Chapter Six
With a few recommendations from Hannah, Delaney found someone to come to the house to measure for motorized blackout shades. At least during the day, the shades would be hidden, letting her still take advantage of the view. Colt was a real contradiction—thoughtful and attentive one minute, demanding and obnoxious the next.
Despite how aggravating he could be, she was attracted to him, which surprised her. After Robert’s ultimatum she’d wanted nothing to do with men. Or sex, for that matter. But the other night, sitting on Colt’s bed, taking in his rumpled sheets, she’d entertained a few naughty fantasies. Colt hadn’t exactly helped the situation. She’d caught him checking out her breasts and legs a number of times. But that was a man for you. It didn’t necessarily mean he was interested. Delaney had no idea what his relationship status was, and if she were smart she’d stay away from him. Nothing good could come from it. Although a short, meaningless affair might be just what she needed to get her motor running again. Perhaps it would give her back some of her self-confidence. Or maybe she was just looking for an excuse to do it with Chief Hottie from Hell.
Through the window, she saw Hannah’s car pull up and raced down the stairs to meet her.
“Did he come?” Hannah asked, carrying a white box.
“He did and I ordered them. What do you have there?”
“Fliers and posters for the annual End-of-Summer festivities. I have to bring them over to Colt’s house before we leave so he can pass them around the police department and city hall. It’ll only take a second.”
“No problem. Let me just grab my keys and purse.”
“I’ll drive,” Hannah said. “God forbid I should block Colt from parking in his favorite spot.”
They both walked over to Colt’s and Hannah unlocked the door and ducked inside to put the box on his kitchen counter. Delaney waited on the porch.
“You have a key?” she asked, curious about the Garner family dynamic.
All the brothers seemed close, from what she could tell. She’d often see two, three, or all four of them together at a restaurant or at Old Glory. Being an only child, she thought it was nice.
“We all have each other’s keys. Colt works so much that sometimes I bring him a home-cooked meal. They all love my late aunt’s pecan pie, so I try to surprise him with it every once in a while.”
On their way back to Hannah’s car, Delaney checked her mail. An envelope with the return address of Robert’s law firm immediately caught her eye. She quickly stuffed it in her purse, along with the rest of the mail, planning to look at it later.
“Everything okay?” Hannah asked.
She pasted a smile on her face. “Yep. Everything’s fine.”
When they got to Old Glory, Deb and Foster flagged them over to a table in the corner. Every inch of the bar was covered in American flags. Even the bathrooms had stars and stripes wallpaper. Patrons could help themselves to peanuts in big oak barrels and throw their shells on the sticky, hardwood floor. A row of pool tables stood off to the side and a rather elaborate stage setup with lighting and a sound board took up the back of the hall. Definitely different from the fashionable restaurants in LA that she and Robert had regularly frequented.
She’d yet to attend one of the open mic nights or any of Old Glory’s live shows. Delaney hadn’t wanted to come alone. But she was working on making friends.
“What took you so long?” Deb asked as they sat down.
“I had to pick up the posters and fliers for the annual End-of-Summer festivities at the copy shop and drop a box off at Colt’s. Can you hang a poster and put a stack of fliers in your shop, Foster?”
“Sure,” he said. “Are you competing in the kayak races, Deb?”
“Hell yeah! I’m on Team Morning Glory and this year we’re going to crush Garner Adventure.”
“Delusional much?” Foster rolled his eyes, then turned to Delaney. “The Garners win it every year. I don’t know why they continue to hold the damn thing; it’s not even a competition.”
“Sweet Stems ought to enter, Foster. It’s great marketing,” Hannah said, adding that the kayakers all wore funny costumes representing their respective businesses.
“Foster doesn’t need it.” Deb chuckled. “Words out among the bridezillas that he does the best bouquets and centerpieces in Nevada County.”
Hannah turned to Delaney. “Since Foster bought Sweet Stems two years ago, he’s doubled business.”
Foster waved his hand at Hannah. “It’s not like it was hard, okay? The last owner’s idea of a good floral arrangement involved gas station flowers. She didn’t even try to go after the ski resorts. Crazy dumb because they pay my rent.” He tried to get the attention of one of the servers to take their orders.
“I’d love to come by the shop.” Delaney had never been there before. Maybe it would give her some inspiration.
“Anytime. I’ll put you to work. With your design talents, I bet you’d make killer arrangements.”
“I don’t know about that. I’m sort of in a slump these days.”
“What exactly does a slump for you mean?” Deb asked.
Delaney pondered how honest she wanted to be and decided to go with the entire truth. “I haven’t designed anything since my divorce. Like nothing. Nada. Zip.”
“How long ago was the divorce? Wait. Hold that answer.” Frustrated with the slow service, Foster got up, went to the bar, and returned a few minutes later. “Maureen decided to take a break. Boden is sending over one of the new waitresses. So, how long since the divorce?”
“A year.” She grimaced.
“Holy shit, you haven’t been able to design anything in a year?”
“Nope. Most days I sit, staring at my sketch pad. On the good days, I draw something and realize it’s a piece from one of my earlier collections.”
“Has this ever happened to you before?” Deb grabbed a handful of peanuts from the basket at the center of the table.
“Nope.”
“It’s the aftermath of the divorce,” Hannah chimed in. “After a relationship dissolves you go through a period of being shell shocked.”
Delaney knew that Hannah had been married to someone else before Josh but was sketchy on the details.
The waitress finally came over and they gave her their orders.
After she left, Delaney said, “I don’t know. I’m worried that I’m tapped out, that my creative juices died with my marriage.”
“I doubt it,” Foster said. “You’re just going through a phase. We all do at one point or another.”
She hoped that’s all it was. Otherwise she’d have to find a new vocation.
The door swung open and Colt and two other men came into the bar. Colt immediately spotted them and approached the table to say hi, bussing Hannah on the cheek.
“What about me?” Deb protested.
“I thought you were only interested in Win’s kisses.” Colt winked.
She gave him the middle finger and he laughed all the way back to his party, which had grabbed a booth at the front of the restaurant.
Hannah gazed over at the three men and back to their table. “I bet they’re having a meeting about Pond.”
“The mayor?” Delaney asked. The creep had once tried to hit on her at a city council meeting right in front of Robert while they were trying to get a variance to build their house larger than city code allowed for their lot size.
“Mm-hmm. He’s making poor Colt’s life a living hell,” Hannah whispered.
“Why?” Foster asked. “He’s the best chief we’ve ever had.”
Hannah shrugged. “According to Josh, he doesn’t like Colt. Thinks he’s too tight with the residents and doesn’t kiss up enough to tourists.”
“The guy’s a dick,” Deb said, and they all turned to stare at her. “Not Colt, Pond Scum. I know everyone thinks he’s the second coming of Christ. Handsome, rich, and charming. But I think he’s unctuous. Why don’t the Garners get him recalled? They’ve got the clout.”
“I don’t think so,” Hannah said. “Carter Pond won by a landslide. He’s very pro tourism and all the members of the Glory Junction Chamber of Commerce are counting on him to turn the town into an Aspen or Jackson. At the last chamber meeting he read a Bloomberg Businessweek article to us that said ski towns are the richest small towns in America.”
“We’ve already become one of those towns,” Deb said. “Six years ago you couldn’t have carried Delaney’s clothes in your store. No one here could afford them. But now they sell like hotcakes.”
“I guess Pond thinks we can do better and the chamber is definitely drinking his Kool-Aid.”
“What’s Colt planning to do?” Foster asked.
The server brought their food and Hannah waited until she left to respond. “What can he do? The mayor’s his boss.”
Delaney had had no idea that Colt was experiencing work problems. All the evidence appeared to suggest the opposite. He was well liked. And ridiculously dedicated. Whether it was late at night or the wee hours of the morning, she often heard him speeding down their easement road to deal with a police matter. Now she felt guilty for giving him crap about the parking space.
“You think the mayor will try to edge him out?” Delaney asked.
Hannah snuck another peek at Colt’s booth. “I don’t know. Josh thinks he’s trying. But the Garners aren’t a family to mess with. They stand up for each other, and Garner Adventure is partly what put this town on the map. People won’t easily forget that.”
They ate while Deb told them of her latest dating fiasco—a weekender who’d lied about being single. One of his buddies had slipped by letting Deb know that not only was he married but he had two kids.
“What a troll,” Deb said.
“I wish you and Win would get together all ready and save us from these tragic stories.” Hannah glanced over at Foster, who nodded his head.
“Were you two an item?” It was the first Delaney had heard of it other than Colt’s earlier quip.
Foster chortled. “She wishes.”
“Deb has been in love with Win since the beginning of time.” Hannah took a bite of her sandwich. “Unfortunately, Win is an idiot.”
Delaney had only crossed paths with Win a few times, so she couldn’t attest to whether he was an idiot or not. Deb, however, was gorgeous and seemed to be the life of the party. Delaney couldn’t imagine a man not being interested in her. But there was no accounting for chemistry. You either felt it or you didn’t.
“What about Colt? Is he single?” As soon as the words left Delaney’s mouth she felt three pairs of eyes on her. “For Deb of course. Or Foster. Are you single, Foster?” She’d assumed he was gay. Foster, not Colt.
“I am,” Foster said. “But I’m not Colt’s type.”
“What’s his type?” She couldn’t help herself.
They all three said “Lisa” at the same time.
Aha, Colt did have a significant other. Delaney knew it. “Who’s Lisa?”
“A viper who left him. Not only did she take his heart but she took his—”
“Foster,” Hannah admonished, “we shouldn’t be talking about this.” She turned to Delaney. “Colt is very private when it comes to that part of his life.”
“It’s not like most of the town doesn’t know the sordid story already.” Deb came to Foster’s defense. “But fine, we won’t gossip about your brother-in-law.”
“Thank you. I’m sure Colt would appreciate it,” Hannah said.
As Delaney watched Colt and his two cohorts finish their lunch and pay their bill, she wondered what the “sordid story” was with the ex. Lisa. She was merely curious was all.
* * *
Colt left Old Glory anticipating another bad meeting with the mayor. When Pond had called earlier that morning, he’d been out of town. But he’d been furious over something Colt had done. Instead of just telling him what it was, Pond wanted to drag it out and make Colt wait until they could meet in person.
Ben headed for city hall and Jack had an errand to run, leaving Colt to walk back to the station by himself. Glancing at his watch, he picked up the pace. He’d like to make the mayor wait, but why borrow extra trouble?
At least Ben had made the lawsuit situation with the drunk couple go away. He’d not-so-casually mentioned to the pair that Colt was thinking of countersuing for being punched in the stomach, reminding them that there had been a sidewalk full of witnesses. The couple promptly took back their threats. Colt didn’t think he could’ve tolerated apologizing to the man. As much as he loved his job, he had to draw the line somewhere.
He figured today’s infraction would be about the way he’d handled the parents of the kids who’d vandalized the high school. There was no telling how much Pond would bend over to appease voters. The teens had caused a good deal of damage. No way would a slap on the wrist be enough. Granted they were only kids, but the punishment needed to fit the crime. He and his brothers used to run wild through these mountains as boys. When they screwed up, Gray and Mary Garner made them take responsibility for their actions. They didn’t like it at the time, but Colt knew those consequences had played an important role in shaping the type of men they became.
Screw Pond! If the mayor wanted to fire him, fine. But Colt wasn’t about to be Pond’s bitch or run the department with the sole purpose of getting him reelected.
Needing to lower his blood pressure before he reached the station, he turned his thoughts to Delaney. She’d looked good at Old Glory. Her hair had been up in a messy kind of style that was sexy as hell and he’d liked her dress. Classy but clingy. So, she and Hannah had become buds. It didn’t surprise him. They were both into clothes and stylish things.
He was glad he hadn’t made a move on her the other night in his bedroom. He’d gotten the sense that she wouldn’t have been opposed to a little fooling around. But it’d be just his luck that she’d become a disgruntled lover and start leveling complaints against him. Not a good idea given the kind of scrutiny he was under from the mayor. He and Delaney barely tolerated each other as it was. And they had zip in common. He liked outdoorsy women who could hold their own on the slopes or a sheer rock face, anything with a degree of danger. And according to his brother, Delaney didn’t even ski.
He’d just gotten in the building when his phone buzzed with a call from TJ. Ducking into a corner, he answered. “This an emergency? Because I don’t have time to talk.”
“Can you do a cave tour tomorrow night? Josh has to go to San Francisco for a doctor’s appointment about his leg.” He had a couple of specialists there who were trying to decide whether he needed another surgery.
Colt pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let me see if Jack can be on call. I’ll let you know later.” He hung up, put his phone on silent, and made a beeline for his office, wanting to be at his desk before Pond showed up.
“Cutting it kind of close,” Carrie Jo said as they passed each other on her way to the kitchen. “His secretary called; he’s on his way over.”
“Great,” Colt said with the enthusiasm of a dead man.
“Just don’t get fired,” she shot back. “The town needs you.”
He went inside his office. Pond showed up a few minutes later, dressed in khaki shorts and a polo shirt. He looked like he’d just gotten off the links rather than coming from city hall. Probably playing golf all day. Other than hobnobbing with the town’s elite, the mayor wasn’t from the hard workers. At least Colt’s parents hadn’t been sucked in by Pond’s phoniness. They’d voted for the other candidate.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Mayor?” He really had to learn to curb his sarcasm. Then again, he’d never been good with authority.
One look at Pond and Colt could tell he was fuming. Mottled red face and a jaw clenched tighter than a sealed lid. Pond took a seat, pulled a laptop from his briefcase, fiddled around with it for a second, and shoved it in front of Colt.
One look at the screen and Colt knew he was toast. It was the picture of him with the topless bachelorette party chicks. A lot of bare breasts and nipples filled the shot. One of the girls had posted it on her Facebook page and had tagged Glory Junction, meaning the picture had automatically shown up on the wall of the city’s page. Not good. Not good at all.
“It was my day off,” Colt said, and then wanted to shoot himself for acting so cavalier. But anyone familiar with his work ethic would know that he’d never do anything intentionally to embarrass the town.
“I don’t care if you were on vacation in the Bahamas. This reflects piss poorly on Glory Junction, the police department. . . the uniform.” He pointed at Colt’s blue police shirt to make his point. “Are these girls even legal?”
“Of course they are.” At least he hoped they were. “It was a bachelorette party. I was their white-water rafting guide. After the trip, they goofed around for the picture. It’s not like we were having an orgy.” The raft, the river, and all their equipment sat in plain view in the background. Hardly a site for a wild sex party.
“Well, that’s what it looks like here.” Pond turned the computer so he could examine the picture closer. He stared at it so hard Colt wondered if the mayor was trying to memorize the women’s cup sizes. “How am I supposed to explain this to the council?”
Most of the council members had known Colt since he was a kid. They knew what kind of man he was. Cavorting publicly with naked women was Win’s MO, not Colt’s.
“If you want, I’ll go to tomorrow night’s council meeting and explain the situation,” Colt said.
“I think you should resign.”
I bet you do, asshole. Colt sucked in a breath. “If the council wants me to resign, I’ll resign.” Over a stupid picture on his day off.
Pond deliberated, clearly infuriated that Colt wouldn’t tender his resignation right here, right now. The mayor had the power to remove him as chief, but Colt knew he didn’t want to make a misstep. The Garners had a lot of friends in this town and it wouldn’t pay to alienate them. No, the mayor would rather Colt go voluntarily or that the council fire him, which Pond knew they wouldn’t do.
Pond got to his feet. “I won’t tolerate you staining the reputation of this town. Be there tomorrow night, but remember that the ultimate decision lies with me.”
Colt didn’t say anything, just watched as the mayor stomped out. As soon as he left the building, Carrie Jo burst in.
“Girls gone wild, huh?”
“You saw the picture?”
“Oh yeah. The minute Pond Scum got here the phone started ringing. You’re quite the celebrity on Facebook.”
Colt frowned. “Glory Junction’s page, huh?”
“Yep, and the police department’s page. Last I looked, it had two-thousand likes.”
“Shit.”
His cell vibrated in his pocket. He looked at the display and rolled his eyes, then answered. “What?”
“Looking good there, lover boy,” Win said, and he heard his other brothers laughing in the background. Great. They had the call on speaker.
“I’m glad you’re all enjoying it. TJ, I can’t do the cave tour tomorrow night because I have to go to the council meeting and apologize. But I may soon have a lot of free time on my hands.”
“What are you talking about?” TJ’s voice came over the line. “The council won’t fire you.”
“No, but the mayor might. He made sure to let me know that he’d have the final say.”
“That’s bullshit,” Josh said.
“I shouldn’t be talking about this here.” He glared at Carrie Jo, who’d stuck around to eavesdrop.
“Meet us for drinks at Old Glory after work,” TJ said.
“All right. See you later.”
Carrie Jo sat in the seat the mayor had vacated. “Pond Scum really said that? He wants to fire you over one silly picture? It wasn’t like you were naked.”
“The man’s looking for any excuse.”
Colt spent the rest of the day working on reports, fielding e-mails, and setting up an emergency response training for a couple of the rookies. When he finally got around to glancing at the clock, it was nearly seven. His brothers would be waiting for him at Old Glory. He changed into a pair of jeans and a Henley.
Carrie Jo was gone for the day, so he locked up his office and drove to the bar. Boden, the owner, greeted him. About the same age as Colt, he’d bought the bar a few years ago and had added thirty local microbrews to the tap. The guy was really into craft beer and knew a lot about it.
“Hey, Chief. How you doing?” He wiped the bar down and filled Colt a pint glass of an IPA. “Try this and tell me what you think.”
Colt took a drink. “Nice. Herbal and citrusy.”
“Yup, exactly. That one’s on the house. So, when you gonna play for us again? Good crowd we got last time.”
If Colt survived Bachelorettegate, he suspected it would be best to lie low for a while. “I got a lot going on right now, Boden. Maybe sometime this fall I can schedule something. You see my brothers?”
“They’re over at the pool tables.”
“Thanks. And thanks for the beer.”
It was packed for a Wednesday night and he had to squeeze through the crowd to get to them. When he finally did, Josh and TJ were playing a game of eight ball and Win and Deb a game of darts.
“Hey,” Josh said. “You just get off work?”
“Yeah.” Colt grabbed a chair at his brothers’ table. Boden may as well put a Garner plaque on it, they sat at it so much. “What’s going on at GA?”
“Nothing. But your picture is making the rounds. Dad thought it was hysterical.”
“It’s been great for business,” TJ chimed in. “We got a couple of bookings today with guys wanting to sign up for the topless white-water trips.”
“Glad everyone is amused. Pond wants me to resign over it.”
Josh and TJ stopped their game and came over to the table. Win and Deb wandered over too.
“I thought you were kidding earlier,” TJ said. “He can’t be serious. It was a couple of women screwing around. How did that hurt anyone?”
“It’s not exactly a good image for the Glory Junction Police Department. Please tell me, TJ, that the girls were all legal.”
“Of course they were. We get parental consent for anyone under eighteen. We have photocopies of their licenses if you need to show them to Pond.”
“I may have to show them to the council.”
Win pulled a face. “That’s messed up, man. Everyone in this town knows you wouldn’t do anything to hurt Glory Junction’s reputation. The girls were just having fun. It’s no different than Rita’s calendar, for God’s sake.”
Deb gave Colt a hug. “Screw Pond Scum. Everyone knows he’s a carpetbagger.”
That wasn’t the point, but Colt appreciated the sentiment anyway. “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he said, not necessarily believing it. There was no question the mayor wanted a more malleable chief, someone who wouldn’t stand up to him the way Colt did. This was exactly the kind of excuse Pond could use to jettison him.
Hannah showed up and they wound up ordering food. He played a game of pool, whupped Win’s ass at darts, and went home, feeling grateful for his family and friends standing by him. The easement parking space was open, so he nabbed it. As he walked to his kitchen door, he spied Delaney on her deck, pacing back and forth with her cell pressed to her ear. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but could tell the conversation was heated.
He started to let himself inside, quickly darted another glance over at Delaney’s deck, and saw her crying. His instincts shouted for him to go over to make sure she was okay, but he fought them. Colt didn’t have much room to screw up with Pond watching his every move, and as far as Delaney was concerned, he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t.