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My plan to get there early paid off. As I pulled into the town square, there were only a few cars other than mine. I parked across from Foley’s, close to where I’d parked the first day. Taking a few deep breaths, I checked myself in the mirror, making sure I didn’t have something stuck to my face. I felt like I was back in high school, wondering if my crush knew who I was and maybe even liked me as much as I liked her. I felt alive for the first time in a long time. Which was terrifying, if I was being honest.
I checked the rearview mirror, knowing I couldn’t sit in my truck the whole day. I gave myself a few more minutes, then pushed the door open and forced myself out. A car drove past me as I waited to cross the road, the driver waving. Small-town America was charming and had a way of disarming my anxiety. So far, at least. I held the door open for a couple exiting Foley’s, nodding as they thanked me. I exhaled slowly. It was time to see if Tara was inside.
“Mr. Adams! It’s nice to see you again,” Mr. Foley greeted me.
“Mr. Foley. I told your wife and daughter to call me Landon—you can too. Mr. Adams was my father.”
“That’s fair. And in that case, call me Mark. That way, we’re on a level playing field.”
I smiled, agreeing with him. “Speaking of your daughter, is she here today?”
The ease with which the question flowed out surprised me. Jacking off in the shower had provided me with superpowers, apparently.
“She’s at home today, working,” Beth answered as she came through the swinging doors.
Great. Now both of them would wonder why I asked about their daughter. Hopefully I didn’t send off any creeper vibes. I wished I could hit a reset button and start the conversation again.
“Oh? I only talked with her briefly yesterday. I wasn’t sure if she lived in Ashford.” I needed a way to explain myself. One that didn’t dig a deeper hole. “In my effort to meet new people. I was curious.”
I hoped they bought it, or if they didn’t, they at least considered me harmless. Beth had clearly recognized my name the first time we’d met, although to her credit, she hadn’t asked any questions. And since the press hadn’t shown up, she was keeping the information close at hand for now. It wasn’t that I thought I was still pertinent news, but I knew me showing up in the mountains of Tennessee, out of hiding, wouldn’t be a story many could pass by. Especially in a slow news week.
“She lives in DC currently, but we’re trying to convince her to come back home,” Mark responded, wrapping his arm around his wife. “She grew up here.”
“Would it be rude of me to ask what she does?”
“Not at all. You two might actually have some things in common. She’s a writer,” Beth said and then immediately looked like she regretted it. I was certain her regret was on my side and not her daughter’s.
“It’s okay. I’m sure you know I enjoy my anonymity these days. I have my reasons. Someday I might even let everyone know why.”
She nodded, and I continued. “I would love to talk with another writer, though. Maybe bounce some ideas between us? If she’s around for a few days, that is. I’m sure she’s busy.”
I was being bold, but now that I’d opened up the bottle, it was hard to put the cap back on. I crossed my fingers, hoping I wouldn’t crash and burn. Tara being a writer might help break down my writer’s block, just as much as talking with Malia might. When Shelby found out, I wouldn’t hear the end of it. She had suggested the same idea several times over the years, and it had always been a hard pass. I couldn’t ignore the fact that my openness to it now might be because the writer had long legs and a fabulous smile. It also didn’t stop me from plowing ahead in a big way.
“Here, take my number. If she’d like to get together, that would be great.”
I waited for the world to swallow me whole, for lightning to strike. When it didn’t happen, I wondered what other horrible things I’d built up in my head in an effort to hide myself from the world.
She happily accepted the number and handed me the pants I’d come for. “Here, I added a coupon since you had to make another trip.”
It was great customer service. She didn’t need to know my motivation for making that extra trip. The pants could have easily been picked up the next time I dropped clothes off. That was when it hit me that I might want to reconsider my need for a washer and dryer at my place. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the mother of the woman I couldn’t get off my mind washing my boxers.
