Abby felt a little guilty being relieved that the reporters weren’t parked on her doorstep instead. “Can’t Gage do something about them?”
Tripp looked frustrated and ticked off in equal measures. “It’s not private property, and some of them are staying there, too. No legal way to run them off if they’re paying guests.”
The last time a reporter bothered Abby, Tripp had claimed to have a few grenades left over from his time in the army and offered to lob one at Reilly Molitor if he continued to pester her. Of course, considering he’d said it right in front of Gage Logan, he’d been kidding. Probably, anyway.
For now, he was looking at her as if wondering how she was going to react to whatever he was about to say. To prod him into just laying it all out there, she said, “So what does she expect you to do about it?”
“She wants to stay here. Is that okay?”
They both knew he didn’t need her permission, and there wasn’t anything in his lease that would prevent him from having overnight guests. She managed to stand up despite the swirl of mixed emotions rushing through her veins. The stubborn man continued to stand there as if he’d wait forever for her to respond. What did he want her to say?
“I guess I’d better get you that quart of milk. Sounds like you’ll be needing it.”
Then she walked into the house and closed the door.
Chapter Seven
Abby made it as far as opening the refrigerator before Tripp caught up with her. His big hand settled over hers and gently shoved the door back closed. She froze, not at all happy that he was crowding her, both physically and emotionally.
“I was just going to get the milk for you.” Then she pointed toward the counter. “You’d better take the rest of the blueberry buckle, too. You know, in case Valerie doesn’t like cold cereal.”
He didn’t budge an inch, the stubborn man.
She kept her eyes pinned on one of the magnets stuck on the fridge. “Won’t Valerie be wondering what’s taking you so long?”
When he still didn’t respond, she ventured a quick peek over her shoulder to see why he wasn’t springing into action. As soon as she made eye contact, he set his big hand on her shoulder and slowly urged her to turn around and face him.
“That’s better. Now, what’s really going on, Abby? Do you really think I should leave her in that hotel to be hounded by reporters every time she steps foot out of her room? You usually have more empathy for people than that.”
Great. With just that last question he’d managed to make her feel petty and small. It was the second time in one day that her conscience had to kick her in the behind to get her to do the right thing. She knew full well Tripp was a born protector. She’d benefited from that part of his personality on too many occasions to think he wouldn’t feel obligated to help Valerie. Heck, he’d even spent time in jail to help a homeless veteran. That was just the kind of man he was.
And if Valerie were anyone else, Abby would’ve been the first to volunteer to offer the woman a safe haven. She drew a slow breath before once again lifting her gaze to meet Tripp’s. “You’re right, of course. She needs you right now. Let me know if I can do anything to help.”
He only looked marginally happier, so there was clearly still something wrong. “What is it, Tripp?”
He took a step back, finally giving them both a little breathing room. “Here’s the thing. My place has only the one bedroom, and the sofa is a love seat. There’s no way either of us can sleep on that thing.”
Yeah, she knew that. While she thought that was a problem, she hadn’t been sure if he would see it that way, too. From the way his ex-wife had been clinging to him, somehow Abby doubted Valerie would mind sharing close quarters with Tripp. Meanwhile, he stood rock-still as if waiting for her to connect some dots and figure out for herself what he was really asking.
It finally hit her. He might have only one bedroom, but he knew she had rooms that weren’t being used right now. He’d even slept in the one across the hall from hers one night when he’d been injured. It was too much to hope that Tripp wanted to move back in and turn his place over to the barnacle.
Abby bowed to the inevitable. “You want her to stay with me.”
He nodded. “I know it’s a lot to ask.”
Darn straight it was. He believed Valerie was innocent, but Abby didn’t know the woman well enough to have that kind of faith in her. She’d also learned the hard way since moving to Snowberry Creek that murderers came in all shapes and sizes.
“Do you really trust her, Tripp? How well do you really know Valerie after all these years apart?”
At least he gave the matter some serious thought before answering. “The woman I knew wasn’t capable of killing someone. I used to laugh when she would capture spiders and set them free outside rather than squashing them. I may not have seen her in years, but I can’t believe she’s changed that much.”
Abby didn’t bother to point out that he’d undoubtedly changed quite a bit over that same period of time. He would only say that working as a buyer for a high-end store didn’t have the same effect on people that multiple combat deployments did. She still wasn’t ready to roll out the red carpet. “Did Valerie tell you why she suddenly reappeared in your life?”
“Yeah, she wanted my help with something.”
He clearly didn’t want to say anything more on the subject. Abby crossed her arms over her chest and prepared to wait him out. “Spit it out, Tripp. If I’m going to let that woman live under my roof, I need to know what I’m getting myself into.”
He frowned, but there was a hint of a humor in his dark eyes. “Anyone ever point out how stubborn you are?”
She gave him a narrowed-eyed look. “Pot, kettle, Tripp.”
That made him smile. “Yeah, well, can’t argue with you about that.”
He started flipping his keys back and forth again. “She had a problem that she was hoping I could help her with. Something to do with her younger sister, who used to live in this area. Although I guess Becca recently moved to L.A. to stay with Valerie. With everything else that’s happened, she hasn’t told me any more than just that. As far as Bryce Cadigan goes, she swears she’d never met the man in person before last night. I believe her.”
Zeke picked that moment to nudge Abby, his way of letting her know that he was wanting a bit of her attention for himself. She used getting him a treat as an excuse to put a little more room between her and Tripp.
“And that’s all she said?”
“Pretty much.” Tripp took the opportunity to get the milk out of the fridge. “I’ll take the open carton since there’ll be two of you and only one of me.”
Abby put her hands on her hips. “This is not a done deal, Tripp. I still have questions, and you’re not doing a very good job of answering them. What else did she tell you?”
He shrugged. “She didn’t tell me much of anything. To be honest, I had no idea even what to say to her. I can’t even figure out why she would’ve plunked down that much money at the auction instead of just calling to ask me for help. Did she think I wouldn’t have at least listened to what she had to say?”
She had to agree that the barnacle’s behavior didn’t make much sense unless, as Abby suspected, the woman was also interested in rekindling her relationship with him. If he hadn’t picked up on that possibility himself, Abby wasn’t about to point it out to him. For now, he was still talking. “When she was here earlier, I was too busy mowing the lawn and doing homework for any heartfelt discussions. What little talking we did do was mostly about small things. You know, about old friends, her job, and stuff.”
This line of conversation was going nowhere fast, but she didn’t get the impression that Tripp was holding out on her. He really didn’t know for sure why his ex-wife had hunted him up after all this time.
Abby couldn’t assume that his relationship with Valerie was anything like the one she had with her own former spouse. The few encounters she’d had with Chad since their d
ivorce had felt more like running into someone she used to go to school with than it did like talking to a man she’d once loved. It was as if she’d never really known him at all. It had nearly crushed her to learn that Chad had been happily carrying on an affair for more than a year before she realized what was going on.
With Tripp, what you saw was what you got. The man took things like honor and duty pretty darn seriously, and he would never knowingly put Abby in danger. So it all came down to which would be easier to tolerate—Valerie living with her for a few days, or watching the woman move in with Tripp.
In the end, it was no contest.
“Fine, go get her. While you’re gone, I’ll put fresh sheets on the bed in the guest bedroom up on the third floor. That one has a bathroom right next to it, so she’ll have more privacy that way.”
He didn’t ask why she would make Valerie trudge up to the third floor when there was a perfectly good room on the second. Maybe he realized that both women would be happier with some distance between them. After all, the only thing they had in common was the fact they both knew Tripp. Well, and that Abby was a witness and Valerie was a suspect in the same murder case.
Happy times all around.
“Okay then. We’ll be back shortly. I’ll do my best to make sure I don’t lead the reporters right back here.”
“Good idea.”
He started for the door but turned back at the last second as if he’d forgotten something. Before she could ask what it was, he stopped right in front of her. Her pulse skipped a beat as he gathered her in close for a hug. She relaxed into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his waist.
For a second, she thought she felt him press a soft kiss near her temple, but it might have been just his breath brushing across her skin as he said, “Thanks, Abs.”
Then he was gone.
* * *
Some mornings really sucked. For the second day in a row, Abby’s best efforts to sleep late had failed miserably. It wasn’t even eight o’clock, and she was already bored and restless. She’d been looking forward to enjoying a few days of relative peace before she had to handle the rush of final preparations for the veterans dance. Instead, she had an unwelcome houseguest and no idea of what to do with her time.
Zeke perked his ears and looked down the hall toward the staircase. Maybe Valerie was about to make an appearance. Abby closed her eyes to listen. Sure enough, she heard the familiar creak of the step right below the second-floor landing. She remained seated, figuring Valerie could follow the scents of coffee and burnt toast to the kitchen if she couldn’t remember where it was. Abby had offered to give her a brief tour of the place last night, but the other woman had clearly had a rough day and was more interested in going to bed than learning the floor plan of the house.
She appeared in the doorway a few seconds later and made a beeline right for the coffee. Abby had left a clean mug sitting on the counter for her. She waited until Valerie had poured herself a cup before speaking. “If you’re hungry, I have yogurt, cereal, or I can fix you some bacon and eggs.”
Valerie sat down at the table. “Yogurt would be fine. It’s what I usually have. With my work schedule, I rarely have time for anything elaborate. I also travel a lot for my job. Maybe Tripp told you that I’m a buyer for Suits-Herself, Inc.”
“He did. They carry nice clothes. I’ve shopped there myself.”
Valerie gave Abby an assessing look. “He didn’t mention what kind of work you do.”
“I was the chief financial officer for the company my husband and I started. He bought out my half when we divorced a while back.” She paused to sip her coffee and decide how much sharing she wanted to do. “Right after that, my aunt died and left me this house. I’m still working on what comes next.”
She set her coffee down. “I’ll get the yogurt for you. I have strawberry, raspberry, and there may be a peach left, too.”
“I’m not picky.”
Abby set a container of strawberry yogurt on the table for each of them. While Valerie peeled the lid off of hers, Abby put a plate full of mini muffins that she’d taken out of the freezer earlier into the microwave to warm. After glancing out of the window, she got another cup down off the shelf and set it by the coffeemaker. Tripp was headed toward the porch with his backpack slung over one shoulder. He probably had classes this morning and wanted to check in before he left.
She opened the door just as the microwave beeped. “Hi, come on in. The coffee is fresh, and I was just heating up some cinnamon walnut muffins if you’re hungry.”
“I’ve already eaten, but coffee sounds good. I’ve got to leave in a few minutes, but I wanted to see if either of you need anything from the store. If I don’t restock today, I’m going to have to see if Zeke would mind sharing his kibble.”
The dog in question perked up at the mention of food and stationed himself in front of the counter, where Abby stored his treat jar. Tripp took the hint and grabbed a few for his furry friend. “I was only kidding, Zeke. I wouldn’t get into the secret stash of food you keep at my place without asking first.”
Abby frowned at the two males in the room. “So that’s why he’s packed on a few extra pounds lately. If you feed him, Tripp, the least you could do is let me know.”
The man looked totally unrepentant. “Zeke, you promised to tell her whenever you have dinner at my house.”
It was impossible to know how much human speak the dog actually understood, but right now Zeke’s tongue was hanging out in a huge doggy grin. Clearly he enjoyed being the center of attention. Abby relented and patted his head. “Don’t worry, boy, it’s not your fault. You’re not supposed to be the adult in the room.”
He rewarded her with a slobbery lick on her hand, which she promptly wiped on her jeans. She watched as Tripp proceeded to spoil the dog with even more organic cookies. Valerie slowly ate her yogurt as she shifted her gaze back and forth between Abby and Tripp. Her expression was hard to decipher. If Abby were to hazard a guess, Valerie wasn’t all that happy to see the easy camaraderie between her ex-husband and his landlady. Too bad. Abby and Tripp were friends, and she wouldn’t pretend otherwise just because Valerie didn’t like it.
Finally, the other woman said, “When did you become a dog person, Tripp? As I recall, you were never interested in having a pet when we were together.”
Tripp didn’t look as if he appreciated the question as he reached over to gently rub Zeke’s ears. “Between your classes and my deployments, we didn’t have room in our lives for a dog. Besides, Zeke here belongs to Abby. She just lets me borrow him sometimes.”
It was time to divert the conversation into safer territory. “You’d better finish your coffee before it gets cold, Tripp. If you want some to go, you know where the travel mugs are.”
“Thanks.”
He chugged down the rest of his coffee before getting one of the to-go cups down from the cabinet and filling it. Abby hadn’t meant the offer to be a reminder to Valerie how familiar Tripp was with her kitchen, but she did notice the woman had tightened her grip on her own coffee mug.
By that point, Tripp was heading for the door. “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll be back around three. Text me if you want anything from the store.”
“Will do. Do you want to have dinner with us tonight?”
Before he could answer, Valerie spoke up. “Abby, I’m sure you have better things to do with your time than feed us. I thought I’d take Tripp out to eat someplace nice. You know, to thank him for everything he’s done to help me out.”
Tripp had a bit of a deer in the headlights look going on as he met first Abby’s gaze and then Valerie’s. Finally, he said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I’ve got an exam to study for.”
Then he was out the door, leaving Abby alone with his unhappy ex-wife. Great. Abby was pretty sure Valerie muttered something under her breath that sound liked “he still needs to eat, doesn’t he” as she carried her empty yogurt container over to the sink. After rinsing it out, she t
ossed it in the recycling bin in the corner. With that done, she looked a little at a loss as to what to do next.
Welcome or not, she was still a guest, so Abby pointed out the few amenities she had to offer. “Help yourself to any of the books in the den if you need something to read. You can also watch a movie if you’d like. I’m going to take Zeke for his walk, and we’ll be back in about an hour.”
“Actually, I need to work. Can I use your Wi-Fi?”
“Sure thing. I’ll get the password for you.”
Fifteen minutes later, Valerie was ensconced at the dining room table working while Abby and Zeke headed out for a long, leisurely stroll. It bothered her to leave an almost total stranger alone in her house, but right now she needed some room to breathe.
The whole situation was really frustrating. Clearly Valerie was no more anxious to have dinner with her than Abby was to cook it for her. On the other hand, it would be beyond rude to fix a meal for herself and not offer to share. Maybe Valerie would go out by herself, but it wasn’t clear to Abby how the woman had been getting around town. Uber, maybe.
Regardless, once she and Zeke got back home, she’d ask Valerie what her plans were and go from there. For now, she was going to enjoy the sunshine and Zeke’s undemanding company.
However, there was one thing she knew for sure. She really hoped Gage Logan made quick work of solving Bryce Cadigan’s murder, because if she and Valerie spent much more time together, things might get really ugly.
Chapter Eight
Forty-five minutes later, Abby and Zeke were just finishing up their walk. She’d driven them over to the park to stroll along the river. It was one of Zeke’s favorite places to go, and she found the soft murmur of the river soothing. They left the trees along the trail to cut across the grassy slope back toward the parking lot.
To her surprise, a police cruiser was stopped right behind her car, blocking her in. Gage Logan stood leaning against the front fender of his car, clearly waiting for her. What did he need now? She tugged on Zeke’s leash and started walking faster. Gage straightened up as soon as she got close.
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