“I wasn’t taking a bribe, Rose. I was trying to get solid evidence on him to bring bribery charges against him.”
“But Joe . . .”
“Joe knew all about it. I was supposed to meet the owner somewhere else, but one of his men brought me here. Joe’s men were set up at the other place, and Mick’s guy lost them. Only we didn’t know the owner was Mick until I met him face to face tonight.”
“So did someone really try to kill you? Or was that part of the cover story?”
“Yes, but my best guess is that it was Mick.”
“He said it wasn’t.”
“Mick Gentry’s a liar as well as a thief and a murderer.”
“And he’s missing again,” Joe said, walking over to us. He glared down at me. “What the hell are you doing here?”
I cringed. “Looking for Dolly Parton.”
“At a strip club?” he shouted.
I gave him a sheepish shrug. “It was the last place she was seen.”
Mason climbed to his feet and pulled me up with him. “You’re certain Gentry got away?”
“Unfortunately, I have two witnesses who saw him run out the front door. What happened?”
“Nikko. Gentry’s men had him all along. They tortured him into admitting his arrangement with me. They killed him.”
“Damn it.” Joe put his hands on his hips and shook his head in disgust and disappointment.
“They’d just told me when one of the bouncers dragged Rose into the room. They planned to take us both out back, but a fight broke out in the other room. The manager and his goon knocked me out. That last thing I remember was hitting the floor as Lowry was pulling Rose to the back door.” Mason glanced down at me. “How’d you get away from Lowry?” He looked over his shoulder, grimacing. “And is that him dead by the back door?”
Oh crap. I couldn’t tell them about Skeeter’s involvement. And how was I going to explain how I was wearing his coat? “I don’t know. He dragged me outside, and some man confronted him. I plum passed out from fright, and when I came to, Rich Lowry was lying dead next to me.”
Both men looked less than convinced by my story.
“How’d you know so much about Skeeter Malcolm’s business?” Mason asked.
I swallowed, hoping I didn’t look nervous. “I heard it workin’ tonight. People’ll tell bartenders anything.”
Joe turned to Mason. “If you got knocked out, then how’d you get out here?” Joe asked.
“I don’t know.” He looked down at me. “Rose?”
“Uh . . . two guys carried you out and dropped you in the grass.”
“Who were they?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Good Samaritans?” Joe asked.
I almost laughed. Skeeter would hate being called a Good Samaritan.
“So Mick and his men killed Nikko. But what happened to Dolly Parton?” I asked.
“I think she’s really in hiding,” Mason said. “I think she saw something and took off, just like you suspected.” He shook his head. “But I never put together the connection that Dolly worked here. I only knew of her as Sapphire, and then it was only hearing her name in passing from Nikko. You only mentioned that she worked in a bar.”
“How did Dolly have your cell phone number?” I asked. “I found it in her box at Billy Jack’s.”
“Probably from Nikko. He approached me about a month ago, telling me they were going to bribe the DA to drop charges against one of their buddies. I didn’t want him to use my official phone line in case my boss caught wind of it, so I gave him my cell. I’ve suspected the DA has been on the take for years. Joe and I are trying to build evidence against him. Only a handful of people knew.”
“So who broke into our house?”
Both men remained silent, and Joe finally answered, “I don’t know.”
I studied Mason’s face. “Did you get what you needed?”
“No. While I now have evidence they tried to bribe me, there’s nothing pinning any previous transgressions to my boss. I can file charges against the men in that room for bribery, Nikko’s murder, and our attempted murder, but my boss is still scot-free.”
“Is it my fault?” I asked.
“No.” Mason’s face softened. “While I’m far from thrilled you’re here, the truth is you helped save my life. That, and the brawl that broke out in the other room. They knew what I was doing from Nikko, which is why they told me to meet them at the bar in Big Thief Hollow to evade Joe. They knew he’d be there.”
I looked around, suddenly remembering Neely Kate. I nearly panicked when I saw my truck and she wasn’t inside. “Oh my word, where’s Neely Kate?”
Joe shifted his weight. “She’s fine—mad as a hornet, but fine. She was trying to get through the front door to get to you, but a deputy held her back. We should let her know you’re okay.”
We walked around the building to find her, and her face broke into relief when she saw us. “You scared me half to death!” she exclaimed, pulling me into a hug. “Don’t ever do that again!”
Joe snorted. “Good luck with that.”
“I heard that,” I muttered.
“I intended you to,” he said before he stomped off.
***
The next day, Dolly Parton, who’d been hiding at an old co-worker’s house in Louisiana, finally resurfaced. She told Joe that Billy Jack had been helping Diamond and the owner of Gems. Dolly Parton had heard things at the club and was about to help Nikko deliver more information to Mason, hoping to get her latest solicitation charges dropped in the process. But Billy Jack caught wind and told Diamond, hoping for a payoff . . . and perhaps some good will from the pretty lady. Mick’s men had captured Nikko that Friday night at Gems, but Dolly managed to take off in Nikko’s car. Billy Jack must have experienced a change of heart when he called Neely Kate and arranged to meet with us, but someone had decided to stop him—in a permanent way—from leaking any information.
Skeeter swore up and down that the attempt on Mason’s life had been carried out by his former associates, while Joe tied Eric Davidson to the crime via Mick. His theory was that Eric had tried to kill Mason after finding out he was setting them up. But Mason’s phone hadn’t been recovered, and I still had an unsettling feeling that the threat came from another source—Joe’s father. Not that Joe or Mason would even consider it.
I just needed to find a way to prove it.
Chapter Thirty-One
On Sunday morning, I woke up snuggled next to Mason. He nuzzled my neck while his hands roamed my body under the covers.
“This is a pleasant way to wake up,” I murmured drowsily.
“I thought so. I told you I was planning the entire day, and this is just the start,” he said, rolling me over onto my back. “I have a couple of early Christmas gifts for you. Which do you want first?”
That woke me up. “I love presents.”
He grinned. “I know. Almost as much as I do.”
That was debatable, but I knew better than to tackle it with the former Pulaski Academy debate captain. “How can I choose which one I want if I don’t have any clues?”
“They’re both bigger than a bread basket.”
I laughed, pulling his mouth to mine for a kiss. “You’re the best present ever.”
“That’s a sad statement indeed,” he teased, pulling my nightgown over my head. “I hope to rectify that. But later. Now you’ve distracted me,” he murmured against my lips.
A half hour later, I lay next to him, half asleep again. “I don’t ever want to get out of this bed.”
“Not even for your presents?”
“It’s not Christmas yet, Mason.”
“And that’s why I called them early Christmas gifts.”
“Can I try to guess what they are?”
“You can try, but you’ll never succeed.”
“Will you tell me what you have planned for the day?”
“I thought we’d go to a Christmas tree farm an
d pick out a tree together.”
My face broke out into a huge smile.
He grinned. “I take it you approve?”
“Yes. But we don’t have any ornaments.”
His smile wavered a bit. “You have two options. We can buy some at Wal-Mart, although those are probably pretty picked over by now. Or we can use the ornaments I found in the basement.”
“Dora’s?” I whispered.
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s up to you, sweetheart. Whatever makes you happy.”
“I already am, Mason.”
“Then just imagine how happy you’ll be after you get your presents.”
“You keep talking about these presents, but I’m beginning to think they don’t exist.”
His face broke out into a mischievous grin. “Is that so?” He crawled over me and off the side of the bed, tossing the covers to the bottom of the mattress.
“It’s cold!” I giggled.
He picked my nightgown up off the floor and handed it to me as he got my robe. When I put the robe on, he tied the belt, grinning. “I can think of some fun for this sash later.”
“Mason.” I flushed, and he laughed as he pulled me close and kissed me again.
“I don’t think I can ever get enough of you, Rose. But I’d sure like to live a long, full life trying.”
I grabbed fistfuls of his T-shirt and smiled up at him. “I like the sound of that.”
“Present time.”
He took my hand and led me downstairs and into the kitchen. “Surprise.”
It took me a second to figure out what my present was. On the table, Mason had set out a rolling pin, cookie cutters, and a cookie sheet. I looked up at him.
His grin spread. “That’s not all.” He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bowl covered in plastic wrap. “Sugar cookie dough.”
“You made that? When?”
“Last night. After you went to bed.” He set the bowl on the kitchen table and stood in front of me.
“But you don’t cook.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Or bake. But Mom gave me the recipe, along with some pointers. And I may have called her at midnight and woke her up in my panic because I didn’t understand how to knead the cookie dough.”
“You did that for me?” I asked, tears in my eyes.
“This was your dream, Rose. To decorate sugar cookies with your family. We’re a family now. You, me, and Muffy. How could I not give it to you? I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you get all of your dreams.”
I started to cry.
“Hey.” He looked worried as he tipped my chin up to study my face. “Did I do something wrong?”
I shook my head. “No. You made everything perfect.”
I kissed him, showing him how much I loved him, pushing him backward until the backs of his legs hit the edge of the table.
“I have to warn you, Ms. Gardner, that it’s against the health code to have sex on the same surface you use to roll out your cookies, but now that I know that baking is so fun, I might have to become a pastry chef.”
We spent two hours rolling out the dough and baking the cookies, making the frosting, and decorating our bounty. When we were done, Mason pulled my back to his chest, his arms wrapped around my stomach as we looked at the cookies. I laughed at Mason’s, which were covered in globs of frosting. “You should definitely reconsider your new career path.”
“You’re just jealous of my savant-like talent.”
“Yeah,” I laughed as I spun around to kiss him. “That’s it.”
“You have another present,” he said between my kisses.
“Later.” I pushed him onto a chair and straddled his lap.
“It involves Neely Kate.”
I lifted my head in surprise. “What?”
He laughed. “I knew that would get your attention.”
“What is it?”
“It’s in my pocket. Reach in and get it.”
“That sounds naughty.”
“I hadn’t planned to give it to you this way, but your attempts to molest me caught me off guard.”
I shifted and reached into his pocket, pulling out an envelope. “What is it?”
“This one is actually wrapped. You’re supposed to unwrap it.”
“It isn’t wrapped,” I teased. “It’s in an envelope.”
He grinned, obviously excited. “Open it.”
I gave him a kiss, grinning against his lips. “You’re so bossy.”
“Sometimes you like it that way,” he said in a low voice that sent flutters through me.
Shaking my head, I opened the envelope. After I pulled out a paper and scanned the print, I looked up at him in shock. “Tickets to see Wicked in New Orleans?”
“I thought you and Neely Kate could use a few days away from Fenton County drama. You can drive down to New Orleans, see the play, eat beignets, Christmas shop, and just relax and have some girl time. I’ve booked you a room at a nice hotel. With room service even.”
“Mason, I’ve never left Arkansas.”
“I know, sweetheart.” He gave me a soft smile and cupped my cheek. “Don’t you think it’s about time? You’re ready.”
“But without you?”
“You can do anything and everything you want. With or without me.”
Fear rooted in my chest. “Are you going to leave me?”
His eyes flew open in surprise. “No! How can you think that? I have to go to Little Rock for a few days, and I didn’t want you sitting here alone. So I checked with Ronnie to see if he was okay with Neely Kate going, and he thought it was a great idea too, especially since Neely Kate’s not working right now. He’s giving her the surprise today too.” My phone started to ring with Neely Kate’s ringtone, and he laughed. “We decided to give it to you girls at the same time, which is why I was so insistent you open it now.”
I grabbed the back of his head and kissed him.
“Aren’t you going to answer that?” he asked.
“It can wait.”
His arms tightened around my back. And as he kissed me, I wondered what Mason was going to do in Little Rock. But I’d figure that out later.
I had some shenanigans to attend to first.
THE END
Read on for a sneak preview of THE SUBSTITUTE, available for preorder!
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Available January 21!
When Megan, Blair, and Libby were in the fourth grade, they swore they would get married by their thirtieth birthday and include the other two in their weddings. Now, coincidentally, twenty years later, two of the women are engaged and have weddings within months of each other in their hometown of Blue Springs, Missouri. What they all forgot was the fortune teller at a local festival who warned all three their weddings would be a disaster.
Chapter One
It was only ten-thirty and it was already a craptastic day.
Megan Vandemeer stared at the airplane on the tarmac. What the hell was she doing? The Alaska Airlines flight was taking off in twenty minutes and she was actually going to be on it.
Her phone rang and she dug it out of her purse, cringing when she saw her best friend Blair’s name on the caller ID. Megan sighed as she answered.
“How did she take it?” Blair asked.
“Well…” Megan glanced up at the digital sign at the gate. Five minutes to boarding.
“Wait.” Blair’s voice was short. “Tell me that you told her.”
“I told her.”
Her friend paused. “You’re lying. That’s your lying voice.”
Megan shook her head. “I have a lying voice?”
“It goes up half an octave and gets tight at the end.”
“Should it worry me that you know me that well?”
“We’ve been friends since kindergarten. I’d hope I know you that well.” Blair groaned. “You might be trying to change the subject, but your mother’s going to notice
when you don’t show up at your own wedding.”
The overhead PA system blurted a fuzzy message about a changed gate and Megan covered the microphone on her phone.
“Megan, you have to tell her!” Blair said in frustration.
“I will.” The digital sign now said four minutes to boarding.
“When?”
“Later this afternoon.”
“Why not just call her now?” The overhead PA sounded again and Blair gasped. “Are you at the airport?”
“Blair...”
“You never cancelled your flight, did you?”
Megan brushed her hair out of her face and leaned forward, lowering her voice. “Honestly, Blair. I forgot.”
“Lie.”
Tears stung Megan’s eyes. “I need a friend right now, Blair. Not a damned lie detector.”
“I’m sorry.” Blair sighed. “You’re right. Trust me, I understand why you’ve stalled. Your mother scares me and you know I don’t scare easily. But you have to tell her, Megs. The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be.”
“I know.”
“So you’re really coming home?”
Megan cast a glance at the gate. “I’m boarding the plane in two minutes.”
“Okay.” Blair was quiet for several seconds and Megan knew she was making some kind of plan. Blair was the one person you could count on in a crisis. If there was ever a zombie apocalypse, her best of chance of survival was to stick by Blair’s side. “You’re going to need to escape tonight. How about I see if Libby’s free and we’ll go out?”
Megan swallowed the lump in her throat. “Thank you.”
“What are best friends for? Call me when the deed is done, although I suspect I’ll hear the yelling all the way downtown. If you need to stay at my place, I have a spare bed for you.”
Thirty-Three and a Half Shenanigans Page 32