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)
The con was simple: Crow. The man had been a well-respected member of society. Everyone revered him. If Miller couldn’t do it, could Hayden?
The council had given him until the end of the Oyster Festival to decide.
He escorted Devorah into the house, with Maren and Conor behind them. The kids chatted among themselves.
“Whoa,” Devy said when she entered. “When did you paint?”
“The past two days,” he told her. “Link has these amazing paint machines that take very little time. I did most of it last night.”
Devorah walked around the living room, nodding. She had suggested Hayden keep things light in color, and while he’d agreed, he’d wanted an accent wall and had opted for navy blue.
“Did you do anything in the kitchen?”
Hayden’s somewhat stoic expression turned into a grin. Devorah didn’t wait for him to take her there. She’d given her two cents when Hayden had taken her shopping for countertops, appliances, and cabinets. She walked in and gasped.
“Oh, Hayden, it’s gorgeous.”
The back wall of the kitchen faced the backyard, where apple trees still grew. The hole for the pool had been dug, but not until next year would Hayden have it installed. The farmer’s sink was on the back wall, surrounded by marble countertops and a glass backsplash. All the appliances were stainless steel, and the flooring was wide-plank bamboo. The kitchen was designed for someone who liked to cook.
Like Devorah.
Next, they toured the upstairs. Only one of the four bedrooms still needed to be painted, and the primary suite—bathroom and closet—hadn’t been finished yet.
“Everything is so perfect, Hayden. How does it feel knowing you built this with your own hands?”
“Honestly? Pretty damn good. I look around and think, ‘Wow. This is mine and Conor’s.’ It doesn’t belong to the bank. Sofia was able to do this for us with her life insurance and the trust her parents set up for his college education. I’d like to think she’d love this place.”
“Mom wouldn’t like it here,” Conor said.
“No? Why do you say that?” Hayden asked his son.
“Not enough wood,” Conor said. “She wanted wood all over the house. Remember?”
Hayden nodded. “Ah yes. I do remember.”
“She would’ve loved it because you built it,” Devorah said.
“Thanks.”
They went back downstairs and into the dining room. In the middle of the floor sat three pizza boxes. Devorah looked at Hayden suspiciously.
“Those weren’t there when we went into the kitchen.”
“Nope,” he said as he sat down. The kids did the same, leaving Devorah no choice but to sit.
“Is there a mysterious pizza person living in town?”
“Yes, your brother,” Hayden said as he put two slices of cheese pizza on a plate and handed it to Maren, and then did the same for Conor. “I asked him to bring the pizzas over so we could have our first meal here, together.” Hayden looked at Devorah and smiled.
She opened one of the boxes and took a slice of mushroom and sausage out, forgoing a plate. Devorah took a bite and watched Hayden the entire time, wondering what he was up to.
“So, tomorrow is the big day,” he said, and everyone nodded. “Aside from our beautiful Devorah marking her first Oyster Festival as cochair, my time has expired on whether I want to be the next sheriff or not.”
“Have you decided?” Dev asked as she took another bite. They had discussed, in detail, what it would mean to become sheriff. Not only to her and Colt but also to Conor and the McKennas. The Crowleys were in full support of whatever Hayden decided to do.
“I think it’ll be cool,” Conor added.
Hayden caught Devy’s expression and kept his thoughts to himself. To her, it was, in fact, not cool when you were a teen and your father was the sheriff.
“I think Grandpa would be proud if you took the job,” Maren said, seeming to catch Hayden off guard.
“Thank you for saying that, Maren.”
Hayden inhaled and looked at Dev. He gave her a slight nod. “Well, you’re looking at the new sheriff of Oyster Bay.”
“Woo-hoo!” Conor cheered.
“You say that now,” Devorah said to him. “Someday, I’ll tell you all the stories.”
Hayden laughed as Conor’s face drained of excitement.
“Well, now that decision is made. As far as tomorrow goes, I’m going to get up early, way before the sun is up, and go get us our spot for the parade.”
“Do I have to go with you tomorrow, Mommy?” Maren asked.
Devorah shook her head. “I was thinking Hayden and Conor could spend the night tonight. I’ll sleep in your bed, and they’ll sleep in mine. This way, when Hayden and I have to leave in the morning, Uncle Colt will be there with you.”
“Why not just say we’re having a sleepover?” Maren asked, eyeing her mother suspiciously.
“Yes, okay.”
Maren narrowed her eyes and then went back to eating her pizza. Hayden stared at Devorah until she looked at him, and he, too, narrowed his eyes at her. In return, she rolled hers. Hayden wanted her to come clean to Maren about the dating, which was the whole point of them eating dinner together at the new house.