Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
EDEN
Iwoke up with a plan, which was something, at least.
I needed to clear my head, and I had an idea of just how to do that. But there were a few things I needed to take care of first, namely putting Nona’s mind at ease.
I called her after waking up and asked her to stop by before she had to head into the salon. She showed at my door a half hour later with a box of donuts and a tray of coffees in tow.
“Thought you deserved the good shit from Muffin Top,” she announced, pushing through the door as soon as I opened it.
“The Vanilla Bean’s good. But Muffin Top’s donuts are like little pastries from Heaven, and their coffee’s the best I’ve ever had, hands down.
After the night you had, you deserved the best.”
I was running on less than two hours of sleep and no caffeine, and I had to admit, not having to make a pot of coffee right then sounded great. I barely had the mental capacity to handle the conversation that was about to take place; anything else was out of the question.
“Thanks, babe. I appreciate it.”
I followed her into my kitchen, where she plunked her offerings down on the island. She threw the lid back to reveal a row of assorted and a row of glazed. I grabbed a glazed and shoved a bite into my mouth as I took a seat on one of my stools.
She busied herself getting plates and napkins, flitting around the kitchen and suspiciously keeping her eyes anywhere but on me.
“Nona.”
“Yeah?” she asked, going and pulling my fridge open for some reason.
“No, honey, would you mind looking at me?”
She spun her head at me and back into the fridge so fast her hair whipped into her face. “I’m totally looking at you. Just grabbing some drinks.”
“Nona, you got coffee. Would you shut the fridge please?”
She did as asked, and when she finally turned to look at me, my heart sank. “What did you hear?”
“What are you talking about?”
I might have bought the act had she not lifted her hand and begun chewing on her thumbnail, a tell of hers when she was nervous or anxious.
“You know,” I insisted softly. “People were talking at the bakery this morning, weren’t they? What were they saying about me?”
With a heavy sigh, she moved to the island, bending forward and resting her forearms on the top across from me.
“Let me just preface this by saying that sometimes small-town folks are idiots and believe whatever they hear without giving it any consideration first. Also, Sue Ellen Mayfield’s a gossipy bitch. ”
Sue Ellen. Damn. I’d forgotten all about her, and the fact that she worked at the station. “Tell me.”
“Well,” she started with clear trepidation, “keep in mind, it’s just speculation, but people are saying that you were brought in because it’s your brother breaking into all those houses, and that you’re either an accomplice or you’re harboring him.”
Damn it. I’d been doing so well. After being put through the wringer last night by the cops, then being kicked while I was down by Lincoln, I hadn’t shed a single tear.
But this was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I’d wanted to be a different person, worthy of these people’s respect, and now I was who I’d always been.
A tainted Brenner. A bad influence. A criminal, at least by association, if not more.
Dropping my head, I sniffed as the tears came hot and fast.
“Hey, no. Don’t do that.” Nona rounded the island and pulled me against her in a sideways hug. “Please don’t cry, Eden. It’s all gonna be okay. They’re idiots who were just talking out of their asses.”
I pulled away with a bitter laugh and swiped at my cheeks. “They’re not that off base, Nona. Shep is a suspect in those robberies, and now he’s wanted for murder. They brought me in thinking I could lead them to him.”
She pulled in a sharp gasp. “What? That’s ridiculous! You don’t have anything to do with him!”
“That’s what I told them. It got pretty nasty before they finally believed me. But that’s not even the worst of it.”
Her eyes went wide and her lips parted. “It gets worse?”
A fresh wave of tears spilled down my face. “If you consider Lincoln pretending to be into me because his buddy Hayes brought him in on the case with the sole job of keeping tabs on me to see if my brother popped up worse, then yeah, it definitely gets worse.”
Nona’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “That can’t be. No, that’s not… I don’t believe….”
“Believe it,” I finished when she trailed off, speechless.
“God, I’m such an idiot!” I cried, dropping my face into my hands.
“I actually thought he liked me, No. I let myself get swept away by him when I should’ve known better.
I mean, good things don’t happen to me. It’s my lot, I accept that, but he played me.
And the worst part is I was totally crazy about him. ”
“I don’t believe it, Eden.” She shook her head. “I saw his face. I saw how he looked at you. He wasn’t faking that. I can’t believe he’s that good an actor.”
“Well, he was. And he is,” I answered, unable to keep the hostility out of my voice. “It is what it is, Nona. It’s a lesson learned. Now I just need to figure out what I’m gonna do next.”
Her brows dipped and her lips tilted down in a frown. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t stay here. People think I’m a criminal, or at the very least associated with one.
It was bad enough growing up when my family would steal or screw around, but we’re talking murder here.
A person in this town was killed, and all eyes are on me.
Way I see it, I have two choices—I can either leave, or wait for them to chase me out.
Either way, the end result is still the same. ”
“That isn’t going to happen,” she declared, reaching over and taking my hand. “The people who know you know you’d never have anything to do with this, Eden. They know you aren’t involved, and they’ll have your back.”
I threw my free arm wide. “That’s just it! No one knows me. Not really. There’s you and Gypsy. That’s it. I don’t really know anyone else. Who’s gonna have my back, huh?”
“Me, for one,” she stated with intensity. “I’ll have your back. So will Gypsy. And my kids freaking love you, babe.”
“So four out of a whole town. Face it, the odds aren’t on my side on this one. I appreciate the support, Nona, more than you’ll ever know. I’ve never had that. But this is just the beginning.”
Her frown grew more severe as she barked, “You’re not leaving.
You said it yourself, you’ve looked forever for a place like this.
This is your home. You belong here. I get it.
You’ve weathered more than your fair share of storms in your life, Eden.
This is just another one you have to wade through.
Only difference is you don’t have to do it alone this time.
You have friends here. You have people who love you.
And we’re gonna be by your side the whole time. ”
I really loved the sound of that, and I desperately wanted to believe it, but I knew from experience that the worst was yet to come. I just had to hope Nona was right and that I could make it through this downpour with the help of my friends.
“Okay,” I finally relented. “I won’t start packing just yet. But there was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“You know any good camping and hiking spots around here? I need a few days to clear my head, and I’m thinking surrounding myself with nature is the perfect way to do that.”
She smiled brightly for the first time since walking into my house. “I think I can help with that.”
Lincoln
A beep came through the line and the familiar greeting hit my ear in that sweet, melodic voice of hers.
“Hey, you’ve reached Eden. You know what to do, so do it at the beep.”
I disconnected, threw the phone on my desk, and resumed my pacing.
It had been three days. Three fucking days, and she hadn’t taken a single one of my calls or returned any of my messages. I was losing my mind.
The longer I paced and stewed, the more pissed I got at myself. Her car hadn’t been in her driveway since the day after the interrogation, and the longer it stayed gone, the more I worried.
It didn’t help matters that Trick called me after dropping her at home the other night and informed me of her ominous question about staying in town. That had just made the ache in the center of my chest more acute.
“What?” I barked when a knock came on my door.
Roxanne pushed it open a moment later and stepped in with a folder in her hand. “I’ve got the file put together on the Gillerson job Cord just got done working.”
“Just put it on the desk. I’ll get to it later,” I grunted.
She walked over to the desk and tossed the file down with a loud slap before spinning around and stomping back toward the door.
I cocked a curious eyebrow at the attitude rolling off her. “There a problem?” I asked my normally pleasant receptionist.
When she turned back, she planted her hands on her hips and pinned me with a fierce scowl. “That depends.”
“On?”
“On whether or not it’s true that you used that sweet little Eden as a job.”
Goddamn it. “Rox.” I said her name in warning. “This hasn’t got a thing to do with you.”
“Oh my god!” she crowed, crossing her arms over her chest. “So it’s true!”
I wasn’t having this conversation, not with her or anybody, not until I got shit straight with Eden and somehow fixed what I’d fucked up. “I’ll remind you, this is a workplace. I expect a certain level of professionalism.”
Her bright blue-painted eyes narrowed into a squint. “You can take that professionalism, roll it into a tiny ball, and shove it right up your keister! You should be ashamed of yourself, Lincoln Sheppard. Lord knows I sure as hell am.”
“It’s not what you think, Roxanne.”
“It doesn’t matter what I think, Linc. But it’s not just me. The whole damn town is buzzin’ with this. And that little tart Sue Ellen won’t stop runnin’ her mouth about Eden, spreadin’ her special brand of nasty as far as she can.”
My jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth might crack as I growled, “What?”
“Oh please. Like you don’t know that girl’s got a mouth on her. How you were stupid enough to get tied up with her still stumps me to this day.”
“It was one fuckin’ night.”
“Yeah, well, some women can’t let shit go, and clearly she’s one of ’em. I’d bet my paycheck she’s had poor Eden in her sights since she hit your radar, and because of you, she got just the ammunition she’s been lookin’ for.”
My hands curled into fists, and I propped them on my desk and leaned in. “What exactly is she saying?”
“That Eden’s brother’s the one who broke into all those houses and killed Martin Henderson, and that she’s been hiding him away from the police.
She’s even insinuated that Eden was in on the robberies.
” My vision turned blood red as Roxanne continued to talk.
“Mind you, no one who’s spoken five words to the girl believes it for even a second, but that’s not stoppin’ Sue Ellen from tryin’ to drag her name through the mud. ”
“I’ll take care of Sue Ellen,” I informed her, my words razor edged with rage. “And I’ll set people straight.”
That seemed to placate her, but only mildly. “Well I suggest you get on that. And get on fixin’ things with Eden, ’cause I gotta tell you, word’s gotten to Bryce, and I can see it in his eyes. He’s itchin’ to make a move.”
Fuck me. Like I didn’t already have enough on my plate as it was, just trying to track my woman down.
“I’ll deal with Bryce.”
She pointed at me in warning. “That man’s your brother, so I suggest you handle with care. Don’t ‘deal with it,’” she said, using finger quotes, “in your usual way that’ll burn bridges in a way you can’t rebuild.”
Standing tall, I crossed my arms. “You give him the same talk? ’Cause I’m not the one tryin’ to move in on another man’s woman.”
“Yeah? Well as far as everyone’s concerned, she’s not really your woman, now is she? And you got no one to blame for that but yourself.”
Then after thoroughly putting me in my place, she turned and left.