Ballard ignored her as he took another step toward her. Before she knew it, she was backed into someone’s car. “I didn’t even know that she was dead!” he shouted. “That’s how I find out? From some little nobody accusing me of murder?”
“Once again, I didn’t accuse you of murder. I just knew that the police were looking to question you,” she whispered. “I’m sorry that’s how you found out. I’m sure that was awful.”
Goodwin barked loudly and lunged against the leash, but Olivia realized that the man had changed. Just like that, the anger disappeared, and now, the hulking ex-football player looked like a man grieving. His lower lip trembled, and tears welled in his eyes.
She jerked on Goodwin’s leash and grabbed the dog’s collar. Olivia wasn’t sure which was worse, having him yell at her or having him cry. “Mr. Chain? Are you going to be okay?”
“I would have never cheated on her,” he moaned as he slumped against the car next to her. She prayed there was no alarm attached to the old sedan. “I told her that I was tempted, but I really wasn’t. We’d just gotten so busy, and I worried that she didn’t love me anymore. Maybe she didn’t, but I still loved her.”
Olivia reached up and patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. “There, there,” she murmured. “I think she knew that.”
“Really?” Ballard sniffed and wiped his nose with his hand. “I wanted her to be happy. I gave her everything she wanted in the divorce. I promised that I’d take care of her, but then her business took off, and I guess I realized then that she’d always blamed me for keeping her from her dreams. I resented that. If she’d just told me, I would have supported her.”
Open communication. It was like the universe was slapping her in the face. First, Tanya’s mother made her promise to openly talk things out with Andrew, and now Ballard was telling her what could happen if she didn’t.
“She had opportunities to date,” Olivia said with a small smile. “We used to go out, and men would hit on her. She was such a beautiful woman, but she never gave anyone the time of day. I think partly it was because she was so busy, but I also think part of it was that she didn’t want to move on from you. I didn’t know that you two were having problems in the divorce. She never talked about it. She had only good things to say about you. I think it’s important that you know that.”
Ballard took a huge, shuddering breath. “Thank you for saying that,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier. I just needed to vent my anger. Do you know who killed her? I’m sure you do. You’re good at this kind of thing.”
Olivia hesitated. She didn’t want to tell him that Tanya had done it. For one thing, Tanya had implied that she hadn’t killed Kimberly, and for another, she didn’t want Ballard to get angry and do something that really would land him in jail. “I’m still working out the details,” she said finally. “But I’m sure that Sheriff Limperos knows that you’re not the killer.”
“I just want to know why. Kimberly was such a good woman.” Ballard shook his head. “I should have appreciated her more.”
“I know the feeling,” Olivia muttered.
The large man bent down and reached his hand out to Goodwin. Now that the situation was defused, Goodwin sniffed and licked him tentatively, and Ballard scratched his ears. “You have a good dog here. A protective one. I’m sorry that I scared you. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“I wasn’t that scared,” Olivia lied. “Is there someone I can call? It might be a good idea to spend some time with someone while you’re mourning.”
Ballard shook his head. “There’s no one, really. I usually called Kimberly in situations like this. I guess that should be a real slap in the face. I’ve got this huge business going but no real friends. I guess it’s time to prioritize my life.”
“It’s never too late. Go home. Get some rest, and let those feelings out. You can call me if you need anything.” She smiled. “I’m always happy to talk about Kimberly.”
“Thanks. That will be nice. Want me to walk you to wherever you’re going?”
“Nah.” She reached down and scratched Goodwin’s ears. “I’ve got my guard dog with me.”
As she waved goodbye to Ballard, she cut back through the buildings so she was walking by the storefronts again. Her run-in with Ballard had shaken her up more than she wanted to admit. It was not just the initial terror but rather that she understood a lot of his regrets. If she couldn’t mend things with Andrew, would her love also turn into bitterness?
She didn’t intend to find out.
17
He’d brought her a corsage.
That was all she could think as he stood awkwardly at her door and held it out. Several heartbeats passed before she blinked and took in the whole package. One thing was certain. Andrew Patterson cleaned up real nice. He’d shaved the scruff that he’d been growing on his chin, and he was dressed to impress in a classic black tuxedo.
“You look beautiful,” he said in a husky voice as he looked her up and down, and her heart melted.
“You brought me a corsage,” she said with a sigh. “I didn’t get you a boutonniere.”
“I don’t need a boutonniere when I have you on my arm,” he said with a slow grin. “Jackie, Janelle, and strangely enough, Delilah, all managed to track me down in the past twelve hours and remind me that I needed to get you a corsage. I had to go to five different shops before I could get one last-minute. Delilah described your dress in detail so I’d get one that matched. Are you two friends, now?”
Olivia shook her head quickly. “I wouldn’t say that, but we do have some sort of understanding. I think she’s interested in Derek.”
“Good,” Andrew muttered quickly, and he immediately averted his gaze. She was about to point out that since they were no longer together, he couldn’t be jealous of Derek, but she didn’t want to ruin the moment. Instead, she stepped back and held the door open.
“Pin it on me?”
“Your mother’s not hiding around the corner with a camera?” he asked suspiciously as he stepped inside.
“No, of course not. Believe me, I am not a teenager.”
“Yes. I’m well aware.” His hands were warm against her bare skin, but the flush on her chest had little to do with the touch and everything to do with the innuendo in his voice. Still, his movements were far too quick. Rather than an inexperienced teenage boy copping a feel, Andrew was done in a matter of seconds and stepped back. “Perfect.”
“Thank you.” As he studied her intently, she realized that she didn’t know what to do. Now would have been the perfect time to hug or kiss him, but while the corsage was endearing, it certainly wasn’t a token of love.
“You did your hair.”
Olivia almost winced as she reached up and touched her soft curls. She didn’t admit that she sported several burn marks on her arm from using the curling iron, and she’d cursed the thing up and down for a good thirty minutes in order to get something that resembled some sort of hairdo.
It also didn’t bode well that he’d only been there two minutes, and they were already reduced to talking about her hair.
“We should probably get going,” she said abruptly as she grabbed her small black clutch. “We’re supposed to get there before the kids and have a brief meeting about what to look out for.”
Andrew raised an eyebrow. “What are we looking out for?”
“You know. Alcohol. Drugs. Inappropriate dancing and touching.”
He offered her his arm. “So I should leave my alcohol and drugs in the car? And I was totally planning on doing some inappropriate dancing and touching.”
The mood seemed a little bit lighter as he escorted her out to his car. She fumbled for words to keep the conversation going. “I know you weren’t planning on doing the dancing with me, because we both know what a horrible dancer I am. That’s why I’d suggested taking dance lessons.”
For the wedding. The words were almost out of her mouth, but she managed to hold them in. He either didn
’t notice or pretended not to notice as he opened the door for her and bowed mockingly. “My Lady.”
“Why, thank you, kind sir.” Olivia couldn’t help but giggle and then blushed when she realized that she was giggling. Her emotions were such a whirlwind tonight, and she needed to figure out a way to anchor herself, or she’d be worse than the teenage girls she was supposed to be chaperoning!
Andrew slid behind the wheel, and Olivia knew what would steer the conversation away from the awkward moment. “I spoke to Tanya.”
His knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel, and he kept his focus on the road. “Alone?”
“Technically, yes, but we were in public. I saw her at the dry cleaners. She admitted to using my computer to hack into the school system and she also said she threatened the students who were going to tell on her. I think she’s genuinely sorry about that.”
“But?”
“She says Kimberly knew that she was threatening to use her dog food as poison, and she went to talk to her, but Kimberly was already dead when she got there.”
“Do you believe her?”
Olivia blew out her breath. “If she were older, I’d say that she was just trying to get out of a murder charge, but the truth is that she’s admitting to the evidence against her. Why would she do that if she was going to deny killing Kimberly?”
“I don’t know. It seems to me that she likes manipulating people. Maybe she was manipulating you.”
Staring out the window, Olivia smiled softly at the way the town was lit up in celebration. A few adults were already dressed up and wandering around, arm-in-arm, but she knew that most of the parents would be at home, helping their children get ready. “Maybe. I also spoke to Ballard today.”
“Alone?”
“Yes,” Olivia admitted with a sigh. Andrew always zeroed in on the part that was the problem. “I had Goodwin with me, but I’d cut back behind the buildings to get to my car.”
“I’ve asked you not to do that,” he said in a low but calm voice. “I know you think that nothing happens in a small town, but experience should tell you otherwise.”
“I know. And I’ll definitely think twice about it now. He was really angry, but I don’t think he was angry at me as much as he was himself. He ended up breaking down. I think he regrets everything that happened with Kimberly. It’s clear that he still loved her.” She turned her head to study his profile. It was the perfect opportunity to open up to him, but she just couldn’t do it. A million excuses ran through her head. She didn’t want to ruin their night by bringing it up first. They were supposed to focus on the kids. She still wasn’t really sure how he felt about being roped into the dance.
Excuses, excuses, excuses.
Andrew pulled into the parking lot of the school, and she was saved from having to think about it anymore. The butterflies in her stomach had calmed down, and she felt less punch-drunk and more in control of her emotions.
He didn’t take her hand, but he did rest his at the small of her back where the fabric dipped low on her back. It felt warm and reassuring.
Comfortable.
Once in the gymnasium, all she could do was gasp in wonder. The school had put down a fake platform to protect the gym floor, and the dark wood gleamed under the lights. The purple, black, and silver theme followed from the masks on the tables to the balloons on the arches. Gauzy curtains hung from the ceiling to the floor and encased twinkling fairy lights. The whole room looked magical. Even though she’d known what the decorations looked like, she never would have had the talent to pull this off.
“Elspeth did an amazing job,” Olivia muttered. For a moment, she felt a stab of guilt. Tanya’s mother would soon find out just what her daughter was capable of. What would happen to the poor woman?
“Olivia Rickard and Andrew Patterson?” a woman said as she walked up next to them with a clipboard. “I’m Suzanna. Thanks for joining us. You’re the last chaperones to arrive, so we’re going to get started.” She reached over and slapped a name tag on Olivia’s dress, and Olivia tried not to wince.
“This so does not match,” she whispered after Suzanna had pressed another onto Andrew. His lips twitched and he pushed her gently to the center of the dance floor where the group was gathered. Olivia recognized a few of the faces, and she tried not to grin when she saw Lady Celeste and the mayor among them.
She wondered if he’d read the romance books Jackie had given him? Maybe he was going to show Lady Celeste a good time tonight.
“Don’t look now, but I think that’s your mom over there,” Andrew whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized that he was right. Her mother and Pamela’s long-term boyfriend Joseph were standing a few feet away, and her mother was watching them intently.
Wasn’t she past the age where her mother could embarrass her at a dance?
“All right.” Suzanna got everyone’s attention as her voice boomed through the gymnasium. “First, I want to thank everyone for being here. I know that Lexingburg adores their proms, but it can be difficult to find enough chaperones, and without you guys, this event would not happen. Tonight, it’s important to remember that while we all want the kids to have fun, we also want to keep them safe. Do not be afraid to report something that you think is inappropriate or might endanger others. Kids don’t always realize just how severe the consequences of their actions can be. We have a no-tolerance policy on drugs, alcohol, weapons, and violence of any kind, and we want to try to curb any lewd behavior.”
Olivia’s thoughts drifted away from the lecture as she thought once again about Tanya. Nick hadn’t called her. What if the girl hadn’t reported to the sheriff? Would she attend tonight? Was she really sorry about what she’d done, or was Andrew right? Was the teenager just manipulating Olivia?
“I’m sorry,” someone interrupted. “Where’s Elspeth? She decorated everything, right? This place looks amazing!”
A few of the adults agreed, and Suzanna smiled tightly. “I know that Elspeth will be glad to hear that when she arrives. It does appear that she’s running late.”
Olivia swallowed hard. That was the same frustrated tone of voice that Kimberly’s cashier had used when Deedee had demanded to know where Kimberly was. Did Suzanna not know where Elspeth had gone off to?
It looked like maybe Tanya’s mother had discovered what Tanya was up to, after all.
The lecture came to an abrupt end when the DJ started to do a sound check. Not wanting to face her mother with Andrew there, she asked him to put her purse in the coat check.
He lifted an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. As soon as he’d left the gym, she hurried over to Pamela. “Mom. Joe. What are you two doing here?”
“We’re volunteering,” Pamela said with a bright smile. “I see that Andrew is with you. Does that mean that everything has worked out?”
“No, Mom. We’re just here as friends, so please don’t make things awkward.”
“Awkward?” Her mom’s smile turned frosty. “You mean, like asking you questions about what happened since I don’t know because you’ve been avoiding my phone calls?”
Guilty. “I haven’t exactly been ducking your phone calls. I’ve just been busy. Prom planning and sheet-rocking.”
“Sheet-rocking?” Joe asked curiously.
Olivia waved her hand around. “We really need some steady income, and the two apartments upstairs have to be rented out soon. To save money, Janelle and I’ve been doing some of the work ourselves.”
“Oh, dear,” Pamela said with a frown. “Joe, do you think you can take a look?”
“Mom, I don’t need him to take a look. Everything is fine. I’ve been watching YouTube videos.”
“That makes everything better,” Joe said with a wink. “Still, I’m happy to help out if you need me to.”
Olivia could see Andrew returning. “I appreciate that, Joe. I’ll let you know.”
She was just about to go meet him and pull him away from her mother when Pamela whir
led around to face him. “Andrew,” she said coldly.
He didn’t even blink. “Ms. Rickard,” he said as he bowed. “You look lovely in that dress.”
“My daughter looks stunning in hers,” she pointed out.
Olivia held her breath, but Andrew just smiled. “Yes, she does.”
“My daughter is a wonderful person, and I suggest that you remember that tonight.”
Tossing Joe a pleading look, Olivia immediately stepped between them. “All right. We’re going to talk to Suzanna and see if there’s anything we can do now. Have fun tonight, guys.”
As she pulled him away, she looked up and bit her bottom lip. “I’m sorry about that. I haven’t really talked to my mom about everything, and she’s a little biased, although I am surprised. I was starting to think she liked you more than she liked me.”
“Olivia, you don’t have to apologize for your mother. She’s right, you know. You are a wonderful person. I think sometimes you forget that.” His fingers brushed along her arm, and she trembled just a little.
Maybe tonight really would be the perfect time to speak with him.
Soon the bright lights dimmed, and the atmosphere lights flashed purple and lit up the ridiculous disco ball in the middle of the ceiling. The DJ started with the popular hits, and slowly, the kids started straggling in.
Some of the girls were decked out in elegant evening gowns that shimmered to their ankles, and other girls had gone with flashy cocktail dresses, but they all looked beautiful. The boys were charming in their tuxes (even the one kid who was decked in baby blue, and had selected a matching feathered-and-sequined mask), and soon the gym was filled with chatter, laughter, and music. It took a while for the dancing to start up, but even the shyest kids started to join in.
Tanya was nowhere to be seen.
“Care to dance with me?” Andrew murmured in her ear. She was about to remind him that she was a terrible dancer, but a slow song started to play, and he pulled her effortlessly into his arms.
One Bark And Stormy Prom Night (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 3) Page 14
