Chapter 20
Brice stood in Harry's office, looking out the window. The sky was gray, and the temperature outside was dropping. But no matter how cold the weather got, it could not stop the warm feelings inside of him. He had a boyfriend now, and even with his past, Brice knew Logan was a keeper. It wasn’t just the looks, though that was a great bonus, but it was the way the man carried himself. The way he looked after his sister, taking care of her, and willing to do whatever it took to keep her safe.
Everything was perfect except one thing. Brice had crossed a line of professionalism that gnawed at him. If word ever got out, not only would he be fired, but he would never find a job in law enforcement again. And though Logan was what he needed in life, common sense dictated he also needed to keep his career.
“That’s right. Sign over the house and I won’t ask for a penny more,” Carol said.
Brice turned and looked at Harry's desk where Carol sat on her phone with her ex, and smiling at him, she held up a finger. “Alright then, Bill, have your lawyer send over the paperwork.”
A moment later she hung up, then stood up, a shake to her head as she walked over to Brice. “The divorce is going to go a lot smoother than I had thought. He is signing over the house and I'm forgoing any claim to money.”
Brice smiled and then saw the tears in her eyes. “I'm sorry you have to go through this,” he said, giving her a hug.
“Thank you. It hurts, you know? But this was a long time coming. I think at this point I'm just more upset the way it unfolded.”
Brice nodded as Carol let go, her hand wiping at her eye. “I appreciate your advice this morning, it really helped with this call.”
“It’s nothing. I’m glad I could help,” Brice said, feeling a little awkward. He did give her some advice about standing up for herself, though he was the last person in the world who took his own advice.
“I need to go talk to Holly up front. Did you want to grab some lunch later with me?” Carol asked, heading to the door.
“I’d love to. I’m going to walk around town for a bit, you know, make sure the criminals know I'm around,” Brice said with a laugh.
Following Carol to the front, he said hello to Holly and then headed outside. He would do his job and make his presence in town known. But he would also use it as an excuse to stop by and say hello to Logan.
***
“I’m telling you, if we don't stop these kids now, it’s going to turn into full-blown anarchy!” Doug Jenkins, the owner of the local produce market, said. Brice had been passing by his shop and was waved down. Apparently a kid had taken an apple off the cart and ran off without paying.
“Anything you can tell me about him? Age, height? Anything helps,” Brice said, trying to keep a straight face. Doug was pushing sixty and the man’s glasses were thicker than bricks.
“I didn’t get a good look but I would say he was about ten. And somewhere between five feet tall maybe six,” Doug said.
Brice nodded, making a few notes that he did for Doug's sake more than anything. “Great. Any physical description?”
Doug bit at his lip, then his eyes went wide. “Had one of them ball caps on.”
“Excellent,” Brice said, folding the small notebook and putting it back inside his coat. “I will get going now and see if I can’t find him.”
“I appreciate it, Brice. Now, I don't want the kid going to jail, but we can’t let this kind of crime carry on.”
Brice smiled, then shaking the man’s hand, he headed down the sidewalk. With a smile on his face, he walked the half block and then entered Second Chances.
There were a few people browsing about, one with a few items in her hand. Hearing a laugh to his left, he turned and saw Maddy and Bree at the counter. Both were engaged in conversation and had smiles a mile wide on their faces. Approaching them, he watched as the smiles faded.
“Good morning, ladies,” Brice said, offering a friendly smile. Bree gave him a crooked half smile, and Maddy gave him the stare of death.
“Logan went to the bank,” Maddy said rather abrupt. “He will be back in five minutes.”
“Thank you. I guess I’ll look around then,” Brice said. Without any acknowledgment of his words, he went to the far end of the store, browsing through the books. He felt bad, not for himself, but for Maddy, and the things she had gone, and continuing to go, through.
Selecting a book and reading the back cover, Brice nearly jumped a mile in the air when a hand came to his shoulder, a quick whisper in his ear. “Hello sexy.”
When Brice turned around, Logan stood there, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Damn, you scared me,” Brice said, a shake to his head.
“Sorry, I couldn't resist. What’s going on? Why’d you stop by?”
Brice put the book back on the shelf. “I just thought I would stop by and see you for a few moments. Not that it’s been a long time,” he said, then laughed.
“I’m glad you did. Listen, Maddy is taking off again Sunday night with Bree. I was thinking that you might like to come over for dinner.”
Brice smiled, then nodded as a man walked past them. He was wearing a light blue windbreaker and had short cropped hair. Brice had the feeling of deja vu wash over him and then thought maybe the guy kind of looked like an uncle of his.
“Is that a no?” Logan said.
“Sorry,” Brice said, shaking his head. “It’s a yes.”
He turned to see Maddy walking up, and his heart raced. If she knew about them two, all hell would break loose. Thankfully Logan was a quick thinker and was acting on it immediately.
“So, two copies of pay stubs are needed? Seems a bit silly, but whatever it takes to comply.”
Brice nodded, playing along. “I appreciate it. Parole is not meant to be easy, but I think it’s not too much to ask. Anyway, I’ll see you Monday.”
“Sure,” Logan said as Brice walked away.
Brice glanced over at Maddy, and the look she gave him was not one of anger but something else. Did she suspect something?
Stepping out of the store, he took a deep breath and let it out. It was risky enough being Logan's boyfriend, but coming around like that was just plain stupid. He was not only putting his own career at risk but also risking hurting Maddy. Scolding himself inwardly, he decided to see if a kid with a ball cap was running around with a half-eaten apple.
***
“Come on, move in with me. You will pay less rent, and you get to have my cooking whenever you want,” Carol said, causing Brice to laugh. They were eating in Harry's office, and since he had been gone, Carol, as acting sheriff, had been taking full advantage of using his office.
“Honestly it sounds like a good idea. Let me think on it,” Brice said, then took the final bite from the sandwich he picked up from the deli. He had bought lunch for them both, and they sat in Harry's office for the last half hour talking. Well, Carol did most of the talking while he thought. He kept thinking about earlier and the look Maddy gave him.
“Alright, time to spill the beans. What’s going on?” Carol said, folding her hands on the desk in front of her. Brice smiled.
“You would make a great sheriff,” he said, causing her to smile.
“That’s kind of you. Now tell me!”
Brice shook his head. “It’s not really that big of a deal. So, this guy I like,” he said, then seeing a nod from Carol, continued, “he has a relative that does not like me. So it’s awkward.”
Carol leaned back in her chair. “Bill’s sister was the same. The bitch had it in for me from the get go. So many times I wanted to strangle her.”
“Did you?” Brice teased.
“No. What I did was keep away. So, try not to be around this family member if you can help it.”
Brice sighed. It was the most basic and simplest advice, but it was practical. Standing up, he grabbed his drink. “Good advice. I'm feeling better now.” Walking over to the trash can, he threw his sandwich wrapper away and then went to leave.
“Hey, Brice?”
He turned around, Carol giving him her friendly smile.
“Yeah?”
“Cheer up. Nothing is perfect at first, but once the kinks get worked out, it’ll get better.”
“You’re right. I’d better get to the school. I'm set to give another talk.”
“Have fun.”
With a nod, he left the office and headed outside. Thinking about what Carol had said, he felt a lot better. Sure it was rough at the moment having to hide his relationship. But there were just kinks in the chain, and soon enough they would all be fixed. With a big smile on his face, he decided to walk the three blocks to the school, thinking about Logan and excited for Sunday to get there.