Page 92 of The Art Of Starting Over

Crow hadn’t been gone an hour before the news spread, and people began showing up. One by one, the Crafty Cathys entered the house on Main Street and took over while Colt, Dev, and Maren mourned.

When Hayden walked in, he found Devorah on the couch, with her knees tucked under her. She was exhausted, and her eyes burned from crying. He sat down next to her and said nothing. He didn’t have to, because everyone else in the house had said it already.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

Twenty-Four

Hayden

In the week since Tremaine “Crow” Crowley—the long-standing and beloved sheriff of Oyster Bay—passed away, life in town had come to a standstill. Everyone mourned the loss of Crow. Residents and businesses on Main Street draped black coverings over their windows, and the governor had given the town special permission to fly their flags at half staff. Crow’s passing had made statewide news, and thousands were expected to attend his funeral.

Hayden finished tying his tie and then helped Conor with his. Hayden could count on one hand how many funerals he’d attended in his lifetime: five. Both sets of grandparents and his wife’s. He felt odd knowing the number off the top of his head, and the feeling was compounded when he looked at Conor. He was nine, and this was his second within a year.

The McKenna family walked to the high school, where Crow’s services would be held. It was the only place in town big enough to accommodate the masses of mourners coming. Every law enforcement agency in the state sent at least one delegate, if not more. Crow had friends on every force and in every emergency service industry, as evidenced by the coast guard ship docked at the pier, blocking everyone’s view of the harbor.

Local people walked to the service, leaving parking for out-of-towners. Hayden had offered his land up for overflow parking, which the Crafty Cathys appreciated. The CC Club handled everything, with Colt’s and Devorah’s permission. The club, for all the gossip they spread, knew how to get things done.

Since Crow’s passing, his home had been a revolving door of people coming and going throughout the day; the phone rang off the hook, and food deliveries arrived almost every hour. People came to pay their respects and leave cards, and, with the sheer number of bouquets on every free surface of the house, they made the inside look and smell like a florist’s shop.

Standing on the outside—Hayden.

He hadn’t seen Devorah since the night her father passed away, and they’d barely spoken. He’d chalked it up to her not having a moment of peace. It was easier to think that than the alternative. When he saw Colt, he’d told Hayden that Devy had locked herself in her room, that she barely came out to eat, and that Maren wasn’t going to school.

Hayden worried about Maren and hoped her lack of attendance over the past week wouldn’t be something Chad could use against Devorah. The last thing she needed was to give her ex any ammunition to use in their divorce.

Of course, with Crow gone, who knew if she would even stay in Oyster Bay?

That thought plagued him. Hayden was serious when he’d told Dev that he and Conor would move to Chicago if she and Maren went back. Devy probably thought he was joking, and maybe at the time he was. No one knew Crow would have a massive heart attack and die, though, and Hayden didn’t want to lose Devy. Not when his high school crush had finally turned into reality.

Staff at the high school had converted the gymnasium into an auditorium of sorts with a podium at one end, numerous white chairs facing it, and the bleachers pulled out. The first ten rows of chairs had been reserved for friends and family. Those people had received a specialnotice, hand delivered by someone from the CC Club, letting them know they’d sit with family.

Hayden showed the attendant at the door his invite, stuffed it back into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, and then led Conor to their designated row. His parents hadn’t made it past the school entrance before people wanted to talk to Dr. McKenna about their heart health. It didn’t matter that Lee had retired; he would always be the one people trusted.

Devorah and Maren sat in the front row. Both wore black dresses. Hayden was about to go up to her when he saw Chad walk by. He bent and kissed Devy on her cheek and then picked Maren up and held her in his lap.

Clearly, this wasn’t the first time they’d seen Chad. Not by the way Maren reacted. If he’d just shown up, she would’ve been excited and surprised to see her father.

She wasn’t.

And neither was Devorah.

As much as Hayden wanted to tell himself that what he’d seen was nothing, that it meant nothing, a nagging voice in the back of his head told him otherwise. How come he hadn’t heard Chad was in town? Certainly, this type of news would’ve spread like wildfire. The man who’d cheated on Oyster Bay’s Pearl of the Ocean had returned to town, a man whose mistress had publicly humiliated her, and no one had anything to say?

Hayden dug his fingers into his legs as anger threatened to erupt. A funeral honoring Devorah’s father wasn’t the time nor the place. Neither was after the service. How long would he have to wait to confront her? To demand answers?

Wasn’t he at least owed the basic “Hey, thanks for the fuck, but I’m going back to my ex” talk?

His father crossed in front of him, blocking his view for a brief second.

“What’s eating you?” Lee asked.

“What? Nothing.”

“Bullshit. You look like you’re about to put someone in the coffin next to Crow. What’s going on?”

Hayden kept his eyes focused on the back of Chad’s head. Lee was right. Hayden would like to put Chad in a coffin. Just not next to Crow’s. He wouldn’t damn the man through eternity with the person responsible for breaking his daughter’s heart.

“Ah,” Lee said. “You feel you should be up front with her?”

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