Page 11 of Starting Over

I looked back out the window at my side.

“He’s the sheriff? I thought he was just a cop. How big is the station here?” I asked.

I needed to know what I was dealing with. Decide if I was going to stay. I might not be able to sell the house, but I could afford to take the loss.

“Not big. Besides the sheriff, we have I think, six deputies.”

Seven cops.

That wasn’t bad. In Boston, there were hundreds. Each section had its own station. South Boston, where Sal ruled, had at least fifty beat cops, not to mention the detectives, sergeants, captains, and the chief.

Seven was more than doable.

“You running from something?”

“What?” I whipped around to look at him again.

Why would he ask that?

“Seems women who show up here are running from something. We can help.”

“The only thing I’m running from is memories and tradition.” I sighed, refusing to add the man who, for some unknown reason, wanted to marry me.

I had known Sal my whole life, but we didn’t reallyknoweach other. My father was a captain, so that put me on the radar of the higher ups. Duane, a soldier, was known due to his connection with Sal.

Duane’s older brother, Duncan, was one of Sal’s henchmen. And well, then there was Darcy. Duane and Duncan’s older sister. She was Sal’s girlfriend when we were kids.

Still, it didn’t explain why Sal had suddenly asked me to marry him, or why he wanted me to stay in Boston.

“So, no exes or crazy parents coming to look for you?” Tank asked, pulling me back to the present.

“What a weird thing to ask someone.”

“Eh, we’ve had a busy few months,” he said with a small laugh. “Women showing up, secret babies, missing siblings.” He shrugged, finishing his list.

“Sounds like romance novel tropes.”

“Got one of them, too.”

“One of what?”

“A romance writer. Came into town and fell for my brother. He wasn’t a brother at the time, but she was related to a brother. Then, her batshit crazy parents showed up. That was after my other brother’s woman showed up with a little girl he didn’t know he had. Before that, we had the sheriff’s daughter show up, one he didn’t know he had. We could use some peace and quiet right about now.”

So, the sheriff had a daughter? One he recently met. I wondered how old she was. When was she born? Who her mother was?

Shaking my head, I reminded myself I didn’t need to know anything about the sheriff. My plan was to stay far away from him.

“Well, that’s what I’m hoping for. It’s why I chose Diamond Creek. It seemed like a quiet little town where nothing ever happens,” I said wistfully.

I prayed that was exactly what it was.

Tank snorted, and I began to question my decision.

We pulled into the parking lot of the motel and my heart sank.

“What the hell is that?” I asked, pointing to the run-down building.

“That’s the motel.”

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