Shaw set down his phone, feeling satisfied if not happy. He’d been scanning the online ads regularly for deals, and he’d finally found the RV he’d wanted. He’d gotten a great price because the couple who’d owned it was getting a divorce and selling off property as quickly as they could offload it. The bank had approved the transaction today, and they’d called to tell him it was officially his. He just had to get down to Galveston to sign some papers and get the keys.
He wasn’t in a place where he could move into it yet. He really needed to stay longer to help Rivers and to sock away more money, but something inside him settled, knowing the RV was on the coast waiting for him. He’d go down this weekend and take a look, make a list of any repairs or remodeling he wanted to do, and then set up a plan.
He got up to pack a suitcase. For the first time in the two weeks since Taryn had walked out, he felt some of the tension slip out of him. Distance would help. He needed a weekend away. Being in this apartment was too much—with her scent still lingering in the shower every time he turned the hot water on and memories of their time together haunting every room. He needed a change of scenery in a bad way.
The news droned on in the background as he packed, but his ears perked up when he heard her name. Dr. Taryn Landry. He’d been hearing it a lot lately, and it sliced through him every time, like a thousand little blades. He tried not to turn and look at the screen, but he couldn’t help himself. They were rerunning clips of the fund-raiser. The event had been a big success and had garnered a lot of community attention, along with some national coverage.
Taryn was beaming on the screen as she announced that they’d surpassed their goal and hoped to have the wider campaign ready to go in a month or two. Clips of the competition flashed over the screen—kids having fun on all the obstacles, the boys showing off when they actually made it through one, the girls looking smug when some of them beat the boys. So much of him wished he had been there to see Taryn’s project come to fruition, but for once, the news cameras had been the least of his worries.
He couldn’t go to her. She’d said goodbye, and the kindest thing he could do was leave her alone. She’d laid out the bare truth for him, just like she’d always done. You can’t give me a happy life. Straight shooter. It was something he loved about her, but it had hurt like acid in an open wound because he couldn’t deny it. He wanted to be something for her that he wasn’t capable of.
What the hell could he say? Hey, wanna come live in an RV with me and drop out of your life? Leave all that hard work, your family, and friends behind because I love you and want to be with you? Like he was some prize. Please.
He clicked off the television.
He’d always known he deserved penance for what he’d done to his brother. He thought he’d served it. He’d been wrong. This was it. This was what payback felt like. He’d gotten to experience what happiness was, what love felt like, only to have it dragged forever out of reach.
This is not for you.
Well played, universe.
He zipped up his roller bag and shoved it to the side, but a knock on the door had him lifting his head. Shaw headed to the living room, assuming Rivers must’ve forgotten his key. He’d promised to stop by today, but when Shaw swung open the door, an unfamiliar guy in a brown suit smiled an all-teeth smile his way.
Shaw frowned, not in the mood for Sammy Salesperson. “Sorry. Whatever you’re selling, I’m not interested.”
“Oh, I think you will be.” The stranger stepped closer, putting his loafer-clad foot in the doorway, but holding the smile. “I won’t take much of your time.”
Shaw’s patience, already thin, disappeared. He put his hand on the door. “I said I’m not interested. Please remove your foot from my doorway.”
He pushed the door, ready to shut it, giving the guy a second to get his foot out of the way, but before Shaw could shut it, the guy said, “Mr. Miller, I just have a few questions.”
The name shot up his spine like a spear of ice. Miller.
The shock gave the reporter the moment’s hesitation he needed. He nudged the door a little more open again, his head poking in. “Mr. Miller, I just want to get a comment on the video that’s come to light.”
The video. Those were the same words from so many years ago. The room spun a little, and for a moment, Shaw wondered if he’d fallen asleep an
d was having a nightmare. There were no more videos. He hadn’t done anything else.
His brain snapped back online. “I don’t know who or what you’re talking about, but this is private property. Get the hell out of my doorway.”
He moved to close the door again.
“A video of you and one of the Long Acre survivors. Dr. Taryn Landry.”
Shaw stilled, a sick feeling washing over him. No.
“Is it true that the two of you are in a relationship?” the reporter demanded. He turned his phone screen Shaw’s way. A familiar country song blared from the speakers. A shaky video of their karaoke performance played in front of him. He stared, unable to look away. Whoever was filming kept zooming in on their faces. Shaw’s cowboy hat shielded him until he accidentally stepped into the spotlight with Taryn and kissed her.
“How did you get this?” he asked, trying to keep his voice devoid of any emotion. He hadn’t admitted he was Shaw Miller yet. Maybe the guy didn’t really know for sure.
The reporter slipped inside as if Shaw had offered him an invitation. “Dr. Landry is quite the local celebrity right now. Someone posted the video online to show her singing, and a commenter recognized you. We face-searched you and traced you to your former college roommate.” He smiled again, but there was a predatory edge to it. “Care to comment about why you’re victimizing Dr. Landry? Your brother doing that wasn’t enough?”
Anger surged. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’re posing as someone else. Surely, you’re not going to tell me that this woman, a victim who is spending all her time raising money for school shooting prevention, is willingly kissing the killer’s brother?” He gave Shaw a lifted-eyebrow look.
What could he say to that? Saying yes threw Taryn to the wolves in front of everyone—her friends, her family. He couldn’t. “Get out of my apartment. You can’t be here. I didn’t invite you.”