“No! But I would’ve if he wasn’t being brave up there.”
One voice broke through the crowd. “Stop!” It was Kelsey. She was red in the face, and glaring, but it seemed to work. “There’s no way he is. How about we listen?”
“You need to hear the rest of his story,” Piper said. Her voice was firm and left no room for argument. Hearing her gave me just enough strength to speak.
“Iwasa part of that family.” I said it slowly. “I was born into it, and all of that shit was so normalized to me that I thought itwas just a job when I was a kid. And then I grew up. I saw the kind of people who were buying. I saw the way my parents didn’t care if they were ruining lives. They only wanted money. So, I left when I was eighteen. I haven’t been back since.”
The crowd was silent, so I kept going.
“It was never my plan to stay here. I figured I’d need to move around to run from the mistakes of my past. But I ... I liked it here. I liked helping you all, and I still do. I know that this might change how you see me, and I know you might not want me around, but I ask that you give me a chance to prove that I’m not my past. It might take time, and that’s fine. I just wanted you all to know.”
I stepped down, planning to go home and hide for a bit. Tomorrow, I’d open the shop, even if no one came in.
“Now, hang on a second.” It was Marjorie’s turn. Henrietta helped her up, and she stood tall across the crowd. “He’s being too humble.”
“You’re biased!” Tammy called. “You’ve always liked him!”
“Like you don’t? Did he not wake up in the middle of the night to come fix your grill? And didn’t even charge extra for it?”
Tammy opened her mouth, then shut it.
“He fixed my plumbing problem,” Mark added. “And that was a mess.”
“It was,” I said, shuddering at the memory. “That might be the worst thing I’ve ever done.”
He laughed. “But you did it. You were miserable, but you showed up anyway.”
“He was the first person in town to show me how kind you all are,” Piper added. “Half of the reason I’m here is because of him.”
“I have something to say!” Kerry stepped up, and I tensed. I was surprised it even took her this long to speak.
“Don’t you even try it, Kerry,” Marjorie snapped.
“Give me a chance.” She rolled her eyes. “I was just gonna say that as the town’s gossip, and main problem?—”
“She admits it,” Tammy muttered.
“I’m aware of who I am.” Kerry sighed. “And I’ve messed up ... a lot. I’ve jumped to judgment way too quickly. We didn’t do that this time, and most of us waited. In turn, he’s trusted us with his story. I think that’s an honor for us to know, and it means he’s finally a part of this town, mistakes and all. So, we should celebrate. Not judge.”
My jaw dropped.
I was pretty sure every other jaw did too.
“She’s right.” Cain crossed his arms. “As much as I hate to admit it. I once beat the shit out of my stepfather. I’ve made mistakes.”
“You’ve all seen my ass!” Hugh called. “Many times!”
“Can we have one day where we’re not reminded of that?” Tammy nearly gagged. “Jesus, you old fart. I just wanna know peace!”
“And you did it on purpose!” Mark said with a roll of his eyes.
“That brings the other question,” Dale said. “Is there a risk of someone from your past finding you?”
I sighed. “Someone already has.”
The crowd all spoke at the same time. I winced, unable to pick out a single word as they panicked.
“Before you all get your panties in a twist,” Sheriff Mike said, “I knew about this. I’ve been watching, and there’s no activity. But if we’re all worried about safety, Theo could tell me what he knows. I reached out to some people in Knoxville. They would love any info you have.”
