Lola requested bottled water when Dylan went to retrieve soft drinks from the vending machine. Thanking him, she twisted the cap off the bottle and noticed Marjorie arranging a fourth place setting on the desk. Lola shook her head. “I’m not having anything,” she said.
Three pairs of eyes stared at her incredulously.
“Why not?” Virginia asked. “And don’t tell me you’re not hungry because the sounds coming from your stomach remind me of a monster truck revving up for a race.”
Sighing, Lola allowed herself one last look at the food as her well-honed willpower kicked into place. “My diet is extremely regimented. Unfortunately, none of this amazing-looking food is allowed.”
“You’re so thin. Surely a little bit won’t hurt,” Virginia said.
Lola shook her head as her stomach roared in protest. “The camera adds at least ten pounds. I can’t afford any slipups. Especially now.”
“I’ll take her share.” Marjorie took her gaze off her already loaded plate to eyeball the cake.
“Our grocery store is on the small side, but if you need something special I can see if they have it,” Dylan offered.
Lola retrieved a plastic blender bottle and packet of protein powder from her purse. “No, water is all I need.”
The mouthwatering aromas coming from the desk seemed to intensify as she filled the blender bottle with water and dumped in the contents of the packet. She scowled at the three of them as they began to eat, knowing she had no right to be annoyed. Not that they’d even noticed. They were all too busy devouring the food on their plates.
Lola shook the contents of the bottle harder to blend them, then drank deeply. The chalky aftertaste of the protein-and-vitamin shake she substituted for two of her three meals a day insulted her deprived taste buds.
It’ll be worth it when you walk into that television studio on Monday svelte and on your A game, she reminded herself.
Lola raised the bottle to her lips again, but paused when she saw they were moving on to the cake. No way was she going to stand there torturing herself while they ate that gorgeous dessert. She stalked off to drink her shake in peace.
“Where are you going?” Dylan and Marjorie asked simultaneously.
“To my cell.” Lola walked into the storage room slash jail cell and clanged the old-fashioned door shut. She plopped down on the cot and sipped her shake. “Enjoy your cake.”
“So how do you like your cell?” Marjorie called out. Lola could see her expectant smile from across the room. “I hope I didn’t go overboard on the pink.”
“It’s lovely,” she replied in a monotone voice.
“You do realize you aren’t under arrest. At this point, you’re only being detained,” Dylan said. “You can drink your meal or shake or whatever that is out here with the rest of us.”
“The up-close-and-personal view of you all stuffing your faces, when I can’t have any, may drive me to do something that will keep me in here for real,” Lola said.
She heard a loud huff from Virginia. “Good Lord, stop being a drama queen and have a slice of cake before these two eat it all.” The older woman glanced at her son and Marjorie, and then shook her head. “You’d think they’d never seen food before.”
Dylan put down his fork, which he hadn’t done since they’d commenced eating. “Give Lola a break, Mom. If her version of what happened to Wilson is true, then she’s been extremely patient with this entire town.”
His mother blinked. “You believe her, don’t you?”
Lola watched Dylan nod once, and her heart did a tiny flip inside her chest. She took another sip from her shake and leaned against the pink pillow she’d propped up against the wall.
“She also has a big job waiting on her in New York.”
Virginia looked across the room at Lola. “But I thought you already had a job modeling for Espresso?”
“You’ve known who I was this entire time,” Lola said.
“Of course. I’d know your face anywhere. I’ve been a loyal Espresso Cosmetics customer for years.” Virginia’s tone was matter-of-fact. “I went to one of their events in Nashville over thirty years ago, and Selena Sinclair Gray made up my face personally. At the time, I thought she was one of the most glamorous and the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. I wanted to look just like her.”
“So did I,” Lola said softly, at the mention of her late mother.
“You do,” Virginia assured her.
Lola smiled at the older woman, surprised she’d even heard her from across the room.
“So why are you looking for a job in New York when you already have one with your own people?” Virginia asked.
“Geez, Mom. You’re as nosy as everyone else in this town.” Dylan shook his head as he cut into the slice of cake on his plate with a fork. He shoved a bite into his mouth.
“There’s nothing wrong with asking a question or two.” Virginia shot him a look. “At least I can keep my clothes on when I’m talking to her.”
“Thank goodness,” Dylan grumbled.
Lola snickered, but noticed he didn’t even bother to deny the inaccurate rumor.
Undeterred, his mother pressed on. “So did your family fire you after that big flap on the airplane?”
“Yep, how’d you guess?” Lola had told only Dylan, and unlike everyone else in town, he didn’t gossip.
“Just put two and two together.” Virginia shrugged. “Besides, with all the press you’re getting lately, you’d be a better spokesman for boxing gloves and emergency rooms than makeup.”
Lola shrugged. “It’s better than my face being associated with hemorrhoid cream.”
Dylan froze, his fork poised midair. “Hey! Some of us are trying to eat here.”
“We’re just...um, what’s that saying again?” His mother paused and then snapped her fingers. “Oh, yeah. Lola and I just like to keep it real.”
“Yes, we do,” Lola agreed. She also couldn’t help thinking about how much she liked the Coopers, both of them. The mother was a hoot, and the son... Lola stole a glance at him and couldn’t suppress a dreamy sigh.
Dylan Cooper was a bona fide hunk, but that was only a small part of his appeal. Rock-solid and supportive, his quiet strength embraced her like a hug. Her looks and her strong personality didn’t intimidate him. Nor did hearing about the situations she seemed to continuously get herself into annoy him.
Lola had known Dylan for a few hours, yet already she felt she could relax and be herself around him—quirks and all.
Her mind drifted back to the kiss they had shared earlier. It had turned her on for sure, but more than that, in those few minutes she’d spent in his arms she had felt more at home than she’d felt in a long time. Then Lola realized she was in another jam, because she was falling for this town’s police chief.
The sound of her name roused her from her reverie and the inane notions running through her head. She didn’t even know Dylan Cooper. Not really. The idea of her falling for him was just plain silly. Or was it?
“I was asking you about your job opportunity,” Virginia said.
Shaking off ridiculous thoughts of Dylan being anything more to her than a helpful guy she wouldn’t mind seeing and touching naked, Lola proceeded to fill his mother and Marjorie in on the call from her agent. She also found herself confiding in them about the humiliating way she’d been fired and replaced by a drag queen.
The dispatcher cut a third slice of lemonade cake and placed it on her plate. “Wow, that must be one good-looking man.”
Lola recalled Freddy Finch’s head shot. “He’s gorgeous,” she deadpanned.
“Back to your America Live! appearance,” Virginia said. “It’s one of my favorite shows. I watch it every morning while I eat breakfast.”
“Me, too,” Marjorie chimed in over a mouthful of cak
e. “Can’t we just let her go, if she promises to come back?”
Dylan shook his head. “The crime she’s been accused of is too serious, and two people claim she did it.”
“What people?” Virginia asked.
“Jeb for one,” Dylan replied. “He claims to have seen the entire incident while he was out on his tractor.”
Virginia dismissed the name with a wave of her hand. “Jeb Dixon can barely see the shoes on his feet, let alone Old Mill Road from his property line.”
“What the...?” Lola’s ears perked up and she raised her back off the plush pink pillow. “I couldn’t even make out the person driving the tractor. There’s no way they could have seen me.”
“Wilson also indicated she attacked him, but he was vague,” Dylan said.
“I heard he had a head injury. He could be confused,” Marjorie said.
“Or...” Virginia tapped her fingertip against her lips. “Well, this is just a thought, but the young man is the butt of a lot of jokes around here. Maybe he’s embarrassed to say what really happened out there, and it’s easier to let everyone believe Lola waylaid him.”
“Come on.” Marjorie’s tone was incredulous.
Lola was inclined to share the dispatcher’s opinion. Virginia’s notion seemed like a stretch. Lola was taken aback when Dylan supported his mother’s theory.
“That’s exactly what I think is going on here, Mom,” he said. “Lola’s reputation is a smokescreen that shifts the attention off Wilson and onto her. Instead of folks laughing at him, he’s seen as courageous for being ambushed by a woman rumored to be a menace. When anybody who’s spent any time with her would know that’s just a crock. If anything, I believe she’s the hero in this situation.”
Lola’s heart did that flip-flop thing in her chest again. While it was ridiculous to think she was falling for Dylan so soon after meeting him, she did like him—a lot. She also appreciated the faith he had in her.
“Then why—” Virginia began.
Dylan cut her off, apparently already knowing his mother’s question. “Because at this point it’s Jeb and Wilson’s word against Lola’s. Our cruiser isn’t equipped with a video camera and the evidence is negligible. While I’m hesitant to arrest her, I can’t let her go. Not yet.” He exhaled. “Our best bet is to get what I believe is the truth out of Wilson as soon as he’s done at the hospital.”
Virginia banged a fist on the desk, startling the entire room. “We can’t just wait around on Wilson. We’ve got to take action now. Lola is supposed to be on America Live! Monday morning, dammit.” Her voice trembled with indignation. “This is her chance to let the country get to know her, beyond all the ridiculous gossip she attracts. Not to mention show that family of hers up for thinking a drag queen is a better spokesperson than Lola for Espresso.”
Lola appreciated the older woman’s fervor. She trusted Dylan and his approach was logical, but wished there was something they could do to move the process along. Even if they managed to get it cleared up this evening, she’d probably have to find a hotel and stay the night in Cooper’s Place. She was exhausted, and there was still over five hundred miles left between her and New York City.
“I realize how important this is to Lola,” Dylan said. “But I can’t let my personal feelings in this case interfere with doing my job.”
Marjorie snapped her fingers. “Hold on, I think there’s something else we can try, but I don’t know...” she hedged. “It’s kind of a stretch.”
“Anything,” Lola pleaded. Time wasn’t on her side.
“We could hold a hearing in Mayor’s Court,” the dispatcher said. “I know it doesn’t convene until Wednesday, but perhaps we could call a special session.” She shrugged. “For tomorrow morning, maybe? It would give us time for the mayor to agree to it.”
“That’s a fabulous idea.” The sound of Virginia’s clap reverberated throughout the room as she excitedly clasped her hands. “To heck with waiting until tomorrow. I’ll call Roy right now. I think we could have all the players at city hall for an emergency session of Mayor’s Court within the hour.”
“No,” Dylan said firmly. “Absolutely, not.”
“Why not?” both Virginia and Marjorie asked, echoing the question going through Lola’s head.
Dylan stood as he frowned at his mother and the dispatcher. “For one thing, I’m not even sure if it’s legal. Only traffic cases and misdemeanors are handled in Mayor’s Court.”
“The so-called crime happened in Cooper’s Place, and we can handle it right here in Cooper’s Place,” his mother said. “Right now.”
Marjorie stood. She sided up to Virginia and draped her arm around the older woman’s shoulder. “I agree with you.”
Dylan cleared his throat. “Secondly, this is a bad idea for reasons the two of you should already know.” He heaved a sigh, as he appeared to measure his next words. “I love my uncle, but that doesn’t hide the fact that he can be an ass.”
Lola blinked. It was the first time she’d heard the police chief swear. So she figured his uncle must be a pretty big one.
Virginia shrugged. “I can’t argue the part about him being an ass.”
“Me, either,” Marjorie readily agreed.
“Still, it’s a shot at getting Lola out of here and on my television Monday morning, and I vote we should take it,” Virginia said.
“It would be a bad move,” Dylan warned. “The hospital should be done with those tests on Wilson soon. We just need to be patient a little longer.”
Lola watched as the older woman rested a hand on her son’s arm. “But it’s not your future on the line, it’s Lola’s. Don’t you think we should leave it up to her?”
They all turned to the jail cell. She did trust Dylan’s opinion, but she also needed to get out of here tonight. Marjorie and Virginia’s idea sounded as if it would help her achieve her goal quicker than his would.
Standing, Lola gripped the jail cell’s old-fashioned bars. “I want my night in court.”
Chapter 10
He’d called it right.
This truly was a bad idea, but Dylan hadn’t realized just how awful until it began to play out before his eyes. He closed them briefly and pinched the bridge of his nose as he sat on the front row of a packed house at city hall for an unprecedented hearing in Mayor’s Court.
He’d already told the court what he’d gleaned from the evidence he’d collected, and indicated he believed the only thing Lola Gray was guilty of was speeding.
Now Jeb Dixon was at the podium giving his account of what had happened to Officer Todd Wilson on Old Mill Road. Mayor Roy Cooper was in a cantankerous mood because he was missing the baseball game on television, and Lola wasn’t doing herself any favors.
“I’ve already warned you twice, young lady.” The mayor, seated at the dais where he usually presided over city council meetings, picked up his gavel and pointed it in Lola’s direction. “Keep interrupting these proceedings and you’re going to find yourself in contempt of court.”
“But that’s not what happened at all.” Lola continued to challenge Jeb’s rambling, vague version of the story.
“That may be so, but I need to hear what he has to say just the same,” Roy said. “So plant your backside in your seat and keep quiet, before you get on my bad side and I hold you in contempt.”
Dylan recognized the warning tone in his uncle’s directive. As a kid, it had stopped him dead in his tracks. He hoped Lola had the good sense to heed it, because Roy Cooper’s bite was always worse than his bark.
Lola returned to her seat on the pew-style bench, bracketed by him and his mother. Dylan felt the tension trapped between his shoulders ebb. He looked down at her trembling hand resting against her thigh and resisted the urge to reach out and cover it with his. The instinct to comfort her came as natu
rally to him as his next breath. Still, it wouldn’t be appropriate.
As a small-town police chief, he knew the respect of his fellow citizens was vital. So was their confidence in his sense of fairness. He couldn’t be perceived as giving Lola special treatment because of her celebrity status. All he wanted was to give a woman he believed had tried to do the right thing by rushing his officer to the emergency room a chance to clear her name.
Dylan doubted tonight’s hearing would achieve that goal.
“Now where were we before being so rudely interrupted, again?” Roy’s eyes narrowed in disapproval at Lola, before he swiveled in his high-backed chair toward his long-time fishing buddy, Jeb, leaning against the podium.
A cell phone rang out and everyone glanced around nervously, curious to see who’d been foolish enough to ignore the signs outside the room warning to silence all phones before entering. Dylan watched as Jeb fished an ancient flip phone out of the pocket of his plaid shirt.
“Hello. Hello?” The farmer’s bellow bounced off the walls of the room.
“Put that phone away, Jeb,” the mayor scolded.
“What did you say?” Jeb shouted into the small phone. “Speak up. Roy’s yelling, and I can’t hear a thing.” He jammed a finger in his free ear. “That’s better. I can hear you now. Nope, I’m missing The Price is Right prime-time special tonight, but Darcy is recording it, so don’t tell me who won Plinko. You know it’s my favorite.”
Roy banged his gavel. “Jeb!”
Turning his back on his friend, Jeb continued to speak loudly into the phone, treating the entire room to his side of the conversation whether or not they wanted to hear it.
“Oh, I’m down in Mayor’s Court telling everyone how the lady from the TV who beat up the folks on that plane knocked out one of the town’s cops.” Oblivious to where he was and everyone around him, the farmer continued the call. “The rookie, of course. You know the chief. That Dylan Cooper’s one big mudda...not even those lumberjack-sized Henderson brothers could take him on, and there’s three of them.”
Jeb stopped talking for a beat, and turned to the front row, where Dylan sat with Lola. His eyes widened before he squinted at them through the thick lenses of his glasses. He stroked the whiskers on his chin with his free hand and grinned. “Stripped him buck naked and spanked him, right in the hospital waiting room, eh?”
Heated Moments Page 10
