by Jeff Shelby
“Everything is fine,” I told him, pasting a bright smile on my face. “I was thinking, though, maybe we could find some time to talk later?”
His eyebrows shot up. “Yeah?” His enthusiasm was hard to miss.
I nodded. “If you have time.”
“Of course I have time,” he said. “I’ll make time. How about tonight? We can grab dinner somewhere—”
I looked at him and there must've been confusion or surprise on my face because he stopped himself.
“Dinner,” he repeated. “So we can chat.”
I started to protest, to try to clarify what I was asking, but a wave of residents rolled into the room along with a man I didn’t recognize. I assumed he was the speaker from the organization coming to talk with us.
I glanced at Bryce and then back at the man who was looking around for whomever was in charge.
I held up a hand. “Are you Dr. Klein?”
The man looked at me in relief and nodded.
“I’ll talk to you later,” I said to Bryce. Sooner rather than later, I hoped. Just so I could clear up exactly what I’d been asking of him.
Aidan walked into the room, then, holding a female resident by the elbow as she hobbled in. He smiled when he saw me.
My own answering smile was a feeble one.
I spoke with Dr. Klein for a moment, not really listening as he briefly went over what he was going to focus on during his 45-minute presentation. My mind was everywhere else.
“That sounds great,” I murmured. I hoped I sounded convincing.
He looked at the Apple watch strapped to his wrist. “Looks like we should go ahead and get started in a minute, don’t you think?” He thrust a stack of handouts at me. The font was unusually large, at least 16 point. “Would you mind handing these out to the residents?”
I took them from him, grateful for a momentary distraction but knowing I still needed to talk to Bryce before he left. I went down the rows of residents, giving them each a handout, keeping my eyes on Bryce. He was chatting with Dr. Klein now.
They shook hands and Bryce’s gaze found his way to me. I still had a few residents waiting for handouts and I held up a finger, hoping he’d read this as a sign to wait before he left the room.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he smiled and called out, “I’ll see you at dinner tonight. Looking forward to our date!”
I couldn’t help the audible gasp that escaped my mouth.
Because Billie was now staring at me with a satisfied, almost smug smile.
And Aidan was also watching me.
I closed my eyes.
There was no mistaking what I saw reflected in his eyes.
Confusion.
And hurt.
TWENTY
“It’s not what you think,” I whispered.
We were standing at the back of the room while Dr. Klein discussed things like medical synchronization and a local take back prescription event.
Aidan stared stone-faced at the man speaking.
“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” he said, his voice low. “You don’t owe me an explanation.”
I folded my arms against my chest, as if that could somehow contain the misery bubbling up from inside of me.
I knew I didn’t have to explain it, but that didn’t change the fact that I wanted to.
More than anything, I didn’t want Aidan to think that I was going on a date with Bryce. But the only way I could do that would be to tell him everything that was going on.
I swallowed. The only person who had even the slightest inkling of what had happened to Anne—or what she and I thought had happened—was Denise. I’d kept quiet about it with everyone else. Heck, the only reason I’d mentioned it to Denise was because she’d essentially confessed to her wrongdoings before I could even ask any pointed questions.
I stole a glance at Aidan. Anyone else who looked at him might think he was just listening intently to Dr. Klein but I knew better. I saw the tightness in his expression: the taut muscles in his neck, the thin lips pressed together.
My stomach convulsed.
I nudged him.
He didn’t look at me.
“Aidan,” I hissed.
He gave me the side-eye.
“I need to talk to you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “We’re at a presentation.”
I grabbed his arm. “So let’s leave.”
I don’t know if it was my words or the touch of my hand on his forearm that broke through his armor, but his expression changed to one of surprise.
“Right now?” he whispered.
I nodded.
Quietly, I led him out the back door of the room and into the community kitchen area, keeping my eyes on the gathered group of residents as I did so. No one turned to look, not even Billie. I breathed a sigh of relief as I pulled the door closed behind us. Even though we’d baked pies days ago, the smell of cinnamon and spices still lingered in the air.
“I don’t have a date with Bryce,” I said.
The mask reappeared almost immediately. “You don’t owe me—”
“I know I don't owe you an explanation, but I'm giving you one, anyway.”
“Look, you don't—”
I cut him off. “Anne’s accident wasn’t an accident.”
Aidan stared at me. “What?”
I took a deep breath. “Someone made her crash. On purpose.”
He eyed me for a moment. “You’re gonna need to start from the beginning.”
So I did. After swearing him to secrecy, I told him everything I knew, including the part about Denise.
And including the part about briefly considering him a suspect.
His eyes widened when I got to this part and his mouth curled into a scowl but he just listened.
“I would never do something like that,” he said stiffly.
“I know.” I felt horrible for even considering the idea. “I really do and I'm sorry. I'm just trying to figure all of this out.”
He exhaled. “So how does this all relate to Bryce?”
“I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “Connie mentioned that she saw him and Anne fighting last week. She wasn’t too clear on specifics but she said it was something about Anne’s job.”
“Anne’s job?” Aidan repeated.
I nodded. “Connie said something about Anne yelling at him and he retaliated by telling her that if she wasn’t careful, she’d be out of a job.”
“Be careful about what?”
“I have no idea. But that’s what I need to talk to him about.” I rubbed at my eyes, a sudden tiredness washing over me. Solving mysteries was draining. “I mean, I don’t know if what Connie told me is true but—”
“Why would she lie to you?” Aidan asked.
“Oh, I don’t think she was lying,” I said quickly. “She was just fuzzy on details, you know?”
He nodded. “Sure. But if she said she saw something, it probably bears looking into.” His eyes met mine. “So that’s the reason you’re going to dinner?”
“I guess.” I sighed. “I told him I needed to talk to him and he sort of made dinner plans for us. I wanted to tell him no but then everyone came in for the speaker and…well, you know the rest.”
Aidan was quiet for a minute. “What if he is the one responsible?”
“For what happened to Anne, you mean?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I report him.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “But what if he gets angry with you? What if he threatens you, too?”
I laughed. “Bryce?”
Aidan gave me a pointed look. “We’ve just established that he got angry with Anne. Very angry.”
I sobered. “Well, yeah, but you know how Anne can be. She brings out the worst in everyone.”
“Sure,” Aidan agreed. “But don’t you think you accusing him of a crime might bring out the worst in him, too?”
I was quiet for a minute. “I guess I hadn’t thought about that.”
/>
“There’s no way to know how he’ll react.”
My shoulders slumped. He was right, of course. If he did have something to do with Anne's accident, letting him know that I knew might be a dangerous thing to do.
Aidan looked at me. “So I’m coming with you.”
TWENTY ONE
“You can’t come with me.”
Aidan’s gaze was steely. “Watch me.”
“Don’t you think that would be a little awkward?” I asked. “A threesome? Don’t you think Bryce is going to wonder why you’re tagging along? And don’t you think he’ll literally not admit a single thing if you’re sitting there, too?”
Aidan rolled his eyes. “I’m not going with you.”
“You just said you were!”
“Not with with you,” he said in an attempt to clarify. “I’ll just go to the restaurant and make sure nothing goes wrong.”
“So you’re going to be like undercover or something?”
Aidan chuckled. “I guess I am. Maybe I'll get a fake mustache. Or one of those rubber caps that makes me look bald.”
“Stop it.”
“I'll just be there,” he said. “I'll stay out sight, but I'll be around. In case you need me.”
It wasn’t a great idea, but it wasn’t a terrible one, either. I hadn’t given much thought to what Bryce’s reaction might be if he was in fact the one responsible for Anne’s accident.
The sound of applause shifted my attention from my internal thoughts back to the room we’d just exited from just moments ago.
I opened the door and slipped back into the main room just in time for the clapping to come to an end. Residents stood up and Connie was back in the room, ready to guide Dina back to her room.
“Thank you for the informative presentation,” I said to Dr. Klein.
He adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses. “You’re very welcome,” he said. “It’s always a pleasure to connect with the community and to be able to share our message.”
I just nodded. I would need to skim the handout he’d provided, since I didn’t have a clue as to what exactly he’d covered in his presentation.
“Did you have any questions about anything?” he asked.
“Questions?”
“About the talk.”
“Oh.” I blinked. “No, not at this time. But I have your contact information so I’ll definitely be in touch if something comes up.”
He nodded. “We’d also be willing to set up a take back your prescription event here, if that’s something you’re interested in. A lot of senior citizens cycle out of prescriptions and into new ones, and they tend to have a lot of unused meds filling up their medicine cabinets. It’s much safer for everyone if we get those off their shelves and out of the facility.”
“Of course,” I said. “I’m sure we could set something like that up. I would just have to run it by my boss.”
He smiled. “Is that the young man who introduced himself to me? Bryce, I think?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to correct him, but then I stopped.
Bryce was the boss.
At least right now.
“Yes,” I finally said. “That’s him.”
Dr. Klein reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. “Looks like I have his contact info right here. Perhaps I’ll give him a call and see about setting something up.” He gave me a quick glance. “If that’s alright with you. I’m not sure what the chain of command is here.”
I forced a smile. “That’s just fine.” My eyes were still glued to the card he was holding.
It was a business card, alright. Bryce’s.
For Oasis Ridge.
I swallowed the lump of uneasiness that was forming in my throat.
He’d already had business cards printed for Oasis Ridge?
Why?
But I knew why.
Because he wanted Anne’s job.
And he apparently would stop at nothing to get it.
My phone rang and I reluctantly shifted my attention to the device vibrating in my pocket. It was Anne.
I excused myself from Dr. Klein and stepped toward the back of the room out of the flow of traffic exiting the presentation.
“Who tampered with my brakes?” she demanded.
I was equally blunt. “I don’t know.”
Anne was aghast. “How do you not know? You’ve had days to work on this!”
I went back into the kitchen room and pulled the door closed. The last thing I needed was nosy ears listening in.
“I’m working my way through some leads,” I said.
“What leads?”
“Just some leads.”
“Tell me what you know.”
“I don’t know anything for sure,” I grated out, my voice as rigid as my spine. “I’ll let you know when I do.”
“What is taking you so long?” she complained.
“I don’t know if you remember this, but I sort of have a job here at Oasis Ridge.”
Anne snorted. “Barely. You don’t do much around there.”
I felt my blood begin to boil. “Because you don’t approve anything for the activity calendar!”
“That’s because all of your ideas are terrible and cost too much money.”
I gasped. “That is not true! It’s because you are horrible at your job and don’t let me do mine!”
My comment was met with silence.
My chest was heaving and I struggled to get my emotions under control. Breaths came out of me in spurts and it felt like my heart was going to beat right out of my chest, I was so worked up.
Anne cleared her throat. “My comments were probably…uncalled for.”
Was that her idea of an apology? “Probably? They absolutely were uncalled for. I'm trying to help you and continue doing my job and all you're doing is calling me and haranguing me and belittling me and I'm tired of it.”
It was probably as angry as I'd ever been with her and it was certainly the only time I ever recalled snapping at her. But I'd had it. I was tired of her demands and put-downs. I didn't deserve either.
“Let’s get back to the topic at hand, shall we?” she said.
“No. Let’s not.” My voice was loud and clear. “I have nothing to say to you right now.”
“Sunny—”
“I’ll let you know if and when I find out any more information. Until then, do not call me.”
“But—”
I hung up.
My heart was still stuttering as I lowered myself into a chair.
I rested my head in my hands.
I wanted to quit.
Quit investigating and quit my job.
It would've been the smart thing to do.
Anyone else in my position would've done that.
I stood up.
The room beyond the kitchen was quiet. I was pretty sure all of the guests had left.
I drew in a breath, trying to calm myself down.
I could walk right out that door and down the steps and out of Oasis Ridge forever. It would be the easiest way to end the drama with Anne.
I swallowed.
But that would mean no promotion. No moving to Jacksonville…if she had even been serious about her offer to put in a good word for me.
Leaving would also mean no more Aidan and Denise.
My throat constricted.
They were my friends. Both of them.
I sighed and leaned up against the closed door.
Tough decisions were the worst.
Because there were never any easy answers.
TWENTY TWO
I was no longer at Oasis Ridge.
Instead, I was sitting at Freddy’s, a local wood-fired pizza place.
On a date with Bryce.
I’d left the activity room and Bryce had caught me as I was heading toward my office. I’d still been of the mind to grab my purse and walk out forever but he’d stopped me and asked if I liked pizza. And if Freddy’s was a good place to grab dinner and
to talk.
That was all it took to drag me back in, to keep me from marching out the door.
Because despite everything that had happened with Anne during our phone call, I still wanted answers.
Not for her.
I didn’t give a hoot about her.
I wanted answers for me.
I wanted to know exactly what had happened and why.
Which was why I was sitting in a booth at Freddy’s, waiting for Bryce to arrive.
He’d wanted to pick me up but I was firm in saying no to that idea. Instead, we’d agreed to meet at the restaurant at seven o’clock. I’d arrived early, and texted Aidan to let him know I was there.
Because he was on his way, too.
I checked the time on my phone. It was quarter to seven, so I knew I had a few minutes before Bryce would arrive. I tried giving myself a pep talk but I couldn’t find any inspiring words to tell myself.
Feeling frustrated, I glanced around the restaurant. I’d been to Freddy’s a couple of times before and, while the décor wasn’t impressive, the pizza never disappointed. With faded wallpaper and yellowed linoleum, the interior had definitely seen better days. Even the booths and tables looked like neglected relics from yesteryear as opposed to furnishings in a modern restaurant. The tables sported chipped wood laminate and I was pretty sure there wasn’t a vinyl booth seat in the place that didn’t have a rip or tear.
But the pizza was good.
And that’s what kept this place hopping, even on a Wednesday night.
The door opened and I quickly averted my eyes. Bryce was walking through and I didn’t want him to think I was actively looking for him, waiting for his arrival. My gaze swept toward the bathroom and I did a double take. Back in the corner, at a two-top table near the emergency exit, was a man who looked vaguely familiar. I couldn’t quite place him, but—
My hand flew to my mouth.
It was Aidan, wearing a baseball cap and sporting a ridiculously large and obviously fake moustache. He'd actually gone and gotten the mustache. Part of me wondered why he'd decided against the bald cap.
“You’re early,” Bryce said as he slid into the seat across from me.
Dressed in jeans and a light brown t-shirt, his hair styled off his forehead, he looked more handsome than ever.
