Thirty-Three and a Half Shenanigans Read online

  I put my hands on my hips and scowled. “No. I picked up enchiladas from the new Mexican restaurant—Buenaza Zarigüeya—on the way home.”

  His eyes widened. “I’m having a hard time trusting food from a restaurant whose name means Kind Opossum. I hope you got the vegetarian enchiladas.”

  “Fine, mister,” I said in a haughty tone. “Suit yourself. I’ll give your share to Muffy.”

  Hearing her name, Muffy shot toward me, shaking her tail so hard her back end swayed.

  “See?” I said. “Muffy’s not so particular.”

  A stench filled the room, and I gagged, waving my hand in front of my face. Traitor.

  Mason burst out laughing. “I suspect Muffy’s already had my share, and she’s taken a bullet for me.” He bent down to pet her head, then stood up, choking. “That dog deserves a medal of honor.”

  I stomped off to the kitchen, and Mason followed on my heels.

  “Rose, I was teasing. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”

  “You didn’t,” I sighed, pulling the pan out of the oven and setting it down on the stove top with a plop. “I’m just frustrated that I can’t go grocery shopping.” I shut the oven door and put my hands on my hips, still wearing the oven mitt. “It’s embarrassing, Mason.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll put more effort into getting your Piggly Wiggly privileges reinstated. In the meantime, why don’t you go to Peach Orchard Grocery?”

  My mouth hung open. “Are you serious? That place fails the health department inspection on a regular basis. At least Buenaza Zarigüeya rated a ninety-two on their inspection.” I lifted my eyebrows in an I-told-you-so look. “Yes, I checked.”

  He wrapped his arms around my back and tugged me to his chest. “God, I love you.”

  “Why?” I asked, my voice muffled from being buried in his shirt. “Because I’m serving you food that may or may not contain road kill?”

  He chuckled, his chest rumbling against my cheek. “No, because I would never in a million years have expected to have this conversation with anyone, and I love every minute of it.”

  I leaned my head back to look up at him with narrowed eyes. “Don’t think you can sweet talk your way into getting some enchiladas.”

  “You’re a harsh woman, Rose Gardner.”

  “Yeah,” I teased. “Remember that the next time you insult a woman’s dinner, whether she cooks it or not.”

  “I have so much to learn.”

  “You’ve got that right.”

  Mason helped me set the kitchen table. We sat down to eat, and Maeve and Mason told me stories about their family home, which had played a part in many of their beloved memories. Maeve got a little teary-eyed, but took one look at my worried face and shook her head. “Nothing stays the same, Rose. Sometimes you have to recognize when it’s time to move on. I’m good with selling the house. These are happy tears.”

  I kept a close eye on Mason. He seemed impartial to his mother selling his childhood home, but I knew it had to affect him in some way. Later, Maeve went up to take a shower, and while Mason and I cleaned up the kitchen, I asked him about it.

  “I’m fine with it.”

  I studied him, and he gave me a soft smile.

  “Believe it or not, I am. I think I said goodbye to that house after my father died. I came home for the summer after my junior year at Duke, and I didn’t feel like I belonged there anymore. That’s why I got my own apartment when I came back to Little Rock for law school instead of moving in with Mom to save money.”

  I thought about my own childhood home. I’d lived there until a couple of months ago. Now I could hardly stand to walk through the door when I went there to visit Violet. But Mason had grown up in a totally different environment.

  He noticed my struggle to understand. “With Dad gone, everything changed. The three of us no longer knew our parts. Mom and Savannah figured theirs out while I was at school. When I got home, I didn’t feel a sense of belonging anymore. It was like there wasn’t a place for me there.” He looked down at the bowl he was drying. “It wasn’t intentional, and they were the ones stuck there with the memories. I understood.”

  “So what did feel like home?”

  He didn’t answer for several seconds. Finally, he set the bowl, which had to be drier than dust at this point, on the counter and turned toward me. “Honestly, I’ve never felt truly at home since before my father died. Not until I moved in with you.”

  I closed the distance between us and softly grabbed his face, pulling him down to give him a gentle kiss. “I love you.”

  He straightened and grinned. “I love you too.” Then he glanced at the clock on the wall, and his smile faltered. “I have to go out in a bit.”

  Part of my elation faded. “Why?”

  Something I didn’t recognize flickered in his eyes. “It’s work-related.”

  It was close to seven-thirty. I knew nothing was going on at the courthouse, and he’d started to bring work home so he wouldn’t be gone so much.

  “Are you going to see Joe again?” The last time he took off after dinner, he’d returned with a busted lip after confronting Joe about paying off the nursery’s debt.

  “No, it’s nothing like that. I swear.”

  “Does it have to do with that deputy that showed up earlier?”

  “Partially.”

  I waited for him to elaborate, and he sighed.

  “Rose, I can’t tell you what it’s about. Ask me anything you want to know about my personal life, and I’ll be an open book. But most of what I do at work is confidential. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. I just can’t.”

  “I know.” I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice.

  He tugged me against his chest and rested his chin on my head. “I might be gone for a while, so don’t worry about waiting up.”

  I couldn’t imagine what he could be up to, but it was pointless to ask. I couldn’t help wondering about the deputy’s visit, but part of me didn’t want to know. The person who had first uttered “ignorance is bliss” knew a thing or two about life.

  Mason left shortly after we finished, giving me a long kiss goodbye on the front porch. “I love you, Rose. No matter what happens, remember that.” Then he left before I could answer.

  As I watched the taillights of his car disappear down my drive to the road, I couldn’t ignore the feeling in my gut that Mason was involved in something dangerous.

  ***

  Mason didn’t get home until after midnight. Muffy and I were already in bed when Mason stripped and climbed under the covers, pulling me close.

  When we got up the next morning, he seemed reserved, but was more like himself after he showered and dressed.

  The moving men planned to show up at Maeve’s by nine, so she left by eight-thirty. I offered to come with her and help, but she insisted she’d be fine until the movers left, telling me I should come by later in the afternoon like we’d originally planned.

  I walked out with her when she left and let Muffy romp in the yard. When I went back inside, I found Mason in his office staring intently at something on his laptop.

  I stood in the doorway, watching him. “Don’t you need to get to the courthouse?”

  “Not this morning,” he said without looking up as he continued to type. “I was supposed to be in court at nine, but the judge called a recess, so I decided to do some work at home.”

  “What’s got your rapt attention?” I asked, moving closer to his desk.

  He looked up and tilted the screen away from me. “Dealing with the usual Fenton County mayhem.”

  I crossed my arms. “Uh-huh,” I said. “Does this have anything to do with last night?”

  Mason closed his laptop lid and scooted back his chair. “What do you have planned for this morning?”

  I considered calling him out on changing the subject, but I knew it would be pointless. Instead, I gave him a saucy grin. “Oh, you know. Creating the usual Fenton County mayhem.”

/>   “Why am I not surprised?” He laughed and stood up. “How about I take you out to breakfast if you don’t have to get to the office right away? We’ll make it date.”

  “Really?” I asked, sounding more hopeful than I’d intended.

  His smile fell slightly. “I’m doing a poor job as your boyfriend if you’re this excited over eating at the Big Biscuit.”

  “Are you kidding? Have you had their blueberry pancakes?”

  “I’ve had yours, and they’re delicious.” He stuffed his laptop into a satchel. “They’ll be hard to beat.”

  I laughed. “You’re a quick learner, Mason Deveraux.”

  He placed a hand at the small of my back and guided me to the coat tree by the front door. “I have a teacher who motivated me last night by making me beg for my dinner. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s true.” He glanced down at Muffy, who pranced excitedly at my feet. “You’re going to have to leave her here today?”

  “I know she’s used to coming with me now, but she’ll be okay by herself.”

  I let her loose, and we locked the front door.

  “Do you want to ride into town together?” Mason asked.

  “No, I’m helping your momma this afternoon, so we need to take separate cars,” I said. “Plus, I told Violet I’d pick up Ashley so she could help. She’s been missing me.”

  Mason opened my truck door and smiled down at me. “Mom will love having Ashley there.”

  I climbed up into the driver’s seat. “In hindsight, I suppose I should have asked her first.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be happy about it. I’ll see you at the restaurant.”

  I checked my phone a half dozen times on the fifteen-minute drive, surprised I hadn’t heard from Skeeter yet. But no news was good news.

  We ordered breakfast and were waiting for our food when Mason leaned his forearm on the table. “I know we didn’t have time to talk about this last night, but the papers for the nursery are ready to be signed.” He paused, searching my face. “I know your mind’s made up, but as your attorney, I feel the need to reiterate that you do not have to include Joe Simmons or Violet in the ownership.”

  I sighed. “Thank you for understanding.”

  “It’s your business, Rose, but once you sign these papers, it’s going to be a whole hell of a lot harder to dissolve.”

  “Kind of like getting married.” I smiled at him. “It’s easy to say I do, but ten times harder to say I don’t.”

  He hesitated. “Yes. Exactly.”

  “I’m not gonna change my mind, Mason. Especially after you added the clauses stating that Joe can’t sell his share to anyone but me or Violet, and I can buy him out by paying off the money he put in after a year if I decide it’s not working.”

  He took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Yesterday afternoon I emailed Joe and told him the papers would be ready today. I offered to send them to the sheriff’s department so he could sign and return them at his leisure, but he insisted that he wouldn’t sign them unless you were there with him.” He didn’t look too happy about it.

  “Well, we are going to be partners,” I said. “There are some things we need to discuss about restocking the nursery.”

  “When are you going to see him?” he asked.

  “I have a light schedule today. I guess I’ll call him after breakfast and see when he has time.”

  The waitress brought our food, and I poured syrup over my pancakes. “Neely Kate told me that Hilary’s moved to Henryetta. She saw her at the doctor’s office.”

  Mason’s mouth pursed. “Did she move in with Joe?”

  “No. Neely Kate said she’s renting a house close to the town square. And Violet said Joe found a new place outside of city limits.”

  “I know.”

  I glanced up in surprise.

  He shrugged. “He’s moving into the farmhouse on the property south of ours.”

  It took me a moment to recover. “The farm where they found poor Mr. Sullivan’s body? I didn’t know it was for sale.”

  “It’s not.” He cut up a piece of his French toast, his gaze fixed on the plate. “The owners were renting out the farmhouse, but after the loan manager’s body was found there, no one wanted it. So Joe got it for a steal.”

  “How did you know?” I asked, incredulous.

  “The Fenton County Courthouse. It’s one of the most gossipy places I’ve ever worked.” His eyes lifted to mine. “The real question is how you didn’t know. If something like that escaped Neely Kate, the world has turned upside down.”

  I scowled. I suspected it was a matter of Neely Kate not sharing what she knew, rather than her actually not knowing it. I wasn’t sure I liked the thought of Joe being so close to me, and I wouldn’t have been surprised to find out Violet had helped instigate it. Especially since she’d been pretty direct in telling me she’d rather see me with Joe than with Mason. “I didn’t know, Mason. I swear.”

  “I know.” He offered me a soft smile before returning his attention to his food. “The last time I checked, people can live wherever they want in Fenton County. He’s within his legal rights.”

  “When did you find out?”

  “Yesterday.”

  I lifted my eyebrows. “And you’re sure that you didn’t pay him a visit last night to discuss the matter?”

  He shook his head. “No. I swore to you I wouldn’t,” he said without defensiveness. “I confess it crossed my mind, but I restrained myself. Joe and I cleared the air the last time I paid him a visit a few weeks ago. We may not be on the friendliest of terms, but we both know where the other stands.”

  “Well, thank you for making the effort to get along. Especially since he’s my business partner now.”

  “Fenton County’s not that large, so it’s in our best interest to get along. In fact, we’re actually working on something together.” He took a sip of his coffee. “So, see? I’m making an effort.”

  “You’re working on something together?” I asked in surprise. Could it be the Lady in Black? The couple of times I’d seen Joe since running into him at Maeve’s new house I hadn’t brought it up. He didn’t seem to have any idea that I had a new alias, and I intended for it to stay that way. “Is the case you’re working on together the reason that deputy came by yesterday? Does it have anything to do with where you went last night?”

  He laughed. “Good try. I’m not spilling.”

  I decided to let it drop. I could try to pry it out of him later that night.

  Mason was telling me about the quick sale of Maeve’s house in Little Rock when he stopped speaking mid-sentence. His face hardened as he studied something over my shoulder.

  “Mason?” I asked, glancing behind me, half-expecting to see Joe.

  Instead, I caught Skeeter Malcolm’s gaze.

  My stomach dropped to my toes.

  Skeeter was sitting at a table with one of his minions, Jed, both of them holding a menu.

  I spun back around and started chopping off a piece of pancake.

  Mason’s hand tightened around his fork. “Rose, why do you look so nervous?”

  I wasn’t sure how to answer.

  “Has Malcolm bothered you since I collected you from the pool hall last July?”

  I shook my head. “No. Of course not. Why would he?”

  “I don’t know. But I don’t like the way he looked at you.” Mason shook his head. “I would have suspected he was looking at me, except his expression wasn’t full of loathing.”

  My stomach squeezed around the pancakes I’d just eaten. “Does he really hate you that much?”

  “Let’s just say that since our first meeting on that hot July night, we’ve shared a healthy disdain for one another.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I threatened to shut down his business.” He pushed his French toast around on his plate, shooting pointed glances at the table behind me. “Skeeter Malcolm may look like a womanizing drinker, but don’t let his performance fool you. He’s all
about business, which is why we’re so worried about the results of that auction. Daniel Crocker thought of himself as forward-thinking, but he had nothing on Malcolm. Honestly, most of the sheriff’s department was surprised it took him this long to make a bid for the top rung of the ladder.”

  My gaze narrowed on him. “But not you?”

  “Malcolm’s a lot more cunning than Crocker ever hoped to be. If he really took over like we think he did, he was smart to bide his time. Crocker was batshit crazy, and his crash-and-burn was inevitable. Waiting meant Malcolm avoided a turf war that would have produced casualties and a whole lot of bad blood. It gave him the opportunity to acquire a mostly intact drug cartel without the animosity a skirmish would have brought.”

  “So he’s clever?”

  Mason’s eyebrows lifted as he dug into his egg. “More than most people give him credit for.”

  Myself included. “You said he hates you. Are you in danger, Mason?”

  Mason’s face lifted. “Rose, no. I’m fine. Don’t worry. Malcolm’s not stupid enough to come after me. At least not right now, anyway. He’s been trying to keep a low profile since Thanksgiving.”

  “But after he threatened me this past summer, you told me that he’s capable of killing the people who get in his way.” Crappy doodles, I’d been so stupid. I’d helped a man who was after my boyfriend.

  Mason’s expression softened. “Are you worried he’ll come after you to get to me?” He shook his head and took my hand. “Rose, if I thought that was even a possibility, I’d insist the sheriff’s department place you under protection.” He paused. “And you know that Joe would agree to it.”

  “I’m not worried about me, Mason.” No, I was far too valuable to Skeeter for him to kill me. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

  “I promise.” He gave me a soft smile. “Don’t worry. He’s not the first high-profile criminal I’ve gone after, and he won’t be the last.”

  “So you’re going after him?”

  He narrowed his eyes and shot a quick glance in Skeeter’s direction. “You bet your pretty little ass I am.”

  I swallowed a bite of bacon, but it didn’t sit well in my stomach. Especially when my phone vibrated in my pocket with a text. I didn’t eat much after that, and Mason seemed to have lost his appetite as well, so before too long he asked the waitress for our check.