Page 4 of Awakening the Sheriff
I did a quick tally in my head. “So we’re talking, what, fifteen hundred?”
“Give or take.”
“Okay. I’ll add that to the charges.”
As expected, the old wooden floor had been swept by now, all the glass gone. Clean was still a ways off, and with the accumulated dirt over the years, it would never be, but at least no one had to fear stepping on glass shards. The chairs and tables were upright again. Other than the two broken stools and the large crack in the mirror, the bar looked as if nothing had happened.
“Thanks, Doreen,” I called out, and she gave me a thumbs-up. A woman of few words, she always did what needed to be done. On top of being the best car mechanic I’d ever met, she was a good human being. The world could use more people like her.
“I hate that this happened,” Jack said, barely audible above the music, which had started again.
I gestured at him to go to the back, and when he did, I followed him into his office. He plopped into his desk chair while I leaned against the wall.
“You didn’t start the fight. Those two were out of control.”
“I know, but…” His shoulders slumped. “It hit me differently because I used to think like them. Oh, in theory, I was fine with people being gay as long as I didn’t have to see it. I woulda been upset seeing two women kiss as well. So yeah, I was homophobic too—until my son came out. It changed everything.”
I nodded, understanding where he was coming from. My training in psychology and my experience as a cop had taught me that people often needed an empathetic ear more than anything else. “It takes courage to change, Jack. You’ve come a long way.”
“Maybe.” He stared down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them. “But sometimes I wonder if I did enough to make up for my previous views.”
“Change is hard. But it’s a process, not a single event. You’ve made progress, and that counts.”
“Does it?” He looked back up at me with pleading eyes, such an unexpected look from this tough guy, who seemed to be grappling with guilt. This incident had hit him hard.
“You can’t change the past, but you can shape your future. And that’s what you’re doing now.”
We were quiet for a moment, the bass of the music reverberating through the wooden floors.
“Thanks, Auden,” he finally said. “I needed to hear that.”
“Anytime. I spoke nothing but the truth.” I gave him a reassuring smile.
“New Year’s Eve is one of those times when you tend to get all introspective.”
Didn’t I know it. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“I talked to my kid earlier, and he asked me a question I didn’t have an answer for. He wanted to know when I’d be ready to start dating again.”
Hadn’t Jack’s wife died right before he’d moved to Forestville? “How long has it been?”
“Since I dated? Or since I became a widower?”
I’d remembered correctly, then. “Either. Both?”
“It’ll be fifteen years this spring since Stacy died in a freak climbing accident. Romero was only eight. I’ve been a single dad since, never had the time or the energy to date. But Romero has gotten himself a job in Portland and moved out, and now the little shit thinks it’s time for his old man to get a life again.”
I grinned. “Kids, right?”
“Count yourself lucky yours aren’t there yet.”
“I cherish the time I get to spend with them.”
I meant every word of that. Violet and Dani were the light of my life, and I’d never understood parents who walked away from their kids.
“What about you? Would you ever date again?”
“Me?” I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck. “I don’t know. I thought I’d found my forever with Tricia, and when that fell apart, I kinda felt like I’d missed my chance, to be honest. We’d been dating since high school, so there’d never been anyone else for me. I doubt I’d be able to find someone at my age.”