Eighteen

I should've stopped it, but goddamn Silas was amazing. And now I'm suffering the consequences. Then again, it's what I deserve. Friends and sex don't mix. This is why I have stayed single all this time. It's not worth the heartache.

I woke up alone. Which honestly doesn't surprise me. I knew sleeping with Silas would change things, even though he said it wouldn't. But why wouldn't it change? Sleeping with a friend can complicate things when you're not in a committed relationship. I let my emotions seep into this entire thing, and I'm unsure how I can pretend otherwise now.

The only thing I have left to do now is drag my ass back down to my shop and see if John is down there. And probably call my parents and explain my stint in jail. Maybe I'll call them as I walk, blow off steam, and no one can bug me. AKA Elma, she can't say anything if she finds me.

I dial my parents and the ancient contraption known as a landline shrieks for attention, much to my dismay. Naturally, my parents are the proud owners of this relic, clinging to the past with their refusal to embrace voicemail. Go figure. I swear, trying to track those two down is a task of its own.

Me: I need to talk to you and Mom. Call me

If that doesn't work, I have no clue what will—maybe getting Mom a cell phone.

As I approach my shop, a wave of joy washes over me. Even with the renovations, I still adore being here. I only hope it has a chance of reopening. With the amount of blood that is being poured into it, The Dancing Goat will dance once again.

That joy flew out the window when I noticed John wasn't at the shop with his crew. He should be here ripping up the place, permit or not. I fumbled to find my phone and dialled him.

"John, what's going on?"

"Teagan, I couldn't get a hold of you yesterday. We got called away for another job. I'm so sorry. We won't be able to get to your shop for a few more days."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I sorta got arrested." I unlock the door and step in. As I venture deeper into the shop, the scent of wood hits me square in the nose.

I swear, I can practically hear John touching the bridge of his nose. "Teagan." He exhales. "Stop pestering Nancy. We can't work with you in jail."

"Well, technically, you can. It would only make your job harder."

"Teagan, no more jail."

"Promise," I tell him with my fingers crossed. "I'll let you get back to work, and I'll do something."

After hanging up the phone, I look at the checkout desk and find something interesting. I see a small black box with a red bow. Could it be something one of John's crew forgot to take with them? Naturally, I can't resist picking it up to see if there's a name on it. But as soon as I find the name tag, I quickly drop it in surprise.

The words To: Sweets stare back at me in messy handwriting. Only one person has ever called me that. I'm unsure how he got into my shop or when, and now he's leaving me gifts. What am I supposed to do with this? There's no way I can keep it. I snatch it off the floor and storm to my office. I reef open the top drawer and toss it in. It can haunt me from there.

I hadn't seen my stalker since that night in the park, but I figured he got what he needed and left. Gifts are a whole new ball field. I don't like how this is shifting. The sound of my cell phone ringing makes me jump. Jesus, I need to get out of my head.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Small fry. You sent a message. Where's the fire?"

"You haven't heard?"

He groans. "What did you do?"

"I'll explain. Did you and Mom wanna meet at Holden's for a bite to eat?"

"That can be arranged. Try not to do anything stupid in the meantime."

"I can't promise. I'll see you there."

I hear him moan as he hangs up. If Mom doesn't keep him on his toes, I have to. I stare at the desk drawer one more time before leaving the office. Walking to the back, I double check that the door is locked. It had to be the front if he didn't come through this door. But I unlocked it. Don't tell me my stalker is a master at picking locks.

I could change the locks, but let's be honest, my shop is still not safe from him. My boundaries don't exist. I lock the front door and take off to The Holden Restaurant. I'm not sure how much more stress I can take, but talking to my parents about threatening Nancy and being arrested has to be at the top. I'll stand by what I did. Nancy had it coming. It was about time someone gave her a taste of her own medicine.

I only want Nancy to fall off that high horse; where is karma when you need her? Work that magic already.

As soon as I walk into the restaurant, it's like the room falls silent. The gossip has clearly made its way around, but somehow, my parents are none the wiser. That tells you that they never leave the house that often. I ignore the stares and find a seat by the window.

Jace: A little birdie told me some news

Motherfucker.

Me: Did this little birdie happen to be 5'5", have grey hair and don't know how to stay out of people's business?

Jace: That would be the one

Me: Whatever you heard could be tru e

Jace: Tee, I'm not sure what Elma is saying is true because we both know how she likes to add her twist onto things, but you need to sort her out. I don't need your reputation being spread through the mud over nothing.

I knew this would happen. Elma has a way of twisting everything she talks about. She once said Mr. Campbell ran a stop sign and hit a kid riding a bike. The entire town turned their backs on him until the police report came out and said the kid rode his bike into him when Mr. Campbell was stopped at the stop sign. She turns everything into a bad situation. It's sad, but Mr. Campbell was never able to bounce back from that rumour. Nowadays, he hardly ever steps foot outside his house. Elma doesn't appear to be bothered by the fact that she essentially destroyed his life, and the folks in town seem to have no problem letting her off the hook.

"Teagan, hunny, why the sad look?" Mom says as she scoots into the booth across from me.

I raise a questioning eyebrow, waiting for her to mention anything. I look at Dad, but his face is stuck in the menu.

"Leave her be, dear. Let's order first, and then we can talk business. I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry, Dad."

He pats his stomach. "I'm a growing boy. What can I say?

Mom nudges him. "Oh, we both know that."

When the server comes by, we all place our order, and the silence between us is deafening. I know I should mention something, but I don't want to bring it up. How does one mention that their daughter is a felon? Am I a felon, though?

"How's the renovations coming along? Mom asks.

I stare out the window and answer her. "They aren't. John got called away on another project, so my shop is waiting."

"That's too bad. I'm sure they'll work extra hard to get you back in running order once he's back."

"I hope so. I'm unsure what to do with all my spare time. I feel lazy just sitting around."

"How's that boy been working out?" Dad asks, skeptical.

The phantom of Silas. I haven't heard a peep out of him today. And if I'm being honest, I'm not reaching out to him. I'll likely hear some made-up story about why he left, and then I'll be left questioning whether it's the truth or not.

"I'm not entirely sure he works for me anymore."

"Oh? What happened there?"

I shrug because who wants to tell their parents they slept with a friend who turned into an employee, and then he what—ditched me? Maybe I'm reading too far into it, and he didn't ditch me? Perhaps something happened, and he had to leave.

"What's the point of working for me when I don't have a place of work."

"I'm sure he'll still work for you when you reopen." Mom smiles at me.

Our food arrives, and I know this is the time I have to spill my guts. I wait until they both take a bit and swallow it. I don't need them choking and dying on me.

"Mom, Dad. I need to tell you something."

They look at me with worry.

"What is it, Small fry?"

"I was arrested yesterday." My voice tapering off toward the end.

Mom looked away, her short blonde hair swaying as she closed her eyes and gave her head a gentle shake. Dad takes a bite of his sandwich and chuckles.

"Seriously, Caleb. This is no laughing matter. Our daughter was arrested."

"Yes, Janette. I'm aware and sure the story behind it will be funny. Teagan. Fill us in."

And so I fill them in, from the letter I left for Nancy to being arrested by Taylor.

"What. How did you get out?" Leave it to Dad to ask the only question I didn't want to answer.

"Um, Silas."

"You called some boy instead of your parents? Why didn't you call Jace?"

I rub my forehead; I hate having these conversations. "Because. Now, can we finish eating?"

"No. Stop dodging the question." He let some of his frustration seep into his words.

"Oh my God, Dad. Because we had a date and I needed to cancel. Anything else you would like to know about my love life?"

I swear he has to be the only father who needs to know everything about their daughter. I hope he's satisfied about his answer.