Jackie shook his head angrily but stopped when he met his wife’s stare. They communicated quickly and silently and Jackie said, “That’s not right. Gotta be some justice in the world, Mona.” He turned to look at Andi. “But I don’t think we need the law involved. Not anymore.”
Andi wanted to clear out her ears. Jackie wasn’t demanding his pound of flesh. Her surprise must have shown on her face.
Jackie looked at Andi and shrugged. “I guess I don’t care for the way he went about it, but I can understand trying to keep the wife happy. And the situation with his job...it’s been bothering me, so let’s just...can’t we move on?”
Ralph still looked miserable. He was shaking his head slowly, as if he wanted the answer to be yes but he couldn’t quite say it. Lori looked hopeful. Andi sighed. “Well, I have a proposal to make. I am the sheriff. I like justice almost as much as Jackie.”
Nobody looked happy, but everybody was focused on her.
“Jackie, I know this whole thing has been upsetting, but you’re such an understanding man that I’m sure you want to save this family pain.” Andi took a calming breath and swallowed back the laugh that desperately wanted out. She’d meant to butter him up, but she believed what she’d said, too. And she wouldn’t have guessed that.
“Ralph is going to return everything in the morning when the diner opens.” Andi waited for Ralph’s nod. “And then he’s going to put on an apron and help with whatever you need help with—cooking, cleaning, whatever—every day for a solid week.”
Ralph nodded again at her prompting. Lori looked a little bit like her old self. There was a gleam of speculation in her eyes and a bit of color in her cheeks. Ray was an enigma wrapped in a riddle and covered in pure deadpan.
Jackie leaned forward and Andi could see the dollar signs in his eyes. “For free?”
Andi leaned forward, too. “For free. For a week. And then, if you think he’s doing a good job, you’re going to consider hiring him on.”
Jackie stared at her as he processed the last of her words. They might not have tasted good when he got through, but he agreed. “Well, all right then. We’ll see. Gonna move that darn override key someplace safe, though.”
He shot evil looks around the table and stood to exit in a huff. Andi decided to push her luck. “And Jackie, one more thing. If you can, try not to talk about what’s happened, okay?”
His mouth swung open and closed like a fish without a hook. Andi shrugged. “There’s no harm done here and I’d hate for little Alexander and Andrew to deal with the talk forever. Right?”
Andi smiled at him. “Guess you’ll have another secret or two to use when you need it most.”
The calculating gleam was back when his eyes met hers. Andi thought she saw respect, too, but it might have been a trick of the light. And then he was stomping out through the office. Mona followed but she paused to hug Andi’s neck and whisper, “Thank you.”
When Andi looked around the table, both Ralph and Lori wore shaky smiles. Lori spoke for them both. “Thank you, Sheriff, for handling it this way.”
“You owe Jackie your thanks. You must have caught him on a good day.” Andi looked at Ralph. “He’s tough but seems fair. Do a good job and maybe it’ll turn into something.”
He nodded. “I enjoyed making that pot of chili. Maybe that’s a sign.”
“All right,” Ray said. “You better go rescue Martha from the boys.” He motioned them out and they stood to leave. Lori surprised everyone by stopping to hug Andi. Andi awkwardly patted her on the back, and they waved as they left.
Ray rested his elbows on the table. “And now you have one of those secrets over me, too. I guess you’ll want me to drop out of the race?”
Andi shook her head. “No, I didn’t do this for any other reason than to help Lori and the boys. You’ve been no friend of mine, but I won’t use dirty laundry to kick you out of the race.” One corner of her mouth quirked up. “I’ve had an opponent who politicked that way and it got old fast.”
He leaned back. “So you aren’t going to say anything about this?”
“Nope.” Andi shrugged. “I’ll either win or I’ll lose and that’ll be that, but I’m not going to hurt your family just because I can. Secrets are next to impossible to keep, but let’s give it a try.”
He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe how dumb she was.
Andi stood and opened the door. “I wish I’d handled myself differently when I came home. I understand why you didn’t hire me on. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to win the election. I’ll see you at the debate.”
She spent the rest of the afternoon putting out fires, answering calls and generally running from one situation to the next. That evening, when Andi dropped down next to Mark in front of the stage, she was ready to cancel the Fall Festival forever. Mark wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck and squeezed the tired muscles there. “Did you get everything worked out?”
Andi gave a tired nod. “Yep, barely.”
He looked thoughtful, but the emcee interrupted whatever he was about to say. When Mark’s mother won second place, everyone celebrated with high fives and a group hug, and when Jackie won first place, Andi sighed with relief. That was the missing piece.
When Mark took out his notebook, Andi’s stomach churned. She wanted to beg him not to put Ralph’s name in the paper. She wanted to call on whatever connection they had to make this story fade away. But it was a good story. The town would want to know. He needed to print it. Maybe. And she just...she wasn’t sure what his answer would be. They hadn’t known each other long. It should still be easy to choose the news over her feelings. And if she asked and he published it anyway, she wasn’t sure she’d recover.
The smile slid off his face as he looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
She pointed at the notebook. “I’m just worried about what...how you’re going to report this story.”
His face was serious as he watched her. The clamor of the Fall Festival disappeared as she waited for his reply. “I guess you’ll have to trust me.” He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He didn’t do anything else to pull back, but she could feel the distance between them. Andi stayed a bit to listen to the musicians but the long day caught up with her. Finally she said, “Good night, Mrs. Taylor, and congratulations again.”
Andi kissed Mark quickly. “Gotta go. I’m on deck in the morning.”
He stopped her scramble to stand with one hand and wrapped the other around her nape. His kiss was slow and meaningful. When he leaned back, Andi wanted to follow him. A sharp twang of feedback from the speakers snapped her out of her daze.
Andi was uneasy as she stood, like maybe something had shifted in their relationship. As she made her way through the crowd and back to her car, Andi tried not to think about how tired she was and how many different pieces of her body ached. She should be proud of herself for resolving Jackie’s case so neatly, but mostly she wanted to go to bed. And she wondered about Mark, his response and what she should do about it. One thing was certain. All those questions would have to wait until the Fall Festival was over.
* * *
THE FESTIVAL started early on Sunday morning. Andi made a few quick trips around the various parking areas to make sure everything looked fine then got out to walk the vendors’ area on foot. About lunchtime, her cell phone dinged with a text. Meet me near the Smokehouse. Let’s do lunch. xMark
Andi glanced at her watch and the content crowd around her. She thought it might be worth a try so she headed that direction. It was an absolutely beautiful day, one that should be enjoyed to the fullest.
When she got to the Smokehouse, Andi found Mark with his mother and her grandmother.
“There she is, the beautiful sheriff,” Mark said.
Gram’s face lit up when she saw Andi. She kis
sed Gram on the cheek. Mrs. Taylor opened her arms for a hug, so Andi did what people do and returned it. And then she gave Mark a quick kiss and a small poke to the abdomen. He grabbed her hand and smiled. “Let’s eat.”
Once they were seated, Andi asked Gram about the church service. Nettie had picked her up and they’d managed to make it with time to spare. Gram mentioned how happy she was to join them for lunch, thanks to an invitation from Mark. She hated to miss all of the festival.
Andi looked at Mark and he shrugged innocently. And that was it. Andi was done for. He’d brought Gram to lunch as a surprise for both of them and Andi would now follow him almost anywhere.
She just had to decide whether that included Tall Pines after she lost the election.
Andi was so thankful that her input was not required for the lunch conversation. Mark and Andi were both quiet, and sometime right after everyone ordered, he clutched Andi’s hand under the table. And Andi knew she was going to survive. The Fall Festival had been a challenge, but she was going to live. Andi hated to leave them but as the waitress cleared the plates away, her radio scratched out a call for an accident at one of the overflow parking lots near the edge of town. Andi was the closest and answered that she was on her way.
“Gram, you’ll be okay?”
Gram rolled her eyes. “I’m in good hands.”
“Yes, you are,” Andi said. “Maybe I’ll catch up with you guys later.” She waved, leaned down and pecked Mark’s lips. Then she whispered, “Thank you,” and hustled for the door.
Andi meant to track them down, but by the time the festival stragglers left the courthouse square, she was dead on her feet. She poured herself behind the wheel of the SUV and headed for home. Before she got out to face Mojo’s wrath for missing dinnertime, Andi pulled out her phone and texted Mark. Made it home. Thanks for bringing Gram out. I miss you. And she sent it before she could second-guess the last part.
His answer was quick. Get some rest. I miss you, too. Mom’s staying another week, just for the debate, but maybe dinner sometime? We need to talk.
The last sentence immediately worried her, but she was too tired to think about it then. She answered, Maybe, let’s talk when I have both eyes open, possibly after a gallon of coffee.
Andi swung the door open and was convincing herself to stand when her phone dinged. She smiled when she read his message.
Good idea. Good night, beautiful sheriff.
THAT SMILE WAS long gone when Andi made it into the office the next morning. She’d dodged the street crew all the way in. Picking up the litter and cleaning up the barricades and tents would take a few days, but by next weekend the town would probably be back to normal. It would definitely take longer for Andi to recover.
Lori’s smile was smaller than normal, but it was a real smile.
“Good morning, Lori.”
Lori nodded. “Sheriff. I made the coffee. Thought you might want some.”
Andi forced herself to stop and pasted on a smile. “Thanks.”
She went to the kitchen and filled the biggest mug she could find before she creaked into her office. Her desk was still covered in reports, but the phone wasn’t blinking. Andi had only ten emails, and they were all positive comments. That was a new experience, so she leaned back to savor it and her first sip of the steaming hot coffee.
Lori peeked around the corner and waved an envelope at her. “Tammy left this for you.” The phone rang and Lori dropped the envelope on Andi’s desk before she ran to answer it.
That sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach was back. Andi opened the envelope and pulled out two pages of topics that could come up in the debate. Tammy and Jackie had gone to the same school for list making. Andi nearly sobbed aloud when her phone dinged.
Good morning, Andi. Doing okay so far?
Andi wanted to text back a loud wail. Instead she wrote, Fine, until I opened my list of possible debate topics, delivered before I even made it to work this morning.
Andi stared at the phone until his answer came back. I can’t help much with that, wouldn’t be ethical. Could rub your shoulders or your neck if that would help. The winky emoticon made Andi laugh. She hoped that was the idea.
Andi didn’t think there was an emoticon to cover her feelings so she answered, *rolling eyes* Thanks. I’ll let you know.
His answer was quick. You do that. Hope it’s a good day.
Andi texted back, Thank you. You, too.
And then Andi put the phone back in her pocket, where it should have been all along.
She’d put off returning Marcus Hightower’s phone call long enough and she’d run out of excuses. As she dialed and listened to the phone ring, she silently willed him to be in a meeting or on vacation or late to work or just anywhere except behind his desk.
“Hightower.”
“Sir, it’s Andi Jackson. Returning your phone call.”
Marcus Hightower cleared his throat then said in a gruff voice, “About time, Jackson. I was beginning to think you were giving me the brush-off.”
Andi didn’t know what to say to that. While she frantically flipped through polite responses, he said, “Got an open desk. Are you ready to get back to work?”
The idea that he would contact her about a job was...so nice. That morning she needed the ego boost. But she had no clue what the answer was. “Well, sir, as you know, I’m serving as sheriff now. And my grandmother...I’m not sure she’s ready for me to—”
“Up for reelection, aren’t you?” Hightower interrupted. “How’s that going?”
Andi sighed. “About like you might expect. I could very well be ready for a new job in a month or so.”
“Jackson, you get back here to Atlanta. We’ll talk terms. You’ve got three weeks and then we’re filling it. Understand?”
Andi fiddled with her pen and made a note on her calendar. Not that she’d need the reminder. “Yes, sir. Thank you for keeping me in mind. I’ll be in touch.”
“Three weeks, Jackson,” he reiterated, and then he hung up.
A man of very few words.
Andi turned over her cell phone and thought about calling Gram to talk over the possibilities. She knew what Gram would say. Go. She almost texted Mark to beg him to meet her for lunch. Why she wanted his opinion, she had no idea. But if he said stay...that would be something to think about.
The reasons to go hadn’t changed much. She’d been so good at her job. Every day she’d felt she was making a difference. She worked with people who might not really like her, but they respected her abilities. And she was free of her past in Atlanta. No one knew. And if they did, they wouldn’t care.
She leaned back in her squeaky chair to stare at the ceiling. She could quit. She could go back just like everyone expected her to. And it would be easy. Here...she would always be her father’s daughter. People would remember her mistakes for a long time. But there would also be Gram. And Tammy. And the deputies she worked with, even Jackie and Mona and Edna and people who were family. When she’d left, she hadn’t understood that, but now that she was back and she was...different, she couldn’t ignore that connection.
She could probably lay the blame for that at Mark’s feet.
The truth of the matter was that she didn’t have to make a decision yet. She picked up the phone and called Tammy. They made a date to meet at Purl’s Place to talk debate answers. The positive yarn vibes might give her the strength she needed to make it through this week.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“SHERIFF, I THINK you need to see this.”
Andi looked up to see Lori in the doorway, her eyes a red swollen mess and a folded newspaper in her hand. “Looks like your boyfriend got a good story after all.” She tossed the paper in front of Andi and walked out.
Andi unfolded the paper and saw a picture of Jackie
reunited with his trophies. She read the story quickly and saw that Mark had printed it all. Every fact was there in black and white. She felt the crushing weight of disappointment. Ralph’s name and his motive were covered, but nothing about what was in Jackie’s safe—other than an unspecified amount of cash—made it into the story.
She put one hand over her aching stomach and tried to catch her breath. Finally she stood up slowly and straightened her shoulders. Lori refused to meet her eyes when she stopped in front of the dispatcher’s desk. “Lori, none of that information came from me. He must have gotten it from Jackie...or...I don’t know, but I worked hard to try to...” Andi didn’t know what to say. She looked at Lori’s family pictures. “Listen to me. I know what the talk can do. And you and I, we’ve had some trouble, but I wouldn’t do this.”
Lori sniffed and wiped away a smudge of mascara. “I think I believe you, Sheriff. It’s just with the election and your...relationship, it seemed...but I understand.” Lori straightened her shoulders. “It’s just a little talk. The news will be on everyone’s lips for half a minute and then they’ll be on to something else. What difference does that make anyway?”
Andi knew exactly what difference it made, but Lori had the right attitude so she smiled. Then she walked to the Country Kitchen.
She was happy to see the diner was empty except for Jackie. “How could you give him the information when I asked you not to?” There was no other way for Mark to have all the details. Jackie had broken his promise.
She didn’t even want to pretend to make polite conversation. She was as mad as Jackie normally looked.
He dropped a towel onto the counter and said, “I didn’t, Sheriff. I’m a man of my word.”
The swinging door opened and Ralph walked out. “Sheriff, I talked to the paper guy.”
Andi was shocked. “Why would you do that? I had it all worked out. Everything was under control. Jackie agreed. Why?”
A Minute on the Lips Page 18
