Page 31 of Murder in Calusa Cove
“I don’t believe it is.” Hayes shifted, resting both elbows on the counter. “Not for me, and certainly not during that time in my life.” He rubbed his right temple. All this soul-searching was giving him a headache. “Before Petra died, you knew exactly what you wanted. A wife. Kids. A family. You made no bones about it. You had a clear picture of what you wanted. So did Fletcher, only Baily wasn’t on board. And Dawson?”
Both men let out a little chuckle.
“Well, him and redheads. But he finally found one that he didn’t have to try to tame,” Keaton said. “But what’s your point?”
“You all knew what you wanted. All I knew was that I didn’t want to suffocate, and that’s what family did. That’s what people did. They suffocated me. They still do. Just thinking about going home sometimes makes me break out in hives.” He glanced up. “You guys never made me feel that way. I think that’s why when we all met, I just clicked with you. It was second nature. Natural. No one made me feel too much or asked too much of me. No judgments. We just were.”
“Damn, you’re being philosophical.”
“You asked.” Hayes sighed. “I’m just being real about what being raised the way I was did to me.”
“I get that.” Keaton nodded as if he understood. But he couldn’t. He had a great family. One that loved and supported him unconditionally. He had two parents who didn’t judge his life decisions, and a brother and sister who stood by him, no matter what. Then there was Trinity, the love of his life, who was pregnant. They were made for each other, and they were about to be married.
And then there was his cousin, Foster. They’d been through some shit together, and they were as thick as thieves. Keaton had his family by blood—and his chosen family.
“Are you thinking about what you want with Chloe?” Keaton asked just as Hayes took another gulp.
He coughed and gagged, pounding his chest. “Jesus, man, no. Not like you’re asking. I like Chloe a lot. That’s obvious. But this thing with us has a beginning, a middle, and an end. I just don’t want it to end, yet.”
“Dawson mentioned you two hit a bump in the road. But you two look like things heated back up.”
“I’m not exactly sure where we stand,” Hayes admitted. “This case has her rattled. But she’s here. She’s staying with me. Things are about the same as they’ve been for the last couple of months. We’ve made no promises to each other than to be in the moment. My thoughts aren’t so much with what’s going on with me and Chloe as they are with this itch to settle. It’s a strange sensation.”
“That sounds like you want something more from this relationship.”
Hayes rubbed the center of his chest, wishing the tightness would go away. “You’re misreading what I’m getting at.”
“Okay. Then make yourself clear, because you’re either dancing around your feelings for her, or you’re doing that thing you always do and being vague because you talk in circles.” Keaton arched a brow.
“We’ve lived in lots of places. We’ve been stationed all over the world. Been deployed more than we’ve been stateside. However, when we arrived here, it was easy for everyone except me to purchase a home. Dawson pulled the trigger so fast it made my head spin. You were next. And Fletcher, well, he owned that house long before either of you, but that’s because his parents left it to him. I knew when we moved here that we weren’t leaving, but the idea of owning a home, even at my age, made me break out in a cold sweat. But not so much anymore. I’m thinking I want to buy your place.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“I’m serious.”
Keaton opened his mouth, but no words came out. He cleared his throat. “It’s yours if you want it.”
“Let’s talk numbers after your wedding.”
Keaton tapped his knuckles on the counter. “I’ll draw up the paperwork. The numbers haven’t changed since I brought it up the last time.”
Before Hayes could utter the word deal, a ruckus broke out on the other side of the patio. He turned and groaned. Stacey stood at a table where Anna and her husband, Mo, were trying to have dinner.
Dawson and Fletcher swiftly zigzagged between the crowd.
“Let’s go find out what that’s all about.” Keaton set his beer down.
“It can’t be good,” Hayes said. “Stacey has been hounding those two for months, and she’s still running bull crap stories about Mo and his involvement in what Paul and his son were doing. She’s also calling Buddy, Chloe, and Dawson about this murder. Her reporting of it is dangerous. She’s got everyone in this town on edge.”
“Dawson looks like he’s on the warpath.” Keaton headed in their direction. “He might need us to diffuse this situation.”
Hayes was one step behind Keaton, his gaze tightly focused between the table with Mo and Anna, and Dawson. The closer Hayes got, the louder the voices got, and it wasn’t good.
“Leave us alone,” Anna said with a low but authoritative tone. “We have nothing to say to you.”
“It would be good for Mo to do an interview,” Stacey said. “You know, to clear up his side of the story. People in this town, and in the State of Florida, want to know the facts. Otherwise, it’s all rumor and conjecture. He was convicted of a crime. We know that, but people talk, and they’re saying all sorts of things about what happened. All I want to do?—”
“You want to twist what happened.” Mo flattened his hands on the table. He shifted his gaze from Anna to Stacey. His jaw was tight with raw emotion. His eyes were blazing with frustration…and anger. “I’ve seen how you’ve reported this story. The things you’ve said about me. About my wife. About our life. You’ve spread lies. Half-truths. I’m not allowing you to slander me even more.”
