It was the empathy in his eyes that killed me. The understanding regarding what it was like to lose a beloved vehicle. Made my stomach sink straight through the floor. “All right.”
“I’ll tow it to the shop and store it out back,” said Josh with more of that horrible gentleness. “Give you a chance to sort out what you want to do with it.”
I would not cry over a truck. How stupid. “Thank you.”
With a nod, Josh went back to his game.
Garrett’s hand pressed lightly against my lower back. Which was nice of him. I needed the support right about then.
“Say,” said Claude, head cocked as he studied Garrett. “You look awful familiar. Don’t I know you from somewhere?”
“No, he ah . . .” I stumbled for words. “He’s just a friend of mine. You wouldn’t know him. We should probably be going now.”
And suddenly Emma screamed. “The Dead Heart! You’re the lead singer of The Dead Heart! Oh my God, you’re Garrett!”
Claude wrinkled his nose. “Who?”
“Huh,” said Harry. “He is, too. How about that?”
Josh just frowned in confusion. He always had been more of a country music fan.
Behind the bar, Emma appeared to be in the middle of a full-on fangirl meltdown. The thirst was real. Then she said, “Remember that time we both saved his picture to the screen on our cells, Ani?”
Though I doubt Garrett even heard. His eyes were wide as the moon. With panic or fear, I don’t know which. But the man was not happy. He seemed to have frozen and the situation was deteriorating rapidly. And it was kind of my fault, since he’d left the privacy of his home and come in here because he was concerned about me.
So I did the only rational thing I could and stood on a chair. “Hey. People. I have something to say.”
All eyes turned to me. Including Emma’s, though she continued to fan her face with her hands. Probably for the best, since she seemed a bit peaky.
The door opened, once more letting in the wind and the rain. My boss, Linda, wandered inside, patting drops of water off her face and hair. “Oh, good,” she said, giving Garrett a smile. “He found you.”
“Yes. Um. As I was saying . . . if a rock star had moved to Wildwood,” I said, holding a finger in the air. “And I’m only saying if. Then it would probably be because they wanted some peace and quiet, right?”
Josh shrugged.
“Like part of the reason we all live here is because we enjoy having fewer people around and a little more space to be ourselves and so on.”
“That’s makes sense,” Claude concurred. “It’s why I moved here.”
“I like the clean air and trees,” said Harry.
“Sure. That too.” I smiled. “But the other part of living in a small town is that we all have each other’s back. And say if someone who had been through some tough times happened to move into the old Cooper house and needed a little help to blend in so they could stay, then we could do that for them, don’t you think? Help them to be an accepted part of our wonderful, loving, and caring community?”
Josh smoothed back his graying mullet. “She’s laying it on a bit thick.”
“I want to be part of the community?” asked Garrett in a low voice. “When did I say that?”
I shushed them both.
“Lastly, I would just add one small word,” I said. “Please.”
No one said a damn thing.
“It was a mistake,” announced Emma finally. “This man isn’t Garrett from The Dead Heart.”
Harry shook his head. “Well, of course he’s not.”
“I honestly don’t care,” said Josh, turning back to his game of pool.
“My mother raised me right,” said Claude with all due seriousness. “Told me never to lie. But my hearing isn’t what it used to be. I didn’t quite catch what Emma was screaming about just before. And I can honestly say that the idea of someone famous moving to our small town has never crossed my mind. Seems to me, you’re just a new neighbor looking to slow down a little like the rest of us. No rock stars here. Just . . .” Claude tapped his chin. “Gary.”
Garrett’s brows rose. “Gary?”
“Yes,” said Claude.
“You don’t want to pick a pseudonym that’s maybe a little bit further removed from his actual name?” I suggested.
“I had an Uncle Gary. It’s a fine name and it’s already decided,” said Claude. And that was that.
“Quite a stirring speech, Ani.” Linda smiled at us both. “Nice to properly meet you, dear. Your secret’s safe with us.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“You know, I feel such a connection to you. Almost as if we’re family.” Without another word, Linda wandered off to get a drink.
Garrett shook his head and extended his hand to me. “Get down before you fall down.”