Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“Hi, Grandma and Grandpa.”
“Hi, honey,” Darcy said as she kissed his forehead. “I missed you after school. How was your second day?”
Conor shrugged. “Still boring.”
Lee guffawed. “School is never boring. I’m sure you learned something.”
Conor smiled and rolled his eyes. “I learned I still have a couple more tests to take to see where I’m at in class. But Maren has to take them, too, being as she’s the new kid also.”
Lee looked at Hayden with wide eyes.
“Head up and take your shower,” Hayden told Conor.
As soon as they heard the water turn on, Lee turned to Hayden. “Crow’s granddaughter?”
Hayden nodded.
“Huh, I heard Devorah was back, but I had no idea she brought her daughter. Crow must be beside himself. I’ll give him a call later,” Lee said.
“That poor woman. The situation was a hot topic at my Crafty Cathys meeting.” Darcy shook her head.
“Again?” Hayden asked. “Didn’t you talk about the whole thing enough yesterday?”
Darcy waved his comment away and handed him a fork from the drawer. He didn’t take it, far too pissed off with what he was hearing. “People talk, Hayden. It’s not like I can stop them. I just can’t believe Chad would do something like that. He was such a good kid.”
Even my mom is blinded by Chad Campbell’s charm.
Hayden couldn’t believe his mom hadn’t let this go from the day prior. “Do me a favor, Mom. When you hear people talking about Devorah, tell them to knock it off. She doesn’t need this. Not from the place where she grew up. She needs women to rally around her, not talk about her behind her back.”
Hayden didn’t give his mom a chance to say anything and walked out. He needed fresh air, and once he got outside, he found himself walking down the road until he came to Main Street. He paused on the corner. He could turn around and go back; he could cross the street, head back to the Lazy Lamb, and get lost in a bottle or two; or he could go right.
He went right and walked the couple of blocks to Sheriff Crowley’s house, surprised when he came up to the fence to find Devy sitting on the front steps with a bottle of whiskey next to her.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” she said.
“I’m sorry Chad did this to you.”
“Yeah,” she said with a sigh.
Hayden kicked a pebble with his shoe. “If you drink that”—he motioned toward the bottle—“can you promise me you won’t drive?”
Devy looked down at the bottle and then at Hayden. “Is that what happened to your wife?”
“Yeah, it is.” He nodded.
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
Nine
Devorah
She had no intention of drinking the whole bottle of whiskey, but it was there to numb the thoughts in her mind and the ache she felt all over. Being made to feel worthless had debilitated her. Her body hurt. She had physical pain when she thought too much, likely due to the constant What could I have done differently? question playing on repeat. Mostly, Devorah was tired, and no amount of sleep curbed the desire to stay under her covers.
Hayden McKenna stood on the other side of the white picket fence with his hands in his pockets. On occasion, a car would drive by, illuminating him in a soft white glow. He stood there, like he’d done many moons ago.
They had dated, sort of. They had been in a situationship. One that was never public, but it wasn’t exactly a secret either. Devorah and Hayden had liked each other, but he was also Colt’s best friend, and Hayden respected that relationship. So, like all other teenagers, they sneaked around. Hayden was also afraid of Crow, and her being Crow’s daughter, no one dared cross the imaginary line without permission.
Except Chad.
Chad never seemed to care that Devy’s father was the sheriff, and a mean one at that. Crow never hesitated to put kids in their place, to give them a citation and make them appear in front of the judge (who happened to be Crow’s best friend) or handcuff them and put them in the back of his patrol car. It was his way of keeping the riffraff under control. None of those city shenanigans happened in Oyster Bay, not under Crow’s watch.
Devorah scooted over a bit on the step. When her ankle knocked into the bottle, she moved it aside and glanced toward Hayden.
“Wanna come sit?”
He nodded, reached over the gate, and undid the latch, even though he could’ve walked to the end of the driveway and around the cars. Devy found herself smiling at how formal Hayden was making the invite.
“Where’s your dad?”
“Inside, snoring in the recliner.” She gestured with her hand over her shoulder, toward the house. “If it’s quiet enough, you can hear the freight train rumbling through the house.”
“Same one from back in the day?”