“She’s got her fingers in every part of this wedding pie,” Tizzy said loudly. “I think she’s going to give Haze gray hair.”
“Haze is strong. She’ll manage, even if she has to get creative.”
“Not too creative. Her magic still sucks, Lils.”
I laughed. “You’re right. She shouldn’t get too creative.”
“Is everything okay, Lily?” Haze asked. “You sound a little weird this morning.”
My cheeks heated as I thought about Parker’s kiss. As it was, I was a little afraid to go to work today. Would he expect me to be different with him? More intimate because of the hug and the kiss we’d shared? I didn’t want to walk around on eggshells around him, but really, I’d gotten very good at avoiding him at work this past week. I could do it a few more days until I figured out what to do next.
“Call me when you get the information.”
“I guess you don’t want to talk about it.”
“Nope.”
“Love you, Lils.”
“Love you back, Haze.”
After I hung up, I looked down at Smooshie, who’d flopped onto the floor at my feet. “Potty time.”
She leaped up and twisted around excitedly.
“It’s potty time,” I said again, this time with playful energy.
Her high-pitched bark immediately lightened my mood. I leaned over and lay my head on her back and scratched her hind end right above her tail. It was her joy spot. After, I went to the front door, opened it, and said, “Go forth and conquer the yard.”
She jumped out the door and over the two metal steps like an antelope. I sat down on the steps, debating my next move. Did I call Parker and ask for the day off? Or did I go in to face the music?
He’d called me brave last night. In the cruel light of day, I felt like a coward. At least when it came to Parker. I’d been kissed once or twice in my life, and definitely more thoroughly, but never had I felt the depth of connection I’d experienced when Parker’s mouth whispered over mine.
I touched my lips, ghosting my fingers across as if to recapture the exact memory. “It wouldn’t work,” I told Smoosh, as he ran up to me and dropped a stick at my feet. I picked it up and threw it. She took off after it, but instead of bringing it back to me, she put it in one of the holes she’d dug and buried it.
“The game’s no fun if you’re the only one playing,” I told her. There was no play in the look she gave me. It was similar to the look that Parker had given me after he’d kissed me and right before he left. Definitely not playing.
Chapter 13
I put my big girl panties on and went into work. I don’t know if I was relieved or disappointed when Keith told me that Parker had gone on a supply run. It took a lot to run a shelter, and it seemed no matter how much food or cleaning supplies he bought, it didn’t take long to run out.
“Theresa get any more notes?” I asked Keith.
He scratched at his undeveloped beard. His eyes were a pretty aquamarine, and they turned him from goofy-looking to handsome, or at least interesting. “No, nothing. I can’t convince her, but it was probably for Jock. That dude is a serious piece of waste.”
I didn’t disagree. “I’m sure nothing will come of it.” Nothing had come of the two notes sent to me. I think the person wanted to see what kind of reactions he or she could get from the people targeted.
Shake enough trees, and you’ll find a few nuts.
The front door opened and Addison Newton walked in. I gave the boy a questioning look, but said, “Hi, Addy. What can I do for you today?”
“Hey, Ms. Mason.” He bounced up a little on his toes and back down. “I…do you all need some help? I’m interested in volunteering.”
“Oh.” His question surprised me. He didn’t strike me as a charitable person when I watched him with his friends. “Why do you want to volunteer?”
“I like dogs. I think I like them more than people.”
“And?”
“And I have to have some volunteer hours somewhere to qualify for the A-Plus scholarship. It’s the only thing I have left to do to qualify.”
“So dogs and college?”
He smiled, and it was almost shy. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Write a short essay on why you want to volunteer here, and I’ll convince Parker to give you a shot.” I was pretty sure Parker would take him on regardless. The shelter could always use more help, but I wanted to see if the boy was serious about volunteering here, or if he just thought it was an easy way to rack of up some hours. Regardless, I was impressed he was taking the initiative to go to college.
“What kind of degree do you want?”
“I’m leaning toward doing something in physical therapy or sports medicine. I’ve had a few injuries playing football, and I think I’d be good at helping people rehab.”
“You’ve given it some thought,” I said.
“I have.”
“Do we have a deal?”
“I’ll write the essay tonight,” he said. He rubbed his hand over his hair in a way that was meant to be aw-shucks charming. And it was.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Come lunchtime, Parker still hadn’t come back from his outing. I walked the few blocks to The Cat’s Meow to clear my head on the way. It was unusually slow, but weekdays could get that way for Buzz. He said he didn’t mind, because it all worked out in the wash on the weekends, and breakfast was busy every day.
Opal and Pearl sat at their usual table. I swear there had to be roots growing from their booties to the cushioned seats.
“Hey, Lily,” Pearl said. “I heard you found a mummy at your new place.”
I looked over at Buzz through the kitchen window. He shrugged unhelpfully.
Freda said, “Mind your business, Pearl. Lily’s got enough on her plate right now.” When she was closer to me, she said, “I heard you almost got shot again last night. I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks,” I said. I glared at Buzz again, and again, he shrugged.
“Can I come back?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said. “I’m just cleaning the grills. They can wait a few minutes.” He looked at Freda. “Holler if we get someone. I’ll be back in the office.”
Buzz’s office was a small room, minimally furnished with a desk, a desk chair, and a wooden chair in front of it for people he met with. There was a filing cabinet and a floor safe as well, but that was it. I sat in the wooden chair. He perched on the corner of the desk.
“I heard about last night from Nadine,” he said. “How come you didn’t call me?”
“By the time I left the sheriff’s, I just wanted to go home.”
“I get it,” he said. “Do you think you were targeted?”
“I don’t know. I was…preoccupied when I left Dally’s. I didn’t notice anyone following or watching me. It could have been someone just messing around and the gun accidentally went off, but I’m scared it was a warning.”
“Why?”
“First I find a body, then my landlord is murdered, and then someone takes a shot at me. One event by itself wouldn’t raise my alarms, but all of them together seem too big not to be connected.
Nadine had already told him about the bank robbers. He rubbed my shoulder. “Are you all right?”
“Other than getting tired of people asking me that question, I’m fine.” I sounded curter than I meant to be. “I’m sorry I didn’t text you back last night. I just didn’t want to even think about it anymore.”
“Parker came by for breakfast this morning,” Buzz said.
I glanced at Buzz. “Yeah, so. He comes here for breakfast all the time.”
He gave me an appraising look. “But he usually doesn’t come in with your scent all over him. What changed?”
“Nothing.” I stood up because I suddenly felt restless. Pent up. Caged. “Nothing has changed. At least not for me.”
“You’re lying to yourself, Lily.”
“It’s none of
your business.”
“If it’s anyone’s business, it’s mine. I’m the only one in town you can be completely honest with. You can tell me anything, and I’ll listen.”
“You’ll judge,” she said unfairly. Buzz was the only person in town she could talk to, and he’d done nothing but help her since she’d arrived in Moonrise.
“Maybe. But only because you’re family. That’s what family does.” He smiled. “We love, we judge, but ultimately, we accept.”
Family also left. That’s what Buzz had done when my mother and father mated. He’d left. He’d been in love with my mom and couldn’t stand to see his brother take her as his wife. Buzz’s real name was Daniel, the same as my brother’s name. It meant even though my parents never told us about Buzz, they missed him enough to name their only son after him.
“I care about Parker more than I should. More than I can stand if I can’t be honest with him. It’s easier just to keep my distance.”
Buzz hiked his brows. “How’s that working out so far?”
“Terrible, but it’s better than the alternative.”
“You mean it’s better to be alone and lonely, instead of with someone who makes you happy.”
“For now.”
“What?”
“Happy for now. It can’t last. He’ll get older, and I won’t age much. One day he’ll notice, and he’ll wonder why. And even if I trusted him enough to tell him the truth, he’d grow old and die right before my very eyes. I’d be helpless to do anything more than watch life take him away from me.”
“So better to be miserable than allow yourself real happiness for a decade, maybe more.”
“I can’t give him children. Is it really fair for me to take away his best years, just so I don’t have to be alone? He needs someone who he can grow with. That’s not me. I’ll stay still, and he’ll pass me by, and I will have robbed him of a chance for real happiness.”
“Who’s to say it would even last? You guys could have a few good dates, and then a big fight would end it all. Or you might get hit by a bus a year or two from now, and he would then outlive you. The world is full of what ifs and would’ve-could’ves. You have to take every day as a chance to eke out some happiness for yourself.”
I stared at Buzz. “The human be damned, as long as we get ours. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Do you think that’s how I feel about Nadine?”
“Don’t you?” I sounded harsh even to my own ears.
Buzz’s expression was a mixture of hurt and disbelief. “I love her,” he said softly. “Does she seem unhappy to you?”
“Not yet.” Goddess, what was wrong with me? When had I become such a snipe? Oh, about the same time my heart got so twisted by a human who would never be my true mate that I couldn’t see straight.
He shook his head. “Well, there’s the family judging thing we talked about.”
I should have apologized, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’d felt isolated most my life, but when you want ice cream, but no one makes it, you get to the point where you realize going without ice cream is a just a fact of life. Parker was ice cream. Ice cream that wanted me as much as I wanted it. Only, I was pretending to be lactose intolerant. Argh. “I’ve got to go.”
“You haven’t eaten lunch.”
“I’ve lost my appetite.”
“Fine,” Buzz said.
“Fine.” I walked out of his office, past the kitchen and out into the dining area.
Freda said, “You gonna eat, hon?”
“Not today, Freda.”
On the way out the door, I ran into the guy who’d been arguing with Jeff Callahan. Literally.
He was holding a stack of folders and not watching as he walked through the door, and I’d been distracted as well. “I’m so sorry,” I said, and knelt to help him pick up his work.
“It’s okay. My fault,” he offered. “I should have been watching.”
“Me too.” I smiled.
He smiled back, as if really noticing me for the first time.
“I’m Lily Mason.” I held out my hand. He shook it.
“I’m Gary. Gary Ream.”
“Do you always take your work to lunch, Gary?”
“Not usually.”
“Would you like some company?”
“That’d be nice,” he said. “Yes, I’d like that.”
Freda gave me a strange look. I ignored her. I could change my mind about eating if I wanted. Gary and I sat in the nearest booth to the door.
“What’ll you have?” Freda asked.
“A tuna melt, salad, and a diet cola,” Gary said.
“I’ll take the double-bacon cheeseburger with cowboy chips, a side of smoky beans, and a regular cola.”
Gary’s eyes widened.
“I like to eat,” I said.
Freda said, “Separate checks?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, please.”
“No,” Gary insisted. “I’ll get Ms. Mason’s lunch today.”
Freda went to turn in our orders and get our drinks. I turned my attention to Gary. “So, what is it that you do?”
“I’m the circuit court clerk.”
“What do you do there?’
“I mostly fill out a lot of paperwork.” He laughed again. “I make sure all the ducks are in a row for the courts and a lot more.”
“Like what?”
“Small claims. Child-support enforcement. That kind of thing.”
I smiled. “So you go after deadbeat dads, huh?”
“Not just dads,” he said. “I had to serve a mother’s work that we would be garnishing her wages if she didn’t pay her ex-husband child support.”
“Wow.” I had a feeling this guy knew a lot about the seedier side of some people in this county. “What about property auctions?”
“I oversee some of that too.”
“I just bought a house and some property that had gone up for auction.”
“Really? I don’t remember your name. I have a pretty good memory for these things.”
“Well, technically, Merl Peterson won the auction, but he sold me the place after.”
“Poor Merl,” Gary said. “He was one of the good ones. I can’t believe he’s gone.”
I don’t know what I expected from Gary, but sympathy for Merl wasn’t it. The man across from me looked genuinely sad. “Were you all friends?”
“For many years,” Gary said. “I was shocked to hear about his death.”
Freda walked over and set our drinks down. “Food will be out in a jiffy,” she said.
“Merl owned several properties. Which one did you get?” Gary asked.
I took a sip of my cola and kept my eyes on his face. I wasn’t getting any signs he was hiding anything. Not yet, anyways. “It’s off of DD Road, 1031 northwest 400 Road.”
Gary blanched.
“You know where that is?”
“Yes.” He tugged at his tie, loosening it from his throat. “Is it hot in here?”
“Yes,” I told him, and leaned forward. “I heard Jeff Callahan had been interested in the place. Do you know why?” I thought about how much I wanted him to tell me the truth.
“He wants to parse out the acres and turn the property into a housing subdivision.” Gary put his hand to his mouth as if he couldn’t believe what just came out. “I…I…that information is confidential, Lily. I hope you’ll keep it to yourself.”
“No worries, Gary.” Bummer. I had been hoping for more nefarious reasons. I couldn’t see anyone getting murdered to build houses, but motives could be tricky. And who good was his business? If I’d learned nothing from The Learning Channel, I’d learned property development wasn’t cheap. Callahan had reeked of marijuana when I’d met him. Not generally the drug of choice for the ambitious, but one never knew.
“Thank you for your honesty. I appreciate it.”
He mumbled, “You’re welcome,” just as Freda brought our lunches over.
“Yum,” I sa
id. I wanted to go back to ask Buzz about Jeff Callahan, but I was still irritated about our conversation. I nodded at Gary’s cute little tuna melt and garden salad and picked up my giant double cheeseburger. “Dig in.”
I looked out the window. Adam Davis was standing out on the sidewalk in front of the diner talking to Ryan. They were talking and laughing. I knocked on the window and they both startled. I smirked. Ryan waved me to come out, but I wasn’t finished with my burger.
Gary got up, his tuna sandwich half eaten and his salad untouched. “Good day, Miss Mason.” He made a beeline for the register.
I motioned Ryan inside. He and Adam came in and sat down in the booth with me. Freda was over in seconds. She cleared Gary’s plate and took drink orders from Adam and Ryan.
“What are you two up to today?” I asked.
Ryan leaned forward. “Well, I was just heading back to my office when I ran into Beast Mode here.”
Adam chuckled. “That’s right. I haven’t seen Big Sexy since he left for college.”
“Big Sexy and Beast Mode? Do tell me more.”
“Our freshman year, Ryan was the tallest guy in our class,” Adam said. “All the girls were constantly throwing themselves at him. One of the senior football players nicknamed him Big Sexy and it stuck.”
“And Beast Mode?”
Adam grinned. “Just look at me, darling. My junior year, I had a growth spurt and bulked up big time.” He and Ryan both said at the same time, “Beast Mode Cowboy.” Then they hooted.
I shook my head and laughed. “Did all of you have nicknames or just you two?”
“Our Lily wants to know about Parker,” Ryan said.
I gave him a warning look. He smirked.
“We called Parker, The Gun Show. The guy had biceps that looked like two cantaloupes when he flexed his muscles.”
I barked a laugh. Thinking about Parker as a high school boy flexing his muscles was such a departure from the way he was now. “And the others?”
Ryan said, “Mike was The Duffster. Jeff was The Nerdist.”
“Poor Jeff.”
“He didn’t mind.” Adam shook his head. “He’s really changed.”
“How so?” I asked. I finished my burger and cowboy chips, and was working on my smoky beans.
The Money Pit Page 11