8. Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Arlo
Daydreaming about phone sex with Rina was not on my bingo card this year.
Keeping our … activities open-ended was one hell of a surprise too. I’m not sure what’s changed for Rina, but I’m not questioning things right now. If it means I get a little more of her, I’ll take it, even if I know it’ll eventually break my heart.
The office is quiet today because I gave Audrey the day off. Oakley should be here soon so we can head to Lennox’s house, and I’ve actually gotten some of the paperwork I’ve been procrastinating on finished.
I take a peek at my clothes and see my standard uniform of jeans and a gray Sheriff T-shirt is looking a little worse for wear, but it’s not like Lennox will give a shit. It’s suitable for a guys’ night or whatever we’re calling this.
Can we call it a guys’ night when our primary connection is Tennison? It feels wrong somehow.
“Hey, man, you ready?” Oakley’s voice startles me, and he grins like he knows exactly why I was distracted. Joke’s on him. No one would know a certain Hutton who hates me has my mind spiraling through a million possibilities.
“Yep. Do we need to pick anything up on the way?” I ask.
He holds up a six-pack and a paper bag, and I’m happy he didn’t get any more. I rarely drink because I’m essentially always on duty, and I’m not sure if Lennox is drinking at all because of any pain medication he’s still on.
“Alright, let’s go.” I lead him out to my truck, and we climb in to head to Lennox’s cabin.
Oakley knocks on the door without preamble as I stand back and shift on my feet.
Lennox cracks the door before opening it just wide enough for us to walk through.
“Brought the sheriff. Hope that’s okay. Thought we could do a sort of guys’ night.” Oakley chuckles.
“What do you know about a guys’ night?” Lennox asks as we walk through the door.
“Not a damn thing, but there’s a first for everything. This one’s been bugging me about getting more friends, so that’s why I dragged him here.” Oakley tips his thumb over his shoulder to me as I grunt in reply.
He’s not wrong, but this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I told him to start forging friendships.
“Well, grab a seat. You want anything to drink?” Lennox asks as he hobbles to the couch .
“I can grab a water. Oakley brought some beer.” Walking to the kitchen, I grab a glass after searching through the cabinets and fill it up. I hear the crack of beer cans as I join the two of them in the living room.
I’ve been to Lennox’s cabin a few times, but I never realized how much space he has out here. His little cabin isn’t so little, with what looks to be a couple of bedrooms and a roomy living area and kitchen. He’s made quite the home here. Everything is updated and modern, and somehow still feels lived in and homie.
“I’ll get the elephant in the room out of the way. How are you doing, Lennox?” Oakley asks.
“I honestly don’t know.” He sighs. “I’m still processing shit.”
I nod at his vague answer. The whole reason we came over here was to not bring up all the shit he’s been through, so I’m not shocked at his lack of an answer.
“Sweet. Now that that’s out of the way, I brought food.” He sets down a bag I now realize is paninis, and my mouth starts to water. I recall I haven’t eaten since my protein shake this morning.
I reach out, and snag the one Oakley offers me and practically inhale it.
“Jesus, do I need to feed you as well as Willow?” Oakley asks with a chuckle.
“It’s been busy lately. Got a lot on my mind,” I say.
“A lot on your mind. Wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain Hutton sister, would it?” Oakley asks, and my head snaps up as soon as he says it. Lennox and Oakley laugh at my reaction, and it’s good to hear Lennox laugh, even if it is at my expense.
“I didn’t say anything,” I mumble .
“You didn’t have to. It’s in your reaction,” Lennox says as he takes a sip of beer.
“So, how’s Grind Time been since it re-opened?” I redirect the conversation.
“So fucking busy. I don’t even understand how because it’s not like we have a huge influx of people in town. I saw Kelly when I stopped at Sal’s Diner the other day, and she was giving me shit for stealing all her customers.”
“She’s just giving you a hard time. Sal’s is still as busy as ever.” I roll my eyes.
Lennox slowly starts eating his sandwich, and relief hits my chest. The guilt is a little less heavy knowing he’s interacting with us. He’s still covering up the worst of his cuts with a long-sleeved shirt, but hopefully those are healing as well. I’m going to have to talk to Oakley about making this a weekly or bi-weekly thing. It’s good for Lennox and probably for me as well.
Who knew I’d ever want to continue guys’ night willingly?
Headlights shine through the front window, and Lennox’s brow furrows as his shoulders stiffen. I unilaterally decide to have a chat with whomever it is and tell them to fuck off so Lennox can have a little peace. I’ll do it nicely, of course.
Heaving my stiff back up from the couch, I walk to the front door and open it just as Rina walks up the front steps.
“Umm.”
“What are you doing here?” I ask at the same time.
“Checking in on my brother, asshole. What are you doing here?” Her normal snark hits me square in the chest.
“Guys’ night with Oakley. ”
“You? At a guys’ night?” She smirks, and a smile cracks my face.
“I know, hard to believe, but here I am.” I open up my arms.
“You going to let her in or just stand there in this weird version of flirting you guys do?” Lennox calls out.
“You’re busy. I just thought I’d check in,” Rina says awkwardly, rocking back on her heels as her cheeks turn a subtle pink.
“I’m good, Marina. I promise,” Lennox says.
Rina’s eyes narrow at his use of her full name, and I see the instant her fire gears up.
“Well, Lenny, excuse me for wanting to be a good sister and check in on you. I was going to see if you needed a grocery stock-up, but you’re on your own now.” She crosses her arms. I know if Lennox said he needed anything, she’d drop the act in a heartbeat, but it’s wonderful to see the two of them bantering, considering how unsure we all are around Lennox. This normalcy is needed for everyone.
“Aww, Rina, you know I’m fucking with you,” Lennox says in his best “annoying little brother” voice.
“I know. Seriously, I was just making sure you were stocked up. Since you’ve got ‘the boys’ here,” she air quotes, “I’ll be on my way. Text me if you need me to pick up any groceries, though.” She spins on her heel and throws up a hand as she skips down to her truck.
I stand in the doorway, watching as she climbs in and reverses down Lennox’s driveway.
“Damn. He’s whipped already,” Oakley murmurs.
“Another one bites the dust.” Lennox sighs.
“Shut the fuck up,” I grumble as I join them back on the couch .
We spend the rest of the evening watching a hockey game and talking about nothing of consequence. Oakley may have been onto something with this.
Too bad my next decision negates all the good I’m feeling.
On my way home from Lennox’s, I pull up Rina’s number and hit dial. After seeing her at Lennox’s, I know I need more of her today. This time, I want to see if we can have an actual conversation before we fuck each other’s brains out.
“What?” she asks.
“Meet me in an hour?” I ask without preamble. We both know the current score, even if I wish it were different.
“Where?” she clips, and I get the feeling she’s mad about something. At least she’s intrigued enough to meet me.
“The falls,” I say impulsively. The falls—or Bluebell Falls—is our spot. It’s where we snuck away when we were younger. Hidden from the town, it was where we were allowed to just be us. It’s where we fell in love.
Her quick inhalation of breath tells me I might have made a mistake, but it’s too late. The words are already out.
Opening my mouth and closing it a couple of times, I try to think of something to say or somewhere else to go, but I come up empty. Anywhere in town will be noticed by the townspeople. We could do her house again, but I want a more equal footing. I’m constantly on the back foot with Rina—it’s always been that way—but the falls are probably the worst option for that. It brings up too much of the past.
“Fine,” she says before the line clicks, telling me she hung up.
I flip a U-turn and head to the falls instead of my empty house. Now, I just need to think about how to get her talking to me more instead of just using me for sex.
Baby steps.