Page 11 of Crossroads of Love

“No man should have to bury their child. Henry just wasn’t the same after Aaron passed away. Aaron was such a good man, and that Gavin…”

Aaron had this entire town fooled.

“Miss Mayor, I do need your assistance,” my best friend, Tatum, calls out in a deep Southern accent.

“It was good to see you, Mrs. C,” I reply with a forced smile as I scurry away.

Henry wasn’t just Aaron’s father; he was Hicks Creek’s father. A fixture. An anchor as the sheriff before his son took over. When he retired, he tended to the family farm and quietly supported this town without fanfare or fuss. And now he’s gone too.

“God bless you,” I tell Tatum quietly.

“I swear if the new sheriff mentions that new parking ordinance one more time, I’m going to toss my water bottle at him.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “You won’t. You love that water bottle too much.”

“True, but still, he’s driving me nuts.”

“Well, he is theonlyperson wanting to address town concerns. And everything is driving me bananas lately.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Tatum teases. “I know these townsfolk are driving you nuts with their fake concern, but I also know you’re freaking out about the possibility of Gavin coming.”

Freaking out is an understatement. I’ve been an anxious mess while I overthink everything about whether he will or won’t come home.

Taking care of Henry’s estate shouldn’t fall on me. I’ll do it, but every time I have to do something, I get even angrier at Gavin.

“You think he’ll come?” I chuckle dryly as I roll my eyes. “He didn’t come back for his own brother’s funeral. I doubt he’ll come back for a man he despised.”

I’m still bitter about that. I’m bitter about a lot when it comes to Gavin Wells. The coward has hidden from me for the past eighteen years, and I’d be more than happy if I never saw him again.

“Part of me hopes he comes back.” Tatum sighs. “Because I’d like to read him the riot act…the other part of me hopes he doesn’t come back because I know how much he’s hurt you.”

“I’m over it,” I say dismissively.

The meeting finally wraps up, and I’m ready to dart out of here.

“Please tell me there’s a glass of wine with my name on it,” she groans.

“Oh, there’s more than one. They better leave us a few bottles.”

I grab my bag, and we head out, weaving through the crowd of familiar faces offering nods and waves. I can’t tell you how many people try to get my attention to talk. Everyone wants to know if Gavin will be home, but I don’t have a definitive answer.

I tried calling, and he ignored me. That annoys me more than anything.

Everyone wants the gossip. They’re not asking because they care. That’s Hicks Creek for you—small, tight-knit, and always in your business.

We walk to the tavern down the street, a cozy little place called The Tap, where the bartender already knows our order. Tatum grabs a booth by the window, and I slide across from her, feeling the tension ease out of my shoulders for the first time all day.

“What’s your plan for tomorrow?” Tatum asks, swirling her wine in the glass.

“Survive.”

“Good plan. You’ll be fine, though. You always are.”

“Yeah, well, funerals tend to bring out the worst in people. Especially ones like this. I swear if Gavin does show up…”

I can feel the tightness in my chest again. All of the doubts, the insecurities, and the hurt rush back as I think about having to see Gavin again.

“He won’t.” Tatum waves her hand dismissively. “He’s too wrapped up in his Wall Street life. He probably forgot Hicks Creek even exists.”

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