She appreciated living in close proximity to work, especially as bone--tired as she felt. She just wanted to kick off her shoes, curl up on her couch and devour the leftover lo mein waiting for her. As much as she enjoyed puttering around her kitchen and cooking, tonight was definitely not a night to stand over a stove.
All the parking spots in front of her building were taken and she had to park a -couple buildings down. It was a nice complex. Not luxury living, but then, there was no luxury housing in Sweet Hill. At least not among the apartments and town houses. Still, it was one of the nicer complexes in town. The tan stucco was clean. Cacti and Mexican heather served as most of the landscaping.
She was on the second floor. A fact she’d hated when moving in two years ago. Well, mostly her brother--in--law hated it, since he was the one who lugged all her furniture upstairs with the help of his brother. She wouldn’t think of asking her dad. She didn’t want his help with anything.
She was fumbling for her key when the door across from hers opened. Children’s voices crowded the air.
“C’mon, Noah, get your flip--flops on,” Shelley ordered, holding her three--year--old’s hand as she waited on her five--year--old. “No, those are your brother’s flip--flops. Do they look like they fit you? Get the camo ones.”
Shelly looked up and caught sight of Briar. “Hey, there. How was your day? We’re going to get something to eat. I’m in the mood for nachos. Want to join?”
Briar shook her head. “I’m beat. Maybe next time.”
Noah finally stepped out into the hall in the appropriate flip--flops, and Shelley locked the door behind them.
“Beebee.” Tyler rushed forward and hugged Briar, wrapping his chubby arms around her legs and nearly knocking her over.
She patted the boy’s head. “Hey there, sweetheart.”
“C’mon, Tyler, don’t knock over Briar.”
The toddler looked up at her, a big grin creasing his plump apple cheeks. Shelley peeled one of his hands from Briar. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go eat.” Her gaze locked on Briar and she stepped closer before Noah tugged her away. “I want to hear all about your day at the prison. I’m sure it’s better than anything I’ve got on DVR.”
Briar rolled her eyes. “My life is not that interesting.” An image of Knox Callaghan flashed across her mind. She’d read his file. Knew all about his medical history. He was twenty--eight years old. Six feet two. Two hundred pounds. Healthy. Surprising, considering the number of times he had visited the HSU over the years. All the result of fighting. “Trust me, it wasn’t like Shawshank Redemption.”
“It’s more interesting than cleaning -people’s teeth.” Shelley was a dental hygienist at one of two dentists in town. The other dentist? Her ex--husband. It made for interesting stories. She stabbed a warning finger at Briar as she moved to the stairs with her kids. “I mean it. I want to hear everything.”
“We’ll catch up this weekend,” Briar promised.
Once inside her apartment, she dropped her bag and keys on the side table and headed for the shower. After washing away the day, she slipped into an oversized T--shirt, claimed her lo mein, and settled in front of the TV. For an hour, she lost herself in mindless television.
When her sister Laurel called, she didn’t answer, not wanting to justify yet again why she’d volunteered to work at Devil’s Rock. Nor was she in the mood to endure her sister grilling her for a recap of today. Tomorrow would be soon enough to give her an abbreviated version.
Shelley, on the other hand, didn’t need an abbreviated version. She could handle all the details . . . including listening to Briar confess how uneasy the entire experience made her. Especially interacting with a certain steely--eyed inmate. You don’t know fuck all about life in here. Her cheeks flamed at the memory and she shivered. Yeah. Her sister would freak if she shared that tidbit with her. Shelley always listened. Without judgment. Laurel was another story.
By ten o’clock she was crawling into bed. She double--checked her alarm as she settled into her pillow, her mind drifting again to Knox Callaghan. Her mind tracked over all those scars, big and small, riddling his hard body. She marveled at all the battles he must have fought to earn so many. Not for the first time, she wondered what he had done to end up at Devil’s Rock.
She glanced toward the dark outline of her laptop sitting across the bedroom on her desk. A quick online search could answer that question. It was a matter of public record.
She started to push herself up on the mattress but then stopped. Sinking back down, she rolled over so she couldn’t see the dark shape of her laptop, deciding there were some things she didn’t need to know.
She stared at the dark wall of her bedroom, surprisingly awake, still thinking about her day. What drove men to do horrible things that ended with them getting arrested and locked up? Even if they didn’t care about hurting someone else, who wanted that life?