did complicate everything.
“Yeah. This might sound crazy,” Darby continued without missing a beat while Maya watched Reed disappear into the hallway. “But I have a really, really good feeling about her. She’s so nice, and funny, and down to earth. And really cute, Maya.”
Maya smiled, but she just couldn’t do this right now, she really needed Darby to go water the plants already, so she reached across and tapped her on the arm. “You know what? Why don’t you go take care of the plants and we’ll catch up over breakfast?”
“Oh, good idea. Can we do Ria’s? I could go for pancakes.”
“Sounds perfect.” Maya stood, trying to prompt Darby to get a move on it.
“It’s gonna take me a little while. I have to bring all the plants in from the patio. There’s a hard freeze warning for tonight.”
“Take your time.”
Once Darby left the room, Maya grabbed Reed’s blue shirt from the back of the couch and looked around the living room then down at her striped pajama pants and UPenn t-shirt. She shook her head, and asked herself again what the hell are we doing here? Upon hearing him pad across the hardwood floor, she turned to face him.
“I am so sorry about that.” She moved toward him. “I had no idea—”
“It’s no big deal,” he said as they met in the middle of the room.
She handed him his shirt and watched him for a moment as he slipped his arms in and began buttoning it from the bottom up. He glanced up and gave her a shy grin when he caught her looking at him. As much as she wanted to talk about what happened the night before, she wasn’t sure she was ready for it. But she knew she had to say something.
“About last night,” she started hesitantly, and not smoothly at all. “Are we okay?”
She decided that’s where she would start because that was the number one priority. She just wanted to be okay with him in some way or another. He could obviously sense her uncertainty because after he finished buttoning his shirt, he reached down and grabbed her hand.
“Of course we are.”
“Thank God,” she breathed out with relief.
“I should get going, but I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Yeah.”
He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead then squeezed her hand before letting it fall to her side as he walked across the room to step into his boots and show himself out, leaving her feeling reassured, but even more uncertain than ever about where they stood.
* * *
December 12, 1:55 PM
Reed: hey. you doing ok?
Maya: Little better after breakfast and a nap. You?
Reed: same
Maya: What are you up to today?
Reed: gonna meet up with my friends to watch football later on
Maya: Sounds fun.
Reed: you don’t mean that
Maya: The friends, not the football.
Reed: i know it’s a long way and not your thing, but you’re welcome to come
Maya: I’d love to.
Reed: really?
Maya: Yeah. I want to see this hometown of yours.
* * *
They made their way down Main Street which was lined by one- and two-story brick buildings, some facades painted and some left as plain red brick. Maya read the hand painted wooden signs that marked each building they passed: Clayville Medical Office, Miller’s Package Store, and Clayville Post Office. The strip wasn’t busy by Philly standards, but there was a steady flow of traffic down the street and people coming and going from the stores on this sunny Saturday afternoon.
“You really haven’t bought a single Christmas present yet?”
“Nope,” Reed answered almost proudly.
“Not even for your mom?”
“Now you’re makin’ me feel bad,” Reed said as they strolled along. “In my defense, I’ve been busy working our case on top of school. I think she’ll be happy just to see my face.”
Maya started to laugh. Only he could say something like that and not sound conceited. She reached up and pinched his cheek. “It is a nice face, but I still wouldn’t show up to Christmas empty handed if I were you.”
He looked down at her and made a curious face. She responded with a flirty shrug. Yes, she had basically just called him cute to his face.
“Hey, Reed.”
They both turned to see an officer walking their way. Her eyes moved from the officer dressed head to toe in beige and brown to the sign of the building he had walked out of: Carter County Sheriff’s Office. The man tipped his wide-brim brown hat at them. There was something familiar about his tall, lean frame and easy stride. As he neared and pulled the hat from his head, she could finally see his face. It was a very familiar face. Clean shaven, dimpled cheeks as he smiled, bright blue eyes, and sandy brown hair cropped close to his head.
“I didn’t realize you were on today,” Reed said to the man.
“I picked up a shift. Deputy Wayne is out with the flu. Hi, I’m Emmett.”
She reached out and shook his outstretched hand. His eye contact and firm handshake told her that he was raised with good manners. “Maya. Are you two…?” She looked between them to compare their similar faces give or take a few years and wrinkles.
“This is my brother,” Reed said. The Stanton brothers smiled in unison.
“Yeah, I can see the family resemblance,” she said, motioning between the two men.
“And you must be Reed’s partner. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Maya brought her hand to her face, unsure exactly how embarrassed she should be depending on how up to date his information was.
“All good things,” Emmett said in his southern drawl that was a bit deeper and more pronounced than Reed’s. “So what are you two up to today?”
“Just showing her the sights of Clayville, then we’re gonna head down to Dev and Willa’s place to watch the football game,” Reed shared. “You should join us after your shift.”
“I appreciate the invite, but I’ve gotta go grocery shoppin’ and get the house in order since the girls are with me next week.”
Maya felt relieved and disappointed all the same. As much as she wanted to pump Emmett for stories about Baby Reed, hanging out with friends and family on the same day would be a lot, so it was probably best to stick with friends first. Anyway, if his friends were anything like hers, they probably had their own choice stories about Reed.
“Well, I’ll stop by and help when we’re done,” Reed said.
His brother waved him off. “Nah, you don’t need to do that.”
“I can. It’s no problem.”
“How about you give me a call tomorrow if you’re up to havin’ dinner with us? You two go enjoy your afternoon.” He turned to give his full attention to her again. “It was nice to meet you, Maya. I’m sure I’ll see you around again.”
She tried not to read too much into that. It was just something people said to be polite, and his manners were not in question. “Yeah. Nice to meet you, too, Emmett.”
He placed his hat back on his head and walked down the street to continue his patrol.
“Wow, that was some real small-town stuff there,” Maya teased as she turned to Reed. “Your old stomping grounds, huh?” she asked as they started to walk past the sheriff’s office.
“Yep.”
“You really used to wear that? Hat and all?”
“Yep,” he said again.
“Hmm.” She looked him over in his light denim shirt and dark jeans topped off with a tan suede jacket that fit him like a glove. The thought of him wearing that uniform or hiding those curls under an oversized hat seemed like a crime to her. “I can’t see it at all. This is a much better look for you. No offense to your brother.”
He looked at her in the same curious way, this time his cheeks appearing slightly flushed. Yes, she’d done it again. No point trying to hide her attraction anymore considering they’d already kissed. He cleared his throat and kept moving, like he was embarrassed or something. She had hoped for some kind of flirtatious response, but he seemed distracted.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I just worry about him. He and his wife divorced recently.”
Maya slowed to a stop and her face fell. “Reed. I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, I never talked about it, but they separated over the summer. I think I was in denial that they’d actually go through with it.”
“Do you want to talk about it now?”
He hesitated for a moment, looking around almost like he was afraid of who may overhear their conversation. “Emmett was ten when I was born—I wasn’t exactly planned in case you were wondering.” One side of his lips curled as he explained the obvious age difference between him and his brother.
Maya grinned. “Plans can be overrated.”
He huffed a small laugh. “Yeah. Well, my oldest brother moved away for school and never came back, but Emmett stayed. And I idolized him. I was eleven when he and Cammie got together. I spent so much time with them and then my nieces, Grace and Lily, when they were born. They were my second home, so it’s been especially hard.”
She didn’t know what to say, but she felt his pain and wanted to ease it somehow, so she reached for his hand and held it tight as they began to walk down Main Street again.
“That’s the place I’ve got my sights set on,” he said, changing the subject as he pointed at the two-story brick building across the street.
She smiled as she read the sign: Carter County District Attorney’s Office. She moved her hand up his arm and wrapped her fingers around his bicep. As if his reasons for staying in Clayville weren’t compelling enough, she now understood why the stakes were so high for him after meeting Emmett and seeing how much he cared for his family and this town. “You’ll get there. You know you’d have my vote for district attorney.”
He chuckled. “I’m not sure that’d be possible without some major voter fraud.”
“True. I’ll at least donate to your campaign and put up a yard sign for you.”
“You mean tape it to the window of your fancy condo in whatever big city you end up in?”
“Something like that, yeah.” She’d always be in his corner no matter how far away she was.
His mood seemed to lighten as they walked along hand in hand, her taking in the new sites, and him proudly showing them off. She tugged on his arm and stopped in front of the beautifully designed window display at Jo’s on Main, a boutique with assorted gifts like jewelry and stationery.
“That’s gorgeous,” she said pointing at a stained-glass sun catcher hanging in the window. “Would your mom like something like that?”
He hemmed as he looked at the item then glanced past it into the store. “I don’t know.”
“We should go in and check it out. There’s bound to be something in there.” She stepped toward the door only to be slowed by a hand on her shoulder.
“Not this place,” he said.
Feeling a bit confused, she looked through the glass pane of the door to see a slender auburn-haired woman helping two customers at the jewelry counter, and then it clicked.
“You know Jo?” she asked with a smirk.
“Yeah,” he answered simply.
“Got it. We’ll keep looking then.”
Once they reached the end of Main Street, they crossed the railroad tracks that ran through the edge of downtown and came upon what was once an old brick train depot, now painted white with deep green wood trim and a wooden placard that read Clayville Cafe in gold lettering over the double doors. He opened the door and ushered her in first with a hand to the small of her back, gentleman that he was, causing the bells attached to the knob to announce their arrival.
She walked into the space with its original hardwood floors and tables arranged around a large u-shaped bar that extended from the back wall. Above the bar, there were framed photos, some black and white and some color, of people she assumed were regulars who had patronized the establishment over the years. The exposed brick walls were lined with shelves that held an eclectic mix of knick-knacks that surely had a story. Unlike the chain restaurants that tried to recreate this aesthetic to capture some generic sense of nostalgia, this place was the real thing. So real, in fact, that the music in the bar may as well have come to a screeching halt upon her entrance the way the few patrons sitting around the bar and the pretty woman behind it turned to stare at the stranger who had just stepped foot into their restaurant.
“Welcome in, ma’am,” she called out with a wave. “How can I help you?”
Reed stepped beside Maya and gave a wave, and suddenly she changed her tune.
“Oh, hey y’all!” she greeted.
If the patrons were curious before, now they seemed even more so as she and Reed walked up to the bar.
“I brought a friend along to hang out with us,” he announced to the group. “This is Maya.”
Maya smiled at the two sets of couples who were clearly sizing her up. Willa smiled back, her eyes even wider now, as she leaned over to whisper in her husband’s ear. He nudged her side and stepped around the side of the bar with open arms.
“Hey, I know you!”
Maya smiled at his familiar face, relieved that it was at least one less first impression she’d have to ace. “It’s good to see you again, Dev,” she said as she gave him a quick hug. “You’ve got a beautiful space here.”
“Thanks. We’re glad you could make it out here,” he said. “This is my wife, Willa.”
“Welcome,” she said just as warmly. “Sorry about earlier. We only get regulars here, not too many new faces. We’re working on that, though!”
“No worries.”
Reed introduced her to Sara and Dustin, then pulled out the barstool for her. She slid in and he moved to stand behind her, one hand braced on the back of her chair and the other propped on the bar. His closeness made her feel a little more at ease on his home turf.
“Reed, I’ve got you.” Willa pulled out a glass and the bourbon she already had sitting on the bar for Dustin. “But how about you?”
“Just a water. Thanks,” Maya said.
“Same for me, actually,” Reed said.
Willa stopped mid-pour, looking like she couldn’t believe her ears. Maya stifled a laugh and turned to look at Reed herself.
“What?” he asked innocently.
“You have a rough night last night or something?” she teased.
“It wasn’t all bad.” A satisfied smiled crept onto his lips.
She fought the urge to press her lips to his right there in the middle of the bar and in front of all of his friends.
“—maybe she’s knocked up?”
They both turned at the sound of the words that cut through their own conversation and glanced at each other before staring at Dustin in disbelief. Willa, Dev, and Sara averted their eyes while Dustin shrugged.
“Don’t knock that over there, hun,” he cautioned Sara as he slid the glass that was nowhere near her even farther away, trying to cover up his faux pas. “She’s so clumsy. Always knocking things over.” Sara smiled and laughed a little too quickly and loudly which pretty much blew his cover.
Reed’s eyes went steely as he stared Dustin down. It was that Officer Stanton mode that she found insanely hot, a newly discovered turn on thanks to him. She wasn’t nearly as bothered as he was, though. On their walk, he had given her a rundown of who would be at the bar and what to expect. Dustin was described as the group gossip. A loud, borderline inappropriate guy who you could count on to both embarrass the hell out of you and give you the coat off his back. She could never be with someone like Dustin, herself, but guys like him could be harmless fun to have around every once in a while. Her own group of friends certainly wasn’t immune to messiness and gossip anyway. She took a sip of the scandalous glass of water while Willa and Sara tried to fill the awkward silence with chatter about upcoming holiday plans.
Luckily the game started soon enough, and the only words being exchanged became yelling or cheering at the screen or talking about the Georgia Bulldogs’ impressive offensive line and new head coach.
Reed, or maybe still Officer Stanton, remained standing behind her the entire time, his chest at her back as they watched the game on the screen on the back wall. He would tap on her shoulder and lean over to explain the plays to her or just check in periodically to see if she had reached her limit with college football yet. And eventually she found herself leaning back into his chest, even staying there between their chats. She wasn’t sure whether it was the influence of being around other couples or the fact that they were sort of in their own world with the game getting all of the attention, but it was nice, and he didn’t seem to mind it either.