Page 22 of The Sweet Spot
The first time she got out, I found her talking to one of our neighbors, Mrs. Cochran, in her front yard.
The second time was a bit scarier. She made it all the way to the diner. Now I don’t take any chances.
The house is quiet when we step inside. Mrs. Patterson is seated at the kitchen table crocheting a bright yellow trim on a hand towel.
“Hi, Mrs. P,” I say.
She glances up at me. “You’re home early.”
“I thought I’d take the rest of the day off.”
Mrs. Patterson eyes Chris with more than a little curiosity. I guess she’s surprised to find him here in my house. “Is there a problem, Sheriff?”
“No, ma’am. I just thought I’d walk Jennie home.”
Mrs. Patterson rises from the table, tucks her crochet project into a quilted bag, and collects her purse. “I guess I’ll be going now. Rosie’s asleep on the sofa in the living room. I’ll see you next Saturday, Jennie.”
After she’s gone, I lock the doorknob and turn both deadbolts. “Thanks for walking me home,” I tell Chris.
There’s a loud thud in the living room, and we both scurry down the hall to see what’s up. Naturally, my first thought is Granny rolled off the sofa. It’s happened before, but no matter what, that’s one of her favorite places to nap during the day. She thinks beds are only for nighttime sleeping.
Turns out it was just Pumpkin, who’s walking across the desk. He likely jumped down from the top of the bookcase. Granny is still sound asleep on the sofa, curled up with her fleece blanket.
“It was just the cat,” I say, relieved. One of my biggest fears is that she’ll fall and break her hip.
Chris nods back toward the way we came, silently asking me to follow him.
When I walk into the kitchen, he gestures to one of the chairs at the table. “Please sit.”
He’s in cop mode, sounding like he’s ready to interrogate me again. But to my surprise, he doesn’t ask me a single question. Instead, he picks up the stainless steel kettle off the stove, fills it with water, and sets it on the stove to heat. “Still drink peppermint tea?” He opens the pantry door and starts searching.
“I can’t believe you remember that.” It’s always been my go-to stress relief. “It’s on the second shelf down from the top, right-hand side.”
He finds the box of tea bags, grabs a mug, and sets it on the counter near the stove. “I remember everything about you,” he says quietly as he places a tea bag in the cup.
Chris grabs the kettle off the stove just as it’s about to begin screeching, pours hot water into the mug, and brings it to the table. While I’m dunking my tea bag, as if that will make it steep quicker, he goes to the fridge for the milk. He brings that, plus a spoon, to the table.
It seems he does remember everything.
As he sits and watches me take my first sip, I realize I love him every bit as much today as I ever did. “You don’t have to stay. I’ll be all right. I appreciate you walking me home, though. Thank you.”
I set down my cup and stir my tea unnecessarily. For some reason, I can’t bring myself to look at him. He wants answers I don’t want to give him.
I think it’s because of the shame. I never told him about David. I never told Micah. My two best friends know practicallynothing about the most traumatic period of my life. Some friend I am.
“You weren’t dating anyone the summer after we graduated from high school.” Chris chuckles bitterly. “I think I would have noticed.”
He’s right, because we spent nearly every free moment we had together that summer, the three of us, until Chris and Micah left.
We graduated from high school in early June. Chris and Micah both left town in August. After a whirlwind courtship, I married David at the county courthouse in November.
The silence grows heavy as he waits for me to explain.
“I didn’t start dating David until after you and Micah left town. We got married on November 14th.”
Chris freezes. I’m not even sure if he’s breathing. Finally, with a gust of breath, he asks, “You dated him for onlythree monthsbefore you married him?”
“I don’t expect you to understand.” I understand why I said yes. I was lonely, and my two best friends had just left me. And then David shows up, day after day at the diner, love bombing me until I couldn’t see straight. I was swept off my feet by a handsome, charismatic guy whose parents owned half of the property surrounding Bryce. He wined and dined me, and he showered me with gifts and compliments. He gave me everything I thought I needed.
