Chapter 21

Lindsey and I were having dinner together. She had picked up takeout at the diner on her way home, and we were enjoying wings and fries in the kitchen. This was the best time of day, in my opinion. We had nothing to do and nowhere to go. We were like a couple of teenagers holed up in an abandoned house all by ourselves. We laughed about the craziest things, fed each other French fries, and got drunk.

If I was lucky tonight, I was going to get laid, though I didn't think about it like that. Sex with Lindsey was more than just a roll in the hay—it meant something and would just be a bonus to whatever fun we already had together that day. When I was inside her, I was transported to another world. She wasn't just anybody; she was rapidly becoming my best friend. She was my stakeout partner, my inside man at the hair salon. She was my roommate and maybe even my soul mate if I was honest with myself. I could picture us growing old together in this cabin, taking our coffee out onto the porch in our late seventies.

We could have grandchildren racing up the driveway collecting bugs in jars. I would hold her hand and smile knowing that we had lived a good life together. The problem was, I wasn't sure she felt the same way. I could tell she liked me, but what if she wasn't ready for that kind of commitment? What if I scared her off with thoughts of the future? It would be better to just relax and let the relationship develop on its own. That way, no one would get hurt.

I was completely focused on the woman of my dreams when my phone beeped again.

"Work?" Lindsey asked.

I looked at the caller ID and nodded. It wasn't work; it was Angie. She had called me six times that day and ten times the day before. She kept leaving voicemails, and the voicemails got stranger and stranger. If I hadn't known it before, it was obvious now: Angie had some serious mental health issues that needed addressing.

"Hi, Jason!" Her voice was bubbly to start, and she rambled on about some memory we supposedly shared. "I was just thinking about that time when we went skinny-dipping in Malorie's pool—do you remember that? And her toy poodle stole your underwear?" I most definitely did not remember that. Whether she made it up or it came from another man she had dated, I didn't know. "Okay, so I just wanted to let you know I'm here if you need me." That was a laugh. She was never there when I needed her in Nashville—she was always out shopping with her friends or day drinking at upscale bars. She didn't have a nurturing bone in her body.

"I heard that the Lucky Lady has the best burgers in town," she crowed. She was in Singer's Ridge. When I had cautioned Ava against stalking Ryan, I hadn't been aware how close to home the advice would hit. My own wife was in town somewhere, eating at my favorite restaurants, trying to reconnect. Dodging her phone calls was becoming exhausting, and now I would have to look over my shoulder everywhere I went.

I didn't want it to ruin my evening with Lindsey, so I turned my phone off.

"I thought you never turned your phone off," Lindsey observed.

I shrugged. "Ryan's on call tonight."

"But what if something happens?" Lindsey asked.

"I'll turn it back on before bed," I lied. I picked up Lindsey's hand and kissed it. "Don't worry, the town's not going to explode without me."

She laughed. We finished our dinner and played strip poker in the living room. Lindsey put on her playlist, and we danced like no one was watching. We made love and fell asleep in my bed.

Ihad to be careful getting out of my car, parked on the street outside the police station. I looked up the street and down, no sign of Angie. I grabbed my lunch and scooted into the station house, closing the door after me like a trapped rat.

"Somethin' wrong?" Cheryl asked.

"No," I said, pulling my jacket off and sitting down at my desk. "Everything's great."

She narrowed her eyes, unconvinced.

"My ex-wife is in town," I spilled.

"Oh." She nodded and went back to her typing.

I sat down at my desk and tried to concentrate on my work. Half an hour later, Ryan rescued me by walking in the door.

"Mornin', Cheryl, mornin', Jason," Ryan said, pulling off his hat before going to sit in his chair.

"Mornin', Ryan," Cheryl said.

"Any headway on the hair salon?" I went over to him, eager to be distracted.

"Yeah." Ryan turned on his computer and twisted the screen so I could see. "You remember the girls said that they get restocked on hair care products every week?"

I nodded.

"Well, I did some research on each of these brands." He showed me a picture of the product shelf at the salon. "They aren't worth the price Katrina is paying for them. She has way overspent, every week."

"Good work."

"What's our next step?" Ryan asked.

I thought I saw movement out the window, and I hurried over. It was just the mailman. A moment later, the door banged open, and Cheryl accepted the day's mail from the elderly postman.

"Ma'am," he said before leaving.

I turned back around to find Ryan staring at me in disbelief.

"His ex is in town," Cheryl supplied to aid his confusion.

"Oh." Ryan nodded. "You wanna run by the hair salon again?"

"Yes," I said, sensing the subterfuge.

We got into Ryan's hatchback and drove four and a half blocks away to park on the street. Ryan turned to me as soon as we could viably say we were on a stakeout. "This is the same ex that threw things at you and stole your car?"

"That one," I said.

"What's she doing in town?"

"Stalking me." I sighed. "She's left me at least six messages a day for the past three days."

"Did you talk to her?"

"Hell no," I said.

"So, your plan is to just avoid her and jump like a scared cat every time you see a mailman?" He looked incredulous.

"I hadn't thought that far in advance," I admitted. It did seem like my attempts to avoid her ended up being that ridiculous. Not to mention, now was the perfect time to get her to agree to the divorce since I knew where she was.

"You gotta confront her," Ryan said.

"I will." I pulled out my phone and switched it on. As I waited for the screen to boot up, Ryan said nothing. He pulled out binoculars and surveyed the salon. I found thirty text messages and three voicemails from Angie. I picked one of them and hit Redial.

"Jason?" Her voice soared ten octaves above normal, a grating squeak in my ear. I put the phone on speaker so Ryan could listen in.

"Angie, what are you doing here?"

"I've been thinking about you a lot lately," she said, trying to flirt. "I found some old photos while I was going through my things, and I miss the way things used to be."

"That's not—" I attempted to cut her off.

She got the better of me. "No, wait. I know it's been a while, but I miss you and I want you to come home."

"I sold the house after you left," I deadpanned.

"I know, but we could get it back."

"I don't want to get it back," I snapped.

"I made a mistake, darling," she crooned.

"The only mistake was our marriage," I said, ice in my voice. "We're getting a divorce. Since you're in town, we can go ahead and sign the papers."

"But what about our future?" she begged.

"We don't have a future," I snarled. "We don't have kids, we don't have a family, we don't even have a life together anymore."

"I'm not signing any divorce papers," she threatened. "It's not right, and you know it."

"We're already divorced. We were divorced for a long time. Let's make it official."

"You can't do that. We're going to be happy together—"

I hit the disconnect button and paged over to block the number. I looked up at Ryan to get his take on it.

"And I thought Ava was crazy," my partner whispered.

"I need a lawyer."

"You have to tell Lindsey," Ryan added.

I shook my head. I didn't need Angie interfering with my perfect love life. Lindsey would be shocked and appalled by the depths of Angie's insanity. I needed to keep the two ladies as far apart as possible.

"Keeping secrets is a bad idea," Ryan cautioned. "You did tell her that you were married?"

"Yeah," I sighed.

"Then no surprises there," he said.

"Things are so good with Lindsey right now. I don't want to drag her into the drama."

"It's your funeral," Ryan said. He turned the key in the ignition, and we drove past the salon and headed back to the station house.