Alicia told Ray all about the scene with Cora. He tried to look stern, but it only lasted for a minute. He burst out in laughter.
“Nice one, Sis.” He looked at Noah. “Sorry. I know you’re dating her.”
“I am not dating Cora.” Noah stood up looking aggravated. “She sp
reads that shit all over town to save face because I stopped talking to her. I just threatened her with jail time.”
Liam nodded. “Adam and I had to tell several people what a liar she is. She is worse than a stalker showing up at every event Noah goes to. Noah tells her to buzz off, but she doesn’t listen. She just can’t believe Noah doesn’t worship her.”
Alana felt nothing but relief at hearing Noah was not involved with that bitch. Then she wondered why she even cared. Didn’t she just tell Noah she could only offer friendship?
Feeling confused, she grabbed Alicia’s hand. “Let’s go on the Ferris wheel.”
Alicia nodded. Alana looked at Ray. She still felt insecure without him there.
“I’ll be right here,” Ray promised gently. “Then we will walk around and play some games. I promised you a bear.”
Alana looked at her brother with a hint of her old smile. “Speaking of games, Noah is going to be sitting at the dunk tank tomorrow. He invited us to dunk him. I want to try.”
She heard Noah groan when Ray laughed out loud.
“For sure. It will be my pleasure.” Ray gave Noah an evil grin. He rubbed his hands together eagerly.
Noah looked at her with a promise of retribution in his eyes. “Thanks for announcing it, baby. Maybe you should try the loudspeaker so Cora and many others know it, too.”
Alicia rolled her eyes and pulled her away from Noah. Alana had gotten her stitches out at the clinic in town, but she was still sore and had to walk at a slower pace.
“Don’t fall for Sheriff Romeo again, Sis. He is handsome, but he is bad news,” Alicia warned as they walked away.
Alana wanted to defend him, but she couldn’t. Noah had a love-’em-and-leave-’em reputation. He had jumped at the chance to push her away before she could get too close. He had humiliated her by making a date with Cora. She knew it had been because he was scared of committing to her. She loved him, and maybe he did care about her, but not enough to make a serious commitment. She was just not the quick-fling type.
“I told him friendship was all I had to give him,” Alana admitted as they stood in line. “I need to concentrate on getting myself put back together. I have let myself fall into a slump for months now.”
“You’ll figure it out, Alana.” Alicia squeezed her hand in encouragement. “We’re here to help you. Meanwhile, let’s have some fun.”
Fun sounded good, so Alana gave her sister a smile and agreed. The lights of all the carnival rides were beautiful to Alana. The laughter and screams made her feel energized. She hadn’t felt this good in a long time.
Chapter 9
“Don’t you want to dunk Sheriff Romeo?” Alana teased her sister the next afternoon. Alicia had been calling Noah that for years. She loved it, knowing that Noah hated the nickname.
Her sister thought about it with an evil grin and finally gave in. “I am going to dunk him in that cold water and cheer when I do.”
Alana ignored that small voice inside that told her she just wanted an excuse to see Noah again. Logically she knew it was pointless to pursue any relationship with him unless she wanted to keep getting hurt, but it was so hard to just cut off her feelings for him. She tried accepting dates, but nothing worked. Noah owned her heart.
It was hot outside, and the two girls wore cotton shorts and tank tops. Alana had her hair up in a ponytail and off her neck. The sun was hot on their skin as Alicia parked her car and they walked down the block.
There were booths filled with arts and crafts and homemade snacks. They strolled through, greeting those they knew. Everyone wished Alana well and told her they were glad she was okay. It wasn’t as traumatic as she thought it would be. People were kind and just a little worried about crime rising in Red Hook. She assured people the sheriff thought it was an isolated incident. No other robberies had taken place.
“Are you two back together? I drove by your house and saw you two lovebirds sitting on the porch,” Mary Denison, the owner of the bakery, asked with curiosity. “I don’t think the sheriff has dated anyone in months.”
“No, ma’am. It was business.” Alana didn’t go into details. Alicia pulled her away.
They finally reached the dunk tank. Helen, Noah’s secretary, sat behind a small table with sunglasses and a big straw hat. She was collecting the money.
She smiled at them. She stood up and hugged Alana. “I am so glad to see you out and about, sweetie. I was so worried about you.”
“Thanks, Helen. I got your get-well card, and I loved it.” Alana hugged her back. She had always liked the older woman. She ran the station with a tight fist and kept those men in line. Alana admired her for that.