Page 81 of The Arrangement

“Close enough. I love you, Tulip, I really, really do, but I think it might be time to revisit talking to a professional, maybe even taking medication. You can’t keep letting your darker emotions rule you like this. It’s destroying your life.” She swivelled around until she was sitting cross-legged to face me. “Please hear me when I say I’m only bringing this up because I want you to be happy. Youdeserveto be happy.”

Everything in me wanted to argue with her. This wasn’t…that. Except, maybe it was? She was right that I’d been especially keyed up by the time the sheriff got there. James had tried to get me to stop engaging multiple times, but I hadn’t listened. I’d kept pushing and pushing like I always did. When we’d been kids, our mom used to joke that I’d stick my hand in an alligator’s mouth just to see if it would bite. Only this time my “alligator” had been Sheriff Beechum.

I groaned and buried my face in the pillows. “What is wrong with me?”

“Nothing is wrong with you, Tulip. Not anymore than the usual amount, anyway,” she added cheekily and ruffled my hair.

“Why are you so evil?” I mumbled, my voice muffled a bit by the pillow.

“Because I’m the evil twin,” she responded without missing a beat, and I snickered, rolling to look at her again. “Besides, if I were truly evil, would I have brought you coffee? I get it was yesterday, but it still counts. Besides, I heard Aunt Petunia making a fresh pot.”

My heart twinged at the near-perfect echo of what James had said to me. God, was that really only two days ago? “I love him so much, Alex. What if…” I swallowed thickly, all my fears right on the surface. “What if he doesn’t feel the same?”

“There’s one way to find out.” She wrinkled her nose. “But first, you need a shower. No one is going to want you smelling like that.”

“Oh yeah?” She was midway through opening her mouth when I tackled her again. “How bad do I smell, huh?” She squealed as she tried to get away from me and my pits, which I was trying to shove in her face.

“Oh my God, you’re so gross!”

“You’re no better,” I clapped back.

“Damn right. Don’t make me get my smelly shoes.”

“No! Not the shoes. You could kill a horse with those things.” We continued pushing and shoving, our smelly threats escalating, until Aunt Petunia appeared in the doorway.

“That’s enough, you two. We’ve got a man to help Marc get back.” Her confident grin made my heart surge with love. Even if things with James went sideways, they always had my back. “But first, breakfast. Ups-a-daisy. That bacon’s not gonna eat itself.”

“Biscuits?” Alex asked eagerly.

Aunt Petunia gave her a derisive look. “You really think I’d let my favorite orange blossom come to town and not make biscuits?”

Alex flashed me a grin of pure joy. “Oh, hell yeah!” she exclaimed, then scrabbled to get off the bed.

Chapter 40

James

Ifelt empty as I sat on Marc’s couch and stared out the windows. Two days of reaching out to Marc, and nothing. Not so much as a “Read” on any of the messages I’d sent, and I’d lost count of the voicemails. Meanwhile, the HowlStone crew had already made an impressive dent restoring the interior of the shop, being careful to photograph everything for insurance. I was glad they had experience with that, because I didn’t have the first clue. The front remained boarded as the replacement windows would take a while to be delivered, plus it continued to rain off and on.

“Maybe I should just accept his silence for the answer it is,” I said aloud, running a hand over my face.

Then I looked around the small apartment. I hadn’t been here long, and it already felt like more of a home than I’d had in years. Everywhere I looked were memories of the time I’d spent with Marc. There was so much joy here. Pain too, but the kind you grew and healed from, the kind that made you stronger.

I pushed up from the couch, my phone in my hand before I even registered what I was doing. The rideshare app finished loading, and I’d just finished entering the address for my destination when the screen lit up with an incoming call. My stomach swooped unpleasantly at the name in large letters on the screen. I swiped to answer and cleared my throat as I brought the device to my ear.

“Hello, Captain.”

“Sergeant Gallagher. I hate to do this, but I’ve given you as much time as I can,” he replied, getting right to the point.

My stomach rolled unpleasantly. I just needed a little longer. To talk to Marc and see if we had a future together. I should have spoken with him about it weeks ago instead of letting my insecurities hold me back. “I understand, sir. And thank you again for giving me as much time as you did. It wasn’t my intent to bring it down to the wire.”

“But here we are. So what’s it going to be, Sergeant? I’m afraid I can’t let you go until I have an answer.”

My throat tightened. This was it. No more running. I opened my mouth, not at all sure what was going to come out.

The rideshare dropped me off in front of the Brennity Retirement Community, and I had to fight back the urge to be ill. My CO had my answer. Now all that remained was to tell Marc. I wished I had a better idea of what his reaction would be. That uncertainty tempered my steps as I made my way to the sign-in desk. It kept my steps measured as I followed the path winding through the heart of the community. And it had my heart in my throat as I lifted my hand to knock on Great Aunt Petunia’s door.

The door swung open before my knuckles even grazed the surface, and two surprised faces stared back at me—Marc and apretty young woman with brown hair and hazel eyes. My doubts surged as all my insecurities that I was nothing more than an experiment—again—threatened to drown me. Then I did a double-take. The woman looked like an eerie echo of Marc, right down to the green starburst around his pupils.