I walk forward and when I see the balding head of Garrett Howard, I want to scream. The universe is paying me back for picking a fight with Travis. I guess I deserve it. I study my old producer and wonder about him just popping up in Juniper. He looks a little worse for wear, dressed in an old pair of jeans, a Flipping Texas shirt, and scruffy sneakers. He’s got a bit of a beard going too, but that’s not abnormal. I know a lot of people in the business let themselves go right after the season ends. He might have been behind the camera, but Garrett is the type of producer who garners attention in the press.
“What the fuck do you want, Garrett?”
“I want to a-apologize.”
I frown at him. He does look a little apologetic, and if the rumors Syd talked about are true, he might have just lost his last chance at saving his career. And I want to tell him to fuck off, but I don’t. I started a fight with Travis over nothing, other than my own cowardice.
“I’m not sure I can help you, but sure.”
I need all the karma I can get.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Travis
After I leave the house, I head to the police station. I know that we just talked to Josh about the investigation, but I need to do something…anything.
I know I need to go back and deal with the fallout from that fight, but I’m trying to wait it out. Nancy’s reaction came out of nowhere. A few weeks ago, I would have definitely expected it. But, from the moment I kissed her, I felt in rhythm with her—until her grandmother’s party. I’d been thinking she was worried over the break-in and irritated with having more security. Now, though, I’m thinking it has to do with that meeting she had with her grandmother. She doesn’t approve of me. At all. Estella is okay with a date rapist courting her daughter, but an upstanding citizen is out of the question. It irritates me even more that she’s even listening to her grandmother. But that’s the only person I can see who would suggest that I was sleeping with her to get her back on the show.
I snort at the thought. Like I would ever need another reason to sleep with her other than the fact that she’s my heart. Also, I ignored my need for her for years to keep the show running, so the idea that I’m doing it now to tie her to the show is laughable. A dribble of sweat slides down my back and I roll my eyes. I’m sitting in my hot AF truck thinking about a woman.
Slipping out of the truck, I ignore one of the LOLs, who tries to get my attention, and hurry into the police station. While Josh will admit to using them, he limits when they come into the police station. Unless it is an emergency, they have to contact him through email or a call. Otherwise, those women would be in here every damn day.
There’s not much going on in the office, but that’s normal. The summer tends to bring them more issues. Tourists can be jerks, and Josh takes his ‘keeping the peace’ policy very seriously. Still, it’s a lazy, late afternoon, almost too hot for people to be out causing issues. A couple of deputies are busy at their desks, and I know another couple are out on patrol. I know it may seem a little like overkill, but they are not only responsible for things around Juniper, but also in the surrounding area. There is no real county sheriff here, thanks to the mandate. So, Josh works as peacekeeper to all of it. It sounds like a nightmare to me, but he loves it.
“Fillmore, what’s up?” Josh says.
“I was wondering if you had a chance to chat with Andrews.”
He sighs and I know I’m not going to like the answer. “I can’t find anything on him, other than what we already knew about him. Also, he apparently has his eyes on some other woman to marry.”
I blink. “What? Someone is marrying him?”
Josh shakes his head. “They aren’t engaged. But he’s already headed up to Dallas where she lives. Nancy is apparently too much work.”
I rock back on my heels thinking about our fight. “Yeah, I can see where he would say that.”
Josh’s trademark smile fades. “Trouble in paradise?”
That wound is too fresh to talk about, and especially right now with two deputies and now the secretary listening. “Naw. We’re both just getting antsy.”
“Where is she?”
“Home.”
His eyes widen, then narrow. “Alone?” His voice isn’t friendly at all.
“No. She has a full security detail.”
His expression clears, and he leans back in his seat studying my expression. I have to fight the urge to look anywhere but at him. Pride keeps my gaze trained on him.
“And you had a fight and ran away.”
Mike, one of the older deputies’ snorts behind me, and I toss a glare over my shoulder. He holds his hands up as if in surrender, so I turn back around to Josh. I take a seat in front of his desk. “We had an argument or whatever. I don’t even know what it was about. She got mad about something—she didn’t tell me what—then accused me of sleeping with her to get her back on the show.”
And I just blurted out the information we’ve been trying to keep under wraps. I sigh, thankful Mike is the only other person to overhear the conversation.
“Don’t tell anyone, Mike,” Josh says. “They’ll work it out. And then you left?”
“Yeah. I just had to get out of there because fights are never good. You say things you regret.”
“True, but they can also clean out a lot of problems.”
“And you know this from your many long-term relationships?” I ask, sarcasm lacing my words.
“My parents. God, they like a good fight.”
I hear Mike chuckle. “Your dad slept here more than once.”
“Remember that time he spent a week here, Mike?”
“Yep, forgot their anniversary.”
Josh chuckles. “She still brings it up every August fifth. Still together though. Humans make mistakes.”
“Fights end relationships. Both of you say things to hurt and you never get over it. Just like you said. Your mother brings it up every anniversary.”
“She laughs when she says it,” Josh says. “They both do. Fighting can end a relationship, but having arguments is an important part of relationships. If you can argue but still stay together, you know you have something worth fighting for. At least, that’s what Dad says.”
I sigh and roll my shoulders. “I guess I need to go back there.”
“Yeah, that would be better than staying here whining like a little bitch.”
I toss him an irritated look. “I’m not in the mood.”
“Think of it as penance. You want her in your life, you have to figure out how to deal with each other. Y’all haven’t been together that long, and it’s a high stress situation. When this blows over, things will get easier.”
I nod. “I know that we might head out of town. There’s only so long I can keep her tied down.”
“Please, I don’t want to know about what you guys do in the bedroom.”
“I do,” Mike says.
I flip them both off and head out of the office. I know we’re going to fight, but maybe Josh is right. Getting to what is worrying her out into the open might help. I get into my truck and notice people looking at me. I’ve gotten good at ignoring stares. It has nothing to do with my stardom and everything to do with my childhood. Being the son of addicts—who served time for various offenses—and the grandson of the meanest bastard in town tended to garner attention. They were always waiting for me to pop off.