Out of My League: a Hope Valley novel

by Prince, Jessica

  “We’re done, sweetheart,” Detective Walker answered, the good cop/bad cop routine he and Detective Wanderly had pulled with me having come to an end.

  “Come on, darlin’. I’ll drive you home.”

  I turned wide eyes on Lincoln. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”

  “Eden—”

  “You’d have to be to think I’d get in a car with you.”

  “Baby—”

  “Don’t worry, Linc, you did your job,” I bit out bitterly. “And you did it really damn well too. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. But it’s over now. You don’t have to fake it anymore.” Before he could say another word, I spun to the detectives. “Do you have a number for a cab company?”

  “I’ll drive you home, Miss Brenner,” Wanderly answered.

  He was the last person I wanted to ride with after Lincoln, but in that moment, he was the lesser of two evils. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  I spun on my heels to start for the door when Lincoln’s hand shot out and his long fingers wrapped around my arm. “Edie, wait.”

  I didn’t say a word, simply looked from his hand to his face with eyes full of pain. He instantly released me with a wince, and then I stomped out, trying with all my might to hold my head high when all I wanted to do was break down. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

  The hits just kept coming. Every time I thought I might have something good in this shitty life, I was knocked down and reminded that good wasn’t for me. This was just the latest in a long line of blows I’d suffered. I’d made it through each one of those, and I’d make it through this one too. After all, maybe the hits would stop being so painful once enough scar tissue built up.

  I made it outside the precinct and waited the few seconds it took for Detective Wanderly to catch up. He led me around the side of the building to a dark silver Ram truck and beeped the locks. I climbed into the passenger seat and stared out the side window as he jumped in, waiting for the engine to start up. When it didn’t and I heard the pop of the center console opening, my curiosity got the best of me and I turned to see what he was doing. I was shocked to find him pulling a simple gold band from inside and slipping it onto his left ring finger.

  “You’re married?” I asked before I could catch myself.

  He looked my way and offered a smile that only expanded on his handsomeness. “Yeah. For twelve years now.”

  Letting out a noncommittal hum, I crossed my arms over my chest and resumed staring out the window as he started the truck up and pulled out of the station parking lot.

  I’d been content to take the drive in silence when he started speaking and shattered that hope. “Miss Brenner, I just want to apologize for how things went down back there. I didn’t—”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I cut in, my gaze pointed at the dark streets passing by outside my window. “I get it. If I were in your shoes and saw my family history, I probably would’ve come to the same conclusion, so it’s cool.”

  “No it’s not,” he replied, the tone of his voice pulling my attention his way. I saw his deep frown in the lights of the dash. “I handled it poorly. We haven’t had a murder here in over twenty years, and I screwed up. I went in there without clearing my head, and I took it out on you. For that, I’m sorry.”

  I wanted to hold on to my anger, but it was impossible in the face of his obvious regret. “Look, Detective Wanderly—”

  “Call me Patrick, or Trick for short. Everyone else does.”

  “Okay, Trick. Well, you can cut yourself some slack. I accept your apology.”

  “Linc warned us to go in easy, but I didn’t listen. If I’d known—”

  I stopped him right there, not wanting to rehash the ugliness that had already been stirred up and brought to the surface. “No offense, but I really don’t want to talk about that again, or Lincoln, if it’s all the same to you.”

  His mouth clamped shut and he let it drop. We made the rest of the drive in blessed silence, and I pulled in my first full breath when he turned onto Rosewood Lane and into my driveway.

  “You don’t have to walk me up,” I insisted when he shut the truck off and pushed his door open a minute later.

  Hopping out and turning back to me, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a key ring that I recognized immediately as mine. “You left with us in a hurry earlier. Lincoln locked up before heading to the station and handed your keys off to Walker.”

  “Oh.”

  His face split in a smile, and I had to begrudgingly admit that he wasn’t just handsome, he was gorgeous. “Come on, sweetheart.”

  As I climbed down and slammed my door closed, my name carried from across the street like a shot through the night air. “Eden, oh my God! Are you okay?”

  I spun just in time for Nona to hit me at near full speed. Returning her hug, I asked, “Nona, it’s nearly midnight. What are you doing up?”

  “Are you kidding?” She jerked back, keeping her hands on my arms. “I’ve been goin’ outta my mind. I saw the cop cars earlier and you climbing into the back of one. I’ve been fielding calls from neighbors all damn night.” My stomach sank at hearing that. I thought I’d finally found happiness in Hope Valley, but because of goddamn family, I was once again fodder for the masses, the subject of gossip. Christ, I’d cut them out years ago, and they were still ruining my life. “I’ve been calling and calling to make sure you were all right, but your phone keeps going to voice mail.”

  I pulled from her grip and reached up to shove the hair out of my face. “I’m sorry. I forgot my phone, but I’m fine. I just need some sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  Her concerned gaze bounced from me to Trick. “Are you sure? Honey, I can come in and pour you a big glass of wine if—”

  “Tomorrow. It’s been a long night. You should get back to the kids.”

  She looked like she wanted to argue but thankfully didn’t. “Okay, doll. Tomorrow. But you need anything between now and then, you call, hear me?”

  “I hear you.” I offered her a smile that barely lifted my cheeks then turned, waving Trick on so he’d unlock the door.

  He stepped to the side and held the door open for me to precede him. I flicked the switch on the wall just inside the door, and the lamps around my living room offered a warm glow as I disabled the chirping alarm system.

  “You gonna be okay?” he asked from inside the doorway.

  “I’m always okay… eventually,” I replied. “This time’ll be no different.” And it wouldn’t, I’d make sure of that. I’d gotten pretty damn good at picking up the pieces of my shattered pride and confidence over the years.

  Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card and extended it my way, holding it between his index and middle fingers. “I believe you, sweetheart. But you find you’re struggling with it a little more this time around, that’s my number.”

  “Thanks,” I replied, taking the card I had no intention of ever using. After what happened tonight, I probably wouldn’t be in Hope Valley much longer, anyway.

  “Get some rest, Eden. If there’s anything else we need to talk to you about, we’ll be in touch.” He must have caught the way my body tensed, because he quickly added, “In a much more delicate way. You have my word.”

  Then a question popped in my head that I needed an answer to before he had a chance to leave. “Do I need to stay in town?” He gave me a look I couldn’t get a read on, so I continued, “Just a hypothetical. You know, like in all those cop shows, they tell the perp not to leave town. Is that the case here?”

  “Eden, you aren’t a perp. And no, we aren’t gonna order you to stay in town… hypothetically. As long as we can reach you on the phone if we have any questions, it’s all good.”

  My shoulders sagged in relief.

  With that done, he watched me for a few more seconds before turning and walking out of the house, and I moved quickly to lock the door. I found my phone on the kitchen counter, and sure enough, I had a ton of missed calls from Nona,
but also from Gypsy.

  Powering it down without checking any of the million messages they’d left, I headed for my room, pulled off my dress, and slipped on the first nightgown I touched in my drawer. Then I climbed into bed, killed the lamp on my bedside table, and curled into a ball, praying sleep would find me.

  Just like always, I wasn’t so lucky.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Eden

  I woke up with a plan, which was something, at least.

  I needed to clear my head, and I had an idea of just how to do that. But there were a few things I needed to take care of first, namely putting Nona’s mind at ease.

  I called her after waking up and asked her to stop by before she had to head into the salon. She showed at my door a half hour later with a box of donuts and a tray of coffees in tow.

  “Thought you deserved the good shit from Muffin Top,” she announced, pushing through the door as soon as I opened it. “The Vanilla Bean’s good. But Muffin Top’s donuts are like little pastries from Heaven, and their coffee’s the best I’ve ever had, hands down. After the night you had, you deserved the best.”

  I was running on less than two hours of sleep and no caffeine, and I had to admit, not having to make a pot of coffee right then sounded great. I barely had the mental capacity to handle the conversation that was about to take place; anything else was out of the question.

  “Thanks, babe. I appreciate it.”

  I followed her into my kitchen, where she plunked her offerings down on the island. She threw the lid back to reveal a row of assorted and a row of glazed. I grabbed a glazed and shoved a bite into my mouth as I took a seat on one of my stools.

  She busied herself getting plates and napkins, flitting around the kitchen and suspiciously keeping her eyes anywhere but on me.

  “Nona.”

  “Yeah?” she asked, going and pulling my fridge open for some reason.

  “No, honey, would you mind looking at me?”

  She spun her head at me and back into the fridge so fast her hair whipped into her face. “I’m totally looking at you. Just grabbing some drinks.”

  “Nona, you got coffee. Would you shut the fridge please?”

  She did as asked, and when she finally turned to look at me, my heart sank. “What did you hear?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  I might have bought the act had she not lifted her hand and begun chewing on her thumbnail, a tell of hers when she was nervous or anxious.

  “You know,” I insisted softly. “People were talking at the bakery this morning, weren’t they? What were they saying about me?”

  With a heavy sigh, she moved to the island, bending forward and resting her forearms on the top across from me. “Let me just preface this by saying that sometimes small-town folks are idiots and believe whatever they hear without giving it any consideration first. Also, Sue Ellen Mayfield’s a gossipy bitch.”

  Sue Ellen. Damn. I’d forgotten all about her, and the fact that she worked at the station. “Tell me.”

  “Well,” she started with clear trepidation, “keep in mind, it’s just speculation, but people are saying that you were brought in because it’s your brother breaking into all those houses, and that you’re either an accomplice or you’re harboring him.”

  Damn it. I’d been doing so well. After being put through the wringer last night by the cops, then being kicked while I was down by Lincoln, I hadn’t shed a single tear. But this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I’d wanted to be a different person, worthy of these people’s respect, and now I was who I’d always been. A tainted Brenner. A bad influence. A criminal, at least by association, if not more.

  Dropping my head, I sniffed as the tears came hot and fast.

  “Hey, no. Don’t do that.” Nona rounded the island and pulled me against her in a sideways hug. “Please don’t cry, Eden. It’s all gonna be okay. They’re idiots who were just talking out of their asses.”

  I pulled away with a bitter laugh and swiped at my cheeks. “They’re not that off base, Nona. Shep is a suspect in those robberies, and now he’s wanted for murder. They brought me in thinking I could lead them to him.”

  She pulled in a sharp gasp. “What? That’s ridiculous! You don’t have anything to do with him!”

  “That’s what I told them. It got pretty nasty before they finally believed me. But that’s not even the worst of it.”

  Her eyes went wide and her lips parted. “It gets worse?”

  A fresh wave of tears spilled down my face. “If you consider Lincoln pretending to be into me because his buddy Hayes brought him in on the case with the sole job of keeping tabs on me to see if my brother popped up worse, then yeah, it definitely gets worse.”

  Nona’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “That can’t be. No, that’s not… I don’t believe….”

  “Believe it,” I finished when she trailed off, speechless. “God, I’m such an idiot!” I cried, dropping my face into my hands. “I actually thought he liked me, No. I let myself get swept away by him when I should’ve known better. I mean, good things don’t happen to me. It’s my lot, I accept that, but he played me. And the worst part is I was totally crazy about him.”

  “I don’t believe it, Eden.” She shook her head. “I saw his face. I saw how he looked at you. He wasn’t faking that. I can’t believe he’s that good an actor.”

  “Well, he was. And he is,” I answered, unable to keep the hostility out of my voice. “It is what it is, Nona. It’s a lesson learned. Now I just need to figure out what I’m gonna do next.”

  Her brows dipped and her lips tilted down in a frown. “What do you mean?”

  “I can’t stay here. People think I’m a criminal, or at the very least associated with one. It was bad enough growing up when my family would steal or screw around, but we’re talking murder here. A person in this town was killed, and all eyes are on me. Way I see it, I have two choices—I can either leave, or wait for them to chase me out. Either way, the end result is still the same.”

  “That isn’t going to happen,” she declared, reaching over and taking my hand. “The people who know you know you’d never have anything to do with this, Eden. They know you aren’t involved, and they’ll have your back.”

  I threw my free arm wide. “That’s just it! No one knows me. Not really. There’s you and Gypsy. That’s it. I don’t really know anyone else. Who’s gonna have my back, huh?”

  “Me, for one,” she stated with intensity. “I’ll have your back. So will Gypsy. And my kids freaking love you, babe.”

  “So four out of a whole town. Face it, the odds aren’t on my side on this one. I appreciate the support, Nona, more than you’ll ever know. I’ve never had that. But this is just the beginning.”

  Her frown grew more severe as she barked, “You’re not leaving. You said it yourself, you’ve looked forever for a place like this. This is your home. You belong here. I get it. You’ve weathered more than your fair share of storms in your life, Eden. This is just another one you have to wade through. Only difference is you don’t have to do it alone this time. You have friends here. You have people who love you. And we’re gonna be by your side the whole time.”

  I really loved the sound of that, and I desperately wanted to believe it, but I knew from experience that the worst was yet to come. I just had to hope Nona was right and that I could make it through this downpour with the help of my friends.

  “Okay,” I finally relented. “I won’t start packing just yet. But there was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Yeah, what’s that?”

  “You know any good camping and hiking spots around here? I need a few days to clear my head, and I’m thinking surrounding myself with nature is the perfect way to do that.”

  She smiled brightly for the first time since walking into my house. “I think I can help with that.”

  * * *

  Lincoln

  A beep came through the line and the famili
ar greeting hit my ear in that sweet, melodic voice of hers.

  “Hey, you’ve reached Eden. You know what to do, so do it at the beep.”

  I disconnected, threw the phone on my desk, and resumed my pacing.

  It had been three days. Three fucking days, and she hadn’t taken a single one of my calls or returned any of my messages. I was losing my mind.

  The longer I paced and stewed, the more pissed I got at myself. Her car hadn’t been in her driveway since the day after the interrogation, and the longer it stayed gone, the more I worried.

  It didn’t help matters that Trick called me after dropping her at home the other night and informed me of her ominous question about staying in town. That had just made the ache in the center of my chest more acute.

  “What?” I barked when a knock came on my door.

  Roxanne pushed it open a moment later and stepped in with a folder in her hand. “I’ve got the file put together on the Gillerson job Cord just got done working.”

  “Just put it on the desk. I’ll get to it later,” I grunted.

  She walked over to the desk and tossed the file down with a loud slap before spinning around and stomping back toward the door.

  I cocked a curious eyebrow at the attitude rolling off her. “There a problem?” I asked my normally pleasant receptionist.

  When she turned back, she planted her hands on her hips and pinned me with a fierce scowl. “That depends.”

  “On?”

  “On whether or not it’s true that you used that sweet little Eden as a job.”

  Goddamn it. “Rox.” I said her name in warning. “This hasn’t got a thing to do with you.”

  “Oh my god!” she crowed, crossing her arms over her chest. “So it’s true!”

  I wasn’t having this conversation, not with her or anybody, not until I got shit straight with Eden and somehow fixed what I’d fucked up. “I’ll remind you, this is a workplace. I expect a certain level of professionalism.”