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Now, I guessed, came the hard part.
Deciding what I should do next.
CHAPTER TWO
Stop fucking looking at it.
I tried to turn away. I tried to focus on the dirty dishes in the sink and the pile of fresh laundry that needed to be folded. But every time I did, my gaze would dart right back to that damn black-and-white print.
Of all the days to read the fucking newspaper.
When I had seen it sitting on my doorstep, I thought,What the hell?It was my day off after all.
So, I grabbed a cup of coffee, kicked up my feet, and gave myself what I thought was a few moments to sit back and relax.
The moment I spread those inky-black pages apart, I saw it. I couldn’t have opened the paper to the Sports section or World News.
No, it had to land on this.
Sheriff Robert Hayes and wife welcome second child…
I couldn’t remember a single word that followed.
My coffee had gone cold as my gaze slowly wandered around the room, looking from one worn piece of furniture to the next. She’d taken all the nice stuff when she left, but it couldn’t erase the memories. Those clung to the walls like her old perfume.
Just when I’d thought I’d gotten over it, I’d see her name in the paper, and I was falling back in time.
“Oh, it’s perfect, Macon! We can put the Christmas tree here during the holidays, and there’s a fireplace for stockings! And when we have kids?—”
“Whoa there. Slow down.” I laughed, sliding my arms around her waist. I still couldn’t believe she’d agreed to leave Charlotte behind so I could take a job back home. Not just agreed, but suggested it. “I haven’t even checked to see if we can afford it. This is Ocracoke after all, and I’m not making big-city money anymore.”
We’d make a good profit on our home in Charlotte, but I’d have to dip into our savings to make it work.
“Yeah, but you’re a captain now, Macon!” She beamed. “I’m so proud of you! And I have a good feeling about it,” she said confidently. “Besides, when the two of us set our minds on something, it always has a way of working out.”
I shook my head, trying to dislodge the memory from my mind.
She’d set her mind on something all right.
It just wasn’t me.
Picking up the entirety of the paper, I hauled it into the kitchen and dumped it in the trash. It landed at the bottom with a loud thunk. The sound wasn’t nearly as cathartic as I’d hoped.
“Well, my day is ruined,” I muttered to absolutely no one.
I decided to head to the bedroom. I needed to get out of here. I threw on a pair of shorts and running shoes, and after grabbing my wallet, I headed out the door.
The small house I’d purchased with my ex-wife was on the outskirts of town, but that wasn’t saying much. Ocracoke was about as big as a postage stamp, and within a few minutes, I was in the middle of town.
I pushed ahead and headed out toward the dunes.
My mind drifted back to the newspaper.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t known she was pregnant.
The sheriff was my boss after all, and he’d married my wife.
Ex-wife.
