Chapter 18
M om: I’m not going to make it to the town meeting after all, darling. I’m just not feeling up to it. I’ll see you when you get home.
Polly pushed her cell back into her pocket and went back to wiping the tables at Bloom. Her mother was staying at her house tonight, which meant Polly was staying at her house tonight.
She didn’t mind moving out of Maggie and Ethan’s, because that needed to happen eventually. But every time her mother got her heart broken, she ran to Polly, always claiming she needed a break from the house she’d shared with the man who’d left her.
And no matter how many times Polly said she wasn’t doing it again, that she wasn’t picking up the pieces of her mother’s broken heart—not when it was a result of going against all the advice Polly had given—she still did it. Because it was her mom. She couldn’t just let her be in pain alone.
She moved on to the next table, scrubbing a little harder.
From the little she’d been able to get from her mother, it seemed her mother thought Jonah was cheating. He hadn’t admitted to it, but apparently, he kept coming home late and couldn’t tell her why.
Polly wasn’t sure it was true. But it had happened with previous partners. More than once. It had always been cheating in the past.
Polly shook her head. She should not have bought into the idea that Jonah might actually be different. That the relationship might actually last.
It had lasted all right…all of five seconds.
She was rinsing out her cloth when the jingle of the front door opening sounded. Great. She closed in five minutes and had a customer.
Forcing a smile to her lips, she turned, only for that smile to wipe right off her face.
Not a local. With her expensive gold earrings and chic black blazer, Bronte Simmons didn’t come close to resembling a Deep River local. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s a café, isn’t it? I came to get a coffee.”
“I’ve already cleaned the machine, and we close in five minutes.”
She lifted a manicured brow. “What about a juice?”
Polly’s hands fisted as she went to the fridge and grabbed an orange juice.
“Apple, please,” Bronte called.
Polly paused, a muscle ticking in her temple, before she grabbed the apple and took it to the counter. “Five dollars.”
“I hear you’re dating him.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t act stupid.” She tilted her head. “It doesn’t suit those pretty honey eyes. You’re dating Joel.”
“Five dollars.”
“You know we’ve been engaged for more than half our lives? We also both come from the same world.”
“Yeah, I know. A world of money. What I don’t know is why you’re here.”
“Not just money. Power and influence. And it’s all his…unless he decides to stay here with you.”
“Joel is a big boy. He can make his own decisions.”
“I’m not worried about him staying.” Bronte’s eyes flickered between Polly’s. “I’ve always turned a blind eye to his dating, because this is just what he does. He sleeps around with any whore he can find. Then he breaks their heart. He’s always fine; they’re not.”
“Do you try to scare off all his girlfriends by calling them whores, or do I threaten you?”
“I’m just giving you some advice.” Bronte didn’t look angry. More resigned. “You’d be wise to take it.”
“I’ll file it under ‘unsolicited.’ Now please pay and leave.”
Bronte pulled out a fifty and placed it on the counter. “Keep the change. Looks like you could use it.”
As Bronte left, Polly had the strongest urge to tear the bill into a thousand teeny tiny pieces. Either that or throw something at the other woman’s head.
By the time she reached the town meeting, she was so angry that every muscle in her body was locked, and she felt like one big ball of tension.
Who did that bitch think she was, coming into Polly’s café and talking to her like that? She should have just kicked the woman’s ass out before a single word came out of her mouth.
She dropped into a seat in the back row beside Maureen.
The psychic looked at her, eyes softening. “Hi, dear. How’s your mother today?”
News of the breakup had spread quickly. She had no idea how gossip got around so fast in this town, but it did. “She’s okay. Just resting at home.”
“I would have thought she wouldn’t want to be alone after the breakup, then what happened this morning.”
Polly’s gaze flicked to Maureen. “This morning?”
“Oh…you don’t know?” Maureen touched her hand. “Honey, Jonah was in the woods by the river with a gun. Now of course it hasn’t been proven that it’s the same gun used to kill Jenna, but the town’s under stress and this doesn’t look good for him. People are talking.”
Blood drained from Polly’s face.
No. It couldn’t be true. Jonah couldn’t be the town killer.
But…the reason her mom thought he was cheating was because he kept coming home late with no explanation. What if it wasn’t cheating? What if it was something else? Something more sinister.
Oh Lord, she felt sick.
Joel took the seat beside her, immediately frowning. “Hey. Are you okay?”
“Is it true? Do people think Jonah is the killer?”
“People are saying he’s the killer?”
“Joel!”
“Yes. He was found with a gun. He surrendered it to Ward, and nothing’s linked him or the weapon to the deaths.”
“Yet,” Basil called from a row ahead, clearly listening to their conversation.
Joel frowned at Basil before looking back to her. “Ward’s sending off a bullet from the gun to compare with the bullet they found in Jenna. We should know in a few days.”
It could be Jonah. Jonah could be the Deep River killer. He’d married her mother. Lived with her mother.
She was just starting to spiral when Joel rested a palm on her thigh. “Hey.”
She looked at him.
His gaze bled into hers—comfort, softness, and maybe a bit of protection. “I don’t think it’s him.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve been trained to know.” He leaned closer. “But if I’m wrong, you’re still safe with me.”
She didn’t push his hand off her thigh. Not when he’d first put it there. And not for the entirety of the meeting.
For the most part, the meeting was full of nonissues. Ferris talked about improvements in the works for local businesses. Allocating funds for road repairs and fixing potholes that had been there for years.
Joel couldn’t stop his attention from constantly returning to Polly. She was too pale. The frown between her brows too deep.
He was ninety-nine percent certain Jonah wasn’t a killer. People didn’t realize how much they gave away about themselves in small, everyday gestures. A killer’s eyes tracked exits and angles and people. And energy often felt charged in their presence. Neither of those things were true for Jonah.
Didn’t mean he hadn’t picked up a murder weapon though.
Polly leaned into him and whispered, “Were you there?”
“Where?”
“Were you there when Jonah was found with the gun?”
“Connor and I found him.”
Her eyes flared. “What did he say?”
“That he’d taken a walk to clear his head after a fight with your mom. That he stumbled across the gun and picked it up without thinking.”
Her brows knit together. Because, yeah, it would have had to have been pretty bad dumb luck to pick up a murder weapon right as Joel and Connor showed up.
Ferris cleared his throat. “Now, Raven Price will be talking to everyone about upcoming events here at the community center.”
Raven stepped to the front, and Joel didn’t miss Connor straightening beside him.
“Hi, everyone.” Raven scanned the crowd. “It’s so nice to see such a full town meeting tonight.”
A guy a few rows up scoffed loudly.
That always happened. And always by that same asshole who worked at Trap. It always pissed Connor off.
Hell, it pissed Joel off too, but Connor got the most worked up.
Right and wrong were important to Connor. He’d been in a five-year relationship with a woman that ended a few years ago. He’d been close to proposing when he’d found out she wasn’t who she’d said she was. That her morals definitely weren’t aligned with his. It changed him.
Raven did a great job of ignoring the guy as she spoke. Her voice was soft but firm as she discussed a community garden and some sip-and-paint sessions. She mentioned mindfulness workshops and seasonal markets.
There were a couple of times when Connor looked like he was about to get up and approach the asshole who was heckling her.
It wasn’t until she’d almost finished that a phone started ringing.
Her cheeks reddened. “Sorry, I must have forgotten to put it on silent.” She pulled it out of her pocket…but when she looked at the screen, all the color drained from her face.
Connor leaned forward, watching her closely.
Raven quickly pulled herself together and straightened. “That’s it from me. Have a good night.”
There was a distinct shake in her voice that hadn’t been there before.
“What was that?” Connor muttered under his breath, eyes still on her.
But Ferris was already back in front of everyone, talking again. He was about to conclude the meeting when Basil called out.
“Wait, you’re not going to say anything about Jonah Goodwill? I heard he found a gun by the river.”
Ferris cleared his throat. “That’s part of an open investigation. I can’t?—”
“So it’s true?” Mark called out.
“Was it the same gun that killed Jenna?” Anika, Mark’s girlfriend, asked.
“People, please,” Ferris called. “It’s illegal for me to mention anything to do with that, even as the mayor. Speculating and discussing the case before charges are made tramples over Jonah’s rights.”
“So there’s a case?” Basil called.
“Shouldn’t he be held at the station until we know if that gun killed Jenna?” Anika asked.
Ferris tugged at his shirt like it was choking him.
The town got louder. Polly’s muscles tensed beneath Joel’s palm, and he ran his thumb in a circular motion.
Ward rose from the front row and turned to face the crowd. “Come on, guys. There wasn’t any evidence to arrest Jonah Goodwill. Legally, we can’t hold him just to ‘wait and see.’”
A few more people called out and questions were asked. Ferris and Ward took turns answering.
When the meeting was finally over, Polly stood, causing his hand to drop, and he missed the contact immediately.
He followed her out of the community center.
“Are you okay?” he asked, when they reached her car.
“I don’t know. I’m shocked. And I’m not looking forward to telling my mom about Jonah tonight.”
“Are you staying at her place?” Joel asked, not sure how he felt about that. Jonah had been living there. Was he there tonight? Or had he kept his old place and moved back there?
“She’s staying at my house.”
“But you’re with Maggie and Ethan.”
“No, I’m going home tonight.”
He inched closer. “Polly, you were run off the road. You need to stay safe.”
“I am.” She glanced away before looking back at him. “I had a visit from Bronte this evening.”
Air hissed between his teeth. “This evening?”
“Yep. She came into Bloom just before I closed.”
So she was still in town. Dammit. He almost didn’t want to ask, but fuck, he needed to know. “What did she say?”
“That if you don’t marry her, you’ll lose a lot of money, power, and influence.”
“You know I don’t care about that stuff.”
“And that you’re going to break my heart.”
The fuck ? Bronte didn’t even know him.
He touched her hip. “Do you believe that?”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“Believe this.” He lowered his head. One swipe of her bottom lip with his thumb, then he kissed her. Brushed his lips softly over hers before doing it again.
For a moment she was stiff. Then she melted into him, and the days apart, the lost touches, lost words and the longing, it all just poured into the kiss.
He stroked her lips with his tongue, nudging in, and she opened for him, allowing him inside so he could taste her. She was as sweet as she smelled—fruity and tangy.
The world seemed to shrink down to her and them and the kiss.
“Joel.” She whispered his name against his lips before pulling back. “We can’t.”
He disagreed. They could. They should .
The specks of gold in her honey eyes danced as she looked up at him. “I should go.”
He wanted to say no. Or hell, if she did go, he wanted to follow.
But she didn’t want that. Not right now. He forced himself back. And as he watched her drive away, he made a vow. That he would get her back.
She was his, and he was going to make damn sure she knew it.