Page 30 of Someone to Call My Own
“That’s impressive,” I said genuinely. “I think I’m going to like it here.”
“It is my hope that you enjoy it so much that you return many times and recommend us to your friends. I’ll be up as soon as your food is ready.” I didn’t have many friends, but I would be sure to tell them about the hospitality. If the food was as good as promised, I was sure Josh would want to fly west and swap recipes.
“Here you go, Mr. Jackson.” Caroline handed me an ornate-looking skeleton key on a keychain with the B&B logo on it. Maybe most guys my age wouldn’t like to be addressed so formally, but hearing the name I shared with River warmed my heart.
“Thank you, Caroline.” I started to walk away but then stopped and leaned a little closer. “Does that scene I witnessed outside happen every day?”
She blushed prettily and nodded her head. “Grandmother thinks Chase is bad news, but I love him.”
“She runs him off, and he keeps coming back?”
“Yes, sir.” Caroline giggled then covered her mouth so Martha couldn’t hear her. She lowered her voice and said, “He’s loved me since we were five years old.” I guessed them to be in their early twenties, so that was almost their entire lives.
“And have you loved him that long, as well?”
“Yes, sir,” she replied proudly.
“Don’t give up, Caroline. Fight for love, and you’ll never regret it.” I gave her a conspiring wink. Some might say I was giving bad advice because look at the heartache I continued to endure after losing River, but I could never regret the eight years, five months, three weeks, two days, and twelve hours we had together.
Once I got upstairs, I unpacked my small bag and kicked off my shoes so I could lounge on the bed while I waited for the highly anticipated knock. The room wasn’t as frilly and fussy as I expected as some of the B&Bs that River and I stayed in over the years. The furniture was antique, but sturdy and modernized with neutral fabrics with small pops of color from the current era rather than a reproduction of materials from yesteryear.
I suddenly remembered that I needed to turn my phone back on after the flight. I had promised Memphis I would call when I arrived. It seemed to take an inordinately long time for my phone to turn on, so I set it aside when “the knock” came on the door. I whipped the door open and stepped into the hallway before Martha made it back to the top of the stairs.
She smiled and shook her head at my eagerness. I hoisted the tray off the stand and took it to the small table inside my room. I lifted the lid and inhaled the delicious aroma of bread, butter, melted cheese, and slow-cooked soup into my nose. I paused for a second to appreciate my bounty then devoured it in minutes. I stopped just shy of trying to lick the bowl clean.
My phone vibrated on the bedside table where I left it when it started to come to life. I could tell I had several messages waiting for me. I expected them to all be from Memphis and all of them were but one. I stared down at his message on my phone and told myself not to read it. I didn’t do this for him.Liar.
Curiosity was the only reason I clicked on his message.Thank you, Emory.I spent the rest of my time trying to figure out why those three little words made my heart race while I waited for Beau to arrive.
“He’s cute.”
“Who?” I asked Beau, feigning dumb. My friend’s warm chuckle let me know he wasn’t buying my act.
“He landed safely and is currently at the bed and breakfast getting settled and grabbing a bite to eat before I go over the case with him,” Beau said. “He seems nice.”
“I wouldn’t know.” Even I heard the slight bite of bitterness in my voice.
“Well, you must mean something to Emory for him to drop what he was doing and fly to Montana to help me,” Beau countered.
“It probably has more to do with a dislike of injustice.”Or perhaps guilt.“Regardless of his reasons, I’m glad he showed up to help you. When I talked to Emory about your situation, he asked me a question that I couldn’t answer.”
“What?” Beau hesitantly asked.
“Emory asked me what had changed to cause the sense of urgency and frustration I’d detected in your voice on Sunday. I felt like you were keeping something from me.”
“I’ve been completely honest with you from the beginning,” Beau calmly said. “Once his family found out there was a new sheriff they pressed me to look into the cold case. That’s all.”
“All of that makes perfect sense to me, but you sounded despondent on the phone Sunday morning in a way I haven’t heard in a long time. It gives me the impression that this case is more personal to you than you’re letting on.”
“I was just exhausted and frustrated that I haven’t gotten any further in the investigation. I’d hoped that enough time passed that people started loosening up their lips a bit,” Beau said dejectedly. Yeah, I bought that excuse too, but I knew there was more he wasn’t telling me. I was pissed because we didn’t keep secrets from each other, but I respected him enough not to push. He’d tell me when he was ready. “So, there’s nothing you want to tell me either?” he asked.
I shook my head no then realized he couldn’t see me through the phone. “No,” I finally answered. “I still haven’t figured out who stole money or hooch from my club and the person must’ve been scared straight because nothing hinky has happened since we had our staff meeting.”
“Could be a glitch in the software program, you know,” Beau suggested. “It’s not like computers, gadgets, and programs are one hundred percent accurate all the time.”
“I’ve considered that too.” And I had. I was cynical by nature, but I truly liked and respected everyone on my staff. None of them gave off shady vibes so I was truly in a conundrum and there was nothing I could do unless the thief struck again. “Time will tell.”
“So, there’s nothing going on between you and Emory?” Beau asked. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that Beau would pursue him if I said no. Yes, there was something going on between Emory and me, but I couldn’t claim him. I didn’t have the right to after what I’d done.