My phone buzzed on the seat next to me, and I glanced at it. It was the town chat:
Granny G found and home safe.
Good news and bad news. I was glad Susan’s grandmother was home and safe, but now I had no excuse to further delay the trip to Sedona.
I’d never been so reluctant to leave a place—a person—in my life. Maybe I had time to stop by and see Tess one more time before I headed out of town.
I sighed. I shouldn’t worry about her. She could take care of herself perfectly well, and at least there weren’t any murderers in town this month.
Even as the thought crossed my mind, I wanted to bash my head on the steering wheel to unjinx myself. This wasDead End.Thoughts like that were just tempting fate, and that had never, ever turned out well during the past year.
“New year, new beginning,” I muttered.
Sadly, I didn’t believe it.
6
Tess
When Jack showed up with pizza, my stomach loudly reminded me I hadn’t had any breakfast other than one bite of a protein bar. After Cordelia and Ish visited, I’d lost my appetite.
“You are a hero among men,” I told him, and the few customers in the shop perked up.
“Is that pizza for everybody?” Mr. Newton put the fishing gear he’d collected on the counter and turned a hopeful smile to me. “Kind of customer bonus, right?”
“Glad to share my lunch with my regular customers.” And I could see Jack was carrying two large boxes, so there should be enough for everyone.
We ate pizza but didn’t talk much. I could tell Jack’s upcoming trip was on his mind, but he didn’t mention it. I tried not to feel hurt; if he wanted to tell me, he would. If it was a confidential remnant of his war days, then he wouldn’t—or couldn’t.
Eleanor called and said she was running late, and she sounded so distraught I told her she should quit worrying about coming in. I’d be fine on my own. She was frantic with wedding plans, and I was trying to be so considerate that she would feel guilty if she even thought about asking me to wear a hideous bridesmaid’s dress. Orange. Or pink. Two colors that would never, ever look good with my red hair.
I knew it was all about the bride, but … No.
Jack raised an eyebrow when I hung up. “Are you still thinking about hiring somebody else, at least part-time?”
“I haven’t asked Eleanor yet if she’s coming back after the wedding,” I admitted, avoiding his gaze. I’d been promising to do that and kept putting it off. Kind of like I kept putting off asking Jack about his parents. Or asking him about his former rebel co-leader who’d been more than just his friend. Quinn Dawson.
It’s not that I was afraid of the conversations, exactly. It’s just that things had been going so well between us, not counting the dead bodies and theft rings and villainous Fae and whatever.
I sighed.
“I’ll ask her,” I promised. “By the time you get back, I’ll know her plans and figure out the help-wanted situation. If the Felonious Phleabottoms don’t cause more trouble.”
“Thewhat?” Jack put his fifth pizza slice down, uneaten, which showed the extent of his concern. Jack wasn’t one to let his food go to waste.
“It’s more like the who, or is that the whom? I can never get those straight.”
He pinned me with that emerald gaze, hints of amber flashing in his irises. “Tess.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I filled him in on what I knew, and he glanced up at the Eeyore ball.
“Maybe you should put that in the vault,” he suggested. “Might be better not to get in the middle of whatever scheme Susan’s family is concocting. Should I have a talk with them? Especially this Aloysius guy who has you so spooked?”
“Definitely not!” I put my hands on my hips. “I’m perfectly capable—”
“Of handling this on your own,” he finished. “I know, I know. Anyway, I had an interesting encounter of my own.”
He told me about Bug and Lily and about the talk he’d had with Rick Peabody.
