Chapter Three

 

JESSIE

 

“But how will you even meet people? You don’t know anyone there, Jessie,” Lindsay begins as I position the first box into the trunk of my Jeep. I know I’ll have to be strategic if I want everything to fit, so I’m taking my time putting boxes together like a jigsaw puzzle.

“I’ll make friends,” I absentmindedly assure her while reaching for the next box.

“Danville is the middle of nowhere, Jess! Why there of all places?” She’s asked me this a handful of times since I first told her I was taking the position. Neither of us had ever heard of Danville, but after talking with Jamie I decided that was a good thing.

“Lindsay, I need a fresh start, and I’m not going to get that moving twenty minutes into the valley,” I smirk at her, referencing the suggestion she’d recently proposed with a straight face.

“There are some far out places in the valley, Jessie. Calabasas is an hour away, sometimes two with traffic!” She pleads her case as I continue to pack the trunk, which is filling up faster than I anticipated.

“I’m not moving to the valley. It’s either LA or an entirely different place altogether, and that’s what Danville is,” I reason.

“Yeah, but you’ve just graduated from the force. It’s only been two years. I thought you would get the hang of the ropes before jetting out to some place we’ve never heard of,” she argues.

“Two years is a long time, and Danville is a much safer city than here, so I’m sure two-years will be more than enough time to prepare me for what I’m walking into.” I shrug while looking over the suitcases and boxes standing next to the Jeep, as I try to determine which should be packed away next.

“Is this about Michael? Because I can make him leave you know,” she jokes and I shoot her a challenging look before we both break into giggles.

“No, really. It’s partly him, but mostly me. I can’t get my fresh start here; he definitely won’t let me. I don’t know what’s up with him, and I really don’t want to figure out. At least now I’m sure I don’t want him back. I just have to figure out what I do want. I need some time to clear my head without everyone asking if I’ve set a wedding date. I’m constantly explaining my life, and the drama of it all, and I just need to let that all blow over,” I say more to myself than Lindsay. If I’m honest, I’ve still been trying to convince myself that this is the best thing to do; spending every night weighing the pros and cons before reminding myself the decision has already been made.

“So, you’re coming back?” She perks up while handing me a duffle bag stuffed with my workout clothes.

“Yes,” I stop to place my hand on her shoulder before adding, “I’ve told you over and over that I’ll be back. This will just be a nice break for me and when I get home I’ll have my head on straight.”

“So, like, one year or what?” She pries further.

“Two,” I nod.

“Two years. And that’s it?” She pushes for my confirmation.

“Two years, Lindsay,” I promise while shaking my head at her dramatics.

“Okay,” she hugs me and I can tell she’s fighting back tears. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t break down when I left, but I honestly didn’t expect it to be this difficult.

“Just promise me if you get homesick you’ll come back,” she whispers and we both laugh a bit more.

 

My thoughts back to that last day in LA flood me in such vivid detail that I’m a bit confused of my whereabouts when I’m jolted from my daydream by the sound of a passing car.

“I’ll get the heavy stuff,” I hear from beside me and look over to see the handsome man who’s been helping me. His scent is a bit intoxicating; a blend of musk from a hard day’s work, oil, and some masculine aroma that I imagine is one of those deodorant body spray type colognes.

“Thank you,” I utter as he heads in, carrying two large boxes. Watching him disappear into the auto shop office, I realize I don’t even know his name.

Together we load the storage room in the office with my belongings until my Jeep is completely empty.

“So you’re staying at McClaren Inn,” he remarks while closing my trunk.

“Yeah,” I answer slowly, wondering if the town is so small that everyone knows there’s a new girl in town.

“You put it down on your paperwork,” he adds. He must have picked up on me apprehension.

“Oh, yeah,” I giggle, a bit embarrassed by my previous thoughts.

“I’ll give you a ride,” he tells me more than asks and before I know it I’m following him to a brick red Chevy step side truck.

The ride is filled with an unbearable silence I keep trying to fill, but he doesn’t seem bothered at all. “I just realized I don’t know your name,” I giggle as he continues down the main road.

“Daryl.” Is all he says and I nod and smile in his direction although his gaze is trained on the road.

“So, is McClarens Inn a good hotel?” I cringe as the words fall out of my mouth. I’m so desperate to say something, anything, that I’m just saying the first thing that comes to mind.

“I’ve heard it’s nice,” he answers quietly.

“Oh, you’ve never stayed?” I perk up, hoping this could lead to an extended answer from him.

“I live here,” he says flatly and I feel like an idiot. Of course, he wouldn’t stay at a hotel in the town he lives in.

“Oh… right,” I stutter before admitting defeat and riding the rest of the way in silence.

Once we arrive at the hotel I take my small overnight bag and thank Daryl for giving me a lift. As I’m preparing to say goodbye I notice him locking the car doors, a little shocked that he wants to walk me in.

“Hello, do you two have a reservation?” The older woman behind the desk asks with a strong accent.

“Oh, it’s just me,” I point to myself, swiveling my head between the woman and Daryl, who to my horror says nothing to confirm my announcement.

“That’s fine, Hun. What’s your name?” She asks.

“Jessie Carter,” I reply, and I have to bite back my laugh when she pulls out of a large accounting ledger before flipping to a page and running her finger down the sheet until stopping at a line and marking a check in the empty box.

They actually keep track of reservations on paper; are they stuck in the eighties? I think to myself. She finally hands me a silver key attached to a keychain with Danville written in bright sparkly green letters. It looks like something you’d get at a souvenir shop.

“Thank you,” I nod to her before checking to see if there’s any paperwork I need to fill out. Remarking to myself how trustworthy they must be, since I’ve yet to pay anything and they haven’t even taken my credit card number down, I begin to head up the wooden stairway. Daryl insisted on carrying my bag upstairs and now I’m wondering just what he thinks is going on.

He’s already seen the gray haired old woman thinks we’re together, and now he wants to make me look even worse. If it weren’t for my nerves I’d ask him to leave, but his accompanying me has a calming effect on me, probably because he barely utters a word.

My room is pretty standard, a queen size bed takes up most of the room, with a small circular table and chair sat just below a narrow window at the edge of the room. There’s one nightstand and a TV sits on a short stack of drawers two feet from the foot of the bed. As I move around taking in the details of the room, Daryl stands in front of the door in absolute silence.

“Goodbye,” he abruptly says once I finish checking out the bathroom.

“Oh… Oh, you’re leaving?” I find myself stuttering again; constantly caught off guard by his strange demeanor.

“Yes. Goodnight,” is all he says before leaving, and pulling the door closed behind him. It’s a peculiar ending to a strange introduction, so in some ways I guess it’s fitting.

Having fully inspected the room, I determine its perfect. I’ve only reserved the room for two nights and it looks like it will be just what I need. The only bad news is there’s no restaurant at the hotel, but luckily, I spotted a diner across the street. Deciding it best to go out for food as soon as possible, for fear of falling asleep only to wake up starving, I make my way to the small diner for my first meal in Danville.

The next morning, I awake feeling well rested, only to look at my cell phone and notice I’ve slept until midday. Excusing myself because my body is still on California time, I quickly dress and make my way over to the Sherriff’s station to formally introduce myself to my new co-workers.

“Jessie!” Yells Captain Doug McCall as I walk into the station. I’m already familiar with him from the Danville Sherriff’s website. He looks to be about forty-five with golden blonde hair and an athletic build.

“Hi Captain,” I respond bashfully, waving my hand as everyone in the office turns towards me.

“Oh, you made it!” Announces a man in a brown deputy’s uniform from the back of the small office. He’s slightly taller than me with dark hair and a few tattoos on each of his forearms. “I’m Earl,” he announces once he’s directly in front of me and I instantly perk up.

“How are you?” I smile, reaching to shake his already extended hand. Captain McCall has already informed me that Earl will be my partner in Danville.

“Me? You’re the one that’s just driven across the country!” He exclaims before wrapping his arm around my shoulder and leading me through the office.

“Jed! Cole! Come here!” He calls out to two men standing near the ancient looking coffee machine.

“Hi,” says a heavy-set, balding man who looks to be slightly older than me.

“I’m Jessie,” I shake his hand.

“I’m Jed,” he nods before nodding towards the blonde man standing next to him, “and this is my partner Cole.”

His partner looks to be my age and a bit of a health nut. While Jed is sipping from a mug, Cole has one of those protein shake water bottles, and his biceps look ready to burst out of the deputy uniform.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” I smile, looking around the station.

“Well, this is pretty much it,” Earl says as if he’s reading my mind. My home police station in LA was huge, and it was just one of many throughout the city. When Captain McCall told me there was only one station in Danville because it was a small force, I assumed it would be minimal, but four people is absurd.

“It’s just us?” I ask in a shocked whisper, instantly regretting my reaction when all three guys begin laughing hysterically.

“Well, we can call state police if necessary, but Jessie, we honestly don’t need any more than we’ve got,” Earl pats my shoulder like an old friend and I smile up at my new partner, feeling confident in my decision to move for the first time.

“This isn’t Los Angeles, you know,” Cole jokes and we all laugh together.

“So, tell us about the ride. I’ve never known anyone to drive that far, and you did it alone. You’re pretty bad ass, Carter,” says Jed.

“You gotta do what you gotta do,” I shrug, holding my chin high in exaggerated pride.

“Yeah right! She was stopping at four star hotels every eight hours,” Earl accuses with a sinister grin and they all laugh while I hold up my hands in defense.

“I only stopped at truck stops and slept right in my Jeep!” I declare, but my defense is overshadowed by their laughter and I’m soon laughing at myself right along with my new team.

“So where do you guys hang out around here?” I ask once we’ve all caught our breath. In unison, both Earl and Jed point to Cole.

“Us married folk don’t ‘hang out’, but Cole here knows the party scene too well,” Jed looks over to Cole, who is now blushing bright red.

“There’s barely a scene,” he finally says lowly, his blue eyes sparking as he smiles bashfully.

“Don’t be shy now,” Earl teases him and we again share a laugh.

After a few more minutes with my new crew I head out to run more errands preparing myself for this new life. Walking down the main street downtown I catch a reflection of myself in a store window and almost don’t recognize myself. After trying to decipher what looked so different I finally determined the change; I’m happy, for the first time in a really long time.