“I’m going into town.” Jesse started down the steps. “I’ll try to find some way to get in touch with her father. Joe, did she leave any information for him when she did the deed?”
“I’d have to check City Hall.” Mayor Danvers sighed. “Let me ride with you.”
I was going out of my mind. When Samantha left, I expected to see her beautiful face again the next day. When that didn’t work out, I was at peace because she did call and touch base with us. It had been almost twenty-four hours since her last call and I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. A million things went through my head—she could have been in an accident, her father could have reacted badly—she could have even decided that the whole thing was crazy when she thought it through. I just needed an answer. If it was her decision, I would figure out a way to live with it, but I needed to know one way or the other. Jesse had barely been gone for an hour when Steve’s phone lit up with Jesse’s number. He tossed his cigarette over the side of the porch and put the phone to his ear. All of us gath
ered around him waiting on the news.
“You have to be shitting me.” He hung the phone up angrily. “She got arrested—for a fucking DUI.”
“What!?” I raised my eyebrows angrily. “How the fuck...”
“I don’t know. Jesse ran her license and got a hit. She’s still locked up. He’s going to make some calls.” Steve sat down and sighed.
“At least she’s okay.” I leaned against the porch. “I’m going to kick her ass when I see her.”
“Let me handle that.” Luther folded his arms and his eyebrows came together angrily. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t sit down for a week.”
Chapter 18: Samantha
The cold steel of the handcuffs hurt my wrists when they were clamped on tight once the officer had me do a breathalyzer. He took me roughly by the back of the neck and shoved me into his squad car. When that didn’t sober me up, I realized how drunk I really was. The officer kept me in the back of the police car while a wrecker came for my car and then he started driving me towards the station. As we got closer, the impact of my decision really started to sink in. I wasn’t going to be able to return to Granite Falls the next day—I might not even get to go back the day after that. The police officer booked me and put me in a cell that was cold and lonely. I curled up on the cot and started to cry. I couldn’t believe how badly I had screwed up. I got my phone call the next morning and tried to call my father, but I got no answer at home or on his cell phone. I didn’t have any other number memorized, so the officer took me back to my cell and told me I would be arraigned later that day.
“Come on, Grant.” A police officer appeared at the entrance of my cell. “You must have a guardian angel because you’re being released.”
“What?” I sat up in confusion.
“I don’t get paid to ask questions.” He motioned for me to follow as he opened the cell.
I had no idea what was going on, but I followed behind the officer as we passed the rest of the cells and entered the part of the police station where I was booked. I was allowed to change back into my regular clothes and all of my personal items were returned once I signed a piece of paper. It felt like a dream when he started leading me down the hallway towards the exit. I knew something was definitely wrong, but freedom was so close I could taste it. I didn’t get arraigned and they never set bail or anything—I was just being released. I stepped through the exit and things became a little clearer when I saw Jesse leaning against his sheriff’s car.
“Get in.” He opened the passenger door.
“How did you get me out of there?” I started towards the car, feeling my heart beating in my chest.
“Professional courtesy, but that doesn’t mean you’re completely off the hook. Luther is going to have a long talk with you once we get back to Granite Falls.” He motioned towards the open door.
I don’t think he’ll be doing much talking—and I’m not sure I’ll enjoy it this time.
“I still haven’t told my father...” My words trailed off as I took a seat.
“You don’t have to. I just came from his house. I was actually there when you called.” He sat down behind the steering wheel and looked over at me. “He’s not very happy, as you can imagine.”
“You told him about...us? What we talked about?” I swallowed a lump in my throat.
“I told him enough. He was concerned, but he wants you to be happy. We’re going to swing by there on our way out of town.” Jesse nodded as he started driving.
My father didn’t yell at me either, but I could see a lot of disappointment in his eyes. It was hard to tell if it was because of my decision to move to Granite Falls or my arrest. When our talk was over, he hugged me and told me he did want me to be happy, regardless of what that meant to me. Jesse helped me pack my bags and carry them to his car. I hugged my father one last time before getting back into the passenger seat. I hoped time would show him that it wasn’t just a random whirlwind romance where I was running away to marry a man I just met. The truth was so much sweeter than the fiction we created, but there was no way he would understand that. Nobody would understand it except the eight of us that had agreed to the arrangement. He promised to visit when he was feeling better and I promised I would come back to visit him when I could as well. After that, we were on the road and the next stop was Granite Falls—and the rest of my life.
“I don’t like lying to him.” I let out a sigh and stared out the window.
“You’re not lying. I do care about you and I’ll be marrying you.” Jesse reached over and took my hand. “He’ll see how happy you are when he comes to visit. That will help him understand that this is right for you, even if he doesn’t know all the details.”
“I hope so.” I looked to Jesse and smiled.
My homecoming to Granite Falls wasn’t as joyous as I originally thought it would be when I left. After the other six hugged me and told me how thankful they were I was okay, I got seven lectures about the dangers of what I had done. When that was done, Luther took me upstairs and I knew it wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience. I spent some time over his knee getting to know the paddle in a way that I didn’t want to ever know again. I spent the night alone in my bed, denied their touch as additional punishment for what I had done. I didn’t wake up to breakfast in bed or any of the pleasantries I had become accustomed to. I dressed myself in a pair of pajamas and walked downstairs where they were all sitting and talking. It appeared to be fairly early. Mayor Danvers was the first one to get up when he saw me.
“It seems like you did something right while you were home.” He walked over and wrapped his arms around me.
“What happened?” I felt him squeeze me tight and when he leaned back, there was a smile on his face.