As much as she’d loved hearing Walker put Jana in her place and seeing him walk away from her not once but twice, the fact of Jana’s presence troubled her. Granted, it was no longer so worrying that she was willing to completely ditch Walker and move on. But Jana was a complication that CiCi would have preferred not exist.
CiCi figured she was going to have to tell Walker soon about what had happened with her father and husband. Those men were two peas in a pod. And she hoped like hell that Walker couldn’t be lumped in with those two miscreants.
But before that rather heavy conversation, CiCi was going to look forward to and enjoy the big date she had with Walker to the Old Talbott Tavern. It was going to be a hot night.
Walker drove to work in a mood he had never experienced: giddy, happy, and extremely horny.
Everything with CiCi had somehow resolved itself—and damn had it been fun in that evidence vault with her! He couldn’t wait to find another soft spot upon which to place that luscious figure of hers.
Like maybe a bed.
But there was a cloud on the horizon in the form of Jana.
He knew he needed to talk to Hannah or Bo about his ex-wife. He didn’t want to cause Jana trouble, but he also had to protect himself as well as his incipient relationship with Madam Clerk.
Walker arrived at the distillery, found his reserved spot unoccupied, parked, and went to find Hannah in her office.
“Got a minute?” he asked and shut the door behind him.
Hannah turned from her computer. “Of course. What’s on your mind?”
“I need to talk to you about Jana.” She beckoned him to sit, and he did so. “First, what I told you Saturday was true. I don’t have a problem working with Jana—as long as she understands some boundaries.” He paused and sighed. “This isn’t easy to talk about.”
“I know. I’ve been there,” she said, and he understood Hannah was referring to her own divorce experience. “But you can trust me. And I need to be aware of what’s wrong, if there is anything wrong.”
After pausing again briefly to collect his thoughts, Walker began. “Let me tell you about the past so you can understand the present.” Hannah nodded, and he continued. “Jana and I were happy for several years, but we started having arguments and drifted apart. No third party, just fighting. We broke up a few times, then reconciled. Eventually, I pulled the plug on the marriage. We got divorced, and we generally cut off communication. Not because we were angry—but because it hurt. We probably talked a few times on the phone about things, like division of property, but those talks were few and far between. I hadn’t seen her for well over a year until I saw her here at the distillery on Saturday.”
“So what’s the problem?” Hannah asked. “You two seem amicable enough.”
“I can work with her provided she keeps her distance. And by that I mean I suspect she wants to try to reconcile again. But I’m not interested.”
“But why do you think she wants to reconcile?” Walker briefly recounted the text he’d received from Jana and how she’d behaved at the courthouse but left out the part about CiCi seeing the text. “I can’t guarantee she’ll leave you alone, Walker. But if she doesn’t, you tell me and she’ll be gone. We’re going to call her tomorrow morning and make her an offer.”
“I don’t want to get her in trouble.”
“If Jana bothers you in the way you fear she might, she’ll be making her own trouble,” Hannah said sternly.
“Can you come over to the office at four?” asked Harriet.
“This sounds ominous,” CiCi said.
After the day had turned around—that point being when she’d been at the mercy of Walker Cain’s talented hands—CiCi had breezed through the afternoon without a seeming care in the world. It was still hot in the courthouse, although the air-conditioning had started to make a difference in the uncomfortably warm temperatures indoors. And the stench from the dead raccoons was a little bit better, or maybe she’d gotten used to it. The auditors continued to leave her and the staff unmolested as they picked over the records they had requested to review. She’d been in a decent mood until Harriet’s call.
“It’s not bad, but I don’t want to talk over the phone either,” Harriet said. “How’s that for vague?”
“Perfect,” CiCi admitted, “but it does little to make me feel better.”
CiCi told her staff that she would be out for a short while but back before closing time and to call her at once if the auditors so much as hiccupped. Since Harriet’s office was less than a block away, it took CiCi all of five minutes to get from her office to Harriet’s building.
“So what did they find?” CiCi asked as she fell into a chair. “I’m assuming I’m here because you’ve got bad news.”
Harriet took the seat opposite CiCi, again choosing not to sit behind the desk when talking to her client.
“The head auditor on your project called me around lunchtime. They’ve already found accounting irregularities.”
“What? Our accounting firm has reviewed all our books for every year that I’ve been the clerk and—”
“They found some problems dating back ten years ago.”
“Ten years? Ten fucking years? You are kidding me!”
Harriet shook her head. “Sadly, no. They can do this, CiCi. They can reach back up to twenty years if it suits their fancy.”
“But I wasn’t even the clerk back then!”
“I know, but it doesn’t matter,” Harriet said.
“But I bet they know my mom was the clerk then, don’t they?”
“Of course they do. And, yes, they might try to blame you for those problems simply due to the family connection. I’ve seen it happen in other counties.”
CiCi had been sitting on the edge of the chair but fell back, defeated. She put a hand over her eyes and collected her thoughts for a few moments.
“What’s the worst-case scenario?” CiCi asked, continuing to shield her eyes.
“Removal, followed by possible criminal prosecution for official misconduct.”
“What’s likely based upon what we know right now?” CiCi asked, trying not to react to the horrific possibilities Harriet mentioned.
“Some kind of monitor from the state auditor’s office. They’d probably come down here every month and inspect your accounts and review certain internal procedures when it comes to handling money.”
CiCi allowed her hand to fall from her face. “This could destroy me politically, not to mention personally.”
Harriet looked at her lap. “I know,” she said. “Can you think of anyone out to get you? Someone who wants to run against you?”
“No,” she answered truthfully and shook her head, causing her curls to bounce. “Haven’t heard a thing.”
“Then what we’re dealing with is a bunch of bureaucrats being bureaucrats. And that’s worse than a political opponent or known enemy going after you.”
“Why?”
“Because if it were only politics, we could say that, and people would accept that explanation. They’d chalk it up to finger-pointing and bad blood. But when you’re dealing with bureaucrats that have no obvious ax to grind, the public tends to give that more credence. They think there’s no bias in the investigation and maybe there could be something to it.”
“So what should I do?” CiCi asked wearily.
“Keep your head down and do whatever the hell the auditors want.”
Chapter 12
Both CiCi and Walker were so distracted by the excitement of their planned Saturday evening date at The Tavern that they almost forgot the BourbonDaze committee meeting scheduled for late Saturday morning.
As it turned out, CiCi wished they had forgotten the meeting—held in a small back room at Over a Barrel—because it was at this event that Jana Pogue was formally introduced to the community as the new heritage director for Old Garnet Distillery.
Hannah attended the meeting to do the introductions and tell the committee members about Jan
a’s arrival. “I’m sure she’ll be on the committee next year,” Hannah declared after addressing the group and introducing Jana.
And in that case, there’s no way in hell I’m going to be on next year’s committee, thought CiCi. She’d more than fulfilled her civic duty by serving on the committee for the past five years, and even though her reason for finally bowing out was less than mature, CiCi saw Jana’s likely future participation as the sign she needed to finally walk away from further responsibility.
Hannah left after Jana’s introduction, saying she needed to get to the distillery to help with tours, but the new heritage director stayed to watch. Mercifully, it was a short meeting and Jana said nothing and sat quietly to one side, observing and taking a few notes.
The meeting broke up, and CiCi and Walker met outside to talk about hitting The Windmill for lunch.
“Two dates in one day?” CiCi asked after Walker had made the suggestion to patronize their favorite diner.
“Sure, why not?”
“Because I don’t want to stuff myself at The Windmill with whatever wonderful kind of pie they have today. I’m holding out for the bread pudding at The Tavern.”
They were discussing the time they were going to leave for Bardstown when Jana exited the deli and walked up to both of them, leading to the interruption of their conversation with awkward pleasantries, followed by an awkward pause.
“May I ask a favor of you both?” Jana asked, biting her lip. CiCi shrugged in acquiescence as did Walker. “Will you both have lunch with me?”
“Why?” CiCi asked before thinking the better of the blunt question.
“Because it’s obvious you’re a couple,” she said, looking them both up and down. “And everyone in this town already knows it or will know it.”
After exchanging a surprised look with Walker at Jana’s request, CiCi let him respond.
“Considering that I work for Hannah Davenport, I can guarantee you that most of Craig County probably already knows it,” Walker acknowledged.
“Exactly. And I’m the new gal in town who just happens to be the ex of the master distiller up at Old Garnet.” She paused and took in a very long breath. “Frankly, you two could make or break me in Bourbon Springs. All I’m asking is that we all just be seen together talking, eating, anything.”
Walker looked to CiCi, and she sensed he was going to defer to her wishes on this unusual and rather impertinent request. The problem was that on its face the proposal was reasonable. If CiCi refused, Jana could easily paint her as the unreasonable one.
From the glance he shot her, CiCi could tell that Walker wasn’t comfortable with the idea of the three of them breaking bread together. That was just as well. He really wasn’t needed.
“I’ll eat with you,” CiCi agreed. “But I don’t think Walker needs to join us. Why not make it just us girls?”
CiCi’s message to Jana was clear: you can be seen eating with your ex’s new girlfriend and being all friendly-like, but you won’t get the honor of eating with Walker. Even though at the moment Jana was being outwardly friendly, CiCi recalled the nastiness of the conversation between the ex-spouses in the courtroom, and her guard was up. She wasn’t going to be manipulated by Jana, but she wasn’t going to be a bitch to her either.
“Well, okay,” Jana agreed, her pleasant demeanor fading a little.
Walker grinned at CiCi, took her hand, pulled her to him, and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll call you later this afternoon,” he promised and was off.
“Shall we?” CiCi said to Jana and gestured back to the deli door.
The women reentered the deli and stood in a short line before ordering.
“What’s good here?” Jana asked as she eyed the menu on the wall behind the register.
“Everything,” CiCi answered. “But go for the roast beef sandwich. It’s made with Old Garnet au jus sauce. Eat that and you can tell Hannah you’ve been sampling the wares before you even start work.”
“That’s a good idea. Thanks.” She paused to consider CiCi for a moment.
“What?” CiCi asked, noticing Jana was looking at her with puzzlement.
“Sorry. I guess I didn’t expect you to be… I don’t know…,” Jana stuttered.
“Nice?”
“Well, yeah.”
“I thought I might as well try to do the real thing rather than fake it. It’s easier and a lot more fun.”
Jana thanked her again, and CiCi pointed out the décor on the floor of the deli—barrels painted all over the place, each one marked with the name of a different distillery in the central Kentucky area.
Jana pointed to one of the images on the floor behind them. “There’s Wilderness Trace, where I used to work.”
CiCi looked down. “And you’re standing on the barrel which represents the distillery where you will be working.”
They were both standing on top of an image of the biggest barrel, which was directly in front of the register. It bore no name, but it had no need to announce its affiliation beyond the large garnet motif in the middle of the illustration.
They reached the register, where Jana took CiCi’s advice and got the roast beef sandwich.
“And go ahead and order your bourbon balls now before they run out,” CiCi encouraged in a whisper. “They go fast. Best in town. Get ’em while you can.”
Jana ordered a few bourbon balls upon CiCi’s advice, received her food, and went to find a table for them as CiCi placed her order for a salad. CiCi had meant what she’d said to Walker: she didn’t want to get too full at lunch and not enjoy dinner at the Old Talbott Tavern. Although she knew she’d enjoy that outing because of the company and not the food.
Jana chose a table in the front window of the diner. CiCi suspected the choice was calculated; it allowed Jana to see what was going on inside the diner as well as outside and to be seen (with CiCi) from both locations.
When CiCi arrived at the table with only a salad, a small piece of bread, and a bottle of water, Jana looked surprised.
“That’s all you’re eating? With all those great choices they have here?” she asked.
“Been eating too much pie at The Windmill lately,” CiCi said, expecting Jana to ask what she meant.
Indeed, Jana did ask about The Windmill, and CiCi filled her in on the establishment’s claim to fame, namely, lots of excellent pie. “If you get tired of the food at the distillery café, The Windmill isn’t far away.”
The women began to eat and fell into a silence for a few minutes. CiCi felt uncomfortable but sensed that she wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as Jana.
“So,” CiCi said, deciding to break the stillness. If she was going to play along with this little charade, she was at least going to get some decent conversation and gossip out of the deal. “Been seated on a jury yet?”
“Oh, no, not yet,” Jana said. “Although I had to report once this week. I didn’t get chosen.”
“Jury duty’s not too bad,” CiCi advised her. “But be aware that the criminal cases are more interesting than the civil ones, not that you’ll really have the power to pick.”
“How long have you been the clerk?” Jana asked and picked up her sandwich, poised to take a large bite.
CiCi gave Jana a brief background on how she came to be the clerk. “It’s a good job in a small town,” she concluded.
“And those can be hard to come by,” Jana remarked and then nattered on nervously about her new job. Walker’s name came up repeatedly as Jana described her plans to learn more about Old Garnet and to get Walker involved in publicity for the brand.
“I’m sure you’ll get him to help with those ideas at the distillery,” CiCi began. “He’s been great to work with on the BourbonDaze committee. He probably got roped into it by Hannah and Bo since he’s the master distiller, but he’s had a great attitude. It’s been wonderful working with him.”
“That’s the Walker I know,” Jana agreed. “Always pleasant, always happy to help, always a gentleman.”
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The women exchanged an uneasy look, and CiCi bit her tongue to not ask the question that was on the tip of it. Instead, Jana herself brought it up.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“You… you do?”
“You’re wondering right now why Walker and I broke up, right? How I couldn’t get along with such a nice guy?” she asked, tilting her head
CiCi blinked in shock and words failed her.
Jana sighed. “Since I invited you to lunch, I suppose I should’ve expected this to come up. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
“No, no,” insisted CiCi, strangely feeling sorry for Jana. “We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to.”
Jana put down her sandwich and looked directly at CiCi. “No, let me try to clear the air. I need to. I’m part of this community now, and I’m trying to fit in, and I want to be honest about my past. So I’ll say this: we fought, but no third person was involved. We reconciled a couple of times, but it didn’t work out and we divorced. Sad, simple, true story. And that story isn’t going to get another ending,” Jana concluded.
In light of Jana’s heaping of praise on her ex-husband, the comment surprised CiCi. “You… you mean you don’t want to get back together with him?” CiCi stammered, knowing her question was insolent and awkward, but it was the only thing she could think to say.
She saw Jana shudder, like a chill had passed over her. “That’s not going to happen.”
And you didn’t answer my question, Jana Pogue.
There was no vehement denial of her interest in him, the hell no, as her mother used to say. Instead, there was an acknowledgment by the ex that she didn’t believe it was possible she could win back her former husband.
That was a lot different than saying she wasn’t interested in him anymore.
CiCi had feared that was the case, but at least now she understood what she was facing.
If Jana knew she’d given away too much, she didn’t act like it. For the remainder of the meal, the women were either quiet or talked about dull things like the weather or the various problems the courthouse had endured during the past week. They finished the meal and parted on the street outside the deli with Jana effusively thanking CiCi for her time.
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