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“Jesse was always gunning for the spot of sheriff. That’s an elected position around these parts.” Marianna sniffed, wiping under her eyes. “And they would never elect someone who got serious about the town whore.”
“Mom,” Emma said sharply. “You aren’t a whore. Garrett is right. If you lived anywhere else but this small Podunk town, no one would even comment on your love life.”
“I had an affair with a married man,” her mother pointed out.
“That was a mistake,” Emma acknowledged with a wince. “But according to my husband, it’s one Teddy made with several women. Not just you. He was a serial cheater.”
“Maybe,” Mariana admitted. “But I should have tried harder to avoid him.”
How?Emma wanted to ask. Teddy owned thishouse. He’d been her boss. Mariana’s livelihood was still tied to him. The cleaning company she worked for depended on his business.
“As for Jesse,” Mariana continued. “He’s been dating Samantha Corning for almost half a year now. She teaches elementary over in Verdant Falls and is exactly the kind of woman the town wants their sheriff with. He must think so too, or he wouldn’t have gone to Denver to shop for rings last month.”
Emma’s sympathy for the sheriff dried up in a snap.
How dare that jerk fall for someone else? The temerity of him coming around, acting all butthurt as if he was the wronged party! No way. Screw that noise.
“You know what?” Emma said, standing and putting her hands on her hips. “We’re ditching this town tomorrow.”
Mariana frowned from the tub. “I thought we were going to stay through the weekend to pack.”
Emma slashed her hand through the air. “Not anymore. We already sorted everything important. Let the movers come and box up the rest. We’ll leave Post-it notes on everything that goes to charity or the dumpster.”
Reaching inside the tub, she tugged on her mother’s arms until Mariana climbed out.
“You have a whole new life waiting for you in San Diego, including a gorgeous new apartment to furnish. We’ll let the pros handle the rest of this mess. And if one of them tosses a match on what’s left after we blow this popsicle stand, all the better.”
Mariana stared at her for a moment before smiling weakly. “I wouldn’t go that far. But leaving tomorrow is sounding damn good to me.”
Emma wrapped her arm around her mother’s shoulders. It was easy. They were the same height.
“Then that’s what we’ll do.”
Chapter Sixty-Four
EMMA
They had flown to Colorado on an airline that was part of Garrett’s investment portfolio. But when their numbers doubled, he made arrangements for a charter flight to take them back to San Diego.
As impressive as first class had been, flying commercial didn’t hold a candle to traveling on a private plane.
“It seats eight, but this way we can take all of Stella and Mariana’s essentials,” Garrett explained when they arrived at the tarmac and saw the gleaming Gulfstream jet. “The movers can deal with the rest.”
Keeping an excited Stella in her seat proved to be a challenge, but Garrett managed to corral her long enough for take-off and landing.
Once they were safely on the ground in San Diego, he unclipped her seat belt, taking her little hand so the cabin crew could safely open the door without a five-year-old barreling into them.
“Goodbye, sweetie!” the flight attendant said, pushing open the door to reveal a ladder leading down to the tarmac of a private airstrip.
“Bye!” Stella chirped, swinging her and Garrett’s clasped hands, her smile so big and bright it lit up the cabin.
Garrett murmured his thanks to the pilot and crew before stepping into the bright San Diego sunshine just ahead of her and Mariana.
The sound of cheering caught them all completely off guard.
Pausing on the top step, Garrett turned back to her with a grin. “You gotta come see this.”
He swung Stella into his arms, carrying her down the stairs to hoots and hollers.