Now it’s Friday. A whole week has passed, and this separation, this intense regret has formed an aching pit in the center of my chest. My two besties organized an emergency intervention, armed with Ben & Jerry’s.

  “You’re like the house at the end of Poltergeist.” Piper sits at the other end of the couch, a pint of Chunky Monkey in her hand. “Where it all crumples together and disappears into thin air. That was sick.”

  I push her with my foot. “You’re not helping.”

  “Sorry!”

  “Hang in there my sunny little BB.” Cass hugs my shoulders while holding a spoon of Cherry Garcia for me to nibble. “He’ll come around. You guys were too good together for him to ditch it over a misunderstanding.”

  “It was more than that. He’s only said one word to me all week.”

  “What was it?”

  “No.”

  “I was there for that!” Piper calls with her mouth full. “I’m pissed at him for it, too. He won’t give me anything for my story, and the town has a right to know what happened. People are scared. They want to know they’re safe.”

  “They’re safe.” My voice is muffled by another spoonful Cass swooped into my mouth.

  “Can I quote you on that?”

  “No.” Tucking my face in my bestie’s lap, I’m not getting over this. “What am I going to do, Cass?”

  “Say you’re sorry.” Cass nods, taking another bite of ice cream.

  “I want to.” I sit up, shoving my bangs behind my ears. “I want to tell him I know I was wrong not to trust him with this when I trust him with everything. I want to tell him I won’t let my mom guilt trip me ever again. I’ve learned my lesson. I want to tell him I love him…” My voice breaks, and my chin drops as the pain rushes in like a storm surge, knocking the wind from my lungs.

  “You love him?” Cass’s voice is a soft whisper.

  Nodding, I touch the tears off my cheeks. “How can I apologize if he won’t even speak to me?”

  “Let’s see.” She scoots around on the couch. “What would Shania say…”

  “She gal darn gone and done it?” Piper suggests.

  Cass shakes her head. “What about ‘Any Man of Mine’?”

  Curling my nose, I shake my head. “I’m on the wrong side of that equation. I need something where she screwed up and sings about loving him so much she’ll never, ever, ever do it again.”

  I add the emphasis on the last ever from the depths of my soul.

  Piper shakes her head. “Shania never sang a song like that. You’re thinking of something from waaay back. You need Waylon Jennings.”

  Frowning, I try to think of which song she means. “The Dukes of Hazzard?”

  “Ahh, that would be… wrong.” She puts a spoon of ice cream in her mouth before getting on her knees and leaning closer.

  In a flash, I know exactly the song she’s talking about. “No.”

  A warning is in my voice, which she completely ignores. “Wrong!” She growls in her best Waylon Jennings impersonation before falling back on her butt laughing.

  Cass presses her lips together, her eyes widening comically like she’s about to burst.

  “Don’t you dare,” I push her with my foot.

  Her brows squench, and she clasps both hands over her mouth and nose. “That song is so funny.”

  “You should’ve known it all along,” Piper continues, and I move my foot to her hip, pushing so hard she falls off the couch. It doesn’t stop her.

  “You are evil and you must be destroyed.” I say, quoting my all-time favorite character from my all-time favorite film—Ouiser from Steel Magnolias.

  She only laughs more, and Cass caves, belting out in her own growly impersonation, “Wrong!”

  “You are both pigs from hell.” I grab a pillow and flop hard on it, turning away from them snorting and laughing.

  They only crawl closer to me singing that dumb song even more. I sit up hard, slapping the pillow on my lap when I notice my phone is lit up on the coffee table.

  It’s probably a text from my mother that I have no desire to read. Still, I grab it at the very least to get them to shut up.

  When I see the screen, my heart jumps to my throat, and my mouth goes dry.

  It’s a text from Aiden. Would you be willing to meet at the Little Sunbeam Park tomorrow afternoon? Owen wants to play with Edward.

  I grab them both, and they crowd around me reading what he wrote.

  My fingers shake so hard I have to retype my message three times to fix the typos. Finally, I settle for a simple Sure!

  I get a one-word reply. Thanks.

  Piper puts her arm around my shoulder and squeezes. “Looks like you’ve got your chance to say you’re sorry. You’d better make it good.”

  I hope she’s right.

  CHAPTER 25

  AIDEN

  “Good thing we didn’t wash these socks!” Owen bounces in the backseat of my truck, holding Zander and waving his dirty socks around. “Edward loves the smell of my stinky socks. He’s so weird.”

  “He’s a dog.” My voice is flat, and I’m having second thoughts about this idea.

  It feels like a visitation, and we were never even officially a couple—even if the whole town seemed to know about us. I just couldn’t keep listening to Owen talk about Edward, and after I saw Britt hug him at work, something cracked inside me.

  I still meant every word I said to my brother about her, but lying alone in my bed staring into the darkness, that day on the boat seventeen years ago haunted me, the way Gwen screamed when the metal box was pulled out of the water, when we all realized at the same time something had gone terribly wrong.

  I thought about losing my own dad four years later, and while I didn’t scream and wail, my insides made the same sound she did.

  I’m not ready to let my guard down again, but I’ll let Owen play with her dog.

  When I pull into the parking lot, my mom’s bike is already parked beside a post, and Britt’s inside the park with Edward. She’s wearing a long-sleeved white tee and cutoff blue jeans with her cowboy boots, just like the first day she crashed into my life.

  A low growl vibrates in my throat, and I’m pissed at how much I still feel for her. I’m pissed at how fucking pretty she is and how fucking weak I am when it comes to her. One look, and I want her.

  “Edward!” Owen is out of the truck before I’ve killed the engine, and I sit for a moment watching him run to her.

  I watch her lean down and hug him tight. A smile breaks over her pretty face, and all the charitable feelings I had on the drive over twist into frustration in my stomach. Something about her is different. Maybe it is a kind of spell she casts—which I’d considered that night so long ago on the back porch.

  All I know is I’ve never felt this way for a woman. She could hurt me in a way no one ever has, and I don’t like it.

  Climbing from the truck, I walk slowly to where she stands watching Owen run all over the park waving his socks as Edward bounds and Rooos beside him. She pushes her long bangs behind her ears, and the closer I get, I see her eyes are red. She’s smiling, but it’s sad. The sunniness I’d grown to love about her is missing.

  “Thanks for doing this.” My voice is rough, so I clear it. “He hasn’t stopped talking about Edward all week.”

  “Edward misses him, too.” She blinks up at me and her bottom lip slips inside her mouth.

  I put my hands in the back pockets of my jeans to head off any temptation to touch her. “How’s it going with Doug?”

  “Good.” She nods, looking down and pushing her hair behind her ears. “He’s so upbeat and positive all the time.”

  “I think it’s the donuts.”

  She exhales a smile, and Owen and Edward charge back to where we are, circling her.

  “Did you see our picture in the paper for winning the race?” His little voice is loud and happy, creating a sharp contrast to the mood between us.

  “I sure did.” She scrubs her fingers through the top of his hair. “I cut it out to save.”

  “Dad did, too.” He drops to his knees, hugging Edward’s head, and I shift my stance when her eyes flicker to me. “I wonder if I could teach him to play hide-and-seek. Can you play hide-and-seek, old boy?”

  “I’ll hold him and count to twenty if you want to try.” She takes a knee beside the dog, putting her hand on his collar. “I think he’ll probably find you pretty quick.”

  “I’ll hide in a really hard place.” He lifts his arm and rubs it under Edward’s nose. “Ready to find me, boy?”

  “Go ahead, and yell when you’re ready.”

  Owen takes off running towards the tree line at the back of the park.

  “Don’t go too far,” I call after him, and he does a little wave over his head.

  We wait a few minutes until Owen yells he’s ready, then Britt releases the dog. “Go get him!”

  Edward lunges forward, sniffing all over the ground in the direction my son ran. We watch as it takes less than two minutes for Edward to find him. He stands at the base of a live oak tree, lifting his head and Rooo-ing loudly until Owen finally drops to the ground laughing. He rolls around in the grass as Edward sniffs him all over.

  “Those two.” I exhale on a breath.

  Britt blinks up at me, and her brow furrows. Her lips part, and she seems about to say something, then it seems she changes her mind. “I have a new theory about the case if you’d like to hear it.”

  I straighten. “Okay.”

  “I was actually taking Edward for a walk when I discovered Mom’s break-in.” My brow lowers, and she pushes past that part quickly. “When we went inside, Edward started carrying on like he recognized the scent the same way he did when we found the body in the corn maze. Only, if you remember, in the corn maze, he wasn’t howling at Gary’s body. He was howling at the trail behind it.”

  She has my attention now, and even if I’m frustrated with her, I can’t deny her instincts are good. “What are you saying?”

  “Gary wasn’t wearing his prosthetic when he died, and we haven’t been able to find it in his cabin. He also doesn’t have a three-wheeler, or it’s missing as well.” I nod, and she continues. “What if it was Stan the whole time? What if he used Gary’s prosthetic to frame him, or to divert the attention to him?”

  It’s an interesting idea. “But why would he do that?”

  She shakes her head, looking down. “Maybe so we’d be searching for Gary instead of him?”

  “You think Stan was planning something bigger?”

  “I don’t know, but my mom is trying to find him. This time I’m telling you everything. I told her not to leave town, but she never listens to me.”

  Noted. “Have you found any evidence of Stan Roswell being with Gary?”

  Again, she shakes her head, and her brow furrows. “We only have the photo album in Gary’s cabin and Mom’s story. You know, where she believes Stan is behind everything.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Gwen has been a thorn in our side for years, but I wonder how long I’d pursue it if I thought someone had killed my dad.

  Silence falls between us, and she looks out at Owen, chewing her lip. Her brow is furrowed, and I want to slide the lock of hair out of her eyes. I hate what’s happening between us, but my stubborn heart restrains my hand.

  Owen and Edward come running towards us again, and I’ve stood here with her, maintaining my distance as long as I can. Her brains mixed with that cute little ass and the wrinkle in her nose is what got me last time.

  This time I’m keeping our relationship purely professional.

  “You can do better.” The stern note returns to my voice. “Come back when you’ve got something I can use.”

  She visibly wilts, and I tell myself it’s the same thing I’d tell any of my officers. Except for Doug, because I’m not sure he could. It doesn’t matter.

  I motion to Owen, and he gives Edward another hug before running to Britt and hugging her waist. “Maybe y’all can come over for dinner again one night!”

  “Maybe.” Her voice is quiet, and I turn away, stalking to my truck.

  I put Owen inside and close the door. My door is still shut when I look back to see her leading the bike to where I’m standing.

  “I should probably return your mother’s bike.” Her voice is quiet, and a surge of protectiveness rises in my chest.

  “I still haven’t checked the brakes on your truck.”

  She blinks up at me. “You’re still going to do that?”

  “I’m still concerned about your safety, if that’s what you mean.”

  “Oh, Aiden.” She parks the bike, taking a half-step forward. “I’m so sorry for not telling you about Gary. I didn’t think about how it would make you feel. I should have. I should have trusted you to help me. Can’t we please talk about it?”

  Mist is in her pretty green eyes, and my muscles tense with the war raging inside me. She’s so close I catch her faint scent of flowers and the ocean. She twists her hands together, and her voice breaks on the last words. My brother said if anyone deserves a second chance, it’s her.

  “I’m not doing this.” I shake my head, turning away. “Keep the bike for now. I’ll figure it out later.”

  With that, I climb into my truck and put on my seatbelt, leaving quickly without looking back.

  CHAPTER 26

  BRITT

  It feels like a rope is tied around my heart, and when he drives away, it rips through my ribcage, falls to the ground, and bounces over the rocks and stones on the asphalt as he drags it behind him.

  Leaving the bike beside his empty space, I walk slowly to the swings and sit. My hands are in my lap, and I lower my chin as a tear traces its way down my nose.

  Edward sits in front of me waiting, but I don’t want to move. I don’t want to ride back to town. I imagine sitting here forever and letting that be my punishment.

  No, I don’t think even that would ease this pain.

  So I sit.

  I don’t know how much time passes before the crunch of feet on gravel sounds from near the road. A small footpath leads from the park to town, and I glance up to see Adam running in my direction, then slowing and taking a turn to walk over to where I’m sitting on the swings.

  “Hey, girl.” He’s breathing hard, and a sheen of sweat covers his shirtless chest. “What are you doing out here?”

  “Playing with my dog.” I look at Edward, who is now lying on the grass in front of me.

  He puts his hands on his hips, frowning. “Is that so?”

  “Owen was here, so he’s tired. I’m letting him take a break.”

  “Owen was here?” He walks over and sits in the swing next to me. “Does that mean Aiden was here, too?”

  My chin bobs up and down, but I don’t want to talk about it. He seems to understand and doesn’t press. He only sniffs, looking forward and swaying slightly back and forth. We’re quiet, and his running shoes make a soft rustling sound in the rubber mulch.

  Adam is a comforting presence. We never dated in high school, but I always enjoyed his friendship. He’s observant and quick, and I remember how he was my ally for a little while, taking Owen and entertaining him so Aiden and I could be alone. I never thanked him for it.

  I lift my face, and when our eyes meet, I feel the urge to confess. “I was falling in love with him.”

  “I know.” His voice is quiet, and his damp hair sticks out in sweaty waves around his face. “I was going to suggest we go for coffee, but now I’m thinking you might need something a little stronger.”

  My nose wrinkles. “You’re a mess.”

  That makes him laugh, an attractive smile spreading across his handsome face, and the family resemblance is so strong it hurts. He stands, turning to face me in my swing and holds out his hand.

  “Come on.” I reach out and allow him to pull me to my feet. “I’ll meet you at the distillery, and we’re going to figure this out.”

  “I knew from the start it was a mistake, but I didn’t realize how bad it would hurt him.” I’m sitting at the glossy wooden bar in Stone Cold distillery with Adam across from me, talking to him like I’m giving my confession.

  A tumbler of their single barrel bourbon is in front of me, and it reminds me of my first night at Aiden’s house, when he invited me over for burgers then took me home and destroyed the possibility of me ever being with any other man.

  After we parted ways on the playground, Adam ran back to his place. I biked home to deposit Edward, then I changed into jeans and a long-sleeved sweater and rode out to meet him here at the bar.

  “I knew he didn’t like my mom, but I thought ultimately he’d understand my predicament.”

  “What was that?” Adam sits across from me in a short-sleeved, navy V-neck sweater and jeans.

  He has his own glass of bourbon, and he’s listening intently. I lower my hands to my lap, lacing my fingers together. Talking about my mom always makes me itchy and uncomfortable. I know how it sounds.

  “My mom is kind of obsessed with my dad’s death, and she’s convinced what’s happening now is connected to it somehow.” Exhaling, I add under my breath. “She’s always convinced everything is connected to his death.”

  Adam takes a sip of his drink, squinting one eye at me. “So what’s your predicament?”

  “She said the reason I had to give her time was for my dad. She said she was so close this time.” Lifting my glass, I tilt the tumbler side to side. “Then she did this reading, and I totally fell for it. God, I’m so dumb.”

  “For caring about your family?”

  “For getting sucked into her crazy again. When I moved back, I insisted on getting my own apartment for that very reason. So I wouldn’t be inundated with her nonstop beliefs and suspicions twenty-four seven.”

  “Maybe she’s right.”

  I set the tumbler on the bar a little too forcefully. “Don’t do that.”

  “Hey, I’m just playing devil’s advocate,” he laughs, and a deep dimple appears in his cheek.

  It reminds me of how all the girls at school would follow him around like love-sick puppies. I never felt that way for Adam, but he’s definitely sexy and playful, and he has an understanding nature that could charm the panties off a nun.