“Isn’t there a chiropractor you could see? Maybe Travis could go to your appointments with you and-”
She shook her head. “He thinks it’s all quackery and voodoo. He wouldn’t care where I went.”
Jason sighed. “Look … Marlee …”
She removed her glasses, her sooty eyes pleading with him. “Please. I could come on the days he’s out of town. He’d never know. I could even have a friend drop me off so no one would see my car here.”
Jason was torn two ways at once: He genuinely felt sorry for her and wanted to help her, but on the other hand, he didn’t want any more run-ins with Travis. When he realized he was cowering to the man even now, however, he felt a spark of defiance. Why should I allow him to intimidate me? There was too much to think about and he couldn’t make a decision right now. He glanced out at her car in the driveway. “I think for now, you’d better get going. As for the rest, why don’t we just see what happens?”
Her red smile brightened. She’d clearly taken we’ll see as a definite yes. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Jason. And again, I’m sorry about Travis.” She coughed. “He’s harmless, really. He’s just a bully.”
Harmless my foot, thought Jason as he ushered her outside. She replaced her massive sunglasses and got into her red Lexus, giving him a little wave before taking off.
After she left, Jason locked the door, not sure what - if anything - he’d just agreed to.
“What was that about?” Brent appeared in the doorway, eyes narrowed.
It startled Jason. “Just a client. It’s nothing.”
“Well, then why did you send her away?”
“She was just asking me about … my rates and stuff.”
Brent lowered his brows. “Isn’t that the same lady that was here yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“Then shouldn’t she already know your rates?”
Jason was getting annoyed. “Don’t worry about it, Brent.”
Brent eyed him. “Sure thing.”
“I’m going to go finish setting up the studio.” Jason had found the speakers and the stereo and was eager to complete the room.
“Dad?” Brent asked. “I was wondering if I could borrow the car. I’d like to go to that Wise Guy’s place and get something to eat. I can bring food back for you and Amber.”
“I’m not hungry,” Amber said from one of the leather chairs, Ruby in her lap.
“I’m not, either,” said Jason. “But I suppose you can go. Just-” He almost added ‘Just be careful,’ but changed his mind. He thought it was time to start giving Brent a little more room. He handed over the keys, hoped his son would make some friends - but thinking it unlikely. Under his brooding exterior, Brent was painfully shy and had never had many friends. “Just don’t be long. I’m meeting Coop at the bar tonight, remember?”
“Yes, I remember.” Brent rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why you need to hang out in a bar though. Aren’t you too old for bars?”
Jason shrugged. “As it happens, I agree with you, but I suspect there aren’t any other places for the locals to gather.” He smiled. “You should be happy I’m making friends.”
Brent sighed. “Are you sure you don’t want anything?”
“Positive.” Jason was surprised by the show of good manners. “But thanks for asking.”
Brent nodded and headed out, trotting down the front steps.
Jason shut the door and turned around, nearly knocking his daughter over. Alarmed, he said, “Amber. You have to warn me when you’re sneaking up on me like that.” He just knew that one of these days he would round a corner and punt her across the room.
“Sorry, Daddy. Do you need any help downstairs?”
“It’s up to you, sweetie.”
“Okay!” Eagerly, she led the way to the massage studio.
His massage studio was several steps closer to completion, and after setting up the stereo and doing a little more cleaning, Jason sat in the living room, looking at his watch.
Brent had texted earlier, asking if he could stay and hang out at Wise Guy’s a while longer. Thrilled that his son was meeting some of the local kids, Jason had told him it was fine - but he should have been back half an hour ago.
Jason tried calling him again. There was no answer.
“Maybe he turned his phone off,” Amber suggested.
“He better not have.” Jason wished he’d exchanged numbers with Coop; it was obvious he was going to be late.
For the fifth or sixth time, Jason glanced out the window. There was no sign of the Legacy or Brent. He sat back down and continued bouncing his foot impatiently.
“You look very handsome, Daddy.” Amber now sat on the floor in a scatter of Barbie clothes. Even when she played with other dolls, Ruby was in her lap.
“Thanks, sweetie.” He looked down at himself, hoping Amber was right; he didn’t feel handsome, he felt like a geek. His tan khakis were wrinkled and there was still no sign of the iron, and he worried that his slim fit blue Henley made him look like he was trying to be too young. I really am too old for bars. But his only other choices were over-sized t-shirts - too sloppy - or one of the button downs he’d worn for work at the marketing firm - too stuffy. His hair had been equally irritating. He’d finally decided to slick it back. It wasn’t as if there were that many options - he kept it pretty short - but he didn’t want to stand out any more than he knew he already would - he was the new guy in town, after all. He’d splashed on a little aftershave and called it good. It had been far too long since he’d gone out and done anything, and he found it nerve-wracking. Especially in a little town like this.
He didn’t hear the car pull up and when Brent came through the door, Jason was on his feet. “You were supposed to be here over half an hour ago.” He swiped the keys out of Brent’s hands.
Brent shrugged. “Oh well.”
It was clear that Brent’s bad mood had returned and Jason mentally girded himself not to lose his temper - he had neither the time nor the energy for it now. “We’ll talk about it when I get home.”
“I’m sure we will.”
“I won’t be gone long. Brent, make sure you and Amber get something to eat, and I don’t want either one of you fighting over what to watch.” He pointed at Brent. “That means no Walking Dead.”
Brent held his hands up in mock surrender. “Of course not. We wouldn’t want to scar poor little Amber.”
“I mean it, Brent.” Jason looked at his son. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours, tops.”
The Devil’s Triangle had a jukebox that blared out something from the nineties, two pool tables, and a short bar at the back with red-upholstered stools. The room was tinged red by a plethora of neon signs, and a dozen tables were peppered throughout, most of them occupied.
Jason spotted Coop at a table at the far end and was aware of the staring barflies as he made his way over. They, like Travis Delgado, made no bones about openly staring. Maybe it’s a small-town thing. He hoped like hell he wouldn’t bump into Delgado.
Coop, at a table in the center of the room, waved awkwardly, and Jason headed over, feeling self-conscious and wishing he’d stayed home.
Coop wore an oversized black t-shirt, blue jeans, and a red baseball cap, making Jason feel overdressed. Though it wasn’t hot, his face was sheened in a light sweat.
Jason pulled out a chair. Its legs ground across the hard floor, seeming to echo through the place and Jason imagined that whatever patrons weren’t already staring now turned their heads to gawk. “Sorry I’m late, my kid had the car.”
“No problem.” A pitcher of beer sat in the center of the table and Coop urged it toward Jason.
Jason filled the empty stein in front of him and quickly took a long drink. It wasn’t bad as far as beer went.
“So,” said Coop, eyes downcast. “How’s the move going?”
“The van arrived this morning with the rest of our stuff and aside from a few odds and ends, the house is pretty much put toge
ther.”
“Good.” Coop’s eye twitched as he sipped his beer. “I was at my grandmother’s last night to check on her and thought about stopping by, but figured you had plenty to do.”
Jason was glad he hadn’t; he didn’t need any more interruptions from the friendly locals. “Well, you know where I’m at.” He cleared his throat. “How is she, anyway? Your grandmother, I mean?” Even now, remembering the old woman in the window, staring at him with those white, sightless eyes, Jason’s stomach turned to lead.
Coop shrugged one shoulder. “It comes and goes. I don’t think she’s too long for this world, to be honest.”
“And she’s blind you say?” He hoped he sounded casual. “Completely blind?”
“Yeah. She lost her sight, oh, about seven years ago, I guess.” His eye twitched rapidly and he scrunched his face. “Her physical sight, anyway.”
“Her physical sight? What do you mean?”
Coop shifted uneasily and continued to twitch. “She, uh, likes to think she’s a psychic.” His cheeks reddened. “Nonsense of course, but I figured I ought to tell you before you hear it from someone else.” He was clearly uncomfortable being the grandson of the local fortune-teller. “She used to give readings. Even after she lost her sight, she kept at it. But nowadays - well, she’s not even really there anymore.”
“That’s too bad.” Jason tried to imagine the woman conjuring images in a crystal ball - or whatever it was that psychics did these days. It explained her reputation as a witch. “Do you believe it?” he asked. “That she’s psychic, I mean?”
Coop twitched and scrunched and continued to sweat. “I don’t know. Who’s to say? If nothing else, she definitely has a knack for reading people.” Coop sipped his beer, cleared his throat and glanced around the room, his eyes darting in that suspicious way of his. “Damned busybodies,” he said. “Just try to ignore all the staring.”
Jason looked around. All eyes were indeed on him. “You’d almost think I was new to town.” He smiled.
A pretty waitress with auburn hair bustled by with a tray of drinks and Jason stole quick glances at her form. Coop motioned to her and she gave him a brilliant smile and a quick nod.
“That’s Hallie Bessner,” said Coop. “She’s one of the good guys.”
She certainly looked good. Guilt needled at Jason when he caught himself staring - he still felt married. That didn’t stop him from watching her though. She was hard to look away from.
“And over there is old Willie Weston. He’s a good guy, too. Runs the grocery store.” Coop pointed over Jason’s shoulder. “And that’s Chris Hansen.”
Jason turned and saw a fortyish man in a suit that made Jason look sloppy in comparison. “You’ll see him because he does door-to-door sales. And it’s always something new. Sometimes he’s selling teeth whitener, sometimes cat food, sometimes knives and forks. He even sold Bibles for a while. He’s all right, but once you let him in your house, he won’t leave. My advice is, don’t answer.”
Jason laughed. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
The pretty waitress returned with a pitcher of beer. “Well, hi, Coop,” she said. “I haven’t seen you here in a while.”
Coop seemed to shrink in his seat, his cheeks flaring red.
Hallie’s glance slid to Jason. “I haven’t met your friend.”
“This is Jason Crandall,” Coop said. “He’s new to town.”
Like an idiot, Jason stood up and shook her hand, drawing yet more stares.
“It’s nice to meet you, Jason. Welcome to Shadow Springs.” Her smile was gorgeous. “If you ever need a tour guide, you can find me here just about any day of the week.”
Is she flirting with me? God, he hoped so. But then the guilt nipped at him. Not nipped so much as bit down - with teeth so sharp they could rip an arm off like a rag. “Thanks. I might take you up on that.” It came out before he’d had a chance to stop it and now Jason quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out some bills for the beer.
“Thank you.” As she leaned over to wipe their table, Jason found himself staring again. She had a delicate face with full lips, green eyes, and a sensuous mouth that needed no lipstick to draw the eye. Her hair, the color of fall leaves, was pulled back into a messy ponytail with loose tendrils floating freely at the sides of her face. Jason detected her perfume - sweet, but not too sweet - and under that, her soapy skin. When she looked at him, he quickly averted his eyes, feeling like a goofy, love-struck teen.
“Just wave me down when you’re ready for the next one.” Hallie favored Jason with a wink and hurried off to another table.
“I think she likes you.” Coop’s upper lip trembled peculiarly. “What she said about being your tour guide … I’ve never seen her that friendly before.”
Jason sipped his beer, embarrassed … and a little flattered. No, a lot flattered.
“She’s single, you know.” Then Coop seemed to realize his error. His eye twitched and he had to scrunch his face to control it. Though he couldn’t be sure, Jason thought the sweat on the man’s forehead instantly doubled. “Sorry … it’s probably, uh, too soon. I didn’t mean ...”
“Don’t worry about it.” Jason looked around, eager for a subject change. “So, what about everyone else here? Good guys or bad guys?”
Coop sipped from his stein. “All assholes.”
Jason nearly spit out his beer and belly-laughed.
Coop laughed, too, just a little.
People stared, but Jason didn’t care. The beer was loosening him up - he’d always been a lightweight. “I’d better slow down. I have to drive home.” He pushed the stein away.
“You can take a cab if you feel like tying one on. There are always a few hanging around at closing time. Or I can give you a ride. I don’t drink much.”
“That’s okay, but I appreciate the offer.” Jason watched a flirty blonde at the bar. She turned to let some guy kiss her on the cheek and he realized he was looking at Flynn Garvey’s girlfriend. His face must have betrayed him because Coop turned around to see.
“And that’s Savannah Sturgess,” said Coop.
Her short red skirt barely covered the bottom curve of her buttocks and her white blouse was cut low enough to expose an obscene amount of cleavage. It was the kind of outfit that guaranteed that any barroom squabbles for her attention were sure to turn bloody. “Yeah, I met her yesterday. She stopped by with Flynn.” As he watched, Savannah teasingly swatted at a man getting handsy with her. He said something and she tossed her head and laughed with tinkling delight. At first glance, she seemed genuinely pleased with the attention - and with herself - but there was something beyond the façade, a certain sadness following her around that he hadn’t noticed before. Jason was intrigued. “So, where’s Flynn?”
Coop lifted his baseball cap and wiped sweat from his forehead before replacing it. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him here with her.” His eyes stuttered over Jason’s face. “She’s a bit of a … free spirit.”
“I gathered that much.” Jason paused. “But what about Flynn? He must know that she’s … uh …”
“Loose as a clown’s pocket? Garvey’s either stupid or in denial.” He paused. “Must be denial. Show me a man in this bar and I’ll show you a man who’s knocked mops with Savannah Sturgess.”
Jason laughed. “Surely not every man. What about me? And you?”
Coop’s face reddened furiously and Jason felt his jaw drop.
“You mean you’ve …”
Coop nodded stiffly. “More than once. Like I said, we all have.”
Stunned to silence, Jason tried to envision it; he couldn’t. Coop certainly wasn’t an attractive man - but then neither was the beer-gutted grandpa at the bar with his hand on her ass. Coop and Savannah Sturgess? He studied the man and saw no sign he was pulling his leg. He looked back at Savannah and the more he watched her, the sadder she seemed. He almost felt sorry for her. Then he recalled the panty-flashing in the living room the other day. She knew I
could see up her skirt, he thought. She wanted me to look. As he watched, Savannah tossed her head back and laughed again, then leaned in and kissed the older man enthusiastically, leaving a red smear across his mouth.
The other men at the bar broke into lusty applause.
Having seen enough, Jason looked back at Coop. “She seems like trouble to me.”
“Oh, she is trouble,” said Coop. “But it’s the kind you don’t mind getting into.” A wry grin formed on his lips.
Jason doubted that was true; women like Savannah were never worth the drama. He looked in the other direction, taking in the locals seated at tables, and playing pool. “So, everyone else here is an asshole, huh?”
Coop nodded.
“What about the Delgados - Travis and Marlee?” He was curious about Coop’s take on those two.
“Marlee’s okay. A bit high-strung. As for Travis, don’t even get me started. He still owes me money for cleaning his fuel injectors.” His eye twitched furiously for several seconds and he scrunched his face. “And I won’t see any money until he needs something else fixed. Then he’ll owe me for that.” He seemed to be getting genuinely angry. “It’s like a delayed payment plan with him. He’s a jerk.”
They watched as Savannah left with the old man from the bar. She hung on his arm. Her smile was in place, but in her eyes, she wasn’t so sure of herself. As they neared, Jason lowered his head, not wanting to be seen.
Coop watched them as they passed, a quiet look of distaste on his features - as if he were disgusted by Savannah’s choice tonight. When they were out of sight, he sipped his beer and said, “How did you meet the Delgados?”
“I gave Marlee a massage.”
“I’ll bet Travis was thrilled about that.”
“Well, he didn’t know. Or at least he wasn’t supposed to, I guess. But he found out and, well … no, he wasn’t happy about it. She stopped by earlier today to apologize for him.”
“She’ll be apologizing for him for the rest of her life.” He hesitated. “There are rumors about them - the Delgados.”
“Rumors? What kind of rumors?”
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