In a Jam

by Cindy Dorminy

  She dances around me in a circle. At every turn, she makes sure I get a full view of her blue ribbon. I snatch it away and run toward the Ferris wheel, where Jake is the operator. That should scare the bejesus out of me, but I trust him.

  Andie grabs for her ribbon. “Hey, you stealer. Where’s a cop when you need one?”

  Jake fist-bumps me as he holds the bucket open for Andie to step in. While she is securing her blue ribbon so it doesn’t fall out, I slip Jake a wad of cash and wink at him. Sometimes, no words are necessary.

  I jump into the bucket, and it swings forward and backward, making Andie latch onto my arm as if her life depends on it. As soon as Jake moves the lever, we start our way up to the top. Andie lets out a screech.

  On our way down on the other side, she squeals, “It took my breath away.” When we start back up, she says, “Did I ever tell you I’m afraid of heights?” Her grip on my arm is so tight, I may never be able to use my gun again.

  “It’s a little late for that information. We’re perfectly safe.”

  I lean over to see how high we are. Below us, lights strung up from booth to booth twinkle in the night. Couples still sway back and forth on the dance floor to country music, and children continue to stuff themselves with every fried food imaginable. I sure hope I don’t drop my corn dog on somebody’s head. I take one fast scan of the crowd in hopes that Willow isn’t staring up at us. I want this to be a special moment for Andie and me, one that will help her decide to stay.

  “Yeah, perfectly safe,” Andie says nervously. “It’s a fair ride that was assembled yesterday by a bunch of Joe Dirts.”

  I laugh and put my arm around her neck, pulling her close. She fits next to my side as if she’s made for that spot. Her hand rests on my thigh on the way up, and on the way down, she squeezes. Then the ride stops, hanging us in midair.

  She grabs on to my arm. “What’s happening? Are we stuck?”

  I point at the ground. “Jake’s letting people off.”

  “Oh.” That satisfies her, and little by little, we get closer to the ground. When all other riders are off and it’s our turn, Andie starts to stand up. I grab her arm, making her sit back down. Jake turns the crank and sends us back up to the top.

  She gasps. “This is bad.”

  I wink. “Wait. Trust me.”

  “What did you do?”

  She crosses her arms, then a small boom, boom, boom sounds across the field. Fireworks light up the dark sky. They are right above our heads. Reds, blues, and greens explode everywhere, and we’re so high up, it feels as if we are part of the show. Later, I’ll have to thank Liza for the suggestion because this is pretty awesome.

  “Oh, Gunnar. This is so pretty.” She sinks into me, and I play with her hair as she continues to point each one out. “Did you see that one? So pretty.” Her face glows with the colors of the fireworks, but her eyes light up her face. She turns to back to me. “Can you keep another secret?”

  I nod.

  She looks at all the townspeople on the ground staring up at the fireworks then back at me. “I kind of like it here. Like... a lot.”

  That’s music to my ears. I kiss her nose. “Maybe you can buy the Ferris wheel.”

  She giggles.

  I turn away from her beautiful face and try to focus on the fireworks, because if I gaze too long into her eyes, I might say things I don’t want to take back.

  She takes my face in her hands, forcing me to look at her. “I like the scenery.”

  She blushes, and my heart melts. I know I’m falling for her. She kisses me on the lips softly then again with more passion. I wrap my arms around her waist and deepen the kiss. When I pull her onto my lap, the bucket swings, making her squeak.

  “I’ve got you, sugar. I won’t let go. I promise.”

  There goes my mouth, saying things I don’t regret. My hands slide under the straps of her sundress. I kiss her shoulders and neck. She lays her head back, allowing me more room to kiss her neck.

  “Oh, Gunnar.”

  “You taste so sweet. Now about that date you asked for.”

  “Name the day.”

  We’re nose to nose, and I stare into her eyes. I want her to know I’m dead serious. “I want lots of dates. Lots of days.” My hand roams down her dress, and right when I roam under it to feel her creamy thigh, Jake starts our decent. I growl, making Andie giggle. “To be continued?” I ask, hoping I know the answer.

  Her head nods up and down, making her look like a human version of a bobblehead. What a ride.

  If I had my way, we would continue as soon as our feet hit the ground, but as I expected, Willow is waiting for me, leaning up against the photo booth, with her arms crossed over her chest. I don’t want her to ruin my life again, so after walking Andie back to her home with my shadow not very far away, I make up a lame excuse about having to check in at work. I have to clarify to Willow that it’s over between us and that she has no right to stalk me like a predator. She won’t approach me with so many of my friends around. That’s not her style because she knows they would be all over her. So I’ll have to do what she expects me to do—go to the lake. If I want her gone, I need to do this sooner rather than later.

  Before I leave Andie, I give her a spine-tingling “I need you more than air” kiss, leaving us both out of breath as my shadow throws daggers with her eyes.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Gunnar

  The lake at night clears my head like nothing else. The water lapping at my feet, the sun setting, and a Boston lager sliding down my throat are precisely what I need. Willow’s back in town. Coincidence? Hardly. Everything she does is calculated, right down to the last “I can’t marry you.” Thinking about that night almost makes my beer rise back up in my throat. She crushed me. She changed me into a person that didn’t even resemble me at all: a cold, take-what-I-want prick. Thank God I came to my senses and left those days behind me.

  Many times, I wondered what I would do when I saw her again. Her parents still live in Smithville, so I knew she would have to come visit eventually. Every time they see me around town, I sense the bile churning up my throat again. They still blame me for them wasting fifteen grand on a no-show wedding.

  My phone buzzes in my pocket. If it’s Willow, I may throw my phone in the lake. But it’s only Tinsley. “Hey, man.”

  “How’s our girl doing?”

  Our girl? She’s mine. All mine. “She won a blue ribbon for her jam.”

  Tinsley’s booming laughter bellows out of my phone. He yells at someone. “Hey, Andie won a blue ribbon.” I hear a few “woo-hoos” come through the phone. “That’s awesome. So is she, uh, staying out of trouble?”

  I close my eyes and think back to the night of her relapse, which was the same night of one fantastic kiss. “She’s great. I’m real proud of her.”

  “That’s what I want to hear. So, you keeping your hands off of her?” His chuckle tells me he’s kidding with me.

  “Nope.”

  “Ha. She’s a delightful girl.”

  I drag a stick through the sand. “Yes, she is. She’s even said she likes it here.”

  “Wow. Didn’t see that one coming.”

  “Yeah. I don’t want to read too much into it, but I kind of hope she sticks around, you know, for the long haul. She’s starting to grow on me, if you know what I mean.”

  A silent moment passes before he responds. “I wish I could help you out there, but I can’t get a good read off of her the few times I’ve talked to her. But hey, if she doesn’t, I’ve got a buddy at the Boston University Police Department. It’s kind of like a small town within a big city. You up for that?”

  I shake my head, knowing good and well he can’t see me. “Thanks, but I like it here.”

  “Man, I gotta go. Tell Andie I said hello and to behave.”

  “Will do.”

  I stuff my phone in my back pocket and take in the silence for a few minutes before I smell that signature over-the-top lavender perf
ume.

  Willow sits down beside me in the sand. “Hey, Gunnar.”

  “Hey, Wills. I’d like to say ‘Nice to see you,’ but my mama taught me not to lie.”

  She chuckles under her breath. “I guess I deserved that.”

  “And then some.” I take a swig from my beer bottle. “You’re on private property. My property.” Even though I knew she would be here, I have to get one dig in for old times’ sake. If she wants to reminisce, she should go on the public side of the lake.

  “Ouch.”

  We sit in silence, listening to a boat putter pass in the distance.

  “You have something on your mind? Spit it out, then please leave.”

  She hugs her knees to her chest and shivers. “It’s cold out here by the water.”

  Maybe she should wear something besides a skimpy top. And for God’s sake, she could put on a bra. This isn’t her first time at the lake at night, for crying out loud.

  I groan and shrug out of my jacket, knowing I’m playing right into her plan. I place it around her shoulders, and her fingers graze mine when she latches on to the collar. I snatch my hand away before I feel something. She snuggles into my jacket and inhales my aroma. I think I’ll have to burn it to get out her scent and the memory of her in it.

  “What brings you back to Smithville?”

  “Family business, and I miss you.”

  I snort and almost choke on my beer. “I doubt that. You’ve got Brad or Tad, or what was the last one’s name? Tristan? Seriously, why didn’t you throw a Fabio in the mix while you’re at it?”

  She throws her hands out to stop me. “Okay, I can see one of us still lives in the past.”

  “Don’t you get all high and mighty.”

  Willow holds out her hands. “Okay, I get it. You’re still mad. I treated you like shit. You happy?”

  I take another swig of my beer. “Actually, I am, but it has nothing to do with you.”

  That shuts her up, at least for the time being. She flings her hair off her shoulder and swats a lightning bug away from her face. Willow and bugs go together about as well as orange juice and toothpaste.

  “We used to sit out here all the time, you and me.”

  “Yep.” I don’t want to go down memory lane with this vile person. But in order to completely move on with my night, I need to face my demon head on. Get her out of my head forever.

  “Remember the time we stole a bottle of Jack Daniel’s from my daddy’s liquor cabinet?”

  “I think that rock over there is where I hurled my guts out.”

  She giggles. “Not your finest hour.” She nudges me with her knee. “Come on. Let’s take a walk.”

  “No, thanks.”

  She reaches out for my hand, but I stuff it in my pocket.

  “I know I hurt you, but I’ve had a lot of time to think, and I want to make it up to you.”

  “That’s not necessary. I’m fine.” And I am. It has taken me a lot of anguish to get to this place, but with a little help from a lot of friends and one sweet out-of-towner, I am one hundred percent fine.

  “I’m not.”

  I snort. “That’s your problem, not mine. I’m sure Jo filled you in about Andie.”

  “Yes.”

  “And this trip home conveniently happened to coincide with all this. How lucky for you.” I’m sure my sarcasm doesn’t go unnoticed.

  She turns to face me. Pain etches across her face. “Gunnar, I still love you. I want to try again.”

  I stand up to leave. “I don’t.”

  “Don’t what? Don’t want to try, or you don’t love me anymore?”

  I shrug. “Maybe both.”

  She folds her arms over her chest. “Tell me more about... Andie.” She spits out Andie’s name as if it’s poison.

  Through clenched teeth, I say, “Whatever you don’t already know is none of your business.”

  She laughs. “Oh, please. Smithville’s grapevine is faster than the Internet. I’ll find out sooner or later. It might as well come from the source. And the blog...” She sucks in air through her teeth. “I trust that more than CNN.”

  I focus on the water rushing past my ankles. “She’s inherited her grandmother’s coffee shop and lottery winnings. You remember Miss Mary Grace. Andie’s only here for the summer, so leave her alone.”

  Willow gives me a humorless grin.

  “But she’s starting to like it here, so I have a feeling she might change her mind. Who knows? She might be the newest member of the Smithville community.” It may or may not be the truth, but either way, it’s another way to get under her skin.

  Willow’s smile fades. She pulls me close and slides her hands up my chest. A shiver runs up my spine. She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me down so we are eye to eye. “She should leave.”

  She places her lips on mine. First, it’s a soft, gentle kiss, then it turns into something with more urgency. Old feelings bubble up, and she wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me closer and moaning into my mouth.

  The last time I kissed her was the day I showed her the house I built for us, the one I still live in even though I can’t bring myself to enter the master bedroom. While she was still living in Chicago, finishing up at Northwestern, I was working like a dog to surprise her. Boy, was I ever surprised. She said it didn’t fit into her “plan.” Right after that, she dumped me.

  Within an instant, the image of the spunky, petite blonde dancing around me and bragging about her blue ribbon floods my mind, and I don’t care anymore about how Willow used to make me feel. It’s not worth it.

  I push away from Willow. “I can’t do this.”

  She stops me from moving away. “Yes, you can. You want this.” She takes a step toward me, but I hold my hands out in front of me.

  “No. And the answer is ‘no’ to both questions, by the way.”

  She cocks her head to the side in confusion.

  “I don’t want to try again, and I don’t love you anymore.”

  She crosses her arms over her chest again and raises an eyebrow. “We’ll see about that. Does your little Andie know what really happened at Northwestern?”

  My breaths are so fast, I may hyperventilate. Through a clenched jaw, I reply, “Leave that in the past.”

  Willow tsks me. “Oh, Gunnar, dear. I’m sure everyone would love to know you got kicked out of your PhD program for cheating.”

  Every muscle in my body is going to cramp up from the stress I’m putting on them. “You didn’t used to be vindictive. That’s low even for you.”

  She tsks me again, which pisses me off. “And to think everyone here really thinks you came back because you missed this place. How long could you keep up this charade?”

  Forever. A cop that cheats at that level can’t be trusted, especially in a small town.

  She kisses me on the cheek before I can recoil. “I’ve kept your secrets all this time, but I don’t have to. Let that sink in a bit.” She slithers away.

  Before she’s out of earshot, I yell, “Why now? After three years, why now?”

  “Maybe it’s time for me to fix your little cheating problem.”

  I shake my head even though I know she can’t see me. “I don’t need fixing.”

  “Wouldn’t you love to have that guilt off your shoulders?”

  I squeeze my eyes shut and wait for her sports car to rev up and speed away. Only then can I breathe. It’s only then that I realize she’s still wearing my jacket. Now I’m sure I don’t want it back.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Gunnar

  No matter where I go today, Willow’s there. She was at the gym, and now she’s sitting in the park while I patrol on foot. She doesn’t talk to me, and I certainly don’t strike up a conversation with her. At least she can’t attend the town council meeting. In the two years I’ve been on the council, I’ve never wanted to be at the meeting more than I do today. Anything to get out of her view. But soon, we need to have a talk about her threat to exp
ose my secret. I’m not sure how far she’ll go to get her way. With her, anything is possible.

  Mayor Duncan and City Manager Tom Harding are in a powwow when I enter the room. Most of the other council members guzzle down the weak coffee that’s needed to stay awake during these meetings.

  When Mr. Harding sees me, he waves me over. “Gunnar, you are precisely the man we need to talk to.”

  This is bad. If Willow already leaked my secret, I may be out of a job. This town has zero tolerance for dishonesty. The council wants trustworthy personnel, and if they find out I wasn’t completely truthful on my job application, they could fire me on the spot. And if that happens, I may not be able to show my face in this town again. A bead of sweat trickles down my back, and I do my best to control my breathing.

  I exchange pleasantries with the two men before I ask, “You wanted to see me?”

  They escort me to the corner of the room. The mayor cranes his neck to see over his shoulder before he speaks.

  “Fred Wilkins is closing his shoe-repair shop next week.”

  Damn. I was afraid of that. Another small family business is shutting its doors. At least he’s not asking about my shady past. “That’s a shame. He does fine work. Why? ”

  “Not enough people want shoes fixed anymore. And Stokes Hardware is losing business to the big chain store over in Buxley.”

  I squeeze my eyes shut. Jake puts on a happy face, but I know it’s been hard ever since Mason’s Home Improvement opened up in the next county.

  “That leaves only two businesses on that side of Main Street. Big Ash Fitness is on shaky ground, and with Mary Grace passing, I don’t know how stable In A Jam is.”

  I cock my head to the side. “It’s as stable as it ever was.”

  The mayor raises his eyebrows. “Son, there’s no chain coffee shop in town yet, so her business is vital to the community.”

  “All are vital, wouldn’t you say?” I turn to the city manager, and he shrugs.

  The mayor puts his hands on my shoulders, and it forces me to look him in the eye. “Gunnar, we need Andie to stay in this town to keep the promise to the community. We said we would do everything in our power to keep it primarily small businesses and not fall prey to the lure of big chain stores. Now I know you’ve gotten cozy with her.”