She glanced up, and her face flinched. She caught herself, though, and said cheerfully, “Hey, boss.”
“What are you doing here?” I touched my tender cheek, feeling the scraped skin. The bruising on my face and body would fade quickly, but the nightmares might linger.
“Royce didn’t want you waking up alone.” She stood. “Can I get you something to eat? I have strict orders to feed you.”
I smiled weakly and sat at the table. It was surprising how exhausted I still felt after my ordeal. I’d assumed a good chunk of sleep would have me feeling right as rain, but I was still dragging. “I think I need coffee first. I can’t think straight yet.”
“You’re in luck. I just made a fresh pot.” She moved to the coffee maker and poured steaming java into a mug. She went to the fridge and added a little oat creamer and returned to the table.
“Thank you, Girdy.” I took the mug and sipped the coffee, sighing as it slid down my dry throat. “That’s the ticket.”
She laughed as she took her seat. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
I grimaced. “God, what a nightmare.”
“Royce didn’t have time to give me any info. Of course, Rainy Dale gossip network already has a story circulating. I’m curious if it’s even close to the truth.”
“What are they saying?”
She squinted, tapping her chin. “That you killed River’s sister in LA, and before they could arrest you, you moved to Rainy Dale. River followed you, and when he tried to bring you back to LA to face the music, you ran out into the desert and fell into a sinkhole.”
“What?” I screeched. “That’s not even close to the truth.”
“Well, I know that. I know the real story about River’s sister.”
I scowled, face hot. “When I went to sign the lease papers, River drugged me and kidnapped me. For goodness’ sake, why can’t people wait for the facts to come out before making up a story?”
“It’s just how they are around here. They don’t like to be confused with the facts.” She sighed. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the real story gets out there.”
“Will anyone even listen to the truth? It’s so boring in comparison.” I cradled my mug between my hands.
“I’m sure they’ll listen. Eventually.”
Wincing, I said quietly, “Now everyone will know about Lucinda’s death.”
“I’m sorry, Maxwell. I know you didn’t want that to get out.”
“No. I most certainly did not. But there’s not much I can do about it now. The gossipmongers will have a field day.” My stomach churned as I imaginedall the horrible theories people would come up with. None of them would probably shine a good light on me either. River was the golden boy, not me.
Girdy gave me a hopeful look. “Maybe it’s good that the thing about Lucinda will be out in the open now. You won’t have to worry anymore about it coming out.”
“Hmmm.”
She grimaced. “I mean, this wasn’t the most ideal way for the story to be released, but you have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I know that, and you know that, but will the people of Rainy Dale realize that?”
“I think so?”
I highly doubted it. The truth wouldn’t be nearly juicy enough for the people of Rainy Dale. “I’m the victim in this situation, but River is better liked than me. I suspect most people will want me to be the villain, whether I am or not.”
“No. You should have more faith in the people of Rainy Dale, Doc.”
Should I though?
“I guess we’ll see. Once River is charged with whatever he’s going to be charged with, the truth will come out. Until then, I’ll just lie low. I don’t really have the energy to go anywhere anyway.”
“Maybe you should go out and let people see what he did to you.” Girdy studied me, biting her lower lip. “You definitely look like the victim.”
