“The nurse remembered me and knew I was from Bald Knob, even though I wrote down Louisville. I was so out of it when I went in there and I don’t remember what I said to her, but it was enough for her to call Leo since she knew he was the sheriff,” Emma Jo finishes.
“That was kind of awesome of her. I mean, she could have lost her job by doing that without your permission.”
Emma Jo nods. “I know. I told Leo to make sure she knew I wasn’t mad or anything. If it wasn’t for her, and you coming out here for me, and Leo promising me that he would do everything he could to keep this quiet for as long as he can, I don’t think I would have been strong enough to file that restraining order tonight, Payton. I would have left the hospital, hid away here at home until I healed, and then went back to pretending like everything was fine. I owe you and Leo so much.”
Well, the jury is still out on how much she owes Leo. I mean, he had his suspicions for years but he never did anything about it? What kind of friend does something like that? What kind of sheriff does something like that? Maybe Leo forgot about how much of a dick Jed Jackson was to him in high school, and now he’s under the same Jed-spell everyone else in this town has been under. Just because he’s nice to look at doesn’t mean everything on the inside is nice. Jed is a prime example of that.
Not wanting to make Emma Jo feel worse by bringing up this point, I quietly give her a smile and rub my hand up and down her arm soothingly.
“I know I already said this once, but I promise everything will be okay. I talked to my manager and the shop is fine without me right now. I’m here for as long as you need me,” I reassure her.
Emma Jo gives me a small smile and takes a deep breath before sipping some more of her wine. I quickly decide to continue doing whatever I can to keep her happy and calm like this by suggesting we watch a few mindless chick flicks. Emma Jo agrees and heads down the hall to the office to grab a few DVDs from the shelf where she keeps them stored. My feeling of contentment as I head into the living room to turn the TV on is short-lived when I hear a loud pounding on the front door as soon as I walk by. I pause in the entryway and a chill races over my skin when the pounding is replaced by someone trying to turn the handle from the outside.
“EMMA JO! WHY IN THE HELL DOESN’T MY KEY WORK?”
I look back over my shoulder, wondering if Emma Jo can hear the shout from the other side of the door. This house is pretty big and the office is clear on the other side, facing the backyard. I don’t see her come around the corner and she doesn’t say anything, which means she thankfully isn’t hearing what I am right now – an angry man trying to get into his home and wondering why he can’t, making him more pissed-off by the second.
A fist pounds against the front door again, so hard that it rattles the doorframe, making my heart beat wildly in my chest wondering what the hell I’ll do if he kicks the damn thing down and storms in here.
“Open up the fucking door, Emma Jo! I don’t know what kind of shit you’re trying to pull here, but enough is enough. I cut this business trip short a day early so we could spend some quiet, alone-time together. I left my meeting with a potential campaign investor early for you, and this is how you thank me? Do you have any idea how much money I could lose out on now?”
Jed’s voice through the door and the shit he’s spilling from his mouth immediately put an end to my fear and replace it with anger. I made a promise to my friend that everything would be okay, and there’s no way I’m going to stand here like a coward and not do anything about it. Jed Jackson might have been able to push his wife around all these years, and he might have been able to cast his spell over all of Bald Knob, but that shit doesn’t fly with me. If I can handle a bunch of hipster college kids making a mockery of coffee, I can handle a pencil dick asshole who makes himself feel powerful by picking on someone smaller and weaker than him. I am neither small, nor weak, and Jed Jackson just pissed off the wrong woman.
Before he continues yelling and Emma Jo hears him, I move quickly to the front door and unlock the deadbolt. With the resting bitch face I’ve perfected over the years firmly planted on my face, I fling open the door so hard that it bangs against the opposite wall.
With his black hair, sweet-looking baby face, slim build, and the few inches of height he has on me, throw a football jersey and a pompous smile on his face and Jed Jackson would look just as he did in high school. Even with his slicked-back hair and three-piece suit, he still looks like he hasn’t aged a day, which I’m sure helps him charm the brains out of everyone in this town.