her head. “No. But you’re right in that we’d need to go to court.”
I sat back to think about what we could do.
“If those goons are making the rounds, someone needs to know. I’m going to report it and stop by the mayor’s office to see if there is more he can do. He can’t possibly condone this mob-mentality. And I can’t imagine the people of Salvation would want their kind moving in.”
I went to the kitchen and turned off the coffeemaker, worried that it might be a fire hazard. Maybe I’d stop by to get a new coffee maker while I was at it.
I grabbed my keys and then headed back out. “You’re sure Dad has no legit claim at this moment?”
“Yes, but-”
“I’m going out for a bit, and when I get back, we can discuss this more. Hopefully I’ll have news from the mayor’s office that will help.”
I walked out the door and down to my truck, my mother’s voice saying something, but I was on a mission. She could tell me when I got back.
I got in the truck and drove out to the highway. At first, I played through my head what I wanted to say to the mayor. He was going to have a problem if he was okay with Stark’s strong-arming tactics. But thinking of the mayor inevitably had me thinking of Sinclair.
In truth, nearly everything had me thinking of her. I was bothered that she hadn’t been back by the property to give us an update…or hell, just to see me. Perhaps she meant what she said. Ten years is a long time. She’d moved on. I’d moved on too. Well, from everything except her. Now that I was back, she was the one thing I wanted that wasn’t here for me.
I needed to remember that our estrangement was my fault. Yes, I’d given her an ultimatum and she’d made a choice. She was likely pissed I’d made her choose. I was angry for so long that she didn’t choose me, but now, I understood. I was an asshole to put her in that situation. Especially since she didn’t know about my home life. Not really. She didn’t know my father abused my mother. He’d abused me too until I was too fast to catch or big enough to defend myself. I wasn’t sure if knowing that would have changed her mind, but maybe she’d have understood that I’d reached the end of my rope at home.
As I entered the town limits, I wondered how she’d react if I told her all that. If I opened up and explained my childhood and why I had to get out when I did. I could tell her how much I loved her and wanted all those plans we’d made, because based on how I left, she probably thought I’d been lying to her. Jesus, I fucked up more than I realized.
I rubbed my hand over my heart, wishing I could go back and redo that night. At the same time, I knew if I’d stayed that night, I’d have left another day or risked becoming just like my old man. Now I had a chance to make amends. If I was lucky, maybe I could regain her trust. Perhaps we could have another chance to see if that summer wasn’t just a sweet teenage romance, but something with substance.
I knew she wasn’t married, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t seeing someone. If she was, I hated him. Didn’t matter who it was, to me, he was a fucking dick. She was mine. She’d been mine even before she made the first move. And no matter what happened, I was sure that in my heart, she’d always be mine.
6
Sinclair
I was sitting at my desk going over budget reports, wishing I could be working on finding a way to kick Stark Associates out of town when Trina poked her head in.
“You’ll never guess who’s here to see the mayor.”
I held up my hands in an “I don’t know” gesture.
“Wyatt Jones! God, I had such a crush on him in high school. Like everyone else.”
My heart did somersaults in my chest. “He asked for the mayor?”
“Yes.” Trina’s eyes narrowed. “Why? Are you expecting him?”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “I made a visit out to his place a few days ago.”
“No!” She stepped inside my office and shut the door. “Do tell.”
I rolled my eyes. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“Then why didn’t you mention it to me?”
“Because there’s nothing to tell. Stark has targeted their property. It was on the list you gave me.”
“Oh. Right.”
There was a knock on the door. Trina turned and opened it. “Mr. Jones.”
She opened the door and Wyatt walked in looking like he was a cowboy fantasy come to life. Those worn jeans, dark t-shirt pulled taut over his chest. Every neuron in my body fired with a universal “yum”.