6
SABRINA
The King’s Land—A Few Days Later
There were a lot of things I didn’t care for about this place. Mostly the memories of growing up. The one thing I loved, however, was the open space. I was running on Hank’s land…or Clayton’s land now, I supposed, and it felt like I was alone in the world.
No one to watch me, no one to even think about looking at me. Just me and the open space around me. I ran on the road that was alongside the property just because it was a flat surface, but I might think about mapping out some running trails up in the hills behind the house.
Also there was that access road that led west, toward where Clayton’s father lived.
Those two were super confusing, but thankfully Ronnie had come to her senses and put me in charge of the wedding planning. Not only did it give me something to focus on, I could guarantee it would be a fantastic King-like event.
I was heading back now, toward the front of the property, when I saw it. A truck parked outside the gate that led to the driveway. Immediately, I stopped.
I was hot, dripping in sweat, with my unwashed hair in a bad ponytail on top of my head.
In other words, there was no way Garrett could see me like this. And, of course, I knew it would be Garrett. He would have thought about what I said and he probably felt guilty for calling me a liar again. He probably should, but still…
He could NOT see me. Sadly, invisibility was not an option in this moment.
“Hey, Brin,” he said, getting out of the cab of his truck. I could see the stenciling along the side that marked it as a County Sheriff’s vehicle. I hadn’t congratulated him about his promotion from deputy to sheriff. It felt like something the old Sabrina would have done that the new me didn’t want to do.
I started walking toward him, my hands on my hips, taking steady breaths as if this was all just part of my normal routine.
When I reached him I stayed far enough away that he couldn’t smell me.
“Garrett,” I said, not really sure what else to say.
“You run in that?” he asked, pointing at me up and down.
I glanced down. “You mean sneakers, running shorts, and a tank top? Uh, yes.”
“Right. Look, I think we got off to bad start the other day. I’ve been hoping to catch you in town, but I haven’t seen you.”
“I’ve been keeping to myself out here,” I said, purposefully not saying I had wanted to avoid him.
“Look, if you’re expecting trouble…”
“I’m not,” I said, cutting him off. “I’m not expecting anything. I’m home to avoid trouble.”
“Still, I made it seem like anything going on in your life wasn’t real. I didn’t mean to do that. I just…I just assumed…”
“I get it, Garrett,” I told him. He’d just assumed I was up to my old tricks. I, however, didn’t necessarily want to be reminded of what I had done in the past. “You should know, I’m not the same person I was when I left.”
At least, I hoped I wasn’t.
“You need to eat a cheeseburger,” he blurted out.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m just saying I could take you to The Bar and we could grab something to eat. They have some pretty decent food…”
“The Bar? The Bar has pretty decent food? I think I need to know your definition ofdecent.”
He laughed. “Since Jack took over, trust me, things are better. You’ll see.”
I bit my bottom lip. “I’m not sure.”
