Harley dragged her thumb over the seam of her tumbler. "That night, Graham didn't just humiliate my wardrobe choices. He mocked my intelligence. Called me ignorant, stupid, and a redneck. I held it together ‘til we were alone in the kitchen. We had words. He called me a name that starts with a C. I called him a douche canoe and told him I wanted a divorce. He told me no one leaves a Halloran. I told him to fuck off and I turned to leave. He grabbed me by my hair and yanked out a big clump. He manhandled me. I put my elbow through his nose."
"He put his hands on you first."
"True. But three people only saw me break his nose. I served a year. Probation and an anger management class." She held Juniper's gaze. "Hitting a man doesn't get to be right just because he spent two years hitting me first."
"I disagree."
"Tell that one to the courts." Harley arched a brow. "I'd have to prove it. And for two years while he used my ribs as punching bags, I never told anyone. Never went to the cops. Never saw a doctor or the inside of a hospital. That's on me."
Juniper thought about all the things a person quietly carries. The ones that don't make it into any file, like the version of herself she kept in a drawer with a false bottom. She knew more about that than she could ever share with the woman on her porch. "You don't have to keep confessing it to me," she said. "I'm not the one who needs you to."
"Cullen knows." Harley's gaze shifted back toward the water. Her eyes now dry. Her voice tighter. More controlled. "And he's said things to Tamara, who thinks I'm crazy. She doesn't want me near Tyler and believes Cullen is a jealous ex-husband, which is absurd." She squared her shoulders. "I'm scared for Tyler. That little boy is in a house with that man, now, and Tamara has blinders on because she's still in the sunshine part. She's getting everything she ever wanted before she's done asking for it. I know that feeling from the inside. I know exactly how good the front porch of that house looks." She drew a breath. "If Graham whispers the right poison in Tamara's ear, and Cullen loses his days with Tyler, he won't survive it. And I'm not sure Graham will either."
"You're carrying a lot of what ifs on your shoulders." Juniper held up her hand when Harley opened her mouth. "I understand they’re based in experience, and your fear is reasonable. Have you talked to Dawson? Or anyone in the Aegis Network?"
"No. Cullen hasn't wanted to, but I'm gently pushing, especially after Graham's father tried to have Cullen fired." Harley's shoulders dropped an inch. "I needed to talk to a girlfriend. You always seem to land on the right notion. Even when there isn't one."
"I don't know that I've got the right idea." Juniper turned a thought over, and when it came up solid, she gave it to her. "But you should take it to Dove. She's tough, you know that better than I do. But there's a whole well of empathy under it, and she works alongside Cullen every day. She'd read the warning signs you're reading, and she'd know how to move without lighting his fuse. Not to mention, Trent is his best friend and knows how to help keep those demons locked away."
"I don't want to break his trust," Harley said.
"I understand, but like you said, this isn't about him, or you. It's about Tyler." Juniper reached over and squeezed her wrist, once. "And you can land on this porch anytime you want to. Day or the middle of the night, I don't care. I mean it."
"I might hold you to that." Harley stood, tumbler in hand, and dredged up something close to her usual grin. "It's appreciated. Around here especially, where the gossip runs louder than the gators in mating season." She touched her lips. "And kisses in parking lots."
Juniper laughed. "I wondered if we'd ever get that."
"I'm glad you and Sterling had a nice evening." Harley waved her hand over her head as she strolled down the porch steps.
Juniper picked up her coffee, too cold to drink now, but she held it anyway. She watched the water, and thought about all the ways a person could tell the truth and still not be believed—and all the ways a person could lie while everyone nodded along.
Chapter Six
Sterling pushed open the screen door of the Calusa Cove Café and inhaled sharply. Nothing like the smell of crispy bacon, maple syrup, and the inside of a coffee can.
Heather stood behind the counter as she did most mornings. She'd grown up in this town and knew everyone, and their business too. Heather, like most people in Calusa Cove, was a gossip. But, she wasn't the kind of person who did so with malice in her heart. She didn't repeat anything that would hurt anyone. Or was unkind. It was all in good fun.
This was your typical small town, and it was impossible to hide. If something happened, even the smallest event, right down to the dent Mrs. Ludwig put in her husband's brand-new outboard engine when she tried backing the boat into the dock by herself, was up for public consumption minutes after it happened.
"Well, look what the tide brought in," Heather said as she tossed a towel over her shoulder. "And here I thought I might not see you this morning, considering the events of last night."
"Not sure why a burglary would stop me from getting my regular coffee."
"Yeah, but you were on a date with Juniper last night." She leaned over the counter. "There was kissing involved, and there's speculation that maybe there was more?"
"The people in this town talk too much." There was no way he was getting away from the teasing. But he didn't have to feed the beast.
"It's our version of the great American pastime." Heather cocked her head. "But seriously, how did things go before some asshole decided to shoot you?" She grabbed a cup off the stack, the big one, because she knew everyone's order.
"I didn't get shot." He rubbed his arm. "And you can add an egg sandwich with bacon."
She nodded. "Am I seriously gonna have to rely on the town gossip for this one? As juicy as it is, I want the real version."
He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "I'll be sitting right over there."
"Fine. Keep your secrets." She filled the cup, slid it across, and called the sandwich back to the kitchen. "But for the record, Juniper is the nicest woman in this town, and if you mess it up, I will personally see to it that every cup of coffee you get here for the rest of your life is decaf."
"I can make my own coffee."
