“I don’t see any reason not to.”
She adjusted her seat belt so she could turn a little more toward him. “Why didn’t you like him?”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Why do you think?”
“You’re jealous.”
“Damn right.”
He saw a hurt expression on her face and felt a fresh twinge of pain himself, pain that had nothing to do with his withdrawal from OxyContin.
“Will we ever get over each other?” she whispered.
The memory of making love to her, one of many such memories, filtered through his mind. “I hope not completely.”
“But our relationship is so…complicated.”
“Life is complicated, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Can you be attracted to two people at once?”
“Hell, yeah.”
“When I see you, I wish things could’ve worked out.”
He reached across the seat and took her hand, and suddenly the terrible cravings for OxyContin and the cramps he’d been feeling subsided just enough that he could relax for the first time since he’d arrived in Pineview. “We don’t have to be together to love each other.”
A tear slid down her cheek. “You helped me through a terrible time, Rex. You showed me what love could be like after the bastard I married made me feel I never wanted to be with a man again. I’m grateful to you for that.”
More guilt reared up—that he couldn’t continue to be what she needed—but he wasn’t going to let guilt or regret ruin this moment. After two years, he had her fingers entwined with his, felt a measure of forgiveness, and that was all he could ask for. He hadn’t experienced peace without the aid of chemicals in months and months. Maybe he wasn’t the man who’d become her husband and the father to her children. But he wanted her to be happy, even if it meant seeing her with someone else. “Just…let me ask you this.”
“What’s that?”
He scowled. “Does the man who replaces me have to be a cop?”
Releasing his hand, she gave him a playful slug. “I’m not getting together with the sheriff. Last night was a…a fluke. I hadn’t been with anyone…well, since you.”
That created quite an image. And not an entirely pleasant one. “So? How was it?”
A blush rose to her cheeks. “I can’t believe we’re talking about this.”
He lowered his window so he could put his arm outside. “Does that mean you’re not going to tell me?”
Her chest rose as she drew a deep breath. “It was good. It was really good,” she said with an embarrassed laugh.
“I wish I was happier to hear it.”
“If you’re not happy, why are you smiling?”
Because he was free. Because it felt as if he had a second chance at becoming the man he wanted to be. He wasn’t sure where this moment of contentment had come from or how long it would last. He didn’t know if he’d be able to maintain it, or if the OxyContin would try to regain control. But for now, he was happy just to be with her and have everything right between them. He was in charge of his own life for the first time in months, was exactly where he needed to be, doing exactly what he needed to do. One small victory for Rex McCready. “Beats the shit out of me,” he said.
She grabbed his hand again. “It feels great to have you back.”
He hoped he could stay “back.” That being part of each other’s lives wouldn’t get too painful to endure, like it always had before. Maybe, as close friends, they could finally achieve some stability.
They drove, windows down and hands clasped, music playing loudly until they reached Libby. Then Rex spotted a pay phone at the edge of a video store parking lot and pulled over. “There you go.”
Laurel’s smile disappeared as her mood shifted. “You believe Mona.”
“I believe Mona heard Horse talking about you. Whether or not he really knows where you are…” He shrugged. “That’s what we’re hoping your mother can tell us.”
A click sounded as she released her seat belt. “What if they showed up at her house?”
“We need to know.”
She opened her door, but turned back. “But what if she gave them the numbers I called from?”
He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth as he considered her. “You won’t know until you ask.”
Myles stood in the opening of Jared’s cubicle. “Grab Linda and bring her to my office.”
Jared’s eyebrows rumpled as he twisted around. “Right now? I’m still pulling my notes together.” He tapped the cheap combination calendar and clock near his phone. “See this? Our meeting isn’t for an hour.”
“I don’t care. I can’t wait any longer.” Like yesterday, Myles had spent most of the morning on the phone with the concerned citizens of Pineview, repeating himself, mollifying, placating, soothing and promising to find a killer he wasn’t sure he could catch. He and his investigators certainly weren’t going to solve this case on what they knew so far. And the more time that passed, the weaker their chances grew. He had to have fresh information, and he had to have it right away. He also needed to keep his mind fully engaged. Even with the pressure he was under, whenever he stopped moving or had half a second to himself, he began thinking about Vivian.
He didn’t like that, mostly because he couldn’t come up with a consistent reaction. One minute he was reliving last night. The next he was picturing the rough-looking character who’d been in her kitchen this morning and wondering if their time at the cabin had been some sort of game.
Rex acted as if he belonged in Vivian’s house.
But a woman who just wanted a quick lay didn’t hold back the way Vivian had done…?.
“You’re a little uptight these days, Sheriff,” Jared complained. “If you don’t settle down you’re going to have a heart attack.”
“I’m thirty-nine.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m talking about an hour. Sixty minutes. I can’t have sixty minutes?”
“I don’t need a typed report, okay? For right now, let’s bypass your meticulous but time-consuming process. I just want you to sit down in my office and tell me what you’ve got.”
“What’s the rush?” He rummaged around inside his drawer for a pen.
Myles spotted a pen on the floor and picked it up for him. Jared’s desk was no cleaner than his car. How he could create such orderly reports and detailed investigations out of this chaos, Myles had no idea. He obviously didn’t feel he could be bothered with the mundane details of life.