“Yeah, well, I don’t like the fact that you’re ready to sell me off to an alcoholic who has a penchant for drugging girls and raping them, so we’re fucking even.”
Her mouth opens as if to say something, but I shake my head. “Just go.”
And, completely unlike my grandmother, she leaves. I sag down on the chair she vacated and set my head on the table. I close my eyes, my appetite now gone. Dammit, it shouldn’t still bother me. I should be over this shit. I can’t stop the tears, and they shame me on so many levels. I lift my hand and angrily dash them away. I know that part of it is the mess with Travis that is spurring this on.
I don’t need a degree in psychology to understand why I probably kept giving him chances. He’s the unattainable, the one man I shouldn’t be hung up on. It is just like my family. A person I adore, love beyond almost every measure, but I doubt will ever be able to return that affection. Not the way I need.
My phone rings and I frown when I see that it’s Syd.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Nothing, just checking on you. You’re not mad at me, are you?”
It takes me a second to realize that she’s talking about sending Travis to me.
“No. Not really. It was going to happen sooner or later.”
“What’s wrong? Did Travis upset you?”
Of course, she would hear it in my voice. The pain, the anguish of my family and their assholery.
“No, Estella dropped by.”
The sound of disgust that slips out of Syd’s mouth makes me smile. My grandmother has one of those reputations that make her a favorite in the community. She might be standoffish, but she does do a lot of fundraising for causes in Juniper and throughout Texas. I know for a fact that she supports several scholarships to make sure that more kids here have a chance at going to college. Doesn’t mean she’s not a horrible person beyond all of that. The one person I know who understands that—who isn’t blood related to Estella—is Syd.
“What does that old bat want?”
“Nothing. She just told me I needed to get married or she was going to cut my family off from me.”
Syd snorts. “Yeah, like that’s a hardship? I mean, if she really wanted to reel you in, she should have promised to never bother you again.”
“Apparently, I’m so old that only Reggie Andrews wants to marry me.”
“I know that name. How do I know that name?”
“Date Rape Reggie.”
“Oh, Jesus, okay, yeah, I remember him now. Why the fuck would you need to marry?”
“I’ve wasted my life.”
“Fuck that. You are Nancy freaking Howard and you are fantastic.”
I laugh, and some of the tightness in my chest eases. I suddenly feel a little lighter. “Yeah, well, I told her to get bent—in completely other words. Although, I did use fuck a couple of times.”
“You’re my hero. So, Grady and I were thinking about coming into town this weekend.”
Happiness bounds through me. “Yeah? I’d love to see y’all.”
“Same. So, we’ll come up Saturday. Do up the town right.” There is murmuring in the background. “We will not start any fights, and besides, you’ll be there.”
I smile. Grady seems like a stick in the mud, but Syd has loosened him up and he treats her so well.
“That sounds like a great plan. We could eat at Mason’s. I am in the need for some BBQ therapy.”
She laughs. “I agree. So, you’re really not mad?”
“No. Irritated, but like I said, he was going to show up here at some point.”
“And?”
I don’t have to ask what she means by that.
“I don’t know. We still have to talk more.”
I hear her moving, as if stepping away from Grady to give us some privacy.
“Don’t you think you should talk more about ground rules?”
I have never told her exactly how I felt, but I know she knows. There isn’t much we don’t know about each other. Like, I knew she had a crush on Grady before she would ever admit it to anyone, including herself.
“Really, it doesn’t matter. If I tell him how I feel, it might break us even more. He would feel guilty and it would be awkward.”
“So, you are thinking about coming back?”
I sigh. “I really have no idea. It hasn’t even been seventy-two hours since we wrapped up our season. I need some time to sort it all out.”
“Okay. I like that you’re making him sleep at the office.”
I can’t stop the smile that curves my lips. “Yeah, well, there is that. At least there is running water, so it isn’t that bad.”
She giggles. “Yeah. Well, check in often.”
“I will. Love you.”
“Ditto.”
We hang up. I still have no appetite and the long day yesterday, along with the drive, is starting to hit me. With a sigh, I head back to bed, then reverse course and go set my alarm and make sure everything is locked up. I set my phone to vibrate, get rid of my bra, and put on a nightshirt. I slip between the sheets, my thoughts seemingly bouncing from one subject to another. I’m convinced it is going to take me forever to fall asleep.
And that’s the last thought I have before I drift off to sleep.
Chapter Six
Travis
Once I get my gear stored, I decide to venture out. First stop is the police station. Josh Collins is a couple years older than me, and he dated my sister in high school. I think he has dated almost everyone in town in his age range. He went away for college and worked with the Texas Rangers for a few years, but he’s always been a Juniper Springs guy. He’s tall and lanky, the son of the former sheriff, and as easy going as his dad.
The office is slow—as it is most days. It’s not that Juniper doesn’t have issues with crime, and they tend to be busier during the summer months. Today, it seems just as quiet as it was when I was here a couple of months ago when my sister and Nancy got arrested for a brawl, which they started at one of the local bars. There is a reason why Sydney became Syd after she and Nancy started hanging out together. They look like sweet women, and they are, until they drink. Together they could easily burn down the whole town.
“Hey, Travis, what’s up?”
“Nothing,” I say, nodding to one of the deputies I recognize as a guy from the class behind me in school. “Just got back in town. Finished up the season, well except for the promo crap they make us do.”
He smiles. “I’ve been binging it on Hulu. Almost makes me want to be handy.”
“Good to know. Once we get the office up and running, we’re thinking about doing some classes.”
“I think I’ll pass. I said almost for a reason. I’m not handy at all around the house. There’s a reason I hire Jed to fix things.”
Jed is one of the contractors I use the most and a good guy all around.
“Are you telling me that the Lothario of Juniper Springs is bad at something? Do the women around here know about that?”
“Those women don’t want me around for my handyman skills.” He wiggles his eyebrows.