Page 28 of Clumsy in Love

Holly picked at a cuticle. “Well, that didn’t work out, so…”

“Do you plan to visit? I know he’d appreciate it.”

“Aren’t you mad at him? Don’t you feel betrayed that he lied to you all those years?” She knew she was projecting her own feelings, but as her dad’s best friend, he’d also been affected.

“I was. And yes. Half the town still treats me like I must have known. Just like they treated your mother and how I’m sure they treat you.”

“So, how’d you get over it?”

“People are complicated,” he said. “I got out of my own head and realized I had nothing to do with your dad’s decisions. He didn’t do it to hurt me. Or you.”

“Whydidhe do it?”

“I don’t know for sure,” Arthur said. “But I do know he grew up terribly poor. His father gambled like there was no tomorrow, and his mom worked a lot to compensate for the losses. That left your dad to basically raise himself. With no one to teach him right from wrong, he mingled around in a morally gray area. As an adult, willing to do anything to provide forhisfamily, he probably thought the ends justified the means.”

“Hm. I suppose,” Holly said. A few times, she’d tried to put herself in her dad’s shoes, but never done so successfully enough to understand how he justified bilking people out of their hard-earned money. “I’ll get out there one of these days.”

Grateful he hadn’t said what he wanted to say in front of Cole, she mumbled her goodbye and returned to the table.

“Everything okay?” Cole asked.

“Yup.” No way she was getting into all that with him.

He studied her, and she wondered if he would push, but he let it go.

“That Holly’s new husband?” Mr. Huckabee yelled from a few tables over.

“Seriously?” Holly whispered. “Not now.”

“No, Ralph. Holly didn’t get married,” Edna explained. “That’s her friend from New York City.”

Cole cocked an eyebrow. “Why are they yelling?”

“Mr. Huckabee is very hard of hearing. He must be the only person in town who hasn’t heard about what happened.”

At top volume, Edna explained that Holly hadn’t gotten married and that her friend was a cop. Well, that was one not-so-subtle way to inform the whole diner at once.

“His name’s Bob?”

“No. I saidcop,” Edna’s voice raised in frustration.

“She married a cop?”

“Please make it stop.” Holly felt her cheeks flush. Could things get any more embarrassing? “My life is a train wreck. Whatever they’re paying you, it’s not enough.”

“They’re not paying me at all!” Cole exclaimed.

“What?” Holly’s head snapped up. “Why not? What are you doing here then?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’m not goin’ anywhere. Not until I’ve eaten anyway.”

He took a breath and cleared his throat. “We need someone to watch out for you, but the DA’s office won’t pay for it until we arrest Cruz and they’re guaranteed a case. And, because you left town, there’s technically nothing the NYPD can do. I was just about to start a month-long vacation, so the LT thought it would be a good idea for me to do it.”

“Well, that’s not fair.”

“I mean, I’m getting normal vacation pay. And I really want to nail Cruz. He killed my old partner, and I want justice. It’s personal for me.”

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