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We enter the building and head to Anthony’s office.
At the display of classic cars, Jess pauses in front of the light-blue Chevrolet from the 1960s. Two of the other cars date back to the 1930s. Their polished exteriors shine under the bright showroom lights. “Wow, those are incredible. I can’t believe that Anthony restored them himself.”
“That’s what he’s best known for. His passion for old cars as a kid became his career and that passion shows. It’s why he’s so successful. Each car isn’t just a car to him. It’s a piece of history. It’s a piece of himself by the time he’s finished restoring it. You can see the love he poured into each one.” My fingers itch to trace across the glossy surface of the maroon 1934 Ford DeLuxe Roadster, a testament of Anthony’s love for what he does.
Jess gives my hand a light squeeze. “It’s like what you do, Troy. I’ve seen the passion on your face when you renovate old houses. And especially when you’re finding a way to make a home more accessible for someone with mobility challenges. And then there’s organizing the festival when you’re already busy with everything else.” She smiles at me with an adoration that steals my breath away. “I’ve never known anyone as passionate about helping people as you are. I mean, look at Wilderness Warriors.
“And it’s not only that,” she continues, the uncertain woman who barely spoke when I first met her four months ago no longer holding her back. “You’re helping families who might feel like they no longer have a voice. You’re doing so much for the community.” An emotion clouds her eyes, its presence so brief, I don’t have a chance to fully grasp what it is. Worry?
Her smile returns, her eyes glittering.
I kiss her forehead. “Thank you,” I murmur against her skin. I’m not sure she understands how much her words mean to me. They’re the life raft in the choppy festival waters I still have to navigate through.
We turn to head for Anthony Bell’s office, but he’s standing right behind us, his mouth slack, eyes round. Like he can’t believe what he’s looking at.
Shit.
The last time he saw me was at Theresa’s wedding and I was Katelyn’s date. From his wide-eyed expression, it’s fair to say Katelyn hasn’t told him why I was at the wedding with her. Or maybe it has something to do with the bruises on Jess’s face.
“Hi,” I say, unsure where to start. “Do you have a moment to talk?”
He slowly nods. “Sure, I have a few minutes. Let’s go to my office. Are you okay?” The question is directed at Jess. “What happened?”
She shrugs it off as if it’s no big deal—like she has reacted that way plenty of times in the past. “A break and enter. But I promise you I’m fine.” She flashes him a smile that looks to be genuine.
He returns the smile, his even brighter than hers—maybe to make the moment less awkward. “It’s a pleasure to see you again so soon, Jessica. Thank you for being Theresa’s photographer for the wedding. She was so excited when you agreed to shoot it.”
A flush spreads up Jess’s cheeks. “You’re welcome. I enjoyed it. You all made it so much fun.”
We follow him to his office, and he waves at the chairs in front of the desk, indicating for us to have a seat.
“I must admit I’m surprised to see you two together,” he says once we’re all seated. “Troy, weren’t you just dating my daughter, Katelyn, this weekend?”
Jess and I are no longer holding hands, but I guess I’m not too shocked he’s starting there first.
“Katelyn and I were never actually dating. She asked me to go with her to Theresa’s wedding as her plus one. She told me if I did that, she would talk to you about the festival sponsorship.”
Anthony’s bushy white eyebrows jump up his forehead. “Is that so?”
I nod. “Jess and I have been dating for the past month, but for a reason we can’t discuss, she had to temporarily put our relationship on hold. That’s the only reason I agreed to go with Katelyn to the wedding. As a friend.” Of course, if I had known at the time the real reason Jess had put a pause to our relationship, I would never have gone to the wedding with Katelyn—no matter what Katelyn had promised.
Now I’m just praying Anthony hasn’t heard the rumors about Katelyn staying overnight at my house. I don’t want to go into what really happened, but I will if I have to defend myself. Otherwise, he doesn’t need to know what else his daughter did to manipulate me into giving her what she wanted.
Anthony appears thoughtful for a moment. “Jessica was correct when she said you’re passionate about making a difference.”
My eyes widen a tiny amount, and he chuckles. “Yes, Troy, I did overhear the conversation between you two in the showroom.” He rubs his jaw. “There’s still the issue of you shoving Chief Wilson. And you did that in front of kids. It doesn’t send a positive message to the youth when it comes to respecting the police.”
His words feel like a vise tightening around my stomach when I know how disrespectful Wilson is toward his wife. And how he has threatened to expose Jess’s past life if she so much as hints at how he’s hurting Violet.
But I can’t say anything about any of that without putting Violet’s and Jess’s lives in danger. “I understand that, sir. Would it help if I made a public apology and make it clear to kids that what I did was unacceptable?”
“It would. You mentioned the money raised through the festival would help members of the military and first responders in the area who struggle with PTSD.”
“That’s right.”
“And that includes members of the police department?”
“That’s right.”
