Page 29 of Hold the Line

Chapter Thirteen

Phoebe

Sittingwithmybackagainst the arm of the couch, I tucked my feet under me and faced him. He took the opposite end, keeping as much space between us as he could. That was okay since it gave me a spot to put the rest of the blondies.

“Caleb said you were in for robbery.”

Deacon nodded. “That was the charge, yeah.”

“Did you do it?”

“I was there and shouldn’t have been. My brother…he convinced me to drive that night. I made the mistake of thinking my being there might have kept him from doing something stupid. In the end, it was my vehicle spotted, and I was the only one whose alibi fell apart.”

It didn’t surprise me Richie had been the catalyst to Deacon’s downfall. When he’d dated Hannah, he’d given me the creeps. The only reason my parents hadn’t barred him from our house was because they’d known it would drive Hannah straight into his arms. My sister was stubborn like that. And Richie had had a way of sweet-talking his way into getting what he wanted—which had usually been trouble.

“Caleb knows your friend, Chris.” I trailed my nail along the seam of the couch cushion. “He told us Chris believed the judge had sentenced you harshly because of your family.”

“Probably. I had a shitty public defender who had no interest in being there, a judge who’d seen my brothers, cousins, and dad in his courtroom more times than anyone wants to count, and my alibi…well, it had been a perfect storm. My lawyer had convinced me I’d get probation and community service. Instead, I got six years—out in four for good behavior.”

He polished off the blondie in his hand and grabbed another, quickly demolishing it too. I liked feeding this man, but it hurt me how starving he was—and not just for food. Anyone who spent more than a minute speaking to him would see he was hollow. Had he always been that way, or was this from being locked up for four years?

Every little bit of Deacon I uncovered made me want to dig for more. But I sensed he was brittle, and if I dug too hard, he might crumble.

“But you didn’t come back to Sugar Brush right away,” I prompted gently. “Where did you go?”

“Wasn’t sure I ever wanted to come back here. I sure as hell wasn’t ready when I got out, so I found a spot in a bunkhouse about an hour from here. Spent my days working for Chris’s dad on the roads and nights in my bunk. Took me a year to feel enough like myself again to want to rejoin civilization. Lucky for me, your sister moved out, and Joy offered me the apartment.”

“I never knew Joy was your aunt.”

He lifted a shoulder. “You can see why she doesn’t advertise a connection to my family. She’s my mom’s sister, so not a Slater herself. But she hasn’t always lived a clean life. Has a record of her own from her younger days. She’d tried to take me in when I was a kid, but the state wouldn’t give me to her. Someone out there had truly thought I was better off with my parents, who’d only wanted me around for the government benefits.”

“At least you have her now.”

“A whole lot better than nothin’.” He took another blondie and bit off a corner. “I don’t want me being around now to rub off on her in a negative way. You were there that night. I’m sure you heard what was said.”

I’d heard some of the ruckus from where I had been dancing with Grandad, and my grandmother had filled in the rest of the blanks later. It made me furious for Deacon and Joy. I hadn’t brought it up to him since I was certain he’d been embarrassed and would rather have forgotten all about it.

“What I heard was she banned that asshole Bill Keller from her bar. And that he deserved far worse.”

“He was tellin’ the truth. If Joy wasn’t family, she wouldn’t trust me in her business.”

“But she is, so it doesn’t matter.” I huffed, frustrated. “People around here are so adamant about law and order, then when someone does the time for his crime, they can’t let him get on with his life.”

“People in this town were never going to trust me, Phoebe. I was born with a reputation, and I did exactly what was expected of me.”

“Then why’d you come back?”

“It’s all I know.” He ate the rest of the blondie in two bites then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “It’s not all bad. I’ve got Joy, Chris, and his wife, Tilly. I have a workshop in their shed, and I’m slowly getting carpentry commissions. Not all bad.”

“And we’re friends now,” I added.

“Yeah,” he gruffed. “That too.”

I laughed lightly. “You sound thrilled.”

He looked back at me seriously. “Can’t imagine being any luckier than having you as my neighbor. Still wrapping my head around you being interested in knowing me.”

“I think I’ve made myself clear on that subject.”

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