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PEPPER LEANED HER HEAD back against the Cadillac seat, feeling utterly defeated. “Well, that was all a giant waste of time,” she complained.
“Not completely,” Gertie said. “I happen to believe we provided a vital public service tonight. We prevented two drunk men from operating motorized transportation of any sort. We may have even saved someone’s life.”
Pepper needed to check on Owen. “Can you drop me off at Walter’s General Store?” she asked. “I’m supposed to keep Owen company until Jaxson gets home.”
Gertie slammed on the brakes and Pepper slid off the back seat onto the floor. Seeming not to notice, Gertie announced, “Take off the gear and put it in the trunk. We’re going to see Owen.”
After their gear was safely stored, Pepper was almost sure Gertie drove faster on the way back into town than she had on the way out to Scooter’s place. She simply couldn’t take it anymore and had to speak up. “Okay, I get that Owen Bryce has a good voice and looks delicious on stage, but why are you so obsessed with the man? I mean, there are other country singers who probably sing just as well.”
“You’ve never seen him sing live. All you’ve done is watch those little videos on your phone. If you asked him to sing for you and watched how he moves, then you would understand.” Gertie seemed to feel that explained everything.
“Okay, if you say so. If you want to ask the guy to sing tonight, that’s fine by me. But what are we going to do about finding Courtney’s killer and the person who shot at Owen? Now we know it wasn’t Marty, which blows my mind because I was sure it was him. Who could have done it? And how are we going to prove it?”
Gertie seemed not to care about that. She was focused on spending time with Owen. “We’ll worry about that tomorrow,” was all she said.
When the Cadillac rolled to a stop in front of Walter’s store, Pepper saw that Jaxson’s truck was there. She wondered what he would have to say about today’s events. She slid out of the backseat and did her best to fluff her choppy hair and smooth her casual clothes. She hadn’t exactly been dressed for covert ops this evening, and she feared her clothing would never be the same again.
Before Pepper could walk into the store, Jaxson burst out the front door. His purposeful stride made Pepper open her eyes wide and brace herself for a verbal sparring match. But instead of shouting, Jaxson wrapped her in a hug that brought her defenses to zero. His voice sounded strangled as he said, “I can’t believe I put you in that kind of danger today. I had no idea anyone would be crazy enough to shoot at you and Owen. I’m so sorry!”
Pepper knew she should be making some sort of sounds, saying “it’s okay” or something like that. But the adrenaline rush was fading fast, and she was almost too exhausted to speak.
Then Jaxson noticed who was with her and said, “I can’t believe you thought it was a good idea to bring Gertie and Ida Belle into this. What were you thinking?” Pepper stiffened, her spine straightening, and she took a step back and out of his embrace.
Coldly, she replied, “Well, Jaxson, maybe that’s because they were here today. And they’re pretty smart birds. You know that as well as I do.” She stopped before she said anything about going to Scooter’s. Nobody else needed to know about that little adventure.
Jaxson placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I’m not letting you out of my sight again. You could have been killed today when you were out on that dock with Owen. Something like that is not going to happen on my watch.”
Pepper looked at him steadily, collecting herself before speaking. “First, I am not your responsibility. Second, you do not tell me what to do. I don’t go for that alpha male ‘you’re my woman’ crap. Third, I will spend time with whomever I wish, whether it’s Ida Belle, Gertie, Fortune, or even... Celia!” Hearing a gasp behind her, Pepper turned to find Ida Belle and Gertie wearing identical shocked expressions.
Ida Belle gave a small clap and then said, “Well said, except that last bit. You start hanging with Celia, and we might have to disown you.”
Jaxson said to Pepper, “Are you going to let Ida Belle tell you that you can’t sit with the cool kids?”
Pepper’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious right now? Ida Belle and Gertie and I have been through a lot together. I happen to know Ida Belle well enough to understand the joke. But what you just said proves my point that you don’t always know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“Do you really want to be around people who keep secrets from you?”
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me! Wanna talk about secrets? Let’s talk about that extra suitcase you took on my family camping trip that somehow disappeared before we left.”
Jaxson suddenly looked uncomfortable. “I told you,” he said, “I sent it to the airport with Gertie and Ida Belle. They brought it home for me.”
Pepper ground out between her teeth, “I... know... what... was... in... there.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah... oh.”
“Why didn’t you ask me about it?”
“So you could tell me more lies?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“But that’s what would have happened. You know what? I’m sick of this entire situation. You lie to me, think you can tell me what to do, and act like I’m going to be your ‘kept woman’ by living in your finished house without paying a dime. I’m done. This was all fun while it lasted, but I’ve got better things to do than spend my life trying to figure you out. I’ll be out of the house by tomorrow morning. You can take the place over as soon as the contractors are done. It is your house, after all!”
Pepper spun around and walked away, almost daring him to come after her. But he didn’t. She wanted desperately to look back over her shoulder, but she knew better. One look at those amazing green eyes and powerful shoulders, and she would lose her resolve. It was a full three blocks before she realized she was walking in the wrong direction. But just in case Jaxson was watching, she kept going.
Eventually, she turned a couple of corners and reached a point where she knew he couldn’t see her any longer, even if he had been watching. The night was humid, as usual, and sweat poured off her body. She could usually pretend she was in good shape because she spent her working days on her feet, but then times like this proved her wrong. She was thirsty and exhausted. The adrenaline rushes from being shot at, the visit to Scooter’s, and the argument with Jaxson had faded, and she was ready to collapse.
Looking around, Pepper realized she was in a part of Sinful she had never seen. How was that even possible with a town this small? Shaking her head, she leaned against a tree to get her bearings. No matter how lost she felt, she knew it would only take a few minutes of walking to get either back to Main Street or back home. She thought about calling Gertie to get her take on what had happened, but she decided to work this out for herself. Pepper had a feeling Gertie was more on Jaxson’s side than she wanted to admit. She sighed. Now she just needed to figure out where she was, and either stagger or crawl back home.
Actually, being closer to the ground sounded like a good idea. Pepper slid down the tree and sat on the cool grass. There were only a couple of houses on this street. She sniffed the air and decided that she must have walked away from the bayou. That was good. Less chance of meeting a stray gator that way.
Pepper giggled hysterically. How had her life come to this? She took some time to commit the entire evening to memory, knowing bits of it would find their way into her future books—names changed to protect the guilty, of course. She leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes as she laughed. When she finally opened them, she caught sight of something shiny lying in the grass. She reached for it, not surprised when she picked up a gold bracelet. Women around here did love their jewelry, and they weren’t always careful about how well clasps were fastened. She tried to read the tiny writing on the attached charm, but it was too dark to see the words.
Tucking the bracelet into her pocket, Pepper stood up. It was time to go home and pack her few things. Tomorrow she would ask Francine if she could stay there for a while. The thought of living amidst all those “treasures” again made her shudder, but she didn’t have any other choice if she wanted to leave Jaxson’s house right away. It would take time to find another suitable place to live.
Pepper turned back the way she had come, realizing within a few steps where she had made a wrong turn. Within five minutes she was home, and two minutes after that she was upstairs in her room—she reminded herself that she would have to stop thinking that way—and getting ready for a shower and bed. By some miracle, she had the day off tomorrow. She was definitely sleeping in after the stress of today! Vaguely, she wondered why she wasn’t more upset about the fact that she had been shot at—again. Was she becoming so much a part of Gertie’s and Ida Belle’s world that it really wasn’t a big deal now? What sort of world was that? Did she think she was invincible? Did they? And how did Fortune fit into everything? She was almost as new in town as Pepper, yet she had some kind of connection with Jaxson, Ida Belle, and Gertie that made Pepper question what they all knew that she was still in the dark about.
Even though she was exhausted, Pepper sat at her laptop and wrote for an hour. Her latest book was so close to the finish line, and she needed to find out how it ended. Yeah, she was that kind of writer—she had to see the words on the page in front of her before she knew what was going to happen. She shrugged. It worked for her. And judging by the sales reports she had checked this evening, it was working for others also, since more and more people were buying her books.
Finally, after furiously typing out the end of her story, she made notes about today’s events. Since she had moved here, she had adopted the adage, “What doesn’t kill you, is material for a book.” Laughing to herself, and then feeling embarrassed, she went to bed.
Before she turned off her phone, Pepper checked her messages, finding a lengthy text from Ida Belle with an update on Carter’s investigation of the shooting and the fact that all the suspects had alibis. Someone must be lying, she decided. After that she slept fitfully, tossing and turning most of the night while snatches of conversation flitted through her head and vivid dreams of bus explosions and arguments between the members of Owen’s tour group kept jolting her out of sleep.