Page 42 of Where You Belong

The next day, I woke up early to head to Everton. I’ve been teaching a traffic enforcement course as a part of the Police Academy training. I was in desperate need of a change of pace, and this gave me the distraction I was looking for to get my mind off Haelynn.

What I hadn’t considered was how word had gotten out and people recognized me, asking a million questions about the photos Madelyn shared online.

I pulled my truck up later that night outside Brodie’s and put it in park. Alex texted me, asking if I wanted to meet up with him and Gage for dinner and to grab a beer. I wasn’t in the mood to drink, but with nothing else to fill my time, I opted to take them up on the offer.

My eyes immediately were drawn to the bench outside the bar, facing the street running through downtown, recalling the last time I was here and how Haelynn had sat there waiting for me.

I wish I could go back to that night, wanting to relive our time together. Back to the night of the bonfire when we snuck over to her place for time alone, just the two of us. Better yet, back to the night I made love to her, and we fell asleep with her in my arms.

I called Madelyn yesterday to check in on how Haelynn was doing. She urged me to be patient, reminding me of what brought her to Arbor Creek. Although she knew I had good intentions and was good for her, Haelynn wasn’t searching for a relationship when I walked into the studio and her life that day.

It was a hard realization to accept, but Madelyn had a point. Maybe she isn’t ready for a relationship. I fear if I push her too hard, she’ll take off running, and I’ll lose her altogether.

If she needs time and space, I’ll do my best to give her what she wants. I just don’t want to lose her for good.

I spot Gage’s pickup just as Alex pulls into the spot next to me. He greets me with a brief nod. I push my door open, hollering, “What’s up!” as I slam the door shut behind me.

“How you hangin’ in there, man?”

I know by the tone and the way he raises his brow, he’s referring to the incident over at Haelynn’s. I returned after she put Huxton to bed, allowing her to calm down before taking her statement. Alex stopped me as I was leaving to see how I was doing. He could tell there was a lot on my mind, so he dropped it.

“I’m all right. I’d be doing a helluva lot better if she’d talk to me, but I’m giving her time.”

He nods. “Madelyn mentioned she’s been working from home the past couple of days. They’re so damn busy now after posting those pictures of you two all over the internet. You see all those people talking about you and your ugly mug?”

Alex elbows me jokingly. He jogs ahead toward the door to grab the handle, stepping back to let me through.

We spot Gage at one of the high-top tables across the bar. A solemn expression marks his features. His elbows rest on the table with a bottle of beer in his hand, studying the label, seemingly lost in thought.

“I had to turn off notifications on the post because my phone started going haywire. I couldn’t keep up with them all.”

I knew the photos would be a hit, but I hadn’t expected the response. I couldn’t help but wonder how Haelynn felt about it.

I claim a seat on the barstool across from Gage, and Alex takes the one on the right. The server approaches as soon as we sit down, ready to take our orders. We’ve been here enough to know we don’t need to look at the menu to know what we want.

Alex talks about some work he hoped to start before the fall weather hit us, wanting to take advantage of the few warm days we had left. It’s easy, and I’m grateful they invited me out, knowing how much I needed this right now.

“How have things been over at Compass?” I ask.

Gage was quiet for most of dinner. Something that’s been happening all too often lately. Things have been off between us since the day I dropped by on my lunch break. Tensions have only been building since the way he spoke to Haelynn at the bonfire.

I know Gage comes from a good place. We’ve been best friends since we were little, and our parents have been close our entire lives. We used to tell each other everything, but lately, something’s been bothering him, and I have yet to get to the bottom of it.

“Same ole,” he mutters under his breath, lifting the bottle to his lips to take a swig.

Alex raises his brows, shaking his head. He’s just as baffled by his attitude as I am.

“What’s your deal lately? You’ve been different these past few weeks. Agitated and on edge.”

He glances at me and then back to Alex. I want to tell him to cut the bullshit.

“Did I do something? What the hell has gotten into you?”

“What’s gotten into me?” He slams his empty bottle down on the table. “You’re quick to want to talk about what’s gotten into me. How about what’s goin’ on with you?” He scoffs.

“You’re gonna have to clue me in because I have no idea what you’re getting at here. Clearly, you’re pissed about something, so spit it out already.”

“Spit it out. He wants me to spit it out.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “Well, how about we start from the beginning? Why don’t we start with how you’ve been seeing Haelynn? Are you going to sit here and pretend it’s not supposed to bother me?”

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