Page 51 of Family Jewels

“Jed already told us that.” Putting her hands on her hips, she gave me a skeptical look. “I bet Skeeter’s after the necklace too.”

That caught me by surprise. “What? Why would James want that necklace? For all we know, it’s fake.”

She shrugged. “Just the fact that some people think it’s real makes it a big deal.”

Her theory about James wanting the necklace didn’t hold weight, yet part of me had to wonder if there was some truth to it. James hadn’t just come over—he’d been in mybarn.Why?He’d mentioned parking next to Raddy’s car. Had he followed Raddy in there? Or had he gone in on his own?

I shook my head. “I don’t know what to think anymore. We should wash our hands of the whole mess.”

“But—” Neely Kate started to protest.

“I’m too tired to make any decisions right now. I just want to go to bed.”

Something in my voice must have told her I’d reached my limit because her expression softened. “Okay. We’ll talk after we’ve both had a good night’s sleep.”

I nodded, then went to my room and shut the door. While I stood in my bathroom mirror getting ready for bed, I gave my body and my face a long, hard appraisal. I wasn’t skinny, but I wasn’t overweight, and all the landscaping work I’d been doing lately had toned my muscles. My long, wavy brown hair was capable of looking good when I wore it down—although I wore it in a ponytail most of the time. I knew I could look pretty, but I’d rarely worn makeup since Mason had left. There were many women who were prettier than me, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the woman James was going to sleep with fell into that category. I hadn’t seen her face; typical man that he was, his gaze had gone straight to her chest. There was no doubt her breasts were plenty bigger than mine.

Tears stung my eyes, and I splashed my face with warm water.Enough.I wasn’t going to cry over that man. He’d told me exactly who he was. He’d never made any secret of it. Why had I thought I’d be different? Did I really think I could change him?

Some part of me knew my parting accusation held merit. He wasscared—hell, I was scared too—but at least I’d been brave enough to take a chance.

James Malcolm was an unworthy coward.

So why did his rejection hurt so much?

Chapter 11

The sun wokeme up the next morning. I rolled over in bed to face the side where Mason used to sleep. After he first left, I used to wake up every morning, put my hand on his empty space, and cry. But after a few weeks, I would just put my hand there and let the melancholy wash over me. Then I’d get out of bed and move on with my day. But I hadn’t thought of him in the morning for several weeks. Did that mean I was over him?

Then the memory of how I’d acted with James the night before returned, flooding me with humiliation. What would Mason think of me throwing myself at Skeeter Malcolm? But a new irritation took root—Mason no longer had any say in what I did. Maybe I was looking at last night through the wrong lens. Up until now, I hadn’t felt tempted by any men since the breakup. Regardless of how it had turned out, I was going to consider it hard-earned progress.

Of course, that didn’t make me any better equipped for the dilemma of how to handle things with James. I didn’t want to lose his friendship—something I’d thought of and then promptly forgotten right before I made a fool of myself. Maybe I could claim temporary insanity. Or I could claim I was drunk even though I hadn’t even had two full beers.

Muffy was still curled up at the foot of the bed when I got up to get ready for the day. I didn’t have any manual labor jobs today, so after I took my shower, I decided to spend more time on my hair and put on a little makeup. The forecast claimed it would be sunny and in the eighties, so I decided to take a gamble on a cute summer dress. I’d bring a sweater in case it got chilly in the office.

But as I swiped on a coat of mascara, it occurred to me that I’d let the night’s upset distract me from what had happened to Rayna. I probably knew some facts about her death that might be useful to the sheriff’s department. Raddy could have lied about what he’d seen, but what if it was all true?

I grabbed my phone and texted Joe, asking him if he’d left town yet. He called me back within seconds.

“I’m heading to El Dorado to talk to our family attorney before I head down to New Orleans. Is everything okay?” he asked.

If I told him that Raddy Dyer had been hiding out in my barn, I knew he’d turn back. And while I suspected Homer was dangerous, I was quite certain Neely Kate and I could handle his stepson. “Of course,” I said. “I was just calling to ask what you’ve found out about poor Rayna Dyer.”

“Do you want the public story or the inside scoop?”

“You’d really tell me the inside scoop?” I asked in disbelief.

“No,” he said with a laugh. “I wanted to see if you’d ask.”

“Well, whatcanyou tell me?”

“Rayna Dyer was found dead in her hot tub.”

“Come on, Joe. Really? That’s it?”

“That’s the official story. The cause of death is unknown.”

“I know she was murdered. Do you think Raddy Dyer did it?”