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I try to protest. “Oh, I think it’s a little premature to—”
“Hell no. We’re going out,” Harry argues. “Drinks are on Cash!”
I chuckle. “Well, if the billionaire’s paying.”
Jasper and Harry fall in on either side of me and drop their arms around my shoulders, sandwiching me in and guiding me toward the door. “I guess I’m gone for the night!” I tell my coworkers, who laugh through their goodbyes.
My phone is blowing up like crazy now. And it’s not just my sister. It seems like everyone I know is calling and texting me all at once. The pharmacist in town. The regulars from Grammy’s bakery. Guys who moved out of town after high school.Everybody.
Genuinely overwhelmed by all the love, I power down my phone. I’ll get back to my well-wishers tomorrow. Right now, I just want to absorb this moment.
Hooting and hollering erupts on the sidewalk as the six of us stroll out of the police station.Jesus. There are news cameras.
Yup—looks like the rumor mill wasted no time spreading this news.
Alana flashes through my mind. I wonder if she’s heard. But I don’t let those old emotions bubble up. I push them aside. I’m not doing that to myself anymore.
Tonight, I’ve got my boys. And we’re going to celebrate my new life.
38
ALANA
Iring the doorbell again, foot tapping nervously as I wait on the porch. And I wait some more. When Davis still doesn’t answer his front door, I look around his quiet street, frowning. He’s not here.
I’m finally ready to talk to him. I’m ready to have the conversation he’s been asking for. I’m ready to answer all his questions and admit to him why I walked out on our happy marriage.
But of course, on the night when I’ve finally worked up the shaky courage to face my past, I can’t seem to find Davis.
I came here straight from the clinic, teal scrubs and squeaky rain boots and all. I patiently waited around until this evening so that I could catch him after work, but he’s still not home.
When I dial his number, it goes straight to voicemail. That’s probably for the best, though. I really don’t want to call him. This is truly a face-to-face conversation.
Deciding that maybe he’s working late today, I get back in my car and drive to the sheriff’s department. I’ve waited four long years for this conversation. I can’t wait another day.
When I walk into the police station a few minutes later, there’s just a couple people left in the front office.
“Alana!” Mendoza greets me with his usual cheerful demeanor.
“Hey, guys.” I flash a smile around the room. “I…uh…is Davis working tonight?”
“Oh. Davis is not here. He went to the bar with his brothers to celebrate,” one guy in a deputy uniform responds.
My brows pinch together. “To celebrate?”
Davis’s coworkers share a strange look that I can’t decipher. I try to fight back the instant sense of foreboding I feel. I search their faces but they keep their lips sealed. I’m not exactly surprised. Davis’s crew is loyal to him.
When I look at Gail, one of the women I know well after attending to her many cats at the clinic over the years, she shrugs sheepishly. “Sorry, hun. Pretty sure they went to the Hot Sauce, though.”
“They?”
She smiles tightly but offers nothing more.
“Okay, thanks,” I say, giving up on prying anything out of them.
I head outside.My nerves skyrocket as I jump back in my car and drive the few short blocks to the bar. Tiny raindrops are now tapping on my windshield as it begins to drizzle. But at this point, I’m on a mission, and I don’t stop to even wonder what sort of celebrations I could be interrupting.
I need to find Davis, and I need to spill my heart out.
