Chapter 16

16

CHANCE

I 'd crashed hard last night. Between getting up in the middle of the night to deal with the accident on the highway and working the rest of the day, I was exhausted. The only thing I could think of was getting back to Marigold.

On the drive over to her house, I listed all the reasons why it was a bad idea. I'd promised myself never to get involved with anyone since I couldn't promise them forever. But here I was, playing with fire.

I'd done risky things like jumping out of an airplane with the Wilde brothers, but getting in deeper with Marigold was more dangerous.

I woke up first, wrapped up in Marigold. Her head was on my chest, her hair tickling my chin. I couldn't believe we'd slept like this all night. I was breaking all my rules: staying overnight, seeing someone in town, and letting my feelings get away from me.

Something happened last night when we had sex. It felt like more. I had a feeling no matter what I did at the end of the weekend, one of us was going to get hurt.

I played with the strands of her hair while the sun rose outside her windows.

When Marigold finally stirred, my stomach was rumbling. She lifted her head and blinked at me. "You're still here."

"Where else would I be?"

She sat up and stretched, her breasts on display. I wanted to stay in bed all morning, but I hadn't eaten dinner last night.

"I figured you'd get called into work or you would have slipped out in the middle of the night."

"I didn't get called in, and I didn't want to go home." Not sure I could have, I was so exhausted, and it was a testament to how comfortable I felt with Marigold that I'd slept so hard. Usually I woke up in the middle of the night, stressed about what could be going on at work.

My stomach rumbled again.

Marigold pointed at me. "We should do something about that."

"I'll make breakfast." I wanted to stay in bed with Marigold all morning, but I needed to eat.

"That sounds lovely," Marigold said as she leaned back on the pillows.

I kissed her. "Take your time. I've got this."

I pulled on my clothes and slipped into the bathroom to brush my teeth, rubbing toothepast on my finger. When I opened the door, Oakley jumped up from where he'd been sleeping, then followed me down the stairs.

I hoped Marigold was able to get a few more minutes of sleep. I had a feeling she worked too hard yesterday.

I let Oakley into the backyard where there was white fencing, and got to work on making coffee, then omelets.

I found containers in the kitchen that Marigold must have left out when I arrived last night. I threw them into the garbage, then got to work on making breakfast.

I chopped veggies and threw them into the pan when I heard the water turn on upstairs. I turned on holiday music on my phone which I knew she loved. By the time she appeared with damp hair, looking cozy in sweats, I was plating the omelets. "You're just in time."

I'd even cut avocado slices and placed them on top.

Marigold sat on the stool. "I could get used to this."

I should have reminded her that this was temporary, that I didn't have any intention of seeing her past this weekend. But I didn't want to mar this moment. It was one I'd treasure. I sat next to her and dug into my eggs.

"What are your plans for the day?" Marigold asked me between bites.

"I'm working. How about you?"

"I need to decide on an ending for my play, and then Scarlett wants to meet to go over what I have so far. I have a feeling she's going to want to act it out."

"So you'll be at the theater?"

Marigold nodded. "Most likely."

I sipped my coffee. "I'll drop by to see your progress."

Marigold smiled. "You don't have to do that."

"I want to." I also loved putting that smile on her face.

Marigold tipped her head to the side. "Did you decide on your next book-club book?"

I nodded. "We voted on one."

"Could I take a picture of your group for the library's website?"

"Our group isn't open to the public. The guys want to keep it quiet for now. I guess Xan has a reputation to uphold, and reading books isn't part of his persona."

"That's too bad. I think it would encourage more men and boys to come to the library. You're making it cool."

"Xander wouldn't say that."

Marigold shrugged. "Anything that promotes reading is nice. I think kids would love to see their local sheriff in a book club. Didn't you say you're always concerned about how you're perceived in the community?"

"The book club is just for me and my friends. It's the one thing that isn't up for public consumption." That and my relationship with Marigold, but I wasn't going to say that. It was only a matter of time before people connected the truck outside with me. My only saving grace was that people associated me with work vehicle.

Her gaze filled with respect. "I can understand that."

If I could keep the book club private, could I have Marigold too? Whenever I allowed my imagination to go there, I saw more mornings like this one. Sleeping together, making breakfast, and maybe even shopping for a tree.

"Are you planning to get a tree?"

Marigold shook her head. "I have a fake one. I just need to put it up."

"You should get a real one."

She grimaced. "That would be nice but so much work for one person."

"I can help you," I offered, unsure if I'd have the time. I was usually busier this time of the year. I didn't like making promises I couldn't keep.

"Don't worry about it. I've been taking care of myself for a long time, and I know what I can handle and what I can't. My focus the next few weeks will be on the play if we want to have a performance before Christmas."

"You only have a few weeks to pull it together."

"Scarlett seems to thrive on tight time lines. I'm a planner. But once Scarlett gets an idea in her head, she executes it."

Marigold was slower and more methodical but no less passionate. I loved that I was getting to know her better. "Both ways work."

Marigold smiled. "I think we make a good team because of it."

We finished eating, and both of us lingered over our coffees. I got up to pour more in her mug. "What do you think about me offering my plays to schools? Scarlett thought I should try with the local elementary and middle school."

"I don't see why not." I remembered the forest play she did, and it was adorable. Although that might have been the kids, not so much the writing. I just remembered being entranced with the kids' earnestness. They wanted to do well, and they were having so much fun.

"Do you think they're good enough?"

"Well, I've only seen the one performed, but I thought all the ones I read were good."

Her nose scrunched. "It's nothing like what my parents write."

"Hey, just because your parents work in academia doesn't mean your work is any less worthy."

Marigold laughed and looked away. "That's not what they think."

I frowned. "At this point, they're not a part of your life. Their opinion is worthless." Especially if it made her feel less than.

Marigold let out a soft huff of breath. "It feels better just thinking about doing that."

"You are amazing and kind, and if your parents can't see that, then they're not worth your time."

"I'm going to talk to them about getting someone else to watch their house. If they want to keep it, then they can maintain it."

Normally, I'd promote someone helping parents who needed it, but I had a feeling they were taking advantage of Marigold. The house represented the family she didn't get. She didn't need the reminder. "I'm proud of you."

"I haven't done it yet."

"I know you will when you're ready to."

"Thanks for believing in me. I don't feel like I've had anyone in my life like that in a long time."

Marigold's phone buzzed. "Scarlett keeps texting to ask me if I've contacted the matches on the app."

Everything inside of me tightened with tension. "What are you going to say?"

She looked at me with her brow furrowed. "What should I say?"

"What do you want to do?" I couldn't be part of this decision.

She chewed her lip. "I like spending time with you."

"But I can't give you what you want." I didn't want her to think I'd change.

She set her phone aside. "I think I'm going to take things day by day."

"That's a good plan." I wasn't sure what to say about any of this. I didn't want her seeing other men, but who was I to hold her back? At some point, I'd have to set her free. I didn't want her pining after an imaginary future with me when she could have the real deal with someone else.

My phone dinged with my daily update about what went down overnight.

"What is that?" Marigold asked.

"I have Carol send me a list of everything that happened when I'm not working."

"Is that something you could wait to look at when you got into the office?"

"I like to know what's going on at all times." But I did tense up when I got the text. When I saw that Bernie had been brought in overnight for drinking too much at the bar again, I wanted to talk to him, see what was going on. His wife died a couple of years ago, and every year around this time, he drank more. I was worried about him.

"But is that necessary?"

"If I want to be a good sheriff."

Marigold didn't respond, but she followed me to the door where I turned to face her, tucking a damp strand of hair behind her ear. Tenderness washed through me. "Good luck with the ending to your story. I'm sure whatever you decide will be perfect."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"Because there is no right answer. All the endings you're thinking of could work, or you wouldn't be considering them."

Marigold smiled.

"This morning was the best I've had in a long time," I said as I lowered my mouth to hers. I kissed her slow and sweet. I had no end game or intention with it, other than to show her how I felt. All these feelings were bubbling up in my chest, and I wasn't ready to quash them. I'd take things day by day, just like Marigold suggested.

"Thank you for a great evening and a better morning," I said as I forced myself to turn away from her. I didn't want Marigold to be a distraction. If this relationship got in the way of work, I'd have to break things off.

On the way home, I thought about how we'd agreed to continue whatever this was past the weekend. It filled me with a scary kind of hope. That I could have it all.

How much better would days be if I knew I was coming home to Marigold?

The thing was, I made my own schedule and worked most days, so everyone expected me to be there. But what if I took a day off?

I was lucky no one else had snatched Marigold up, and it was only a matter of time before some lucky guy did.

I swear, the calls I responded to and the complaints I heard weren't as big of a deal. I was able to calm people down more quickly, and it wasn't just my commanding presence. I felt at peace. Happy even.

When I arrived at the theater, it was just Scarlett and Marigold on the stage, acting out something.

"I think it would be best if the tree were here." Marigold stood on the section of the stage that jutted out to the side. "We can hang pictures on the wall here. The audience will know everything that's going on, but the other characters, like the parents, won't."

"That's genius, and I've been wanting to incorporate the entire stage."

"I know you have. I thought you might like it."

I sat in one of the back rows to watch them act out each trap. There were three, each one crazier than the last. They were testing them to see what would work the best.

Scarlett leaned against the wall. "They could have a mishap with one of the traps, and the police or fire department is called. The kids get in trouble. The parents give them the lesson, and they have to decide whether to go through with the traps in real life."

"Oh, I love that," Marigold said, eagerly writing it down on the page. Then she lifted her head, squinting to see me in the back of the auditorium. "Chance?"

I stood and made my way to the stage.

Scarlett sat next to Marigold. "I thought that was you.”

"What do you think?" Scarlett asked Marigold. "This is your play."

"I think it has the magic of the season combined with hope."

Lately, I was starting to believe in a future where Marigold was part of it. Or at least hope that it was possible.