“It shows.”
“I bet you thought differently when you heard my last name.”
“Of course I did, but I’m sure you are used to hearing that, aren't you? Plus, I know Rhonda and knew Kurt pretty well before…”
“Yes, I’m used to hearing that. My uncle was a great man.”
He shook his head, agreeing before continuing, “You never know where you’ll end up with hard work. Believe it or not, Wyatt, I used to say the same thing about being in an office pushing paper. Life changes, things change. One minute you are working to pay bills, the next you have to take a job promotion and work your life away, strictly because it is what has to be done. I admire your limits and the way you are working toward what you want though, I really do.”
He continued after looking down at a piece of paper on the desk. “Did you have any problems with the eviction today? I really appreciate you doing that for me, by the way.”
“No, not a problem at all. In fact, oddly enough, the daughter who answered the door was a woman I met last night at Kellye Joe’s.”
“Oh yes, Breigh Foster. Beautiful little thing, isn't she? She’s had a hard life, that one. Any time she gets a normal life, something seems to get in the way. Believe it or not, she was quite the little hell-raiser when she was in high school. I had to deal with her a couple times, and I had been called out to her father’s numerous times.”
I smirked. “That’s too bad about her having a hard life.” I wanted to ask more, but did I? It wasn't my business, yet I had a nagging in my stomach. I honestly couldn't figure out why I cared to know. I had only known Breigh for less than twelve hours.
“Her father, as you know now, Greg, is a drunk. We went to high school together, that is how long I’ve known him. I was friends with him and his wife. He hasn't been able to hold a job for pretty much his entire damn life. That girl has picked up his pieces far more than he deserved. That man wouldn’t be alive if it wasn't for her.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
Sergeant’s phone rang and he looked down.
I turned to walk out of the office and Sergeant answered his phone. “Hold for just a second…”
“And, Wyatt, there isn't a guy in Hilltop that is good enough for her. Including you.”
“Understood. But I wasn't the least bit…”
“Yeah, you were. You would have to be blind and stupid to not have an interest in that beauty queen. She has a heart of gold.”
“Well, you don't have to worry about that with me. My focus is work, the last thing I need is a girlfriend.”
His face was puzzled, trying to compute what I was saying and whether to believe me or not. “That shocks me… I figured…”
“Nope.”
“Okay, then.”
“Okay.”
BREIGH
On the drive over to my grandmother’s, I thought about Wyatt. How embarrassing it was that he served Dad’s eviction notice. He probably thinks I’m white trash, or a grown woman living in her father’s house. Little did he know, I had been paying his bills for the last year since he fell off the wagon. Again. I was leaving the house, right before he showed up. I looked a mess from cleaning the kitchen that had been in disarray. The more he drank, the more he let things go. I killed more cockroaches today than I had in my entire life, well except the time when I was twelve and went over to stay with him for the day. I had never scrubbed myself so hard as when I got back home that evening after grammy picked me up. We were supposed to spend time together, but instead he slept all day coming off a bender.
Sometimes I felt like I had a hole in my chest from not having my mother and instead of my father helping to fill that void, he just dug a deeper hole. I think there was a heart there at one time, but with my mother dying at childbirth, my father being a drunk, and the way life has had its ups and downs, I didn't know if I would ever fill that gap. Adding insult to injury, the guy who had broken my heart not too long ago, sure didn't help.
Other than Emma, the only person who had helped was my grandma, grammy. She was a vital person in my life and the closest person to me. She was such a blessing in my life. It was like God said, “Sorry about your parents, but here’s your grandma. Treasure her.”
And I did.
We saw eye to eye on so many things, but not on one: she wanted me to find the love of my life like she had with my gramps. I didn’t get to spend as much time with him as I wished I would have. He passed when I was twelve. Not old enough to really appreciate the love the two had for each other. Some of the stories she had told made me feel like I was in the very moment with them, feeling the love and passion for each other. I had settled on the fact that she was the love of my life. A guy just wasn't going to play that part in my life.
I was okay with it, she wasn’t. Hence why I hadn't been out for a long spell.
Upon arrival, she was sitting on her front porch, in her rocking chair, reading. She did this every afternoon after her chores. I had always loved to read and I recognized I received that from her. She loved romance or humor. I loved mystery. I guess I couldn't get into romance since I didn't believe in “The One.”
Not anymore. I keep telling myself that anyway.
Waste of energy for me.
“There’s
