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“Okay,” Theo said. “Thanks. Sorry. I’ve got to deal with these two.”
Roxanne nodded, giving Theo a pshaw kind of look with a wave of her hand and blushing as she gave him a once-over.
“No problem,” I said.
Theo called over his shoulder, “Sorry, Brady. See you at home later. Have a good day, babe.” Theo looked down at Tucker, who was now picking his nose, and at the long, slimy ribbon of snot attached to his finger as he pulled it out of his nostril. “I hope yours turns out better than mine.”
I watched Red’s face as the couple said their goodbyes, hoping for Red to act supportively so that, in my head, he’d redeem himself from the carpet-munching comment Devo had told me he’d made. She had me quietly questioning him. But Red didn’t react like someone who thought gay men living together was wrong or disgusting. He rolled his eyes, but I thought it might’ve been a “this is an annoying public display of affection” look more than anything else.
I hoped.
Man, but I was jealous. Jealous that Theo and Brady didn’t fear that public display like I would’ve. What would it feel like to live like that? To know that no matter who was around, no matter who saw you, that you felt confident in yourself and in your relationship enough not to have to care what people thought?
Could that be all it came down to? A choice? Was it that easy? Could I just choose not to give a shit what anybody thought of me?
“Thank you, love.” Brady cringed at the snot and the grossed-out look on Theo’s face, and then to me, he said, “I’m off to help my mom out at the reservation. I hope nobody burns the place down while I’m gone.” He shook his head as he left.
It was hard to gauge Dan’s reaction to Theo and Brady. His face never seemed to change from the serious, stern law enforcement look he had now.
Roxanne, on the other hand, was easier to read than a book. Disappointment flashed in her eyes, and maybe a little jealousy, too, when she realized Theo and Brady were a couple. Had they not been, she would’ve had it bad for Theo. Even now as she watched him walk away, she sighed.
“C’mon, Red,” I said, taking in an eyeful of the man. He’d never been such a mess. “Let’s grab some fresh air.”
Red’s shoulders slumped, but he followed when I turned and headed back through the open front doors.
When the four of us were standing in the sunshine, Roxanne and Dan both popped their Oakleys over their eyes, and I rolled mine. They had a lot to learn about our small town. Walking around looking like they were in the National Guard wouldn’t get them very far with the people of Wisper.
“You gonna make it through the week, Red?”
“What in the world was that judge thinkin’?” he grumbled. “All that Devo girl does around here is babysit a bunch of entitled brats. What good’s it gonna do me to be here?”
I tried not to scoff. “Entitled?”
“Yeah. Those jerks stomp around here, bullyin’ me because I sell guns. One of ’em said she was gonna call PETA on me.”
“Red,” I said, shaking my head. “Those kids aren’t entitled. They’re young, and they probably have a lot to learn about the world, but they’re not at the community center ’cause their parents are off on a cruise in the Caribbean. Some of these kids are homeless, or they spend time here ’cause their home situations are unbearable. You’re just an excuse for them to exercise their normal teenage muscles. You can’t take offense or get mad.”
Red had the good sense to look embarrassed about what he’d said.
“And the little kids are here in the free daycare program ’cause their parents work hard jobs that don’t pay shit. They can’t afford regular daycare, and technically, it’s still summer. School doesn’t start till next week. They’ve got nowhere else to go. Now, I dunno what the judge intended, but I’m bettin’ there’s somethin’ you can figure out to be helpful while you’re here.”
He grumbled again, this time incoherently.
“This here’s Deputy Fitts,” I said, motioning to my gargantuan shadow. “And this is Deputy Draven. This is their first shift in Wisper, and I really don’t wanna have to make Fitts arrest your ass. Get it together, huh?”
Roxanne shifted on her feet, probably dreading having to do what I’d just threatened. Red was a grump of epic proportions.
Red growled at me, didn’t even acknowledge the new deputies, and disappeared back inside.
I looked up to the heavens, hoping for some divine intervention where Red was concerned, and then turned to go, motioning with a wave of my arm for Roxanne and Dan to follow, but I heard Sam’s voice calling me from inside and stopped.
“Wait!”
Turning, I smiled at the town’s librarian and one of the best friends I’d ever had as she shuffled quickly toward me in her flowery skirt and “Books are my happy place” T-shirt. She was like the sister I’d always wanted, really. “What’s up, Sam?”
She stepped out onto the front stoop and shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. “You didn’t call me back last night.”
“Oh, right. Sorry,” I said. “I had a lot on my mind.”
