Carolanne tipped her chin to the bright sun. Despite the clear blue sky, her day felt cloudy and gloomy. She watched Garrett give Jill’s hand a squeeze. The pride he felt for Jill’s accomplishment was very telling. Those two seemed to be able to communicate without even saying a word—soul mates.
She’d let herself believe that she and Connor might be like that. I know better than to get caught up in that.
The mayor continued his speech. His enthusiasm was as high as his hopes that the attraction would slow tourists down for a visit on their way east to Virginia Beach. As nice as that was, she wished he’d wrap it up before she fell over from the heat or made a scene in front of all these people and ruined Jill and Garrett’s big day.
Carolanne recognized Jack from the County Gazette front and center but was delighted to see they weren’t the only ones pressing forward for a good camera angle. There were several press types up front and at least three TV crew vans with their huge live-broadcast satellites stretched into the sky. All the more reason not to make a scene today. I’d be front-page news, and not in a good way.
Mayor Winnberg picked up the giant scissors and held them out toward Jill and Garrett. “You ready to do this thing?”
They stepped up next to the mayor and held the monster-size bright-red scissors over the ribbon like a gator getting ready to bite its prey. Cameras flashed and someone whistled. Then, with a snip, the ribbon fell and everyone cheered. Carolanne let herself get swept into the stream of people moving toward the building as Garrett shook the mayor’s hand and announced, “I present to you—the Adams Grove Artisan Center.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Carolanne edged her way between the visitors who filed from the left and right to the center hall to join in the festivities as Jill and Garrett sliced into the beautiful cake. People mingled, sharing their opinions on the artwork, noting their favorite displays, and making new friends.
Steffi Zimmer had already pulled Mac to the side for an interview.
Garrett nudged Jill and motioned Carolanne closer. “Did y’all hear that?”
“What?”
Garrett said, “I just heard Anita tell that woman in black that she and Mac are going to move to Chicago.”
“He’s lived here his whole life,” Jill said. “He wouldn’t even move out of the state for his wife. That’s why they split up when she wanted to move home to New York.”
Carolanne shook her head. “I don’t believe it for a second.”
Jill looked dumbfounded. “How’d he keep that a secret around here? Do you think he’s just planning to let Derek run the store? The guy is talented—he could probably do it.”
Milly weaved through the crowd and put her arms out wide for a hug. “How are my girls?”
“Hi, Aunt Milly,” Jill said.
The three of them hugged, and Jill reached back and passed a piece of cake to Milly.
“Thanks, dear,” Milly said. “This is almost perfect. If that Chicago woman hadn’t shown up, it’d have been a perfect ten. That woman needs to just stay up there in Chicago with her fancy-pants people. I guess this seemed like a hoity-toity enough event for her to grace us with her presence.”
“Milly. That’s not nice. We don’t even really know her,” Jill said.
“My point exactly,” Milly said with a sneer. “I know her kind. She hasn’t been around in months. One big shindig and here she is.” Milly wagged a bony finger in Carolanne’s direction. “Don’t let her get in your way.”
“I’m not the least bit worried about her. She is none of my business,” Carolanne said, hopefully sounding convincing.
“Good afternoon, ladies.” Izzy Markham stepped into the small group. “Good to see you.”
Carolanne was relieved for the diversion. Izzy was always a great distraction. She couldn’t help but end up being the center of attention. She’d always been like that, even back in school.
Milly grasped her hand. “Hello, Izzy, dear. You look absolutely lovely. Too bad Pearl isn’t here to get you hooked up. We were just talking about Connor’s mismatch showing up.”
“We weren’t talking about it. Mostly Milly was talking about it,” said Carolanne. “Katherine has other friends besides Connor in this town.”
Izzy gave Milly a hug. “You could step right in to fill Pearl’s shoes, couldn’t you? You two always were a heck of a team.” Izzy turned her attention to Carolanne and Jill. “She’s staying at the inn.”
“Who?” Carolanne asked.
“Katherine?” Jill asked.
Can we forget about her already?
Izzy nodded. “Yep. She and that weird brother of hers are both staying there. Mac’s girlfriend, too. All of ’em are staying at Markham House. They’re driving Momma nearly batshit crazy with all their demands.”
“Is that who is with Katherine? I was wondering who that man was,” Milly added. “He looks like a weasel.”
“Uh-huh. Prickly, too,” Izzy said. “When Mom introduced him to me as Richard, I asked if I could call him Rich, and he didn’t only say no, he said”—she stood tall and stiff and spoke in a nasally asinine accent—“‘my name is Richard. Please use it appropriately.’”
“Just like her, probably.” Milly pursed her lips and looked for agreement. “Don’t see anyone calling her Kathy or Kate, do you?”
“Snooty booties, if you ask me.” Izzy leaned in to not be overheard. “He complained that he needed to know the ingredients in the handcrafted soaps because he had sensitive skin. When Becky told him that it was all natural and made from goat’s milk, he almost heaved on her shoes. She responded with something like, ‘If you think that’s bad, imagine what’s in the well water.’ I don’t think he’s had anything to drink except bottled products since.”
“Sometimes you have to love Becky’s snarky ways,” Carolanne said.
“Yeah, as long as they aren’t being thrown in your direction!” Jill chimed in.
“I hear that,” Izzy agreed. “I swear Momma and Daddy just might raise the prices at the inn after those guests. Momma says either that Richard jerk isn’t sleeping in his paid-for room or he’s one heckuva housekeeper because there hasn’t been a thing out of place, and yet he’s complained more than any other guest. Those people are giving Momma and Daddy a run for their money. I heard Katherine trying to talk Momma into cooking them some of Spratt’s famous rib-eye steaks for dinner tonight, too.”
Milly pursed her lips. “I thought she only cooked breakfast for the guests. Isn’t that why it’s called a bed-and-breakfast? She’s not going to do it, is she?”
“Who knows? You know Momma. She loves to please.”
Carolanne chimed in. “Be nice. I love your momma.”
“I know. I know. Me, too. And she does love to cook.”
“Well, she sure outdid herself for the rehearsal dinner. It was the best meal I’d ever had,” Carolanne said.
Jill nodded. “And it wasn’t even just the meal—it was the setting and service. It was perfect.” Jill leaned in and lowered her voice. “Why wasn’t this Mac-girlfriend thing news to all of us until recently? Don’t y’all think that’s kind of weird?”
Carolanne said, “Mac’s never been much of a talker.”
Jill didn’t look convinced. “Yeah, but the kudzu telegraph in these parts usually doesn’t miss much. I bet if Pearl had been around, we’d have known.”
“True that,” Izzy said and lifted a glass. “To Pearl.”
“To Pearl,” echoed Milly. “And putting the boots on Northern girls who don’t belong.”
“Well, maybe she’ll spend some of that Northern money to show off. I’d be fine with that,” Jill said. “Have you checked out the jewelry? I have my eye on a couple pieces. Hopefully Garrett will pick up on my subtle hints.”
Carolanne felt Connor ease up behind her. She knew it was him without even looking.
“Having fun?” he whispered into her ear.
“I was, until your ex-girlfriend became the topic of t
he town with all the girls. Everyone’s making quite a big deal out of it.”
He stepped around to face her. “You’re not thinking anything crazy, are you? You know I didn’t invite her, right?”
“I’m fine, unless you plan to leave Adams Grove for a job back in Chicago.”
“That’s not how I operate. These people, this county, they’re part of me. People here count on me to make sure they make good decisions, and my gut has paid off for plenty of them over the years. I have no intention of leaving Adams Grove for Katherine—or anyone, for that matter.”
“Then I’m fine.” She wouldn’t have been if she hadn’t seen the big argument, but she had no intention of telling him that. He didn’t need to know that her self-confidence was sabotaging her again. She’d become quite a pro at that kind of thing—a habit she hoped to break once and for all.
“I guess she’s in town to spend time with Anita, not to see me, and I have no idea why that good-for-nothing brother of hers is with her. The loser got disbarred for some sketchy practices, including fraudulent activities, and Katherine knows I don’t have two words to say to that punk. I’d sooner punch him than look at him.”
Mac swept through the crowd and excused himself as he stepped between Carolanne and Connor. “Hey, man. I need to talk to you. It’s kind of important.” Mac turned to Carolanne. “Sorry to hear about Ben being arrested. You know he’d never hurt anyone. Everyone knows that. There’s got to be some other explanation.”
Carolanne looked at Connor, whose face drained of all its color.
“What did you just say?” She tried to stay calm, hoping like all heck that she’d heard him wrong. “Connor? Mac? OK, one of you needs to tell me what the heck is going on here.”
“Sorry. I put my foot in my mouth, didn’t I? I was just talking to Sheriff Calvin about Lindsey Dixon’s daughter. He told me that Connor had been in to talk to Ben about it.”
She spun toward Connor. “When? My father’s been arrested? Why didn’t I hear about it until just now?”
“Calm down. I can explain.”
Crestfallen, she folded her arms across her chest and stood there, knowing there was no good response he could give. “I’m waiting here. So, what do you have to say?”
“It’s true. The phone call when I was at your house—it was your dad.”
Carolanne couldn’t believe her ears. She knew exactly when that phone call had come. “I was right there, and you didn’t tell me?” She turned to Mac. “And he’s still in jail?”
Mac gave a resigned shrug. “I think that’s what Scott said. I haven’t seen him here today. Might be.” He looked like he wished he could die. “I could have it all mixed up.”
“But he doesn’t have it mixed up, does he, Connor?”
“I can explain.”
“I doubt that. What kind of lawyer are you that you couldn’t get Dad out of jail? They don’t have anything on him. He’s innocent. They can’t get away with this. I’m going to go file against the county for this. I’m not letting them railroad him. Not happening.” Her heart was beating so hard she could barely hear her own words over the pounding.
“Slow down, Carolanne. I know he’s innocent. We’re letting the DA have this little temporary win to buy some time to figure out what really happened. Your father is fine.”
His voice, all calm and quiet, was about to drive her insane. It’s fine to you because it’s not your father.
“Trust me. I know how to handle these folks in Adams Grove. We’re fine.”
“Little win? Oh, heck no. I’m not having this, and for the record, we are not fine. You have no right keeping things from me about my father.”
Connor grabbed her arm. “Hold on. This isn’t New York. We have two DAs. Two. That’s it. You can’t just go pissing them off. We need them on our side.”
“Do not try to tell me how to practice law.” She tugged her arm away from him and marched out of the building. Dad, how am I going to help you?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Although the artisan center officially closed at six, it took nearly forty minutes to clear everyone out and finalize the sales. Connor sat by wondering what the heck Carolanne was up to. He hadn’t laid eyes on her since their blowup earlier. He glanced at his watch, anxious to get out of there and see what else he could find out to help Ben. Keeping Carolanne from stirring up more trouble was top of mind, too.
Jill plopped down in a bright-blue folk art–style chair carved and painted to look like a glitzy mermaid. She kicked her shoes off and pulled her feet up into the chair. Patsy and Jim sat in the pink flamingo love seat next to her. Garrett stepped up behind Jill and rubbed her shoulders as they recapped the highlights of the day with his parents.
Elsie walked out of the office waving a tablet in the air. “Ready for the official numbers, Boss?”
Carolanne followed at her heels.
When did she get back? It was a relief to see her, but he still had his worries.
“Yes.” Jill scooched to the edge of her seat. “I know it’s good.”
Elsie leaped into the air. “It’s awesome!”
Carolanne took in a long breath and then started running through the stats. Her jaw was set and her voice tight. “I’m going to have to run after this, so I’m going to make it quick, but all the details are in the report. We had a total of four hundred and five people at the ribbon cutting. People came from nine different counties. By the end of the day, one thousand two hundred and sixty-two people had visited from eleven states.”
“That means we had vacationers, don’t you think?” Elsie said, then started drumming on the counter. “We sold an average of…Drumroll, please…”
Carolanne was still mad, but more than that, she was upset. He could tell by her clipped sentences and the fact that she was acting like he was invisible spoke pretty loudly, too. I’m sorry, Carolanne. She was here out of duty and friendship to Jill. He should’ve known she’d never let Jill down.
Jill, Garrett, and Elsie started slapping their hands against their thighs in a faux drumroll.
“Twenty-three dollars per visitor.”
Connor could tell Garrett was doing the math in his head.
“I see smoke coming out of your ears,” Elsie chimed in. “That’s over twenty-nine thousand dollars.”
“You’re kidding!” Jill raised her hand to her heart and glanced to Pearl’s portrait. “Lordy goodness, I never would have dreamed that many people, let alone that much money, coming through these doors on day one.”
Elsie pulled a slip of paper from her back pocket. “I was keeping track of some of the repeat sales. Mary Claire’s note cards were a big hit. I don’t think we have but a couple left, and those are the Christmas ones. We had a lot of lookers at the western pottery, but I think it was a little high-priced for impulse buyers. I bet some people come back for it, though. You know what we sold out of? Those gum wrapper purses.”
Connor noticed Carolanne straighten when Elsie mentioned the gum wrapper purses.
“I’m not even sure when they came in. Elsie must have checked them in,” Jill admitted.
Mrs. Malloy piped in. “You’re right. Lara from the diner bought the very last one. She was showing it to me. She helped the girl collect the wrappers to make them.”
“Ben dropped them off during the reception. I saw him put them back here. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him, so I’m not sure where he got them, but they were really popular,” Elsie said.
“I know who made them. It was Gina Edwards.” Carolanne straightened. “When did my dad drop them off?”
Connor knew what she was thinking. He was thinking the same thing. This could help clear Ben. Only, no one else in the room had any idea just how important this piece of trivia was.
Elsie looked like she was searching the ceiling tiles for the answer. “At the wedding reception. Yes, I remember now. He said she wanted to sell them on consignment.”
“Whoever made them did an amazing job,” Jill
said.
“Jill, it was Gina who made them,” Carolanne said, stressing the girl’s name.
Clarity registered on Jill’s face. “That Gina?”
Elsie rambled on. “They’re great. I’d hoped to buy one for myself. Wish I’d done it now. We’ll definitely need more of those. We also sold a bunch of those cute little wine stoppers with the funny faces on them, too.” Elsie folded up the paper.
Carolanne walked over to Elsie. “Are you a hundred percent certain that Ben dropped those handbags off for you on the afternoon of the wedding reception?”
“Yes. A hundred percent certain. In fact, hang on.” She ran over to the cash register and brought back an envelope. “Here’s who we’re supposed to make the check out to. Gina Edwards. Just like you said.”
“I’ve got to run,” Carolanne said. “I’m sorry, Jill. I’ll explain later.”
Carolanne headed out the door to her car.
Connor caught up with her. “Carolanne, wait!”
“I’m in a hurry.” She stomped her foot. “I forgot I locked my keys in my car this morning.”
“You don’t have a spare?”
“Yes. Just not with me. I have one at the house.”
“I can take you to get it, or I can drive. You know Ben wouldn’t have brought those purses in if he’d killed Gina. That would have been flat-out stupid. He was trying to help her,” he said.
“Exactly.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Connor drove Carolanne to the sheriff’s station, but Carolanne wasn’t in an appreciative mood. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the arrest.”
“Let’s just fix it, OK?” She messed with her seat belt and avoided his look.
“He asked me not to tell you. I was caught. I wanted to help, and I didn’t want you to worry.”
She held up her hand. “Don’t. Not now, OK?”
“I’m on your side on this.”
She stared out the window, although there wasn’t much to see now that the sun had set.
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