“Quincy.” Megan’s voice was sharp. She held Quincy’s gaze. “Do you have any idea how angry Ramona is with you right now? She’s so angry with you that you’re staying with Ean and me. That’s how angry she is with you right now. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Quincy looked depressed.
Megan folded her hands on the counter in front of him. “Then do you really think this is the time when you should propose marriage to Ramona?”
“No.” Quincy rubbed his forehead. The enormity of his situation seemed to have crashed onto him at one time.
Megan reached over and rubbed his shoulder. “It’s OK. She’ll calm down eventually. She always does.”
Crisis averted, Vaughn’s friends changed the subject. They asked him about Mystic Park, summer semester, and his brothers. Mystic Park was going well. Summer semester was light, and both of his brothers were returning to Trinity Falls for his play. Before he knew it, Doreen returned with his breakfast.
Megan straightened from the counter. “What’s next for you once Mystic Park is over, Vaughn?”
Vaughn turned to Doreen. “I’m hoping to buy a house. I’d like to make an offer on yours, Doreen.”
“Oh.” Doreen exchanged looks with Megan and Ean before turning back to Vaughn. “Someone’s already put an offer on my house. I’m sorry.”
Vaughn’s eyebrows rose. “Already? That was fast. I hadn’t realized it had gone on the market.”
Again, Doreen looked to the others before answering him. “The person made the offer before it was listed.”
The others in the group rega
rded him with inscrutable expressions. “May I ask who made the offer?”
“I’d rather wait until the sale is final before giving the name.” Doreen refreshed his coffee. “I promise to contact you first if, for some reason, the sale doesn’t go through.”
“I’d appreciate that.” Vaughn considered Doreen’s smile. It didn’t mask the concern in her eyes. The others looked away when he turned to them. Then Megan changed the subject.
Was he being paranoid or were they hiding something?
Alonzo was waiting outside of Leonard’s house when the high school mathematics-teacher-cum-football-head-coach pulled onto his driveway late Thursday afternoon. It was poetic justice since Leonard had lain in wait for Doreen when she’d come home from work exactly one week ago today. From his position leaning back against the railing attached to Leonard’s house, Alonzo watched the smaller man climb from his car.
“Am I supposed to be intimidated by you, Alonzo?” Leonard slammed shut the driver’s side door and circled the trunk of his brown Ford sedan.
“The only reason a person would say that is if he were intimidated.” Alonzo remained still, tracking Leonard’s progress with only his gaze. He still wore his sheriff’s uniform. His arms were crossed at his chest. His legs were crossed at his ankles.
“Should I be?” Leonard leaned against the passenger side of his car. He set his soft black briefcase on the ground beside him.
“Yes.”
Leonard’s neighbors were either still at work, still at school, or in their houses. The picturesque street was deserted this final week of May. Alonzo had known it would be. He’d driven past Leonard’s house a couple of times in the past week while he figured out how he would deal with this wannabe rival for Doreen’s affections.
“Are you threatening me, Sheriff?”
“I’m educating you, Leo. But don’t worry. There are just two simple lessons. Lesson one: stay away from my house.”
“It’s a public street.”
“Lesson two: stay away from my woman.”
Leonard narrowed his eyes. “Does Doreen know you’re here?”
“See, that’s the thing, Leo.” Alonzo kept his voice nice and easy despite the inferno of fury burning inside him. “Nothing about Doreen is any of your concern. So there’s no reason for you to think about her beyond the fact that she’s your mayor.” And he knew just how much Leonard loved that, considering he’d tried to prevent her from being elected.
Leonard held Alonzo’s gaze in silence for several seconds. “Whatever you’re hiding must be cataclysmic for you to try to get me to forget that I’d once had an intimate relationship with the woman you think you’re going to marry.”
“And you must be pretty desperate to make up stories about me.” Alonzo straightened from the rail and approached Leonard. The other man stiffened as though anticipating an attack. Alonzo hoped it would never come to that. He hadn’t gotten into law enforcement for the violence. And he’d had more than enough of it over the years.