Page 9 of Fortune's Control
“Well, at least you had the sense to pick the smartest of the bunch. Aiden said you two of you were in love and needed to get married as quickly as possible. Back in my day, we went to Alabama and spared our parents the gossip.” He wore an old robe, pajama pants, and a blue college football shirt. Right out of bed and instantly commanding a group of grown men. I already liked him, but that lengthy statement negated his earlier promise of brevity. “Well, Ms. Mayberry, if this is the man you want, I suppose he’s decent enough.”
I wanted to rewind to before I was fired and this started, with my arrival in Fortune’s Creek on my terms, as a planned visit to find my mythical grandmother, rather than fleeingfrom threats.
Sam Taggert continued without pause. “No, this is me being nosy. Let’s get on with it. I have a date with my fishing pole tomorrow morning and want to look my best.” He snickered at his joke and pulled a crumpled paper from the robe’s pocket. “Does anyone have a pen?”
Our waitress, Diane, pulled one from her apron pocket. “Right here.” She handed it to the mayor and patted my arm.
“You sign here.” Mr. Taggert gave the pen to Shane, who signed it, and then it was my turn. “Right on the line.”
My hand shook. This day started with an opportunity and ended in farce. I checked Shane, who still wore the same determined expression. Why did he insist? We were strangers, and I’d be nothing but a burden.
I managed to get a decent signature on the license, while a voice in my head screamed. Why didn’t anyone stop this?
“Is that it?” I wanted to ask if we were married, but I couldn’t manage the words.
Mr. Taggert took back the signed form. “That’s it. I’ll send the license to our clerk in the morning. Consider it a wedding gift.” He snorted at the joke. No one joined. “Congratulations to both of you. Also, Mr. Wilcott, I will keep my eye on you. Both of you.” He shook his head, still confused about what had just happened. “I suppose I should be grateful it wasn’t my boys getting married. Okay, folks, the show is over.” He waved his hand at the onlookers, and they dispersed, surprising me. “I think it’s best if you two leave, as this is enough gossip tonight, don’t you think?”
“We’re leaving now, Mr. Taggert,” Shane confirmed.
We were? “Wait. I know nothing about you.” I knew not to go home with a stranger, especially when my best friend didn’t knowwhere I was.
Shane’s lips flattened. “I was born in Fortune’s Creek and joined the Marines for almost eleven years before returning home. This town is where I belong. My parents are dead, and my sister, Sophie, lives in Tampa. What about you?”
“I’m an only child.” He noticed my subdued voice, so I kept going. “I rarely go home with strangers.”
He cocked his head as if to point out we weren’t strangers, not anymore. “There’s a small apartment above my garage. Sophie stays in it when she visits, which is rare, so it’s furnished. You can stay there.”
What happened to the sweet concern he displayed earlier? I tossed it out the window after opening my big mouth; that’s what happened.
“If it’s available, I’ll take you up on it.” I had no other option but to walk back to my car, and we both knew it.
“Then let’s go.”
*****
I expected a closet, but Shane’s definition of small differed from mine. A narrow hall led to a bathroom and a bedroom, while the living space connected to a galley kitchen. It was furnished, too, in a teal and green beach theme. I forgot my tape measure, but odds were this place was bigger than my studio apartment in Atlanta.
“There’s hot water, the Internet, and at least one or two streaming services on the TV. I’ll show you the rest of the property in the morning. There’s a pool if you enjoy swimming.”
He spoke like it was nothing. A pool?
“This is very generous of you,” I said. The frayed silencebetween us shredded my already raw nerves. “I plan to repay you, by the way. Rent, I mean. For as long as I’m here.”
“Do you have a job?”
“A job?”
“To repay me.”
How did he know? Did I look unemployed? “I’m working on the next steps in my career.”
One side of his lips pulled up into a half smile, seemingly against his will. “That’s a fancy series of words for unemployed.” Something unrecognizable crossed his face. Shane leaned down to rub his left knee. “I’ll tell you what. You’re here on vacation, right? Take it, and figure out your job later.”
“That’s unnecessary.”
“I think it is. Take that vacation, Lilah. We can figure out rent later, assuming you’re here long enough for it to matter.”
If this town offered safety, I might never leave. “I have a grandmother here. Maybe.”
