Page 10 of This Memory (Moose Village #3)

I hadn’t gotten very far when I heard my name being called. I tried to pretend I didn’t hear Brystol, but she apparently wasn’t having any of that. After calling out my name twice, she shouted as if someone was about to murder her.

“Officer Quinn!”

Everyone turned and looked.

I smiled and said a few hellos to folks around me before turning and glaring at Brystol.

“You wouldn’t stop, so you left me no choice.”

“I didn’t hear you.”

A single brow rose. “You didn’t hear me?”

I motioned around me. “Have you noticed all the people today?”

Brystol looked around, then focused back on me. “Have you eaten lunch yet?”

Frowning, I shook my head. “No.”

“Then may I join you for lunch?”

Folding my arms over my chest, I tilted my head and regarded her. “Why do you want to have lunch with me?”

Her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. “I would like to apologize.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. Enjoy your day, Brystol.”

I turned, attempting to walk down the street again, before she grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. “Gavin, please. I’m just asking for a few minutes of your time, that’s all.”

Glancing at my watch, I sighed. “I need to let Declan and James know I’m heading to lunch. Does the Moose Village Café sound okay?”

She smiled, and I tried to ignore how it made my heartbeat skip. “Yes, that sounds great. Should I meet you there, or do you want to walk together?”

I hit my radio and let everyone know I was heading to lunch. “Might as well walk together.”

“Great! Lead the way,” she said, motioning for me to walk.

We walked the two blocks to Plum Street and down to the café. When we entered, all heads turned and looked at us. Brystol paused momentarily, but I gently guided her farther into the café.

“There’s an empty table over there in the corner,” I said, pointing.

Brystol quickly started for it and kept her head down as if that would keep the gossip from starting.

It was Moose Village, after all, and I just happened to see Betty Lou Stark sitting at a table with Judith Turner, Brystol’s aunt. Two of the town’s biggest gossips.

Brystol slid onto a chair, and I did the same, as Wendy, one of the waitresses, walked over. “Hey, Brystol, Officer Quinn.”

“Hey, Wendy,” Brystol said, lifting the menu to hide herself.

Wendy gave me a quizzical look, and I shrugged. “I’ll have a water.”

“Same for me, please,” Brystol said, lowering the menu just enough to speak and smile at Wendy. Then it was right back up .

“Brystol, everyone already saw us walk in. Why are you hiding?”

She slightly lowered the menu. “Not everyone turned and looked.”

My brows shot up. “Really? Cause from my vantage point, everyone turned. And did you not see Betty Lou and Judith sitting at a table?”

The menu dropped. “Shut up? They’re here?” she whispered, as her eyes darted around the café. I knew the moment she saw them.

A whispered “fuck” came from those full pink lips of hers.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Busted, so you might as well just go with it. If you hide, they’re going to think you have something to hide.”

“I do,” she said quietly as she leaned closer. “I’m pregnant, remember?”

“I do, and you’re not even close to showing. All you’re doing is making it seem like you’re embarrassed to be with me.”

She dropped the menu. “I’m not.”

Smiling, I replied, “Then just act normal, will you?”

She visibly relaxed.

“Did Evelyn ever call you about when to announce the big P?”

Confused, she shook her head. “No, why?”

“Denny and Evelyn wanted to tell a group of friends about the pregnancy. I was kind of surprised because of how many losses they’d already had, but Denny said Evelyn was so excited she wanted to announce it. I told them they really needed to talk to you about it since this was your life as well. ”

Her eyes went as wide as saucers.

“They didn’t tell you?”

When her face went white, I quickly said, “It’s okay. They haven’t said anything, but they wanted to have a few friends over last night to announce it. Denny called me earlier in the week, and I told him I thought it was a bad idea.”

“You did?”

I went back to looking at the menu, even though I knew what I was getting—the same thing I always got when I came to Moose Village Café: pastrami on rye with homemade chips.

“Yeah, I asked if they had spoken to you, and he said no. I told him they needed to, and personally, I think they should wait until after the first trimester. Even if Evelyn feels more confident with you carrying the baby.”

When she didn’t say anything, I glanced up. She was staring at me.

“What?”

“How do you know about the first trimester? Or any ’ mesters for that matter?”

“I did some reading.”

She dropped back in her chair. “You did some reading? Pregnancy reading? Why?”

Shrugging, I replied, “I don’t know, I was curious.”

With a slow nod, Brystol studied her menu. Wendy came back with our waters.

“Do you know what you want?”

“I do. Gavin?”

Shutting my menu, I nodded. “I’ll take my usual.”

Wendy nodded and wrote it down.

“What’s your usual?” Brystol asked .

“A pastrami on rye with chips,” Wendy answered for me.

Smiling, Brystol handed Wendy the menu. “I’ll have the same thing, but can you add french fries instead of the chips?”

“Sure,” Wendy answered.

“Oh, and can you add a side of macaroni and cheese?”

Wendy wrote it down.

“And do you have any cherry pie?”

Wendy looked at Brystol. “We do. Do you want me to bring that out at the same time as your sandwich, or wait until after?”

“Can you bring it out now?” Brystol asked, reaching for her water to take a drink. “Oh, and I’ll take some milk.”

“Milk?” Wendy and I both asked at the same time.

Brystol nodded. “Yeah, a glass of milk with the pie, please.”

Wendy looked at me, and I simply smiled.

“I’ll get the milk and pie right after I put this in.”

“Thank you!” Brystol said, lacing her hands together and placing them on the table.

“Cherry pie and milk?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a weird craving for cherry pie.”

“Have the cravings kicked in already?”

She laughed nervously. “I don’t think so. I was just in the mood for cherry pie.”

“And milk.”

Her gaze lifted and met mine. “And milk.”

When she smiled, I felt that familiar gut punch and had to look away.

“Um, Gavin, I wanted to apologize for what I said to you about the amount of women you…you, um… ”

I looked back at her and finished, “Have fucked?”

She flinched, and I knew it was a dick thing to do.

“For lack of better words.”

I shrugged. “That’s all it ever is. You can’t say you’ve made love to someone if you don’t love them.”

Her head tilted slightly to one side. “You’ve never been in love?”

“No.”

I answered her question way too fast.

“Never?” she asked again, this time in a quiet voice I could barely hear.

Drawing in a breath, I slowly let it out. “Once, but I was young and stupid.”

“Oh.”

“What about you?”

“Me?” she asked.

Nodding, I replied, “Yeah, have you ever been in love?”

Her eyes bounced all over my face before she finally looked away…then her eyes rounded. “Oh no. My aunt Judith is heading our way.” Aunt Judith was Brystol’s mother’s sister and married to Liam’s father, Mitchel Turner.

I groaned and closed my eyes. “Please God, no, no, no.” Brystol kicked me under the table, and my eyes flew open. “Ow! What the fuck was that for?”

Plastering on a fake-ass smile, Brystol said, “Aunt Judith, how’re you doing?”

Judith stopped at the table and looked between us. “Brystol, Gavin. I didn’t realize you two were dating.”

“We’re not,” Brystol and I said in unison.

Judith’s perfectly arched brow rose. “If you say so. Brystol, I understand that Aurora is planning a meal train for Hope and my son, Liam. ”

“Yes, I believe she is, after talking to her brother about Hope’s decline.”

My head snapped over to look at Brystol. I wasn’t aware that Hope had declined. I made a mental note to stop by Liam and Hope’s place to check on them.

Judith cleared her throat. “I know Nathan and Liam are close friends, and I’m not sure what Nathan is passing along to his sister, but I’m very capable of handling things.”

“Handling things?” Brystol asked. “Your daughter-in-law has cancer , Aunt Judith. And from where we’re all standing, you haven’t done shit for her.”

My mouth dropped open in shock.

“I beg your pardon?” Judith asked on a gasp.

“Everyone in town sees how you’ve abandoned them.

You won’t help Liam, because if you did, that would also be helping Hope , and everyone knows you hate her for no reason.

You never take Winnie, your own granddaughter, for even a few hours.

Her grandfather or Aurora or Harper take her, to give Liam a break.

You don’t want to handle things , Aunt Judith.

You want to control things, so I’m sorry, I won’t pass along your little message.

If you want to talk to Aurora about the meal train, you know where to find her. ”

Judith stood there for a long second with a stunned expression. When she finally snapped out of it, she glared at Brystol. “You certainly have no issues speaking your mind, do you?”

With a shake of her head, Brystol said, “No. And I wish Hope would stand up to you as well, once and for all. You’ve made her life a living hell this last year—and I hope Karma comes back on your ass.”

Judith gaped at me. “Officer Quinn, are you going to sit there and let my own flesh and blood speak to me that way? ”

I picked up my water and shrugged. “From where I’m sitting, I don’t see her speaking anything but the truth.”

A look of pure outrage appeared on Judith’s face. “I’ve never been so insulted in my entire life!” Turning to face Brystol, Judith started to say something—but took a step back when Brystol stood, chin tilted up, silently daring Judith to open her mouth.

Instead of speaking, Judith turned on her heels and marched out of the café, with Betty Lou hot on her trail.

Brystol sat back down just as Wendy brought over her pie and milk.