Concealed Hearts (Hometown Jasper #4) - Nicky James Page 0,68

family?”

He eyed me suspiciously. “You hate it here. Actually, hate isn’t a strong enough word. You loathe Jasper. You couldn’t wait to get out of here last time.”

I shrugged and accepted the newly poured glass. “I’m trying to move forward, Shay.”

He wasn’t buying it, but he shut up while Dad made another speech about family. “Ganbei.”

“Ganbei,” I said, upending my glass.

Josiah glanced between us and copied.

“Dinner is served,” Mom called from the kitchen. “Shay? Come, come. I have a special dish for you.”

Shay held his chin high and marched into the kitchen like he’d won a gold medal.

“She spoils him. That’s why he never learned to eat properly.”

Josiah fought a grin. “His palate is…” He shook his head.

“Horrific?”

“Sensitive.”

“That’s putting it kindly.”

Dinner went surprisingly well. The last time we’d come together for a meal, it had ended badly. It was my own doing, and every person at the table knew it. For that reason, I was the recipient of cautious looks all night like they expected me to blow up at any moment.

I let Josiah, Shay, and Dad have their own time after dinner and helped Mom tidy the kitchen. I got my obsession for cleanliness from her. The woman was never sitting and always cleaning one thing or another. Later, when we left, she would be sweeping the floor behind us.

Around nine, I got a text from Windsor, asking what the plan was for the evening. Since I had yet to make a proper appearance in town, I told him I’d drive out to the cabin in the next hour and spend the night. Once more people in town knew I was home, we’d have to alter the way we did things. I couldn’t help feeling overly cautious. All it would take was one small misstep or slip and the whole of Jasper would have us figured out.

At ten, I announced I was leaving. Shay and Josiah followed me out, and we stopped in the driveway.

“So, you’re here for a month?” Shay asked, skepticism still evident in his tone.

“That’s the plan.”

The way he studied me told me he still wasn’t convinced I’d come to see family and that I was hiding some ulterior motive.

“We should hang out. Come to the cabin if you want.”

“Yeah. That would be nice.”

Josiah and I hadn’t shared too many words all night, and he wandered away, giving Shay and me a few minutes alone.

Once he was out of earshot, Shay asked, “Are you going to apologize to him?”

“It’s kinda late for that.”

“It’s not. He deserves it.”

I didn’t respond. Apologizing meant openly talking about who I was. Even when these people all knew, I didn’t feel comfortable doing that.

Shay sighed. “Never mind. It’s too much to ask, apparently. Try not to treat him like an ass, or we’ll have a problem.”

Shay headed to his car. “Goodnight, Shay.”

“Call me if you want to hang out.”

Chapter Fifteen

Windsor

It was never hot in Jasper. July might see temperatures in the mid to low twenties, but by August, there was a gradual plunge back into the teens. Nights were chilly.

The first week of Tomi’s, quote-unquote, return to Jasper was unseasonably cold. I feared winter was announcing its intent on returning early and was warning us to be prepared for a doozy. Every morning I woke up to the brisk wind sluicing its way between the mountains. It was a steady reminder that fall was around the corner, and Tomi was heading home soon.

A rap on my office door drew me from my daze. I’d been staring blankly at my computer, fretting over the dwindling days before Tomi returned to BC, counting them and wondering how many would be compromised now that he’d taken a hotel room in town.

Our paranoia had doubled. The stress was affecting us both.

I blinked and focused on Harriet in the doorway. “Hey, Chief.” She smiled that knowing smile that said I’d been caught daydreaming. “You looked far, far away, and I didn’t want to startle you.”

I rattled my head, bringing my focus back where it belonged. “What can I do for you?”

“Just wondering if you were heading to the town meeting tonight. Mayor Croucher’s talking about upcoming community funding projects and the budget for the rest of the year. If you want me to step in, I don’t mind, I just need a heads up so I can schedule a babysitter.”

We tried to ensure someone from the Jasper police was present for town meetings. Ordinarily, it was me, but there had been a few times in the