“Luca,” I warn, but he plays with his toothpick and ignores the bomb inside of me that’s about to go off.
“From what I hear I’m not the only one she’s handing it out to for free.”
Before I tell my body what to do, I’m on my feet and inches from him. “That’s enough.”
“Easy, big brother.” He winks at me before he pushes off the light pole and walks down the sidewalk. Just when I think he’s gone, he turns around to face me with his smile still just as bright as before. “Today was peach, and it sure was juicy.”
His cackle echoes through Main Street as he walks away, leaving me standing there in a rage. I clench my fists at my side, the paper and my lunch long forgotten as I look into the diner.
She’s at the window with an empty tray propped on her hip, looking at me. Her lavender hair is braided over one shoulder, and even from here I can see the hot pink on her lips. I don’t think about what that hot pink would look like on my skin. Instead I turn around, grab my trash, and stuff it angrily into the garbage can.
By the time I glance back at the diner, she’s gone and so is my appetite. I get in my patrol car and do a couple of checks all over town before I head back to the station. An older woman named Ruth works dispatch, but mostly I think she gossips to the people that call in and report crimes.
Our town is so small nothing ever really happens, and that’s part of the reason I love it here. We’re close enough to a big city that we can go have fun, but the biggest news in our town was last week when the Piggly Wiggly renovated their meat department.
Other than me and Ruth, there’s a retired firefighter who volunteers on nights and weekends so I can have days off. Compared to the hours and demands in the military, this job is relaxed and exactly what I needed after coming back to Pink Springs.
I wasn’t prepared to come back so soon, but after my father died, I knew I needed to take care of Lux. Luca was older, but he still needed someone to look after him too. After my run-in with him at lunch, I’m wondering if I shouldn’t have just left him to the wolves like the dog he is.
“Afternoon, Cooper, anything good going on?” Ruth asks as I come into the office and hang my hat up.
“I heard they sold out of chicken at lunch.”
“Fiddlesticks, now what are Frank and I going to do for dinner?” She immediately gets on the dispatch radio, and I hear her telling one of her friends that the chicken sold out.
I smile and shake my head as I go into my office and close the door. Pink Springs is always where I wanted to come and raise a family, but part of me wonders if that’s what this town wants for me.
There’s only one person who’s ever turned my head, and once that happened there was no turning back. I force myself not to think of her, but it’s no use. It’s like when someone tells you to not to think of a lavender squirrel that’s pissed off, and suddenly that’s all you’re thinking of. Fluffy, cute, and ready to bite, but somehow you can’t stop thinking of her.
There was one moment when things could have been different, but I stopped it from going any further. She’s my sister's best friend, but she’s also not the small-town type. One day Pink Springs won’t be enough for her, and when she leaves, she’ll take my heart with her.
Chapter Two
Juno
I wipe down my last table before straightening the ketchup and salt and pepper shakers. The great thing about the chicken special is not only does the day fly by, but I get to see most of the town too. My favorite thing about the diner is the small-town feel. I’m not related to anyone here, but they all act like I’m their cousin or granddaughter. It gives me this sense of belonging, and it’s something I didn't have before I moved to Pink Springs.
There’s a few dollars for a tip on the table, and I peek over my shoulder to see if Amy is looking my way. When I don’t spot her, I walk past one of her tables that still needs to be cleared off and drop the cash there before making my way to the back.
Amy is a single mom, and her ex is an asshole. I know she can struggle at times to make ends meet, and she needs the money more than I do. The truth is, I don’t actually need any money at all. Everything that belonged to my parents went into a trust when they passed, including the life insurance. A judge was overseeing it since Grams never even took the allotted money she was supposed to receive. When I turned eighteen, everything was handed over to me, and now I’m just trying to figure out what I want next.
“Are you out of here?” Amy asks, and I can see the worry on her face.
“You need something?” I know she always feels bad when she asks me to cover a shift, but I never mind doing it for her. She works damn hard, and I don’t really have a buzzing social life at the moment.
“Devin has a small fever,” she says, talking about her son.
“Oh Amy, you should go then. I’ve got this.” I give her a big smile to reassure her it’s not a problem.
“It’s fine, you both can go,” John calls from his office.
“Thank you! Let me go clear my last tables.” She darts off towards the front, and I pop my head into John’s office.
“Are you sure?” I ask, and he looks at me over the top of his glasses.
“Yeah, Missy will be in shortly. We’re out of chicken, and most of the town has already been through here today. We’re going to be slow tonight.” I nod in agreement. There are a few people that do sometimes hit the diner twice in one day, but it’s rare.
“All right, but you can call me if something changes.” He nods, giving me a warm smile before I exit out the back of the building to my Jeep. Before I get in, I check my phone and see I have a text from Lux. As I read it, I still can’t believe she’s pregnant.
Lux: What are you having for dinner? I’m thinking burgers.
Me: You always want burgers
While I’m getting in my Jeep I think about how it sucks that all we have on the regular now is texting. I can’t say I still don’t know almost everything she’s up to because we’re always texting even when we don’t have anything to talk about.
As I pull out of the back alleyway, my eyes drift over toward the police station, knowing Cooper is likely inside. We’ve both done well at avoiding each other. At least in keeping physical distance. He doesn't even come into the diner anymore.
Still somehow at every turn I see him. Even when I’m at Grams’ I'll catch the patrol car driving by, and although I know it’s part of his job to ride the neighborhoods, I swear it’s more often than it should be. Or maybe part of me is hoping that’s why. Hope that this is hurting him the same way it’s been hurting me. I keep waiting for the pain of his rejection to lessen over time, but it never does. I’m not going to chase any man, and I’m getting sick of waiting.
My phone goes off again, and I look behind me to make sure I’m not blocking anyone before I check it.
Lux: I heard Paula is back in town.
She sends a few puking emojis.
Me: No clue who that is.
If she’s back in town I might not have met her, and that name doesn't sound familiar. I let my foot off the brake just as another text comes in, and I glance over to the seat beside me to read it.