Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Hayden showed the attendant at the door his invite, stuffed it back into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, and then led Conor to their designated row. His parents hadn’t made it past the school entrance before people wanted to talk to Dr. McKenna about their heart health. It didn’t matter that Lee had retired; he would always be the one people trusted.
Devorah and Maren sat in the front row. Both wore black dresses. Hayden was about to go up to her when he saw Chad walk by. He bent and kissed Devy on her cheek and then picked Maren up and held her in his lap.
Clearly, this wasn’t the first time they’d seen Chad. Not by the way Maren reacted. If he’d just shown up, she would’ve been excited and surprised to see her father.
She wasn’t.
And neither was Devorah.
As much as Hayden wanted to tell himself that what he’d seen was nothing, that it meant nothing, a nagging voice in the back of his head told him otherwise. How come he hadn’t heard Chad was in town? Certainly, this type of news would’ve spread like wildfire. The man who’d cheated on Oyster Bay’s Pearl of the Ocean had returned to town, a man whose mistress had publicly humiliated her, and no one had anything to say?
Hayden dug his fingers into his legs as anger threatened to erupt. A funeral honoring Devorah’s father wasn’t the time nor the place. Neither was after the service. How long would he have to wait to confront her? To demand answers?
Wasn’t he at least owed the basic “Hey, thanks for the fuck, but I’m going back to my ex” talk?
His father crossed in front of him, blocking his view for a brief second.
“What’s eating you?” Lee asked.
“What? Nothing.”
“Bullshit. You look like you’re about to put someone in the coffin next to Crow. What’s going on?”
Hayden kept his eyes focused on the back of Chad’s head. Lee was right. Hayden would like to put Chad in a coffin. Just not next to Crow’s. He wouldn’t damn the man through eternity with the person responsible for breaking his daughter’s heart.
“Ah,” Lee said. “You feel you should be up front with her?”
“No, it’s not that,” Hayden said through gritted teeth. “It’s the man next to her.”
“Colt?”
Hayden shook his head and looked around the room for Colt, spotting him in the corner speaking to a police officer. “That’s Chad Campbell.”
“No shit? Pretty ballsy showing up at Crow’s funeral. He’s liable to come back to life and beat his son-in-law.”
“I wish he would,” Hayden said. Then he wouldn’t have to spend the night in jail for doing it himself.
A police officer stepped to the podium, and everyone rushed to take their seats and quieted down. The man spoke about why they’d gathered there today and asked that if people needed to excuse themselves, to please use the gym doors off to the right or left. His last request was that everyone silence their cell phones.
One of the local preachers took the podium and began Crow’s service. By the end, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, including Hayden’s. For as gruff as Crow was, he was going to be missed, and not just by the community, but by his family.
Crow’s family stood, and, led by Colt, they walked to Crow’s coffin and said their last goodbyes.
Chad did not. He stood there and waited for Maren and Devorah to return, and then he held his daughter’s hand and placed his other hand on the small of Devorah’s back and guided them out of the gymnasium.
One by one, rows were excused. Some went to Crow’s coffin, while others made their way to the cafeteria, where the wake was being held. Hayden thought about leaving, heading back to his parents’ place, where he could shut everyone out of his mind.
Only, doing so would serve no purpose. He wasn’t going to stop thinking about Devorah and Chad. Or be able to forget how she hadn’t spoken to him all week. Or how Chad was in town, and his presence wasn’t a surprise to anyone. Except Hayden.
The receiving line to get into the gymnasium had already backed up down the hall because of all the people waiting to pay their respects. Hayden grew irritated, but he knew that if he didn’t go to the wake, Devorah would ask him why he hadn’t been there. Or would she?
Would she even notice he wasn’t there?
Probably not, with Chad there.
“Behave,” his father’s voice said in his ear. He turned and glared at his father.
“I’m at a funeral,” he told him. “It’s not like I’m going to punch the guy.”
“Or her,” Lee said. “She’s going through a lot right now and needs support. She doesn’t need you pissing on her to mark your territory.”
As if the thought crossed my mind.