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She ran away. Literally. I offered her a hand up, which she took with tears falling from her eyes as she laughed. I couldn’t even blame her, either.
Standing in front of my family, about to hash out the fact that she’d left me with my dick literally in my hands and her underwear on my face, I’d have done the same thing.
So, I let her go. Against my better judgment, I let her run away. Besides, it’s not like she can go very far. I know where she lives and where she works. Plus, her older brother had been one of my best friends in the entire world once upon a time. I even gave her a week to start thinking she is safe before I start to plot my revenge.
“Did you tell her you bought the Johnson farm for her?” At least Mom waits until my brothers are gone before she corners me at home after work.
“No. And I didn’t buy the farm for her.”
Mom snorts, sounding for all the world like she doesn’t have skin in the game. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“Go annoy Casey. He’s the one with a love life for you to meddle in. All I’ve got is work.” I try to keep my voice from sounding too bitter at that. If she senses any sort of weakness, she’ll drive a nail into it and pick at it until I open up for her.
“I’m going to get to Casey. But first, you need some help getting that girl to open up to you.” She pats me on the shoulder, and I know I should let her talk. That she’s just lost Keegan, but I can’t. “She’s got walls a mile high and you’re gonna need to break them down one by one to get her to fall for you.”
“Mom,” I try to keep my tone neutral. “There’s nothing to help with. There’s nothing going on with me and Avery James.”
Mom huffs before getting up from her seat at my kitchen island. The same seat that Avery had occupied exactly a week before.
“Well okay then.” She sighs deeply, walking toward the front door.
Dutifully, I follow her, offering a hand to get to her vehicle. Once I hold the door open for her to climb into the driver’s seat, she smiles innocently up at me.
“By the way, Carter Nathan Matthews.” I cringe at her use of my full name. “I never said it was Avery James that you needed my help with.”
She slams the door, almost taking my fingers with her, and I watch her go, realizing that I’ve just fucked myself. I’ve given her exactly what she wants, and she hadn’t even had to work at it. Normally I’m a lot better at figuring shit out than that.
I’ll blame it on Avery. At least then, maybe I’ll have another reason to see her. Now that that is settled, I think about what to do for revenge. Admittedly, I’d fail to think of something good to get back at her. Maybe I’ll left her festering for a week, and that has to work in my favor. In fact, as I stare out at the fading sunset, I start to formulate an idea. One that she literally won’t be able to run from. And the best part? I don’t even have to make up a reason to see her. After all, I have a job to do, just like she does.
With a smile on my face, I get the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a month. The next morning, I’m even floating on air as I pull into the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru and order two large coffees. Then, to pay it forward, I pay for the car behind me, too. That is how good of a mood I find myself in.
In fact, my good mood carries me all the way to the chief’s office, where I enter after knocking.
“Hey, Carter.” Chief Townsend looks up from his phone, where he is typing out a message. “What can I do for you?”
“Well first, here’s a coffee, sir.” I hand him one of the two I’ve just gotten. Yes, it most definitely is meant to bribe him to let me do what I want.
“You’re not quitting, are you?” He eyes the coffee suspiciously. “Buttering me up with coffee to make me give you a good reference and all that malarkey?”
“No.” I shake my head. “This is where I want to be, trust me.”
“Good,” Chief says, putting his phone down to take the coffee. “That’s good. We need all the young blood we can get in the department. Especially since the Sheriff’s Department makes it so appealing to join them. You know, Jake Findlay being elected sheriff might have been the best thing to happen for the county and the worst thing to happen for me.”
“I doubt that, sir,” I tell him honestly. “When I moved back to Birch Harbor, I didn’t even think about applying over there. I knew where I wanted to be.”
Chief Townsend, Remy’s father, rubs his hand down his weathered face and smiles broadly. “That’s exactly what I needed to hear today. Now, if you didn’t come in here to quit, why are you here?” He takes a sip of his coffee, sighing at the taste I knew would be delicious.
“I want to get a little leeway with a project I’m working on,” I start and then completely flounder for what I want to ask. I can’t outright lie to the chief of police. That would be a career-ending decision. I can’t risk making that enormous mistake, especially when I only want a bit of revenge on the woman who left me high and dry.
“You know…” Chief leans back in his chair and lifts his coffee to his lips. “I’m aware of your service record, Matthews. You act like I didn’t know you growing up. Of course I’d give you leeway, son. I trust you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have offered you a job here when you moved back from California.”
“Thank you, sir.” I practically inhale the coffee I brought for myself while I wait for him to say anything else.
A few long seconds pass while I stand under his intense scrutiny. “You’ve got the leeway you wanted, what else are you looking for?”
His question catches me off guard. Clearly, the older man has more than just a finger to the pulse of Birch Harbor. The knowing look in his eyes speaks volumes, and I feel like I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
“Dunno what you’re talking about, Chief.” Shuffling from one foot to the other seems like a great choice right then, but if I so much as move an inch, he’ll know that he has me.
