by Kathy Ivan
She couldn’t help but be touched by the offer. “It’s nothing mechanical. Just a flat tire. Dante will have it fixed and back to me by this evening, I’m sure.”
Douglas cleared his throat, but didn’t rat her out, which she appreciated. “Good thing you sent me along to help her. I found her in the complex’s parking lot.”
Ms. Patti’s hand cupped his cheek, and she smiled. “Thank you, honey.” Turning, she met Jill’s gaze. “You go ahead and call Dante, and get your car handled. We’ve got this. Take your time. Nica, stop playing around. Serena doesn’t need a peach-colored streak in her hair.” With that, she was off across the room, whispering something to her daughter.
“You didn’t want my wife to know about you having two flat tires?”
Jill ducked her head before answering. “It wasn’t intentional. I said flat tire, and then I realized if I corrected myself, it would make it sound like a bigger deal than it really is.”
She could almost feel Douglas studying her, weighing her words. Darn it, he was one of the most astute men she’d ever met, and one of the best judges of character. She needed to somehow divert his attention, or he’d get suspicious that it was more than simply running over something in the road. Which it probably was, right? Nobody had messed with her car. There was no reason they would. Like nobody had followed her the night before.
“Jill, you want to tell me what’s really going on?” His deep voice held concern with an underlying thread of steel which refused to be ignored. She couldn’t help wondering how many times his sons had heard that exact tone when they’d been growing up. And since he seemed insistent, she wasn’t about to lie to him. The Boudreaus had been good to her, and she wasn’t about to do anything to tarnish their trust.
“I…it’s probably nothing. I thought somebody was following me last night after I left here. It’s silly, because I looked and there was nobody around. Just an overactive imagination working overtime.”
“Did you call Rafe?”
She shook her head. “Honestly, it’s nothing. Dusty even stopped by last night when he saw the lights on. Nobody would have been hanging around if they saw a deputy talking to me, right? Oh, I did mention it to Lucas last night when he called.”
“He wasn’t concerned?”
Jill felt a blush heat her cheeks. “He wanted to come over and make sure I was okay. I convinced him everything was fine, and that I’d see him today. Really, Douglas, the tires are simply bad luck. Dante will get me fixed up good as new.”
Douglas did something then that shocked Jill speechless. He pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight. After a second or two, she returned his embrace, allowing his sense of calm and stillness to sweep through her, and she felt a wave of acceptance fill her that brought tears to her eyes. She blinked them back, hoping nobody noticed.
“I need to make that call, get hold of my brother.” She gave him a final squeeze and stepped back, only then noticing the utter silence surrounding them. Everyone had stopped working and stared at them. Once again, she felt a wash of heat fill her cheeks. She wasn’t used to being the center of attention, although nobody seemed all that surprised to find her in Douglas’ arms. Ms. Patti smiled indulgently. Nica grinned from ear to ear. Serena gave her a surreptitious thumb’s up.
“If you need anything,” Douglas whispered in her ear, “day or night, you call me, you hear? I want your word, Jill.”
She drew in a shaky breath, and nodded. “I promise.”
Dipping his head once in acknowledgement, he walked over and put his arm around Ms. Patti, and surveyed everyone standing around. “Back to work, people. Walls ain’t gonna paint themselves.”
Paintbrushes slapped against the wall, and rollers began spreading paint at a rapid rate before he’d finished his sentence. He bent down and whispered something in Ms. Patti’s ear, and at her nod, he placed a kiss against her cheek and walked out through the kitchen door.
“Jill, why don’t you and I unload the food and drinks? By the time we’re done, this crew is going to have worked up an appetite.”
“Yes, ma’am. Give me a second to call Dante, and then I’m all yours.”
Dante agreed to head over to her apartment and handle changing the tires on her old sedan as soon as he let Frank know what was going on. Said he could get a couple of retreads on and it wouldn’t break the bank, which was a good thing because her savings account was on life support. She’d get her final paycheck in a few days, which would help because the insurance company was paying her for all the vacation and sick time she had banked, which was a lot since she’d never taken any time off.
After getting his promise to have her car ready by later that afternoon, she turned around, and couldn’t hold back her smile. Watching all her friends, and she’d come to think of all of them as friends, pitching in and helping out made her feel more like a part of the community than she’d felt in a very long time.
For the first time, she allowed herself to realize everything in her future looked bright. She crossed her fingers, and wished with all her might for her happy ending. With a contented sigh, she joined Ms. Patti and started laying out the sandwiches, cookies, and brownies.
Even with a rotten start, it was turning into a pretty good day.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Son, you got a minute?”
Lucas rested his phone between his shoulder and chin while he continued typing on his laptop. “Sure, Dad, what’s up?”
“I want to talk to you about Jill.”
Lucas paused at the serious note in his father’s voice. “Jill? What about her?”
“Your mother sent me over to Jill’s apartment after church, asked me to help her with the food she was bringing to the bakery. When I got there, I found her standing in the parking lot staring at two flat tires.”
“Two? Had they been tampered with?” As soon as the words left his mouth, Lucas winced, knowing his father would immediately pick up on his underlying suspicion.
“I’m not sure yet. I didn’t see any outward sign of tampering, but I didn’t want to spend too much time looking, because I didn’t want to worry Jill. I also wanted to get her over where your mother and brothers could keep an eye on her, while I talked with you. Tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m not sure. Might be nothing.” Lucas pushed the laptop farther back on the coffee table, and leaned against the sofa cushions. “I talked to her last night. She mentioned she thought somebody was following her, and tried to make it seem like her imagination. Now I’m not so sure.”
“She mentioned something about that when I pressed her. I don’t like thinking somebody’s messing with her. Think I should talk to Rafe about this?”
“I’ll tell him, Dad. Is Frank going to tell you what he finds out?”
“She wouldn’t let me call him. Her brother, Dante, is going to fix the flats for her. She mentioned something about getting a couple of retreads.”
“What? Nope, not letting that happen. I know money’s tight for her right now—”
“Why?”
Lucas wasn’t sure how to answer his father’s question, but knew if he asked, his father wouldn’t tell anybody what he was about to divulge. “Dad, you can’t tell anybody what I’m about to tell you. Jill’s broke. She used every dime of her savings to pay off her brother’s gambling debt. Wait…wait, before you say anything, Dante got in over his head and lost big in an illegal poker tournament. They beat the crap out of him, then took him to Jill and said they’d cripple him if she didn’t pay.”
Lucas heard his father’s whistle over the phone. “I never suspected Dante had a problem. Where’d he even find a high stakes game around here?”
“I’ll tell you all about that later. Matter of fact, that’s the new story I’m writing, about the personal consequences of illegal gambling in Texas. Dante’s been key in getting me introduced to the right people. He’s been going to Gamblers Anonymous, trying to get his head on straight. But in the meantime, Jill lost every
thing she’d been saving for years to open her bakery.”
“Got two choices here. You want to talk to Dante and tell him to put four new tires on her car, or you want me to?” Lucas could hear the smile in his dad’s voice, knew he’d handle Dante the same way he’d done all his boys. Dante wouldn’t know what hit him. It was almost tempting to sit back and watch his father handle Jill’s brother, but he’d rather do it. He’d been working to build a relationship with the younger man, and pulling his dad into the mix might stir up more problems than it solved.
“I’ll talk to Dante as soon as we hang up. Jill’s at the bakery with Momma?”
“She’s well protected, son. We won’t let anything happen to your gal.”
Funny how right that sounded.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“I’m gonna want to hear everything. Plan on meeting me for coffee in the morning.” Lucas knew an order when he heard one.
“Yes, sir.”
“Right answer. Now I need to get back inside, because I’m hungry and I want to grab something before your brothers eat everything but the wrappers. Call me when you hear something. Oh, and tell Frank to put those new tires on the family account.” He hung up before Lucas could sputter out a response. Trust his dad to have the last word.
Pulling up his contacts, he speed-dialed Dante’s number. He answered on the first ring.
“Hey, dude, what’s up?”
“I heard Jill had a little mishap with her tires.”
“Wow, word travels fast. She called me, asked me to get her fixed up this afternoon.”
Afternoon already? Where had the day gone? He felt like he’d barely sat down to go over the info Heath had sent about his sister, and half the day disappeared. “Do me a favor. When you check out the tires on Jill’s car, let me know if anything looks suspicious.”
There was silence on the phone for a couple of beats before Dante asked, “What’s going on? You wouldn’t be asking me unless you’re thinking—wait—are you thinking somebody’s after my sister?”
“Calm down. I don’t think anything.” Yet.
“Yeah, right. Why don’t I believe you?”
Lucas knew Dante was bright, and he’d figure things out fast, whether he told him anything or not. Couldn’t hurt having an extra set of eyes keeping watch over Jill. “It’s probably nothing, but having two flat tires at the same time seems a little…unusual. Maybe she ran over something in the road, and it’s no big deal. I’m curious; it’s part of my nature. It’s why I became a reporter, because I get to ask all sorts of questions and get answers I might not otherwise get.”
“And? Because I know there’s more to this.”
“Okay, and Jill might have mentioned she thought somebody followed her home last night. Wait, before you jump to conclusions, she checked and didn’t see anybody. She thinks it’s her imagination playing tricks on her.”
“I’m guessing you don’t, otherwise you wouldn’t think twice about flat tires on somebody’s car.”
“Not somebody. Jill.”
“Stop dancing around this, Lucas. Do you think somebody’s after my sister? Is it my fault?”
“Why would it be your fault?”
“The gambling debts. I brought those guys right to her doorstep, man. If somebody’s targeting my sister because I screwed up, I’ll never forgive myself.” Lucas heard the catch in Dante’s voice.
“I don’t think anything of the sort. What I think is you need to get Jill’s car tires fixed. Put four brand new ones on. I’ll settle up with Frank about the cost. And not a word to your sister.”
“She’s not going to be happy when she finds out. Monroe’s aren’t big on accepting charity.”
“What charity? Jill and I are friends, have been since we were kids. I’m simply helping out a friend.”
Dante’s barely suppressed snicker was audible through the phone. “You keep telling yourself that, dude. I’ve seen the way you look at Jill. Heard the way your voice softens when you say her name. I might be young, but I recognize love when I see it. And you’re a fool if you let my sister slip through your fingers again.”
“Dante, I—”
“Save it. I was going to take two tires over to the parking lot and change ’em there, but if I’m changing all four, I’m gonna tow her car into the shop, it’ll be a lot faster.”
“Don’t forget to call me if you find anything odd.”
“I will. Talk to you later.”
Lucas disconnected the call and leaned forward, looking at his laptop but not really seeing it. Dante’s words kept ringing in his ears, repeating over and over he was in love with Jill. Before he could think any more about it, his phone rang again. It was Dante.
“What?”
“I thought of something. Might be nothing, I don’t know. Remember when you first got back, and stopped by Jill’s place to take her out for a drink, and I was there?”
“Yeah, it’s not like it was that long ago.”
“When I got to Jill’s apartment, there was a rose lying in front of her door. A single rose with no card or anything. A long-stemmed red rose. She didn’t know who left it either, and then you showed up and I kind of forgot about it. With her thinking somebody’s following her, and the thing with the tires, I’m not sure if the flower is significant or not. Figured I’d tell you anyway, you know, just in case.”
“Thanks. I’ll ask Jill about it. Maybe she found the card later, or somebody told her they sent it.” Strangely enough, Lucas didn’t like the thought of somebody sending Jill anonymous gifts, especially roses.
“Or she’s got a secret admirer who’s afraid to talk to her, like in the movies.”
“Maybe.”
Lucas almost wished he was naïve enough to believe that might be the case, but he was too cynical and world weary, and had seen far too much ugliness to believe in something some innocent.
“Anyway, I thought I’d mention it, what with everything else going on. I’ll call you. Later, dude.”
After Dante hung up, Lucas pulled the laptop closer, and stared at it intently. After a few minutes, he knew any attempt at getting work done was futile. He couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t focus on anything but Jill and the possibility of her being in danger. Right now, he had too many balls in the air, and he’d never been great at juggling. Worrying about Jill, the possibility of finally locating his sister, and his meeting with Junior at the gaming club tonight all fought for priority in his head. Splitting his focus like this could spell big trouble, which he couldn’t afford.
For now, Jill was safe. He shot a text to Rafe, asking him to keep his eyes open. Then a follow up e-mail to Heath, thanking him for the info on Renee/Elizabeth.
Glancing at the clock in the corner of his screen, he winced. He had one more stop before he headed over to meet up with Junior. Time to get his head on straight, and dig up a little juicy gossip on Texas’s dirty little secret.
Standing in the shadows, he watched a cavalcade of people traipsing in and out of the storefront on Main Street. The site had stood vacant for months, yet now it was a hive of activity all centered around one woman. Jill Monroe. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but somehow, she’d become enmeshed in his every thought until he couldn’t eat. Couldn’t sleep. Business slumped because he’d become obsessed with being near her. Now here she was, starting a business right in the heart of Shiloh Springs. A business he didn’t have a personal stake in—at least not yet.
He’d considered renting the space for one of his legitimate business ventures, but had hesitated at dealing with Patricia Boudreau. The woman was squeaky clean, with an unsullied reputation, and he doubted she’d have dealt with him anyway.
The rumor mill reported Jill planned to open a bakery. The slightest smile curled his lip at the thought. Perfect. He’d have an honest-to-goodness excuse to see her every day, without hiding in the shadows like some lowlife stalker. Maybe he’d become a patron of her business. The thought of her slaving away in a hot, steamy kit
chen wasn’t ideal, but he couldn’t demand she quit. The place hadn’t even opened yet.
Maybe it wouldn’t. A few discreet accidents would at least delay the bakery’s opening, along with the added bonus of making Jill feel vulnerable. Accessible to being comforted, and he’d be ready to step in and play the gallant rescuer.
Lifting his cell phone, he tapped a few keys and put it to his ear. “Here’s what I want you to do.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jill stretched, feeling the muscles pull slightly in her lower back. But it was a good ache, because they’d accomplished so much. Who have thought one afternoon of painting could make such a difference?
“Anything else you need us for?” Serena glanced around the bakery, her smile matching Jill’s. “It really looks great. Simple colors, yet not too girly, you know? I can’t wait to see the sign you mentioned. You said a friend’s designing and painting it for you?”
Jill nodded. “It looks like a large chalkboard, only instead of being black, it’ll be the same sage green color as the trim color we used. She’s using chalkboard paint, and then drawing or painting on different sweet treats like cupcakes, macarons, and cookies. The name and logo will go in the center, and then the whole thing will be sealed, so it doesn’t get smudged or erased.” Grabbing her phone, she scrolled through to the example she’d discussed with Harper. “It’ll look similar to this, but without the fancy swirls and curlicues. I think simpler is better.”
“Wow, I love it.” Serena studied the picture. “It’s going to be perfect.”
“Thanks.”
Serena slung her arm around Jill’s shoulder. “Well, if you don’t need me anymore, I’m going to head home and take a long, hot bubble bath. I’ve got the feeling I’m going to be feeling this in every muscle tomorrow.”
“I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done to help.”