Mrs. Johnson was one of her favorites. The sweet elderly lady came in at ten a.m. every day like clockwork just to have coffee and catch up on gossip with whoever was in there. A lot of people just came in to chat and drink coffee throughout the day. There was an ice cream shop in town and a bar that served some food at night but no other restaurants. Ally had told Lacy that Mr. Johnson had passed away last year and this was Mrs. Johnson’s way of pushing off the loneliness, so Lacy made it a point to chat with Mrs. Johnson every day even if it was only for a few seconds. She understood the agony of loneliness very well.
The only good thing to come out of all this mess was discovering this quaint and charming town of Appledale and making new friends. The people in this town made her feel like she belonged and she cherished that feeling. She was determined to make a fresh start here despite her disappointment over Ryan. She liked this town and was making good friends and Ryan would just have to deal with seeing her on a regular basis. If he doesn’t like it, then he can move, she thought angrily. She refused to go back to that state of depression she had been living in the last year.
She had turned down Logan’s offer of a date. She was still hurting over Ryan’s behavior. Ally and Stella asked her what went wrong between her and Ryan, and she shrugged it off carelessly even though she was hurting inside, and said Ryan decided he didn’t like her after all. She thought maybe he went back to Emma, but Ally assured her he hadn’t. Ally called her son an idiot and Stella offered to set her up on a blind date, but Lacy didn’t have the heart for it right now. She obviously wasn’t meant to meet a Prince Charming the way Stella had.
The cool weather and the fall colors finally rolled in and she often spent time at her f
avorite spot in the park, admiring the beautiful red and gold colors of the trees. She also spent time with Ally after work, helping her plan her big Halloween bash. Ally explained that every year she threw a big costume party for the whole town and Lacy offered to help. They were sitting in the diner making a food list so Clyde would have enough time to order the extra items they would need for the party, which was coming up in three weeks. Anything was better than sitting upstairs brooding over Ryan and the mess with Chico. Men were nothing but a headache, she decided.
“I do this every year,” Ally told her, looking a little sad. “My husband, David, loved holidays, but he especially loved Halloween. He was like a big kid, planning out our costumes weeks in advance and trying to frighten all the kids with his scary decorations here at the diner. The spookier the better, he always said. Doing this party makes me feel close to him. Plus the people really love it and look forward to it, so start thinking of a costume, Lacy.”
Lacy patted Ally’s hand. “That’s so sweet to honor him this way. You are lucky to have had such wonderful years with him and memories to look back on. My mother never had much luck with men, from my dad to every boyfriend that drifted in and out of her life. I guess I’m destined to be like her,” Lacy said, sadly looking down at the list she was writing.
“Nonsense, young lady,” Ally said in a firm, motherly voice. “My son is an idiot and don’t think I haven’t let him know it. You are a beautiful girl inside and out, and lots of men flirt with you but you ignore them. Don’t sit home depressed over Ryan. Go out on a date. Have fun for now. Sooner or later Mr. Right will come along when you least expect it.”
“You’re right, Ally. Thanks.” Lacy smiled, feeling better. Ally was right. Why was she sitting home alone, depressed because Ryan didn’t want her? She had a lot to offer someone, and if Ryan couldn’t see that, then he wasn’t worth it. She needed to accept that and move on with life, not get stuck in another rut filled with depression. She was going to call Logan tonight and tell him she’d go out with him.
* * * *
“So what’s this I hear about you and a certain deputy kicking up a ruckus at Thorn’s last night?” Stella elbowed Lacy playfully. “My friend Linda said she saw you and Logan dancing up a storm.”
Lacy was putting Ryan’s lunch down on the table, doing her best to ignore him despite her body’s immediate reaction to him. He hadn’t been in the diner since he gave her the brush off. Lacy giggled, ignoring Ryan completely, and looked at Stella instead. “I had so much fun. Those line dances are harder than they look, but Logan was so good about teaching me. I’m glad I went. We’re supposed to go again soon and I can’t wait.”
“Good for you, girl. You deserve to have fun and Logan is a good person,” Stella said, giving Ryan a mean look and walking away. Stella was no longer so friendly with the sheriff. If he couldn’t see the difference between Lacy’s honesty and Emma’s manipulative ways, then he didn’t deserve her.
Ryan was no longer tasting the food in front of him. Lacy had walked off to wait on other customers after barely speaking to him and how could he blame her? He had asked her out, kissed her, then turned his back on her as if she meant nothing to him. He couldn’t stand staying away from Lacy anymore. He had come into the diner today just to get a glance at her. Thoughts of Lacy popped into his head at all times of the day and night. He wondered if she was worried or scared about Chico. He wanted to be the one to protect her and comfort her. He had never felt that way for another woman. Missing her wasn’t about the physical attraction, although he felt plenty of that. He missed coming into the diner every day and seeing her shy smile or hearing her sassy answers when he questioned her. He was the idiot his mom had called him. He had heard from several people that Emma was at Thorn’s every night picking up men, yet she wanted him to feel guilty for breaking up with her. Now he had probably lost Lacy to Logan and he deserved it. He got up, leaving half his lunch on the plate and feeling worse than when he came in.
Later that night Ryan called Lacy at the apartment, hoping to find her home since he knew Logan was on duty tonight with his older brother Gabe, who was also a deputy. Ryan had finally blocked Emma’s number from both his personal and work phones, but he hoped it wasn’t too late to make it up to Lacy and hopefully win her back. He finally accepted the fact that he had to stop feeling responsible for Emma’s feelings. He had never led her to believe he wanted marriage. He had told her on the first date that he wasn’t looking to settle down and she had said all she wanted was to have fun. It didn’t take long for her to suggest getting married, and he told her no. After that it was one scene after another full of tears and drama because he wouldn’t marry her.
“Do you have news from Detective Garcia?” Lacy asked him anxiously when she answered the phone and heard Ryan’s deep voice. Why else would he be calling her? Lacy shivered and was mad at herself. How could she still react physically to him just by hearing his voice over the phone? She needed to forget all about the sexy sheriff, she reminded herself.
“Not yet. I…um…was wondering if you could have dinner with me?” he said, feeling like a high school kid asking his first girl out on a date. Thank God she didn’t see his sweaty palms.
“Ryan, we’ve been here before and it didn’t work out, so why try again?” she answered, sounding a little sad.
“It was all my fault. I had a great time on our date and I really like you but I let my fears and guilt get in the way. I regret that more than you’ll ever know,” he explained, hoping she’d understand where he was coming from. “I’d like to explain it all to you if you’ll give me a chance.”
“Look, Ryan, I thought we had a chance toward something good that night, but then you blew me off and hurt me. I don’t want to go through that again. I’m already stressing over this whole Chico situation and dealing with your mood swings is not a good idea. I’m sorry,” Lacy answered him and hung up the phone.
Ryan stared at the phone for a few seconds before hanging it up. He wasn’t angry with Lacy for rejecting him. He had hurt her but if she thought he was going to give up so easy she had another thing coming. Instead of being honest with Lacy and explaining what he was going through with Emma so she would understand his dilemma, he had just coldly rejected her without any explanation. He was ashamed of that. If he had gone with honesty maybe he wouldn’t be sitting here alone wishing there was a certain brunette with him.
Chapter Six
Lacy smiled at Mrs. Johnson’s description of her Halloween costume for the party. She explained to Lacy how the people looked forward to this party every year. It was a fun way for everyone in town to gather socially and mingle, and sometimes the costumes were elaborate or downright scary. Lacy had never celebrated holidays before but this party sounded like fun. Maybe she’d even ask Logan to be her date. I can do this, she encouraged herself. I can forget all about Ryan Clark. His phone call yesterday had unsettled her and now she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
“I can’t wait to see it, Mrs. Johnson. It sounds beautiful,” Lacy told her with a smile, enjoying her enthusiasm. Mrs. Johnson was wearing an original outfit from the fifties with a printed poodle on the skirt.
“What do you have planned dear?” Mrs. Johnson asked her, picking up her bill, getting ready to leave.
“I’m not sure yet.” Lacy shrugged. She hadn’t even thought about a costume yet. “But I guess I’d better make up my mind soon, huh?”
Lacy turned toward the door when she heard the bell ring and saw Ryan walking in. He had his serious ‘Sheriff’ look, and she got the feeling he wasn’t here to say hello. She took a deep breath and tried not to panic. This had to be about Chico and it didn’t look like good news. She put the coffee pot down before her shaky hands dropped it.
“See you tomorrow, Mrs. Johnson.” She waved to the elderly lady and waited for Ryan to walk toward her.
He stopped in front of her and leaned toward her and whispered in her ear so no one else could hear, “I cleared it with my mom. Let’s go upstairs and talk.”
She nodded and followed him upstairs and sat at the small kitchen table while he made coffee. He seemed very comfortable moving around the kitchen. Then she remembered Ally saying he used to stay here, and she wondered jealously if he brought Emma here. What a thing to think about when her life was in danger. He set a cup of hot coffee down in front of her but she only stared at it. Her hands were shaking and she wasn’t sure if she could pick it up without spilling it. She waited for him to say something.