of a threat. Hell, he could have meant you’d been sorry about a million things. Dating Morrison. Day-drinking. Playing the lottery. Any defense attorney worth his salt would be able to get Stan out of trouble, and he knows it. Prisons have law libraries, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he spent the bulk of his free time reading up on his plan for revenge while under the guise of helping his fellow inmates.”
One of my favorite lines from The Shawshank Redemption was when Andy talked about becoming a criminal once he came to prison, even though he hadn’t been one on the outside. Stan had gone to jail as a convicted felon, but that didn’t mean a man couldn’t learn more. “He was waiting for me at the boat launch on Saturday and then was here today. Isn’t that stalking?”
“He’s showing up in public areas where every person has a right to be.” The frustration in Kennedy’s voice was obvious.
“What the hell do I do now? He’s definitely here to stay. How do I have any kind of life, knowing he could pop up at any moment?” It was like some demented version of Whack-a-Mole.
“I don’t know, Hen. All I can do is tell you to stay vigilant and keep your eyes open. Stan is going to fuck up at some point, and when he does, we’ll be there to catch him.” Kennedy didn’t sound very hopeful.
“What about Morrison?” I’d had an amazing time with him on the boat and then at the lobster bake. The entire family loved him and he seemed to be having a good time too. I didn’t want to lose this man over Stan’s ridiculous thirst for vengeance.
“What about him? Are you afraid Stan will go after him? Or are you afraid he’ll leave you because of the bullshit Stan is putting you through?” Kennedy asked gently.
“All of the above.” I sighed. “I like him, Kennedy. I’ve never felt this way about someone before.”
“I can tell. This new version of you has been such a breath of fresh air. I would never have said a word before now, but you’ve been in such a dark place since you came home from Miami. We’ve been racking our brains for months trying to figure out how to bring you out of your bad place. Lola and Sophie helped.” Kennedy laughed. “Those little ladies have brought so much sunshine into all of our lives, but Morrison has been the icing on the cake. I’m so happy for you, but on the flip side, I’m worried about what Stan will do to what the two of you are building.”
“I’ve been wondering the same thing. Do I live like there’s no tomorrow, or do I hunker down and stay close to home in places where he can’t reach me?”
“I wish I knew the right answer. You’re going to need to chat with Morrison about this. If he’s a homebody, that could work.” Kennedy didn’t sound like he was confident in what he was saying.
“You’re right. We definitely need to talk. In the meantime, what the hell do we do about Stan?”
“Oz and I have been throwing around ideas. The first step is to find out where he’s staying and how he has the money to be here after spending years in prison. Do you think he squirreled drug money away before the hammer fell?”
“I don’t know. I would assume the military police would have looked into that, but we all know there’s a way to get things done if you know the right people. I have no doubt Stan knew the right people.” I couldn’t believe we were talking about this. How the hell had this become my life?
“Follow the money. That needs to be our first step.” I heard scratching from Kennedy’s side of the phone. I assumed he was making a list.
My eyes roved the bar. I couldn’t help thinking about the hard work I’d done to build this place and to rebuild my life. I wasn’t going to let any of it go without a fight. My eyes landed on the bag from the bakery. “Hold on a second.” I set the phone down and hit the speaker button. “Stan brought me something from The Muffin Man. Maybe there’s a receipt in the bag.” I grabbed some gloves from behind the bar and pulled open the sides of the bag. Inside was a square box and a paper receipt. “Here we go. Looks like