Page 16 of Claimed and Catalogued
“It’s okay.”
I swallow down a lump. “When did you figure out that I was here for Cole?”
“About the time my mom asked if I knew who you were.” She laughs and pinches her lips together before she says, “He’s not a bad guy, ya know? Actually, he’s one of the best. He’s a firefighter here in Rugged Mountain. That guy I was dating, he was…. awful. He had me pinned against a wall, his hand fisting into the fabric of my shirt, screaming at me because I was bothering him with my emotions.” She shrugs and wipes away a tear. “I don’t even know what I said to make him do that now.”
Fuck. I’d have beat the man to death!
“Jesus Christ, Evie. What the hell?”
“We’d been dating for a few months. I knew he was kind of an angry guy, but I didn’t think he’d hurt me… until he did.”
“Fuck.” I wrap my arm around her and squeeze her tight.
“Cole is my brother, and of course I don’t want him in trouble, but you have to hear me when I say he’s not a bad guy.”
“I know,” I sigh. “I get it, but he has priors. Someone will come after him if I don’t.”
“That prior was stupid. He hopped on a guy’s snowmobile when he was seventeen and rode it around for a while. He brought it back, but the guy pressed charges. He was a kid.”
I stare at her, unsure of what to say. I don’t want to put her brother in jail. I don’t want to cause more trouble than needed, but I can’t ignore it either.
She wipes her cheek again, eyes red and raw. “So, what happens now?”
“He might get off with a fine or maybe probation, but judges don’t like runners. It makes them think he’s got something bigger to hide.”
She exhales a shaky breath. “I’ll talk to him in the morning. We’re meeting up at the diner. You should stop by. We can all talk together.”
“I’d like that.” I nod and stare at her, trying not to scoop her into my arms and carry her back to my place for the night. Not because I don’t want to, but because that level of forwardness might be frowned upon given the situation.
“I want to help him. I really do. I hate what happened to you at that bar. The guy deserved whatever your brother gave him, probably more.” I kiss the top of her head and hold her close. “My dad was a cop, the whole small-town deal. He saw everything in black and white. I always thought he was a hero until I got older and realized how gray the world is.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you see guys like your brother who are doing bad things for good reason, and you meet other folks that do bad things ‘cause bad things were done to them. It doesn’t make any of it good, but it humanizes the mistake. I rarely meet people who’ve done bad things just to be bad.” I lean forward on my knees and brush my hand down over my beard. “If your brother doesn’t come in, he’s fucking himself over. The judge will send more and more people or the guy’s family will take matters into their own hands. This is a small town. Word gets out he’s back and all bets are off.” I sigh. “I can promise you one thing.Iwon’t chase him down.”
She turns to me then, her eyes soft but sharp. “Why would you do that? You make money on dragging people in. You’d have wasted this whole trip out here.”
“I didn’t waste the trip. I met you.”
She smiles but bites it back. “I’m a mess. You haven’t figured that out yet? My own mother just shunned me from a family wedding.”
“They’re the mess.” I shake my head. “Trust me, I’ve seen messes. Trying to save a bookstore and your brother doesn’t make you a mess. It makes you pretty great, if you ask me.”
Her shoulders soften and she leans against me. “See, that’s another point against you being real. You keep saying all the right things.”
“Should I offer to take you home now or you still up for getting that food we keep dodging? I hear I get some perks with this hot Santa thing. Free pie at the diner, maybe?”
Her eyes widen. “I’m starving. We could grab some food and bring it back to the bookstore. My car’s still parked there, anyway. Plus, have you ever seen the kind of magic that happens there after close?”
“No.” My brows wrinkle inward. “Is that where all the book boyfriends come to life at once?”
“You tell me. You’re one of them.”
“Have I been upgraded officially or is this an unofficial kind of honor?”
“I mean,” she stands and hooks her hand into mine, helping me up off the stoop as we walk toward the diner down the road, “the way you touched me in that bar kind of has me wanting to see how real you actually are. Can I make my decision after a full performance? The show at the bar left me needing more.”
I laugh. “Damn. That’s book girlfriend talk.”
