Page 17 of Crossroads of Love

“Right.” Her eyes flit to Jayla, and I can tell by the subtle movement that she’s holding back a lot of emotion so her daughter doesn’t see it. She pins me with a steely glare, but just briefly. “He’d rather have seen you in person. Glad you could fit it into your busy schedule. Well, it’s nice to see you back.”

Her eyes lock with mine again. I don’t know what to say, so I just nod. Jayla tugs on my arm, but I can’t move, can’t break away from Lena’s gaze. It isn’t full of the warmth it used to have when we were younger or even the admiration she had when we were in a relationship. No, this is something else entirely. A mixture of old wounds and unsaid words held back by the thin veneer of politeness for the sake of everyone else watching.

I almost shiver at how icy she’s being.

Damn, I’ve never seen her act this coldly toward someone. I never thought I’d be on the receiving end.

“You look good, Lena,” I say, almost as an afterthought.

What am I even doing?

She blinks, her lips pressing into a thin line. “We’re not doing that.”

“Lena!” Mrs. Emerson calls her name, and Lena quickly scurries off.

I’m not sure if that went better or worse than I expected.

The second she’s gone, it feels a little easier to breathe.

Damn, I didn’t expect her dismissiveness to hurt this badly.

“Mom is quite popular. Most eligible bachelorette.” Jayla laughs. “It’s like they can’t stand to see an independent woman happy alone. They think she should have moved on from Dad already.”

“Hicks Creek is good about that,” I mutter. “They love to tell people how to live their lives.”

“The town isn’t all bad, Uncle G,” she replies softly as she leads me inside.

“You’re right. You’re here, and that makes it great.”

My breath catches in my throat when we walk into the funeral home. There’s no casket for viewing, just a giant photo of my dad in his Hicks Creek sheriff’s uniform.

I didn’t realize they cremated him. I don’t even get to see him one last time.

I’m not sure how I feel about that.

The service is a blur. I go through the motions, shaking hands, receiving hugs, and offering faint smiles to people I barely recognize anymore. Jayla stays close, but the more familiar faces I see, the more out of place I feel. This town, this place, it isn’t mine anymore. It hasn’t been for a long time.

“Your dad was one of the best people there ever was,” Mrs. Emerson says in a choked voice. “He always was there for anyone and everyone anytime they needed him. It's a shame we lost Aaron, too; both were such good servants to our town. They did Hicks Creek proud. Both were such good dads…”

Clearly, she didn’t know my dad the way she thought she did, but that’s usually how it goes, right?

Mrs. Emerson is pulled away, and Mack Marley from the feed store takes her place.

“Man, oh man,” Mack says, clacking me on the back. “It’s so good to see you, Gavin. I heard you’re doing real well for yourself. Your dad used to tell all of us how you were a big shot on Wall Street. Real proud of you, he was.”

I force a smile, knowing that it’s a load of bullshit. My father was never proud of me. It wasn’t in his blood to be proud of someone who didn’t choose the family business as their lifestyle.

“Gavin,” a gruff voice says.

I turn to see Aaron’s best friend, Michael.I always felt bad for him. My brother was a jerk to him ninety percent of the time, but Aaron was always a faithful friend.

“Hey, Mikey, long time no see. How have you been?”

He was always like a little brother to me. We used to get along pretty well. I’d get on to Aaron all the time for how he shit on him, though. So I’m surprised when Mike’s face darkens at my words before he nods curtly.

“I texted and called a few times. Your dad had specific wishes in his will that we’ll need to go over.”

“Of course, I need to get back to the city first thing in the morning since there’s no cell or internet service in this place. You can call my assistant, and she’ll schedule a meeting.”

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