“Well, too bad. I don’t want a man. I just cut one loose who was as worthless as they come. No need for that drama again.”
Jed chuckled as he climbed into his tow truck, “You can say that… but I watched how you looked at him.”
“What – he’s gorgeous. Doesn’t mean I want more than a glance.”
“We’ll see…” Jed waved, leaving Delilah with her mouth agape as he pulled off into the darkness. He was wrong. She didn’t want Parker – sure he was pretty to look at, but that’s all.
She climbed the steps, exhaustion finally hitting her hard, as she shut the front door and made her way upstairs. Delilah slipped off her shorts, leaving her shirt on and climbed into her childhood bed. Tomorrow she’d start going through Momma Belle’s things.
Chapter 4
Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, Parker stared at the darkened house. He’d gotten this stupid idea to go over to Delilah’s house, but now as he sat in her driveway, he realized he was a complete moron. He watched as the lights all turned off and then sat there, just staring. Parker didn’t know what had possessed him to drive over there, but as he slowly turned around and headed out towards the road, he knew his heart was likely in trouble. He’d been a deputy for the last seven years, landing in Alabama after his time in the military had come to an end. Parker had spent almost ten years as a Marine, serving his country with pride, but after the last deployment, and losing his parents in a house fire, he’d decided to get out. Not knowing really where he wanted to go, he wound up in the small town of St. Florian. He got hired on immediately with the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s department. But out of boredom, started doing odd jobs in construction on his off days. He remembered the day he’d met Isabelle. The old woman was a hoot and nearly ran him over in her prized Ford truck. They got to talking and she offered him part-time work fixing up her place. When he was at her house working, she told him stories of Delilah. She was damn proud of her granddaughter and did not hold a grudge when she left this town after graduating college. She did mention a time or two how much she disliked her boyfriend. Isabelle thought he was bad news, putting his needs above Delilah’s. But, Delilah, a stubborn woman according to Isabelle, refused to listen to reason. Another reason Delilah probably struggled with Isabelle’s death.
Parker pulled off into the Happy Hollow parking lot. Cutting his engine, he glanced at his dash clock… almost midnight. He had another six hours to go before his shift was over. Not much happened in Lauderdale, so he knew he would probably fight sleep more than crime tonight. Parker rested his head against the seat, his eyes closed as he remembered the last day he’d spent with Isabelle. He’d been on the roof trying to cut down the monstrosity of a tree that had fallen on the house. Isabelle had been making jokes about him being shirtless and how she was going to take photos and sell them to the tabloids. Parker had turned his back for just a second when he heard the scream. Almost falling off the roof, he slid down the side, landing on his feet by some miracle. Isabelle laid on the ground near the water’s edge with a massive oak lying across her body. Blood seeped from her head, and when he’d gotten close enough, he knew she was gone. He remembered the paramedics somber expression when they arrived on scene. The fire department helped him clear the fallen tree and then assisted in getting her into the ambulance. They’d ran lights and siren to the emergency room, more as a formality, but everyone on scene knew she was dead. He came back to her place two days later and destroyed that damn tree. Chopping and hacking at it until it was a mere tattered stump. Then for good measure he’d lit the damn thing on fire. He was pretty sure Delilah could tell it had been burned, yet she said nothing. Isabelle had hoped Delilah would come home, but she never pressed.
Instead, she reminisced about Delilah growing up and shared stories of the girl she was before meeting John. He didn’t know much about the jackass of a fiancé, well, ex-fiancé now, but he knew enough to know he didn’t like the man. Any man that put his needs before the woman he supposedly loves – well, he was a man Parker wanted to pummel. At nearly 35, Parker didn’t see love as being something that was for him. The military, and now law enforcement, made it challenging to have a relationship. There wasn’t a woman he’d met so far that didn’t ask him to quit or find a normal job. Those relationships ended before they began. He had no trouble finding the company of a woman when he was younger, but since meeting Isabelle, those meaningless hook ups became… well, meaningless. He hadn’t been with a woman in years. But now…
The sound of his radio snapped him from his thoughts. Sighing at the sound of dispatch, he responded and pulled from the deserted lot. Two days and he’d be able to talk with Delilah again.
Chapter 5
Delilah woke, the sunlight peeking through the sheet curtains, the warm glow kissing her skin as she stretched under the sheet. It took her a moment before she remembered where she was. Sadness filled her veins as she thought about her grandmother. Pushing the sorrow aside, she shoved herself out of bed. Her feet hit the cool wooden floor of her room as she stood. Glancing at the backpack propped against the wall, she couldn’t help but laugh. She’d been in such a hurry to get out of the apartment in New York, she’d only grabbed leggings, a t-shirt, and a few pairs of undies. Grabbing what little she had, Delilah hurried and showered. Once she was dressed, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and bypassed the makeup. She only wore it for John, and since he was gone – she decided it wasn’t important. Throwing on her tennis shoes, Delilah hurried down the stairs. She grabbed her bag and hurried out the door. Taking an extra moment to check the truck tires, certain they would hold up fine, she pulled out of her driveway. This time she was on a mission to get some clothes, groceries and back home in time to start cleaning the inside of the house. Tomorrow she planned on taking Ed out for a ride.
In a short drive, she was pulling into the local mall. If you could call it that. Florence had just about everything you could need – except a real mall. At least, it wasn’t like the malls in New York. But, none the less, it would serve her purpose today – and that was to get some clothes. While the temperature was warm during the day, it was closing in on November and the nights were much cooler, so she would need some warmer styled clothes for sure. And a swimsuit, because damn it, she planned to take advantage of being on the water. Her grandmother had built a nice dock off the backside of the property, making it easy to lounge, swim, or fish. All the things Delilah loved to do growing up. After spending a couple hours shopping for clothes, she headed to the grocery store to pick up food and other essentials.
After what felt like most of the day, she was finally headed home. It was nearly four o’clock by the time she pulled back into the driveway. Parking the truck close to the front door she started unloading her bags. She gathered an armful and headed inside. After dumping a load into the kitchen, she ran back outside for more. Determined to avoid multiple trips she stacked her arms full, precariously balancing items under her chin. She was concentrating so hard, trying not to drop anything, she hadn’t heard the car pull into her driveway. Nor did Delilah notice the echo of a door slamming shut. She hobbled up the stairs, taking one step at a time careful not to topple her bags. As she reached the last step at the top, the board gave way, splintering into two halves. Losing her footing, bags fell to the porch as she tumbled backwards, right into someone’s arms.