“You plan on avoiding them for two years?”
He thought of his father and how their relationship had flip-flopped through the years. When he’d married Bella, they’d actually been close for the first time in his life. He could hardly believe that now. “I don’t have to avoid my family. They know to stay away.”
“You’re willing to give them up for good?”
“They gave me up first,” he said. Especially my father. He started down with the suitcases, leaving her to get her computer and makeup bag from the bathroom.
Her brother walked in as Simon was going out to load the car. “You guys moving already?”
Simon stepped aside to avoid a collision. “Got our own place now.”
Joe shook his head. “For the life of me I can’t believe you’re staying in Whiskey Creek.”
“Why not? The people here are so friendly.”
It was a joke, but Joe’s ears turned red. “I meant since you’re famous. Matt Stinson, who plays ball for the Packers, has been our only claim to fame. He probably hates it that you’re in town.”
“In more ways than one,” Simon muttered, crouching to fix a wheel on Gail’s suitcase.
“What’d you say?”
He lifted his head. “I said I’m going to get your sister a new suitcase.”
“Oh.” Joe lowered his voice. “You love her, don’t you?”
For a moment, Simon felt tongue-tied. How could he respond to this? It was a question that begged an honest answer.
Fortunately, when he hesitated, Joe added, “You’d never do anything to hurt her....”
Grateful for the slightly different slant, Simon stood. “No. I would never do anything to hurt her,” he said, and he meant it.
Her brother seemed relieved. “Good.”
Gail hurried down the stairs with the last of her belongings and gave her brother a hug. “How’d it go at the station today?”
“Fine. I think Robbie’s getting the hang of it. I stayed with him tonight so I could keep an eye on things while he did his homework.”
“That was nice of you.” She gestured toward the stairs. “Dad was asleep when we got home. Will you tell him we’ll see him tomorrow?”
“Sure. By the way…” He caught them before they could leave. “There were some people asking about you at the station earlier.”
Leaving the suitcases at the door, Simon turned. “People?”
“Reporters, I think. They didn’t identify themselves. They wanted to know if Simon O’Neal had been in town.”
“What did you tell them?” Gail asked.
“That I hadn’t seen him. They didn’t seem to realize I was your brother. But…I get the impression word is out that you’re in Whiskey Creek, so…keep your eyes open for an ambush.”
“So much for our short reprieve,” she said to Simon. “Do we dare sally forth? We could always roast marshmallows here and watch a movie on Netflix or Hulu.”
“Wouldn’t be the same,” he said. “I’m willing to risk it.”
* * *
Someone knocked on the door of their new house even sooner than Simon had expected. They’d just hauled in their bags. Gail was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. He’d been wrong about the utilities; they had both water and electricity. But because of the late hour—it was nearly eleven—and what Joe had said, there was a greater chance of their visitor being someone Simon didn’t want to see than someone he did. He couldn’t imagine many people staying out so late on a weeknight here in the town that time forgot.
It had to be a reporter from one of the tabloids. Or some obsessed fan who’d managed to track him down. Simon had experienced both and didn’t want to deal with either, especially considering his injured hand, which limited his ability to protect Gail, if it ever came down to that.
He peered out the window. He could see the dark shape of someone standing on the porch, but he couldn’t tell who it was or anything about why he or she had come. The outdoor light wouldn’t go on. He figured it was burned out, since the rest of their lights worked.
“Gail? It’s me!” their visitor called. “I—I know it’s late, but Joe said you’d be here. And I wanted you to have this while it’s still warm.”
Suddenly more curious than defensive, Simon opened the door to find Sophia—the woman he’d met at the coffee shop, the one who’d alienated everyone years ago with her behavior.
“Sorry to bother you.” She was carrying what looked like an apple pie and seemed flustered that he’d answered instead of Gail.
“It’s fine.” He held the screen door. “Would you like to come in?”
She ducked her head as she stepped past him, which brought her hair forward, concealing much of her expression. “I made you both a housewarming gift.” Her gaze briefly met his. She was even prettier up close, but he felt no attraction to her. He wasn’t sure if that was because she was married, or because he was.
“Thank you,” he said as he took the pie. She had oven mitts on her hands, but the ceramic dish was no longer hot enough to need them. “Apple?”
“Yes.”
“Smells delicious. I’ll put it in the kitchen.”
“Where’s Gail?” she called after him.
“In the bathroom. She’ll be out in a sec.”
Gail came into the room as he was returning. “I thought I heard a woman’s voice.”
Sophia smiled in relief. She obviously didn’t feel comfortable around Simon. But he didn’t resent that. He was relieved to know she hadn’t come because of him. “I brought you another pie. You really liked it the last time you were home.”
Gail’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, right. I did. Thank you.”
“I’ve been baking a lot lately.”
“The last time we talked, you mentioned that you were thinking about getting a job. How did that go?”
She shrugged. “I decided against it.”
“Why?”
“Skip doesn’t think it’s a good idea, not while Lexi’s so young. He’s worried about me not being around enough as she goes through puberty.”
Simon couldn’t help noting the double standard. Hadn’t she told him at the coffee shop that her husband was frequently gone himself?
“But…you were talking about a few hours a week at the B and B with Chey and Eve—nothing too time-consuming.”