Marlena chuckled and Alicia barked at her. “What? Why are you laughing?”
“Because, I’ve never seen you get so riled up over a man before. It’s like the sheriff gets under your skin.”
“He rubs me the wrong way.”
“You like him, that’s what’s pissing you off.”
“I do not. I definitely don’t need another controlling, demanding man in my life telling me what to do and where to go and who to hang out with.”
“That’s not what the sheriff did.”
“Close enough.”
Marlena laughed.
“Well, I think you’ve caught the eyes of all three Gordon brothers. Maybe a little push is exactly what you need.”
Marlena heard the bell ring and knew the food orders were up.
“Excuse me while I get back to work.” Marlena winked and Alicia shook her head.
“You’re the one who found three great men. I’m destined for loneliness, to be a failure, and more than likely have Tony up my you-know-what for the rest of my life because I’m such a scaredy cat when it comes to him.”
“The first step in solving a problem is first admitting that you have one. You’ll figure it out, and if you can’t get rid of him, I know a very tough, sexy deputy that I’m sure would be happy to kick some jerk’s ass for you. Mike’s been gnawing at the bit for days now.”
Alicia chuckled.
Marlena walked away and glanced at Danny. He nodded his head and she turned away.
After work, they would head to her place to get some more clothes. She was upset at not being able to enjoy the new kitchen cabinets they completed. What a shame. All because Peter was on the run from police and possibly heading to find her. But how could he find her? She was all the way in South Carolina. How could he get tipped off?
She delivered the food and went about her work day, swamped as ever. Seemed to her that every person living within the perimeters of Chance decided to pay a visit to meet her, give their word of personal protection, and console her. Chance was a special town indeed. She was beginning to think Peter would never even reach the perimeter of town, never mind get away with standing right in front of her.
It seemed to her more and more that coming here, deciding on staying put in the town with the choice based solely on its name, was the right move after all. Maybe she was getting better at making decisions and following her gut instincts. Having her three new best friends and falling in love with the Spencer brothers were what was keeping her less panicked and more confident. Hopefully the police caught Peter before he even stepped into South Carolina. That was what she really hoped for.
* * * *
Mike and Deputy Taylor Dawn headed to Marlena’s cottage to do a drive-by. They knew that the town entrances were covered by patrols and that pictures of Peter Jones were posted and passed around to anyone they could reach. But Mike was antsy and doing the drive-by this late afternoon would make him feel like he was accomplishing something.
As they came up the drive along his uncle’s old place, he caught a glimpse of something by the front door.
“You see that?” Taylor asked, catching it, too.
“Shit, look at the side window. Did Marlena leave that open?” Taylor asked.
“I don’t think so. We were sure to lock things ups good and tight. Let’s be careful,” Mike said.
“Should we call it in?”
“Not yet. We don’t know what we got. Just be ready,” Mike told Taylor.
“You got it, buddy.”
They slowly pulled up closer and Mike could see the broken glass.
“Fuck, looks like someone might have broken in.”
Mike placed the car in park and turned off the engine.