Damien’s lip twitched, waiting for it.
He continued, “Just want to make sure it’s all cool, this situation with me and Sorrow. ”
Damien’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits. He threw back his own shot, then said, “Yeah, sure. It’s cool. ”
“Good,” he said, remaining as emotionless as possible. “Sorrow has enough on her mind without worrying about any bad blood. You’ll have heard about the accident, I guess. ”
The guy’s face was like stone. His head moved in the slightest of nods. “Tough break. ”
Simmons was going to be harder to crack than he’d anticipated. Time to bring out the big guns. “Hey, Helen,” Billy called. “Why don’t you just bring over the bottle?”
Damien raised his brows, like he was expecting a trick.
“Don’t sweat it,” Billy said easily. “My buddy Scott is coming by later. He’ll drive us home. ”
“You’re the sheriff,” Damien said, his voice flat. He stared at his beer bottle, peeling and fraying the label. “So, she okay? Laura, I mean?”
Helen brought over the bottle of Scotch and her eyes lingered overlong on Damien. “I hear you’re single now. ”
He didn’t miss a beat before responding, “And I hear you’re still married. ” As she walked away, Simmons pulled the bottle closer, tipping a solid slug into his shot glass. “Women,” he grumbled.
Watching the amber liquid glug into the glass, Billy said, “That’s the way,” all the while thinking, that’s right, kid, time to get nice and loose. He slid his own glass over for a pour. “I don’t know how you and Sorrow left it,” he said slowly. “She’s no gossip, and what happened between you two is none of my business anyhow. But, as far as I can tell, there’s no reason two men can’t have a friendly drink. ”
Damien met his eyes and held them silently as he tipped the entire glass down his throat. “Or five. ”
Billy laughed. “Whoa, cowboy. ” Either the guy was more upset about the breakup than Sorrow knew, or he had something heavy on his mind. Guilt, maybe.
As sheriff, he knew that, if he wanted cred with the guy, he’d need to match him drink for drink, and so tipped his own shot back then slammed his glass down, exhaling hard. “Don’t think you can drink an old man under the table. ”
Simmons actually cocked a half smile at that. Progress. “I bet I can, old man. ” He stared in challenge. “Speaking of old, don’t you think you’re maybe a little too old for our Bailey?”
Billy barked out a laugh. “I’m not dead yet. ”
Damien was quick to wave the comment away with a brittle laugh. “Okay, you’re right. Foul ball. ” He sighed, and the twenty-something guy suddenly sounded much older. “Hell, I don’t know anymore. ” He poured himself another and raised it in a toast. “It pains me, Sheriff”—he clutched playfully at his heart, but there was truth in the jest—“pains me to say it. ” He grew oddly serious. “But I say this for her sake. I’ve known Bailey all my life. She’s good people, and any friend of hers is a friend of mine. ”
That was unexpected. He ran it through his head, searching for some hidden edge or agenda, but it rang true. In his mind, he upgraded the kid from evil to just plain jerk. He clinked his glass with Damien’s and tossed it back. They’d never be best buds, but Billy knew he had to keep his mind open to possibilities. Law enforcement’s first lesson was that sometimes things weren’t at all what they seemed.
Still, he reminded himself that it wouldn’t do any good to trust too easily. Which meant it was time to bring it back to the matter at hand. He was nonchalant, not even looking at Damien as he said, “So I hear the accident happened close to Simmons land. Hope that doesn’t bring any bad publicity. ”
“Dad told me once, no publicity is bad publicity. ”
“Your father must know what he’s talking about. He’s successful enough. ”
“Truer words. ”
“You’re lucky,” Billy added, “having such an experienced man as a mentor. ”
“Who, Dad?”
“Do you work closely with him? I imagine he treats you like his protégé. You’ll be the one to inherit Simmons Timber, after all. ”
Damien guzzled his beer, downing the second half of the bottle in one drink. “Sometimes I think Dad just wants me to be a suit. ”
Billy poured them each another, smaller drink, and then kept the bottle. The kid was pounding them too hard for his tastes. “A suit?” he repeated, encouraging Damien to say more.
“Yeah. A good old boy in a suit. He says it’s the lynchpin of a business like ours. Hunting trips with the boys, that sort of thing. I have ideas, though. ” He snatched the bottle back, helping himself. “I try to be a good guy, a responsible guy. ”
“Responsible how?” Like by running Laura Bailey off the road?