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“What can I help you with?” I tower over him, which curls my lip into a sinister smile.
The man stares back with a dark haze in his eyes. “I’m here to see my son. And you are?”
I consider his question carefully.Who am I?I could lie and say I live here. Mae and I are about to start telling people this lie already. What’s one more person? Or, I could tell him I’m her boss, though I’m not sure that would have the same effect as the first answer.
“Mae and I are engaged.”
He laughs under his breath. “The fuck you are. She wouldn’t marry anyone. Not her thing. She told me that half a dozen times before we split.”
“Smart woman. She dodged a bullet.”
“What the fuck do you know about shit?” He pushes his way into the house, but I block him, pressing my forearm into his throat.
For anyone watching, he chose violence. Not me.
With my arm tucked into his throat, he chokes and struggles against me. I really fucking love how hard he’s struggling. His face is red, and his little bitch boy hands are pushing and thrashing.
“Do you like living, Randy?”
He tries to nod, but the choking thing gets in the way of that.
“Good. Living is fun, isn’t it? Especially with the holidays coming up.” I speak slowly. I want him to feel as much pain as possible before I let go.
When he tries to nod again, I loosen my grip.
“The sheriff in this town is a close personal friend. I still go fishing with him and his dad almost every Sunday morning. Hell, his mama baked me her famous chocolate chip banana bread just last week. So you see, Randy, there’s no law for me in this town.” I hold my stare with his. “You fuck around with Mae or Josh again, and I’ll show you how dangerous that makes me.”
I release him and air filters through his lungs hard and heavy as though he’d just escaped a burning building. I’m not a violent man, but I can be if what I care about is threatened.
He doesn’t say a word as he jogs off the front porch like a little bitch, and I make my way to give the ‘all clear.’
Mae is leaning against the kitchen counter with lines of worry on her face. Tears stream down, but she wipes them away quickly, then turns toward the tea pot, pouring another cup. “You really scared him. Thank you, I think.”
I grab a cookie off the tray and take a bite, catching crumbs as they tumble down my chin. “You’re welcome. He’s weak, so he won’t be back.”
“You’re eating a cookie.” She glances back toward me and grins. “What’s that about?”
“They’re not bad. You used lemon.”
“Yeah, old family recipe. You like lemon?”
“I do.”
She takes a cookie off the plate for herself and sits at the bar sipping her tea before taking a bite. In this dim light she looks helpless, even though we both know she’s not. “You really think he’s gone?”
I drag in a deep breath. “Well, he thinks we’re engaged, and you heard me tell him about my friendship with the sheriff, so I’d guess he stays away. He looks like the kind of person with some skeletons that could be leveraged for some jail time should he show up again.”
“You told him we’re engaged?” Her eyes are bright and wide. “Why? The police thing would’ve been enough.”
“I don’t want him bothering you. You’re up here all alone in this cabin, so he should think you have someone with you.”
“But I don’t.” She laughs sarcastically. “You don’t live here. You’re not my fiancé.”
“He doesn’t need to know that.” I leave out the part about how I stay parked at the end of her driveway for hours every night.
She drops her cookie onto the counter and glares toward me. “You should go. It’s late, and I’m exhausted.”
“With all due respect, I think I should stick around for a few minutes until we’re sure he’s gone. I don’t want him bothering you.”
