Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
AIDEN
S everal warning signals flash in my periphery—Stoll’s whereabouts, Cassian and Rhondy giving me long looks, and my offer for Tinsley to stay with me.
The case should take priority, so I tell myself that keeping Tinsley, a potential asset, close could prove helpful.
As for Cassian and Rhondy, he’s former military and has the discipline to keep quiet. I’d trust her with my life, and that’s saying something. I don’t think there’s a person in Butterbury that would disagree, but she’s part, if not all, angel.
New baby? She’ll bring the family food.
Someone sick? She’ll bring food.
Loved one pass away? She’ll bring the bereaved food.
She also checks on locals, gets their mail, drives people to appointments, and generally helps out on top of making the best biscuits and pie in the world. Oh, and she’s a prayer warrior. I’ve seen enough in my profession to know that it works.
I could use one right about now.
Somehow, I’ll fix this mess. I always do. In the meantime, I like to have options, and having Tinsley nearby keeps a channel open to Harold Jerrold Pumanowksi.
At least that’s what I tell myself.
The silence at the table is somewhat surprising given Bess’s gift of gab, but also awkward because Mae wears what we call a resting brat face. As the youngest, she’d sometimes get upset if she didn’t get her way. This is one of those times, but I’m not sure what she wants.
Revenge? Blood? Tinsley’s first born?
Even though Tinsley apologized to my sisters, she doesn’t know that she’s a frog in a pot and the ladybosses control the heat.
I’m straight up in hot water. Not quite over my head but getting there. The case, I can handle. It’s the way this woman’s proximity raises my pulse, my temperature. I wasn’t just being coy when I said she’d be the future Mrs. Mayor. Okay, I was being a little flirtatious. But I’ve never used that line on anyone. I’ve never felt this strange rumble inside. It’s akin to seismic activity. Mini internal earthquakes building to the “Big One.”
My typical MO is maximizing fun with a fling while minimizing meaningful time spent together. That way no emotions come into play and no one gets hurt when I inevitably move on. A lot of people might disagree with my lifestyle, flitting from woman to woman, but it’s what works for me...because of my work.
Except for the idea of making someone my Mrs. Mayor has forever connotations...and for the first time in my life, that amount of time doesn’t result in me zooming away on my motorcycle.
I tug on the collar of my shirt to circulate some air. Is it suddenly hot in here? When I shift, I slide a little on the vinyl seat, and my thigh brushes against Tinsley’s again. Like when we shook hands between the bars of our jail cells, tingles in the same family as pins and needles, but without the discomfort that leaves my limbs limp, vibrate up my arm. This is more of an energized feeling. Like her touch powers me up.
She shifts slightly away when Mae notices the contact.
“We’ve probably taken up these tables long enough,” Taylor says.
He helps Mae to her feet. The baby she’s got baking in there is going to be big.
“Mom, Dad, you need any help?” Cassian asks Rhondy and Paul.
They both decline, but he and Bess stay behind as Tinsley and I follow my other sister and Taylor toward the exit.
On the sidewalk, the O’Donnell family walks their new cocker spaniel puppy. Drawn to all things furry, Mae greets the dog and chats with Janet. Tinsley crouches down and plays with the puppy and chats with the kids.
Taylor’s eyebrows lift. “I have to admit that I was surprised to receive an apology from her and that she’s playing with the puppy and talking to the O’Donnell kids and that—”
I cut him off, afraid he’s going to point something out that I’m not quite ready to hear. “Is this one of those ‘Wonders never cease’ moments?”
“No, that happened when the two of you walked out of the police station together. We knew you were locked up, but my jaw just about bounced off the pavement when she followed in that getup.”
I exhale through my nose. “She’s hard to miss.”
Taylor turns to face me, eyeing me carefully.
“Don’t tell me that I have food on my face.” I wipe my lips.
“More like egg, bro.”
“Am I supposed to be embarrassed by something?”
“Yeah. Don’t let those sequins hypnotize you.”
“I’m not at risk of being lulled into an altered state by a dress.” But by the woman wearing the dress? That’s a different story.
Taylor grips my shoulder. “Aiden, I know you...and I know Tinsley. Remember? She’s one of the reasons I came back to Butterbury. You had to talk me off the ledge numerous times when she’d call me, harass me, and beg me to spend time with her. It was all for show. She’s a fake.”
I plant my hand on his shoulder. “Taylor, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m a professional.” Laughter lifts onto my lips.
“Yes, you’re a career-focused businessman, the kind of guy who plays the field, and is the last person I image to settle down.”
I hold my hands up in exasperation. “I’m in the process of building a house up on Riverview Street.”
Taylor tips his head from side to side as if I have a point. “Do I need to remind you about when she came here last time? When she humiliated me in front of a crowd and potentially ruined my future with Mae?”
“Yes, I remember that day and finding Murder Doll in my car.”
Taylor truly is like a brother which is why I notice the slight twitch of his lips like he’s holding back a laugh.
I wag my finger at him.
“Don’t get me off track. I’m trying to save you from yourself. I can read you too. Like a book. I see the way you look at Tinsley. The body language. The whole—” He does a poor imitation of my casual lean topped with a smolder.
“Is that expression or whatever you want to call it what won Mae over?” I tease.
He playfully punches my arm then retracts his fist and rubs it. “Forgot how solid you are. You’re not as built as Buck, but I bet you two would be evenly matched.”
This time my eyebrows lift. “I work out.”
“Clearly. Have some frustration you’ve been needing to release?” He adopts a boxing stance and punches the air.
“Something like that.” I rub my hand down my face, wondering if I should tell him who I am and what I do.
Taylor knows that after I lost my grandparents, I went to the city. Which city though is another story. I got a job in finance, started traveling, and the owners of the firm approached me with a lucrative offer, but it came with a catch. They wanted to involve me in some shady dealings. I discretely exposed them to the authorities. The authorities had been tracking the case, yet I was the one who picked up on the discrepancies they’d overlooked for years. The agency recruited me because I do have an eye for detail, but mostly it comes down to pattern recognition and when something interrupts it. Anyway, the rest is history. My particular role is deep and I’ve found it’s easier, and safer, for my family and friends not to know.
However, lately, the secrets are taking their toll. Maybe that’s because I play two roles. The big question is when the time comes to retire, who will I be?
“I’m just here to warn you,” Taylor says.
“I thought you were going to use the bro code.”
“Can’t. Tinsley and I never officially dated. Part seven, section two-c of the bro manual.”
I chuckle.
“Listen, when she starts Tinsley-splaining, run for the hills.”
“I think I can handle myself.” I’m well-versed in the art of observation, interrogation, and combatting manipulation. It’s my job to see through obfuscation to the truth. And I do, one hundred percent of the time.
“I know you can, but can you handle Tinsley Humber?”
I suppose that remains to be seen, but up until now, I’ve been having a back and forth with myself about completely ignoring her and carrying her in my arms to the nearby church.
“My primary concern right now is Stoll. Any clue where he went?” I ask.
“Not the foggiest.”
Mae, very pregnant, waddles over. “What are we talking about?”
“Stoll,” Taylor and I say at the same time as if in agreement that we will never mention the previous conversation or Tinsley to my sister if we can help it.
“Are you still intending to make a run for mayor?” she asks me.
“Sure am.” I’m an options guy and like to have several on the table. The next race isn’t until November. Hopefully, by then, Gatlin Stoll will be in jail and the case will be closed, meaning I can retire. Then again, the case has become a rat’s nest. Emphasis on rats.
Mae clicks her tongue. “I don’t know. Now you have skeletons in your closet.”
Frowning, I shake my head. “No, I cleared them out. Just Murder Doll remains.”
“Sometimes you worry me.” Mae affectionately leans her head on my shoulder. I pat her on the head because I’ll always be her big brother even when we have our differences.
But right now, I worry because my gaze drifts to Tinsley who talks animatedly to the O’Donnells. They all smile and laugh. Despite what Taylor told me, she seems like a decent enough person. Perhaps she’s changed. Maybe everything that happened in LA and then getting arrested was a wake-up call.
Or perhaps the worry is because she’s lulling me into a trance.
I only vaguely register that Mae and Taylor say goodbye because my eyes are glued to Tinsley. My sister snaps her fingers in front of my face. I give my head a little shake.
Taylor mutters, “I warned him about those sequins.”
They walk hand in hand down the sidewalk. My heart bounces a little in my chest. I’m happy for my best friend and my sister. Thrilled they’re starting a family. But I have to admit, being a perennial bachelor isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Not having anyone to share life with seems like a bleak future.
I recall when Taylor said nearly these same words to me. I told him to jump into the unknown. I wonder if I should take my own advice.
Ungluing myself from these deep and potentially life-altering thoughts, along with the spot on the sidewalk, I greet the O’Donnells. They continue their walk while Tinsley tells me all about Sterling and Silvia, her family’s cocker spaniels when she was growing up.
“I think they were the only members of my family who liked me.” She laughs lightly.
I’m not sure whether she’s joking or not. I try to catch a glimpse of her expression, but she looks at the row of shops next to the diner.
“As the future mayor, I should give you a tour of the town.”
“Seeing as I’m stuck here for the next thirty days, sure. I ought to know my way around.”
“I have a feeling you’ll like it.”
“I’m more the city type.”
“Dressed like that, yes. Do you have any luggage that we should get from your car before Henley takes it into the country for a joyride?”
She gasps.
“I’m kidding.”
“I thought this was the country. Does it get country-er than this?”
I tip my head back with laughter. “Tinsley, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
When looking for property, I had several requirements. Most importantly, the ability to nestle the house in the center so there would never be a chance that I’d see neighbors. Also, my parents will have a place on the property but out of my line of sight in case we get sick of each other.
After nearly two decades of experiencing the underbelly of the world, I’ve had enough people-ing. I can people on demand. That said, the requirements for the build-out of the house, were many to keep me entertained. He he.
I start my tour of Butterbury for Tinsley. “Next to the Starlight is the Designed to Last Boutique and above that is Designed to Last headquarters. The space used to be Flora & Fawn Flower Shoppe. Fawn was Louella Belle’s aunt. She raised her. From what I remember, she was a lovely woman.”
I can’t quite read Tinsley’s expression—wistful? Worried? Overwhelmed? All of the above.
“Here we have McIntyre’s. From spark plugs to drain plugs, they have it all. Next up is the Sweetheart Bakery & Café, and Above the Cut Barbershop. Down that way is Butterbury Bed & Breakfast, owned by none other than Camellia and Nash.”
“I saw their episode. They seem the same in real life as they are on film.”
“No fakers here,” I say then recall Taylor’s warning.
Tinsley opens and closes her mouth as if she wants to say something but holds back.
“On the other side of the Town Square is the library, town hall, Doughnut Dollies, Jack & Junie’s Jewelry, and Brick Bookstore.”
My office is above, but I leave that out.
“Butterbury also boasts several farms, including the Creamery with the best ice cream around. Plus, Bubba’s, of course. There is also Buck’s forge, Mulberry Grocery, Auntie’s Antiques, and the Little Red School House Nursery school. I’m probably forgetting a few businesses. Oh, and you can’t forget boating, fishing, and leisure on the River Coh.”
Tinsley stops and looks around. “Is there a hair salon?”
“There’s the barber shop.” I point.
She blinks slowly, and although I don’t think of her as fake, at least from what I’ve seen so far, I’m not entirely convinced she’ll survive in a small town with the faux eyelashes and hair extensions.
“Savannah is only thirty minutes away,” I offer.
She visibly relaxes. “For a moment there, I was worried that I’d look like a contestant on the survival show ‘Abandoned in the Boonies’ by the end of my thirty days of community service.”
The rumble inside rolls because I don’t want her to leave after thirty days.