by Lena Gregory
One look at his expression stopped her from continuing. Whatever he said—maybe what he thought would keep her conscious—the fear and concern darkening his eyes kept a lid on her temper. “It would have to be a pretty big Band-Aid.”
He worked his clenched jaw back and forth.
“I’m sorry, Hunt. It’s not what it looks like.”
“We’ll talk about it later.” He held up a hand and moved aside for the EMT to get a better look at her, then aimed a scowl at Savannah. “Besides, I’m sure your sidekick can fill me in.”
Savannah looked down and nodded. Now that the night was lit up like Grand Central Station, she could see the makeup running down Savannah’s face due to her tears.
Guilt gripped her chest and squeezed. “I’m sorry, Savannah.”
“I know, honey. Don’t worry about it. Everything’s okay now.”
She’d been so lost in her own confusion, she’d never stopped to think how terrified Savannah must have been. First the dog, then a gunman. Ah jeez, what was I thinking?
Chapter 15
Gia sulked as she held the door to the All-Day Breakfast Café open for Savannah on Tuesday morning.
“No sense pouting, Gia.” Savannah shot her a glare on the way past. “It won’t change anything.”
“I said I was sorry.” About a hundred times—especially for the grilling Savannah had endured by Hunt. She’d apologized all day long while Savannah sat beside her in the hospital, waiting while the doctor cleaned and patched up the gouge in her arm. Then again when Savannah had driven her home and dropped her off to go to sleep, and again when she picked her up this morning and driven her into the café. “I really am sorry.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Willow looked up from the register. “What are you two doing here? Weren’t you supposed to leave for the Keys yesterday morning?”
Earl swung around on his stool.
Gia hadn’t eaten all day at the hospital, and by the time she’d reached the house last night, all she’d cared about was sleeping, and Joey still had Thor, so she’d fallen face-first on the bed and passed out as soon as she walked through the door.
“We were going to the Keys.” Savannah hooked her thumb toward Gia. “Until she got shot.”
“Shot!” Earl’s bushy gray eyebrows shot up almost to his receding hairline. “Are you all right?”
Willow rushed to her, eyeing the bandage on her arm. “What happened?”
Gia’s cheeks heated. “It’s nothing, just grazed.”
“Here, sit.” Willow led her to a stool, then poured a mug of coffee and set it in front of her.
The aroma rose with the steam, and Gia sighed, near tears with gratitude. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” She set a mug in front of Savannah, who’d sat next to Gia. “Now, what happened?”
Earl slid onto the stool next to hers and rested his hand on her uninjured arm. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Positive, thank you.” She patted his hand.
Hunt had given her a severe warning about discussing what happened. She wouldn’t have said anything about it if Savannah hadn’t opened her mouth.
Savannah just smirked and blew on her coffee.
Traitor. Not that Gia blamed her. In the past twenty-four hours, she’d screwed up her vacation plans, scared the daylights out of her, gotten her shot at, and gotten her in trouble with Hunt. Oh, and lost her phone. She was going to have to do some serious groveling for forgiveness.
Savannah tapped her long, tangerine nails against the countertop, a steady rat-a-tat-tat that pounded through Gia’s head.
Gia resisted the urge to slap a hand over hers and still the rhythm.
“Gia?” Willow stared at her. “Are you all right?”
“I’m sorry. I guess I zoned out for a minute.” She shook off the haze of fatigue, and probably shock, and tried to focus on what Willow had asked and how much she could say. “It just grazed me, and I’m okay, but I’m not supposed to talk about how it happened while the police are investigating.”
“No worries, as long as you’re okay.” Willow grabbed the order pad from beside the register. “Do you want something to eat?”
Earl reached down the counter for his breakfast and slid it in front of him. The scent of bacon wafted up to her.
Her stomach growled. She was surprised to realize how hungry she was. Apparently, getting shot boosted the appetite. Go figure. “I’m starved, but I don’t know what I feel like having.”
“Well, I want a meat lover’s omelet with cheese and home fries,” Savannah said. “And rye toast with extra butter. Oh, and a fruit cup.”
“Okay, that sounds good. I’ll have the same.”
Willow’s eyes widened, but she didn’t comment as she headed back to put the order up.
Earl snatched the last of the bacon from his plate, and stood. “If you’re sure you’re okay, and you’re not going to dish about what happened, I have to run. I’m picking up my little Emily to take her to the doctor.”
“Oh, no. Is she okay?”
“Oh, yeah, fine. She needs a checkup and shots, and she puts up an awful fuss, wails like a banshee. I’m the only one who can deal with her.” He laughed. “I just pull out my secret weapon.”
“What’s that?”
“Good old-fashioned bribery. She gets the shot, and I take her to the toy store and let her pick out whatever she wants.”
Gia laughed.
He kissed her cheek. “You feel better.”
“Thanks, Earl. Good luck with Emily.”
“Thanks, I’m gonna need it.” He dropped a few bills beside his plate on his way out. He pitched in often enough when she needed a hand and never accepted money from her. The least she could do was treat him to breakfast, but he insisted on paying.
Savannah rested her elbows on the counter and twisted back and forth on the stool.
Gia sighed. She hated when she and Savannah were off. “Are you ever going to forgive me?”
Savannah sat up straighter. “Oh, stop. You know you’re forgiven. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“I can’t figure out what’s going on and what Trevor has to do with it. I definitely got the impression Hunt knew more about the case than he was saying.”
“Did you try Leo?”
“Leo avoided me like the plague last night, after he knew I was okay, of course.”
“Hmm…that is suspicious.”
“Exactly.” She pointed at Gia. “And another thing: Did you notice Hunt didn’t treat Trevor like a murder suspect?”
“What do you mean?”
She frowned. “Well, he asked him questions, listened when he spoke, I don’t know… I can’t explain it, but he seemed to treat him more like a colleague than a suspect.”
Gia tried to think about how they’d interacted the day before. She’d been so focused on her arm she hadn’t paid much attention, but Savannah could be right. She didn’t usually voice an observation unless she was. “So, you don’t think he suspects him of killing Ron?”
“No. I don’t.” Savannah drummed her nails on the counter.
Gia closed her eyes and tried to picture the chart she’d started. Ron Parker, Mitch Anderson. Somehow, they connected to Trevor. “You know, before we left, I started a chart, trying to figure out who might be involved, and the one name that sticks out is Skyla.”
“You think she knows something?”
She had acted strange even before Ron Parker had been killed, but her behavior had gotten increasingly odd after she found out. “I do. I’m not sure what, but I have a feeling she knows something.”
“Looks like we’ll have to talk to Skyla.”
“Are you all right?” Cole rushed out from the kitchen, spatula in hand. “Willow just said you got shot.”
&
nbsp; Willow stood beside the cutout, plates in hand, sheepish smile firmly in place.
“I’m okay, Cole. It was nothing, really.” She held up her bandaged arm. “Just a flesh wound.”
He let out a low whistle. “Girl, they weren’t kidding; you really are a magnet for trouble, aren’t you?”
“Who said that?”
He lifted a brow and stared pointedly at her. “Who didn’t?”
What could she say? All things considered, the statement seemed fairly accurate.
Willow placed their plates in front of them and whispered, “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Gia ground fresh pepper onto her omelet. “How did everything go this morning?”
“Great. Not too big a rush, but a nice steady trickle for a Tuesday morning,” Willow answered.
A few customers still sat at tables, eating or drinking coffee.
“Any new gossip?” She took a bite of omelet. Just the right combination of bacon, ham, sausage, eggs, and cheese. She was going to have to take a long walk later. “Mmm…delicious.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I aim to please.” Cole lowered his head in a mock bow. “As for gossip, don’t know. I’ve been in the kitchen all morning. But they said on the news yesterday morning that Parker was stabbed.”
“I heard that.” Gia took another bite.
Willow cleared Earl’s spot, sticking the dirty dishes in a bin beneath the counter, then lifted the bin and started toward the back. “Oh, a woman came in looking for you this morning. I told her you wouldn’t be back until sometime Friday.”
Gia finished chewing a bit of toast and swallowed, then followed with a sip of orange juice. “Did she leave her name?”
“Nah, just said she’d come back Friday.”
Gia couldn’t think of anyone who’d be looking for her. Maybe a solicitor. “What did she look like?”
“Really pretty, long, curly blond hair, green eyes with gold specks in them.”
“Donna Mae.”
“Who’s Donna Mae?” Willow shifted the bin to rest against her hip.
“She’s been in a couple of other times in the past few days. She likes oatmeal with blueberries.”
“Well, she didn’t order breakfast this morning, just asked for you then left when I said you weren’t in.”
“Thanks, Willow.”
“Uh-huh.” She headed for the kitchen with the bin.
Gia would have to add a trip to the Boggy Creek Florist to the day’s activities. “Would you mind working the rest of the day, Cole?”
“Of course not. I’ll work all week if you need me to. Maybe you guys can still get away.”
Hunt had told Gia and Savannah both to stick close to home for the time being. Another reason for Savannah to be mad at her.
A group of customers entered, and Willow hurried back out to greet them.
Cole straightened. “I’d better head back. Enjoy your day off, and take care of that arm.”
“Thanks, Cole. And breakfast was amazing.”
“Anytime, dear.”
“You’ve been unusually quiet,” she said to Savannah. “If I really am forgiven, what gives?”
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
“Are you going to talk to Skyla?”
Gia ordered her thoughts, able to think more clearly after a good breakfast and a dose of caffeine. “Yes, and then I’ll run over to the Boggy Creek Florist to see Donna Mae.”
“Do you remember the chart you made?”
“Pretty much. Why?”
“Skyla is more likely to open up if you go alone. Why don’t you make me a copy of the chart, and I’ll see what I can dig up on whoever’s on it.”
“Sure thing.” She leaned over the counter and grabbed a pen, then smoothed a napkin to write on. She added all the names as close to the order she had them in as she could remember. Trevor, Mitch, and Ron in the center, since things seemed to revolve around them.
She looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, then leaned closer to Savannah. She pointed to Mitch’s name with the pen. “Mitch is questionable, only included because he’d apparently been close friends with Ron at one time, before Ron had gone so gung-ho to campaign on his own. So, maybe start with that. See if you can find a connection.”
Savannah studied the chart and nodded. “Why do you think Harley and Donna Mae have some involvement?”
“Mostly because Donna Mae’s last name is Parker, and she was worried about Harley. Oh, and Harley and Mitch are brothers.”
“What?”
“Shh…” Gia looked around to see if anyone was paying attention.
“Sorry, but are you serious? I never would have guessed that.”
“Harley and Mitch Anderson are brothers. So, once again, another piece of the puzzle revolves around Mitch.”
“Do you think Donna Mae is related to Ron?”
“I don’t know it for sure, but I would assume so.”
“Hmm… That makes sense.”
Gia tapped the pen against the napkin. “Someone on this chart has to know something, at least it seems that way.”
“Do you think one of them killed him?” Savannah whispered.
Gia studied the names. Who would have had reason to kill Ron? Mitch was his opponent. He could have wanted to remove Ron from the race. And Harley was related to Mitch. Donna Mae was also afraid they were in danger. She could have been afraid of Ron, but why? And then there was Skyla. Skyla was no killer, of that she was certain. Then again, Trevor wasn’t exactly what she’d thought either. But a killer? “I just don’t know what to think.”
Savannah folded the napkin and tucked it into her purse. “I’ll meet up with you later. At your house?”
“I want to swing by your house after I talk to Skyla and Donna Mae and pick up Thor, but I’ll need you to drop me off home to get my car first. Do you want to ride out with me later, and I’ll drop you back off in the morning?” She was hoping Savannah would say yes, and they could spend the night eating popcorn loaded with butter and watching old movies. At least she could try to make it up to her.
“Sounds good, but don’t think you’re getting off that easy. I’m still exhausted from yesterday, so I’ll accept Xavier’s Barbeque and my choice of movie. For tonight. But one night this week, we’re going out dancing.”
Gia stifled a groan. Not that she didn’t enjoy dancing, but Savannah would stay out all night, especially since she’d already taken the week off work.
“And don’t give me any of that I have to get up early for work nonsense. This is your week off.” She swung her purse over her shoulder and strutted out, apparently content Gia would follow, and she’d get her way.
Chapter 16
After Savannah dropped her off home, Gia put on a light jacket to avoid answering questions about her bandaged arm, plugged Boggy Creek Florist into the GPS, then dialed Hunt’s number, intent on leaving a message.
“Hey, Gia, is everything okay?” His voice sounded strained.
“Hey, everything’s fine. I’m sorry to bother you; I was just planning to leave a message asking if you’d like to come to dinner with Savannah and me tonight. I’m picking up Xavier’s.”
“I’d love to, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it.”
“Oh.” Though she understood, she’d been hoping he’d be able to take an hour off. Seemed their relationship had hit a brick wall lately.
“I’m sorry. I know things have been too busy lately, even before this case. Ever since I took over as acting captain, I’ve been swamped. I’d understand if you wanted to put us on hold for a while.”
Her chest tightened. That was the last thing she wanted. “Is that what you want?”
“Of course not, Gia. I care about you. A lot.” He sighed. “But you’re not the one
who doesn’t have time to spend with me right now. And…well, speaking to Trevor and realizing how much time you’ve been spending with him lately made me also realize how much I’ve been neglecting you.”
“Ah, jeez, Hunt. You’re not neglecting me; you’re working. And Trevor and I are friends, nothing more.”
“Friendships often develop into something more, and that’s okay. You deserve to be able to pursue something with someone else if that’s what you want.”
He’d started off okay, and she’d felt kind of bad for him, but now he was just annoying her. “If that was what I wanted, I’d have told you that. Trevor and I are friends, just like Savannah and I are friends. I spend a lot of time with Savannah too. But she has Leo, so I hang out with Trevor. It’s not like I know a ton of people in town yet, and I enjoy spending time with him. But that’s all it is. I am not interested in anything more with him or anyone else, and I’m kind of hurt that you don’t trust me.”
Especially after she’d put her trust in him, something that didn’t come easy. “What’s going on with you lately, Hunt?”
“I don’t know. I—”
A voice in the background interrupted, but she couldn’t make out any of the muffled conversation.
“I’m sorry, Gia. I have to go.”
Dang. They needed to finish this conversation. She didn’t even know where she stood with him. “That’s all right. Call me or come by the house when you have time to talk.”
Silence.
“Hunt?” She checked her phone screen. He’d already disconnected. She tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and massaged her temples. Why did he have to be so difficult? Giving up on any hope that the call had dropped and he’d call back, she shifted into gear and headed for the florist.
Gia pulled up in front of the flower shop and parked on the street, then climbed out of the car, locked it, and headed in. Better to visit Donna Mae first, since she actually wanted to talk to Gia. Skyla might require a little convincing to open up.
The overwhelming scent of flowers hit her as soon as she opened the door to the shop.
“Hi. I’ll be right with you,” Donna Mae called without looking up from whatever she was doing at the counter.
