by J. H. Croix
I angled my head to the side and nodded. “Excellent plan. Should've thought of it myself.”
Rex chuckled. “Well, I'm a problem solver, that's my main job description. But I was also around when he swept through town and took Maisie’s mom with him. He was here for a few weeks. You know I like my cards, so I ran into him at the bars back then. He knows his way around a poker game. Seems to take pride in it,” he said.
“It’s not my idea of a fun night, at least not with him, but I’ll do it. You should've seen the look on Maisie’s face when she opened the door and he was standing there. What else do you know about him?” I asked.
I hadn't had a chance to talk at length with Janet today. She would know the whole scoop, far more than my haphazard memories from bits and pieces that I overheard my mom talking about when I was younger. Everybody had been close to Carol, so they were all protective of her after her daughter had moved away and then never returned. It had broken Carol's heart, and I couldn't help but wonder if Maisie’s mom eventually would've moved back if she hadn’t died. But she had, and that made returning impossible—completely and forever.
Rex leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. “Georgie will know,” he commented, referring to his wife. “I gave her a call today and made her swear up and down not to start spreading rumors about you and Maisie.”
I hadn't offered any explanation to Rex, but there weren't many reasons for why I would've been at Maisie's house at the crack of dawn this morning. I wished I’d had a chance to talk to Maisie before her dad had shown up. I wanted to tell her to forget trying to keep everything a secret. But, I knew damn well she’d have some feelings about that.
Once upon a time, I would've, but now I didn't give a damn. Actually, all I wanted was to be with her. While I hadn't faced it fully just yet, I knew with close to certainty something had shifted for me with Maisie. The word love danced along the edges of my thoughts. I pushed back against it a little. While I might be ready to say I couldn't imagine being with anybody else now that I’d been with Maisie, I wasn't quite ready to say I was in love with her. Damn close though. I glanced to the floor, staring at the toes of my battered leather boots for a few beats before looking back over at Rex.
“Thanks for that. As I'm sure you can see, things have kinda moved along with her.”
In a flash, I remembered that Maisie had this worry that I was somehow partially her boss. I figured it would be best if I spoke to Rex about that sooner rather than later. He wasn't my boss, but he was Maisie's boss. I took a breath and steeled myself. I’d convinced myself so thoroughly it wasn't a problem for Maisie and me to be together that I was currently realizing I might’ve been avoiding a potential problem.
“Tell me something,” I said.
Rex was quiet and arched a brow. “Tell you what?” he asked.
“Am I Maisie's boss in some sort of sideways way?”
That got me a loud bark of a laugh from Rex, which quickly morphed into a long bout of laughter. He propped his elbow on his desk and rested his chin in his hand, shaking his head slowly.
“I was wondering when you were gonna ask that,” he said.
A hint of worry flashed through me. Not because I didn't think we could sort this out, but because I knew Maisie would freak.
“So?” I asked.
Rex’s eyes were twinkling, and I sensed he was enjoying my discomfort. “I'm the only boss of Maisie around here. No need to worry there. Since a few of you are crew superintendents, I suppose if I was gone, I could technically ask you to cover for me and then you'd be her boss. Unless I do that, you're not her boss. There are a few rules around inter-office relationships though,” he added, using air quotes with the expression.
“Ohhh-kaay, what are those?” I asked.
Rex chuckled again. “I could screw with you on this one, couldn’t I?”
I sighed and gave him a beseeching look. “You could, but please don't. Just give me the lowdown.”
“Fair enough. The rules are you need to let me know because I'm the only chain of command person around here. I'm not even technically your boss but you answer to me as far as station matters go. Consider me told. The next step is Maisie has to let me know she's cool with it.”
I stared at him, abruptly realizing my mouth had actually dropped open. I snapped it shut.
“Are you serious? You have to have a conversation with her about this?”
His grin widened again before he nodded firmly. “Damn straight I do. How you think that’ll go?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes. “How do you think it’ll go?” I asked, my voice actually cracking a little with my words.
Fuck fuck fuck. This is gonna go over just great.
Rex threw me a wry look. “We’ve got some time. How about you talk to her about it? I'm guessing you have already.”
I shook my head.
He seemed to take pity on me finally, based on the look on my face. “Deal with her dad first and then talk to her about this. Just so you know, it's not like I couldn't guess what was going on.”
I stared at him, my mouth dropping open again. “What?”
That only got me another laugh.
Rex shook his head slowly. “Beck, I've been around the block many, many times. I'm pretty observant. You look at that girl like she’s the center of the universe, and she does her damnedest not to look at you.”
I silently groaned, mentally adding another thing to my list of not-great-shit-to-deal-with-this-week. “Well, thanks for covering for me with Georgie. I'm off to deal with Maisie's dad. Don't suppose you'd want to join us for a poker game at the bar tonight?”
Rex smiled widely at that. “I’d love it. Text me when you’re on the way.”
At that, I turned on my heel and left, throwing another thanks over my shoulder as I headed out the door. I collected Hank and headed over to Firehouse Café. Janet owned the café and an attached building where she ran a small summer B&B. I had to sort out whether Janet had a room for Hank, get a hold of Maisie, and deal with the plane ticket if she’d let me. On top of that, now I was playing poker tonight.
Chapter 25
Maisie
Later that night, I watched as Beck walked away with my dad trailing behind him. I couldn't quite believe it, but apparently they were playing poker. According to Beck, this was the brainchild of Chief Masters. It was brilliant actually. For the first time ever, I hoped my Dad cleaned up. I wanted him to have enough money to have a little cushion when he got back home.
I recalled Beck’s explanation. This way, he'll earn a little cash and it'll ease the pressure on you. That's all I'm after.
I still didn’t quite know how to accept Beck’s support like this, but he was making it all but impossible to refuse, not to mention Janet had corralled me into a corner over it. I leaned back into my chair at Firehouse Café and looked over at Janet and Amelia. Janet had seen fit to bring in reinforcements this evening. Dinner with my dad had consisted of me, my dad, Janet and Amelia. Beck had shown up towards the end to fetch my dad for the planned poker game. Amelia looked from me to the door right when Beck looked over his shoulder once more. His eyes caught mine. Just that one look and his gaze pierced me across the room. It felt like a flame licked through the air between us. He stood holding the door for a few beats longer than would've been expected, tearing his eyes away at the last second and stepping through quickly. The bell jingled behind him as he disappeared.
I leaned back into my chair, pressing my thighs together to ease the sudden ache there. This was fucking ridiculous. I should've been rattled and disconcerted with the last thing on my mind being sex. Instead, all I could think about was sex, well specifically sex with Beck. It didn't help matters that I was also in a crowded café. I snatched my coffee off the table and took a big gulp, the bitter flavor grounding me slightly and distracting my attention from the need burning through me. After I set my coffee down, I glanced between Janet and Amelia.
“Whoa,” A
melia said.
Janet chuckled.
“Whoa what?” I asked.
Amelia twisted her mouth and rolled her eyes. “Oh. Just that I thought you two were gonna set this room on fire there. I lost a bet with Cade over you and Beck by the way,” she said with a slow shake of her head.
“What do you mean you lost a bet?”
Amelia laughed a little. “A while ago, Cade said he thought Beck had a thing for you. I told him he was crazy. Not to mention, I really didn't think you'd go for it.”
I suddenly felt a little defensive. But I didn't say anything. She must've picked up on something in my eyes because her gaze sobered.
“Don't get me wrong, you're awesome, and Beck is too. We grew up together. I always figured it was just a matter of time before he settled down a little bit. I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but you used to be kind of, well, cranky. It didn't seem like you’d be interested in anyone, least of all Beck. He's pretty happy-go-lucky. Now that I’ve gotten to know you a little, I know you're not cranky you're just…”
“Bitchy?” I offered helpfully.
Janet burst out laughing. “Bitchy fits.”
Amelia laughed with us and then sobered again. “I guess I’d say you were kinda guarded, or something.”
“Well now that you met my dad and a little bit about what he was like, I suppose you can see why. I'm not used to anybody having my back,” I explained.
Janet reached over and squeezed my shoulder. “Plenty of us have your back.”
My throat tightened, but I swallowed and took a breath. “It's kind of weird actually.” I didn’t say aloud how unsettling it was. All day I’d been shadowboxing in my mind. One minute, I wanted to let Beck take care of me. The next minute, I was annoyed and frustrated with the feeling. I couldn’t trust myself enough to relax and let go.
I took another sip of coffee. Amelia's gaze was considering.
“Back to my point. Wow you two are hot for each other!”
Janet laughed again, and I couldn't help but laugh myself. Amelia was quite right. I didn't want to talk much about it because I didn't really know what to do with the bundle of feelings that I held inside about Beck.
“I'm worried if the guys at the station find out, it'll be weird.”
My words escaped before I really thought about them.
Amelia cocked her head to the side. “I can see why you might worry, but I think it'll be fine. Willow Brook is small for the locals no matter what, so gossip is part of life. I've been through the ringer on it. I'm no fan of it myself, so you can trust me to keep quiet. But if I noticed the way you two were looking at each other, you can be pretty damn sure other people have too.”
I took another gulp of coffee. “Right. Well, I need to sort out this thing with my dad right now. One thing at a time. It's not like anything's official with Beck anyway.”
Janet glanced my way, her eyes narrowing.
“What's that for?” I asked.
“It's pretty official. When Beck is your dad's taxi, he's planning on buying a plane ticket for him, and he's the one who ran around town this morning rallying me up to find a room for him and the police chief to be his babysitter all day, it’s not just a fling,” she said pointedly.
I stared at Janet, my cheeks getting hot. When she said it like that, I suppose it did seem like Beck and I were something more. I didn’t know what to think, but I was a specific person. I needed things spelled out for me. Perhaps it was the chronic uncertainty that I'd lived with as a child. I liked lists and forms, things that were really clear, that meant certain things were going to happen. I supposed I needed to talk to Beck, but I didn't even know where to start. My past relationships had been short-lived. The fumbling mess that high school and college generally were. They just sort of happened and then I moved on. Anxiety coiled in my belly.
Chapter 26
Beck
I leaned back in my chair as Hank played his last hand. Rex had been spot on, Maisie’s dad was a helluva poker player. I didn't normally enjoy losing. I liked to win, even if I only played cards for fun. It was nice to take home a little extra cash. No such luck tonight. Instead, I was relieved because Hank had made a tidy little profit for himself. I had no idea how much cash he had intended to try to weasel out of Maisie. Yet, I hoped the few hundred he’d won tonight would be enough to carry him over once he landed back in California. The one piece of the puzzle I hadn't sorted out yet was getting him on a plane tomorrow. When I tried to talk to Maisie about it again earlier today, she'd been wishy-washy. So I’d held back.
I watched while Hank joked around with a few of the other guys at the table. Aside from Hank's presence, tonight was a fairly typical evening for me at the bar. There was one glaring difference—I’d hardly been here since I’d started seeing Maisie. I took a long drag off my beer. I heard my name and glanced over my shoulder. I saw Janice approaching out table. Janice wasn't from Willow Brook yet she was often in the area. She spent summers between here and Anchorage. Her parents owned a hunting lodge in Willow Brook. She and I had seen each other casually off and on over the years. I gave her a little wave and then looked back towards the table. It wasn't that I was purposely trying to cut her, but I didn't think much of it. It wasn't like we’d ever been serious. In fact, I’d only dallied with her when I wasn’t having another short-term fling. Because short-term flings were all I did. Except for Maisie.
I heard my name again and glanced up to realize Janice had threaded her way through the crowd and stopped by the table, resting her hand on my shoulder. I rolled it slightly, trying to dislodge her hand without being obvious. This was an odd situation for me. Normally, I’d think nothing of it if she wanted to flirt a little even if I was tied up with somebody else. But now, there was Maisie. I wasn't so much worried what anybody thought because there was nothing untoward happening. Yet, it just didn't feel right.
“Hey Beck, how's it going?” she asked.
I purposely leaned forward to pointlessly reach for a napkin from the center of the table, effectively forcing her hand off my shoulder.
“Nothing much. Just a game of cards with some friends,” I replied.
She glanced around the table, flashing a grin at the collective group.
“Who won tonight?” she asked.
Rex laughed and nudged his thumb towards Hank. “Hank’s the winner tonight. We're just winding down. You around for a little bit?” he asked conversationally.
While Janice’s parents didn't live in Willow Brook, and neither did she, her family was known around town. Families like hers were affectionately known as ‘snowbirds.’ They tended to come in for the summer and then leave every winter. Her parents stayed in Willow Brook occasionally, while she stayed in Anchorage most of the summer with a weekend here or there in town.
“Just for a long weekend,” she replied. “How have you been?” she asked.
Rex launched into a meandering update of his summer.
A slight sense of relief rolled through me. I didn't know if Rex was doing it on purpose, but he’d effectively drawn her attention away from me. About then, I heard someone say Cade’s name and glanced over to see Amelia approaching with Maisie at her side. A little buzz of electricity jolted through me. Seeing Maisie brought an instant smile, and my body tightened with need.
They approached the table, Amelia immediately moving to Cade’s side and dropping her head to kiss him. It was slightly awkward to have Janice still standing there right at my side. I was tucked in the corner in such a way that no one else could stand at my side. I experienced an odd mix of feelings. I wanted to stand and push Janice out of the way, so I could pull Maisie into my lap and kiss her senseless. In this moment, I was frustrated Maisie and I had been keeping everything on the down low so far. I had a feeling she wouldn’t appreciate it if I greeted her publicly the way I wanted. It didn’t really matter because it was impossible to do without making a scene with Janice at my side.
Rex caught my eyes as he ca
rried on his conversation with Janice and then pushed his chair back and stood. “Well guys, I'm gonna head home. Georgie’ll expect me anytime now. I don't want to be too late seeing as I don't even have any winnings to show for tonight,” he said with a low chuckle.
Rex standing effectively got the rest of the group to start shifting. Unfortunately for me, Janice didn't seem to get the cue. Even though I was paying little attention to her, she kept lingering.
“So what's your schedule tomorrow?” Cade asked conversationally, his question entirely pointless as he and I had confirmed our schedules earlier.
I sensed he was trying to make sure I didn't get accidentally trapped alone with Janice and Maisie. I had enough sense to know Amelia probably knew what was up by this point as well. She dragged Janice into some conversation about hiring at her parents’ lodge, which finally got Janice to stop lingering at my side.
Maisie was quiet, which wasn't particularly surprising. She generally was. Once Janice was distracted, I allowed myself a moment to look at Maisie. Damn. She was beautiful. Her brown curls were loose, a wild tumble around her shoulders. My heart clenched at seeing the carefully guarded look in her wide brown eyes. My body tightened as I let my gaze drift over her. She wore a V-neck t-shirt. My mouth watered at the thought of dragging my tongue down between her breasts. I forced my gaze up, only to land on her full lips. Fuck me. My control was shredded when it came to her. There was no such thing as casual appreciation with her.
All I wanted to do was drag her to me and kiss her senseless. For a flash, I considered doing just that anyway. I had to force myself to look away. Her father said something and then decided to be funny and piss me off.
“Your boy here knows his way around the cards. If only he hadn't been so distracted by all the girls, I might not have been able to beat him so easy,” he said with a laugh.
