Chapter 21
twenty-one
. . .
Wren
My head rested on Axel’s chest as he stroked my hair in the most soothing way.
I tipped my head up so I could see him. “That was worth the wait, huh?”
“More than worth the wait.”
His phone vibrated for the third time, and he reached for it.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
He groaned. “It’s Rafe. Apparently, you’re a hot topic in ‘The Taylor Tea.’”
I held out my hand, and he set his phone there. I opened the article Rafe had sent. “I’ll read it to you.”
“You sure you want to even go there?”
“Yeah. We’re going to hear about it anyway. May as well read it ourselves first.”
“Good point. Let’s hear it,” he said as he kissed the top of my head.
“‘Hey there, Roses. Let’s just say the tea is hot and our cups are overflowing.’” I chuckled. “It is a catchy opening.”
“It’s ridiculous.”
I continued. “‘Our favorite horse girl seems to be back on with her longtime bestie. They’ve been seen everywhere together lately, and the locals have taken notice. Apparently not all rifts are unfixable. However, word on Main Street is that the rift between our favorite equestrian and her brother—the same one who already has a very checkered past in this town—may be irreparable. We don’t know all the dirty details, but there was a blowup at a local restaurant that we shall not name, and the server said that tensions were high.
Surprisingly, the anger was geared toward her questionable brother, and not her father, who is expecting a child with his latest mistress.
’” I shook my head in disbelief. “Why not just say names at this point? It’s so obvious who they’re talking about. ”
“I’m guessing they’re trying to avoid lawsuits, but it’s so obvious that it seems like they could be sued either way if someone wanted to.”
“True. Okay, here’s the last part.” I blew out a breath.
“‘So the wealthy family who always puts on a perfect front appears to be permanently damaged. There’s a nasty divorce with a hefty price tag looming, along with an unexpected bundle of joy, and a first-born son who appears to play the villain very well. Our locals are keeping us all well fed on the gossip. And as for our favorite horse girl… Will all this drama have her saddling up and leaving town now that she has her horse back? Or will she stick around to stay close to her cowboy?’”
“Damn. They even used our nicknames.” Axel laughed, but it was laced with irritation. “I’m sorry they wrote about your family.”
“I mean, they’re kind of spot on, as annoying as that is—and the Waterstone family is keeping them well fed these days.”
“Have you talked to Collin again?” he asked.
“Nope. He’s called several times, but I have nothing to say to him right now. The more time passes, the more appalled I am by what he did. I’m unable to hide my disgust, so I think it’s best just not to speak to him for a while.”
“You don’t need to fake it, Wren.” Axel wrapped his arms around me a little tighter. “But he is your brother, and you can’t avoid him forever. So maybe you just have to have the tough conversation. Don’t sugarcoat it. Tell him you’re disappointed and angry. You’re allowed to have those feelings.”
“Does he even deserve a conversation after what he did?” I asked, peeking up at him as his gaze met mine.
“No. He doesn’t. But you deserve closure. And he’s your only sibling, so if it’s salvageable, you’ve got to try to repair things.”
I pushed up, surprised by his words. “What? You can’t stand him. Why would you want me to repair things with him?”
“Because I know you, Wren. I know how deeply this has hurt you. And I love you more than I despise him, so if it helps you or it’s important to you, then I support it.”
“Axel Chadwick, you are giving all the golden retriever vibes right now.”
“What the hell does that mean? I’m a dog now?”
“No. It’s just romance book lingo. You’re all sweet and retriever-like.” I leaned forward on a laugh before sneaking a kiss. “But you’re this perfect mix of alpha and golden retriever.”
“I think I’ll just stick with Cowboy.”
“That works best of all.” I rested my cheek on his chest again, listening to the sound of his heart.
It was the most content I’d been in a very long time.
I only wished this moment would never end.
“I’m so sorry that you’re such a hot topic right now in ‘The Taylor Tea,’” Emilia said, shaking her head in disbelief.
“You do not need to apologize for anything,” I said as I reached for my margarita. We’d decided to have book club at Booze and Brews tonight. “You aren’t responsible for what they print.”
“I just feel like people probably assume that I know who writes it, seeing as my family owns the newspaper that prints it.” Emilia sighed. “But I honestly don’t have a clue.”
“Listen, you went as far as to take a lie detector to prove it wasn’t you,” Eloise said.
She and Clark were home, as the Lions had been knocked out of the Stanley Cup finals this week.
I knew they were bummed, but they were taking it in stride.
Clark had had an amazing season, but several of his teammates had been out with injuries.
“But who the hell is it? I mean, who could have so much inside scoop on literally everyone?” Lulu asked as Jazzy dropped another round of margaritas off at the table.
“It’s a small town, and everyone knows everything here,” Henley said. “But I kind of think it could be Josh Black. He’s always in everyone’s business.”
“That’s a good guess, and he would definitely enjoy outing everyone’s business, but I get female vibes from the author. She’s far too savvy and hip to be a man.” Lulu chuckled.
“I’ve kind of wondered if it could be Cami Rogers, because she was at my parents’ office that day I went to speak to them.
She was such a bully to me in high school, so nothing would shock me.
But my parents insist she was just there to apply for a job.
” Emilia tapped her finger to her lips as if she was deep in thought.
“There must be a way we can find out,” Eloise said.
We all turned and looked at Emilia at the same time.
“My parents are vaults. They will never tell me—trust me, I’ve tried.” She took a sip of her drink. “But there might be another way to find out.”
“Do tell.” Lulu rubbed her hands together mischievously.
“We could go over to the office now, while no one’s there, and just look around and see if there’s something out on my parents’ desks. I mean, they must be communicating with this person, right?” Emilia clapped her hands together as if this was the best idea she’d ever come up with.
“Wouldn’t that be breaking and entering?” Eloise asked.
“Her family owns the business. It’s not like they’ll have her arrested.” Lulu gave me a curious look.
“Ehhh… that one is up for debate.” Emilia fell forward on a laugh.
“But I have the code to get in, or at least I think I do, unless they’ve changed it.
And if we get caught, I’ll just say that I wanted to stop by on my way home and leave my parents a little note on their desk to wish them a good day. That sounds believable.”
“That’s your cover? We were stopping by to leave a note?” Eloise chuckled before taking a big sip of her drink. “I’m going to need to finish this first if I’m going to break the law. I’ll need some serious liquid courage.”
“I love this for us,” Lulu said, rubbing her hands together. “And we’ve got the owners’ daughter, a lawyer, and the world champion equestrian breaking in with us. What could possibly go wrong?”
“What does an equestrian bring to the table exactly?” I said over my laughter.
“You’ll know how to help us make a quick getaway.” Lulu shrugged.
“Is there a horse parked outside somewhere?” Eloise said, her cheeks pink and her eyes glassy. Clearly the margaritas were hitting her.
“There is so much that could go wrong with this. But I’m dying to know who it is,” I said. “Maybe it’s my brother.”
Laughter bellowed around the table as Henley held her half-empty glass up. “Cheers to book besties who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.”
“Yes!” Lulu said as we all clinked our glasses together. “Our new name is the Book Club Outlaws. I’m so here for this.”
We quickly finished our drinks, closed the tab, and stepped outside.
“I don’t have a lot of experience with petty crimes, but don’t we need some kind of disguise?” Eloise asked. “What if there are cameras?”
“I don’t think we have cameras, but my mother is a paranoid woman, so who knows?” Emilia smirked.
“I’ve got it!” Lulu shrieked, her words slurring slightly.
We all clearly had a healthy buzz going from the tequila now.
“We stop by the drug store, grab a couple pairs of pantyhose, and we pull the pantyhose over our faces before we go inside. We’ll be unrecognizable on camera.
And if worst comes to worst and we end up behind bars, Henley can just forget to read us our rights and the whole case will be thrown out for her screwup. ”
“I’m one of the criminals, so why would I be reading the rights?” Henley roared with laughter. “Plus, I’m a lawyer, not a police officer.”
“To-mate-oh, po-tat-oh.” Lulu chuckled.
“That makes no sense.” Henley shook her head with a wide grin on her face. “We’re really doing this.”
“I won’t do good in the slammer, guys,” Eloise said, her words slurring even more now, the alcohol clearly working through her system. “I don’t even do that well traveling. I like my routine. My notebooks. Clark. I don’t sleep well without him now.”
“I would totally rock prison life,” Lulu said with a smirk. “I’d tailor the jumpsuit and make it more flattering, add in a headband, and use my DoorDash app for meal delivery.”
“I think I’d actually be fine,” I said. “I’ve slept in barns so many times, and if I can handle sleeping on hay, I’m sure I could survive on a cot.” I put an arm around Emilia as we walked toward the Rosewood River Review.
“Well, we better not get locked up because the pickleball finals are coming up soon,” Henley said as we stepped inside the little drug store on the corner. “Easton will lose his shit if we aren’t all there.”
“Keep your heads down so we don’t draw attention,” Lulu said as she grabbed the pantyhose and a bottle of tequila and made her way to the self-checkout.
Once we were back outside, she handed us each a pair of pantyhose to tuck in our pockets until we got there.
“What’s the tequila for?” I asked.
She said, “I sense the wheels are coming off the cart for Eloise, Emilia is getting awfully quiet, and Henley is seconds from having a meltdown about breaking the law. It’s you and me keeping the group together at this point. And do you think Thelma and Louise were sober during their escapades?”
“They’re fictional characters,” Henley said, laughing. “And didn’t they die in the end?”
“They didn’t die,” I insisted. “They drove off the cliff, and no one ever caught them.”
More laughter as we turned the final corner to where the large sign on top of the building read: The Rosewood River Review.
“It’s game time, ladies,” Emilia whispered as we approached the door.
Lulu added, “Everyone take a swig before we pull these pantyhose over our faces and go solve the biggest mystery in Rosewood River. Book Club Outlaws for the win. We’re like the Robin Hood of criminals. We’re doing a good deed.”
“I don’t think any judge will care what our motives were.” Eloise shook her head.
Lulu handed her the bottle first, and she took a long sip before passing it around the group. I winced at how strong it was, and we all made gagging noises.
We then shared a look and pulled the disguises from our pockets and tugged them over our heads.
“Can you tell it’s me?” Emilia asked, her face just inches from mine, which made me laugh.
“I cannot tell it’s you.”
She quickly typed in the code and then shook her head. “Of course it’s still my brother’s birth year. Do these people know that they have two children?”
More laughter before Lulu held up her hand. “No more talking or laughing. Let’s just go take a peek around their desks and look for clues. Lead the way, Thelma,” she said, pointing to Emilia.
We made our way inside, where all the lights were off, but there were enough windows that they allowed the light from the moon to illuminate the space. Emilia turned around and we all crashed into her, which had us laughing hysterically.
She held her finger to her mouth and then pointed toward two offices. Lulu held the bottle of tequila up, and we each lifted our face coverings enough to expose our mouths for one more swig.
I was definitely feeling it. My body was tingling, and I was so relaxed that I almost forgot we were breaking and entering.
Lulu, Henley, and I headed to one office, and Emilia and Eloise went to the office next door.
Lulu pointed at the desk, and we all shrugged, because it was pretty neat and not much had been left out, aside from a family photo, a plant, a computer monitor, and a day planner.
The planner was open, so I turned on the flashlight on my phone and held it above the desk.
A sticky note on the box was marked for an upcoming date.
Meet Jazzy Leighton—coffee shop in Snowcap Mountain.
It was a charming little ski town about thirty minutes away, up in the mountains.
Our eyes widened, and I laughed when Lulu’s mouth dropped open with the layer of nylon covering her face.
And that’s when everything started to go sideways.
The sound of a siren blaring from the parking lot.
Emilia and Eloise ran in as we were standing around the desk, and Emilia motioned toward the window.
Henley quickly pulled the window open, and Eloise jumped first, followed by Henley and Emilia. Lulu and I met eyes as the sound of the sirens got louder, and we grabbed hands and jumped at the same time.
The only thing breaking our fall—which wasn’t far, seeing as we were on the ground floor—was a row of very sharp rosebushes.
Our face masks did not tone down the painful gasps that escaped from each of us as we were pricked by the stubborn thorns. It was a perfect mix of hysterical laughter and painful yelps as we rolled out of the bushes and onto the grass before we gathered ourselves.
Emilia peeked around the corner before whisper-shouting, “It’s Doug,” referring to the town’s police officer. “They must have a silent alarm at the office.”
“We need to make a run for it. Keep your masks in place until we’re in the clear,” Henley said over a fit of giggles, just as we saw the lights turn on in the office and we heard a voice shout at us, so we took off running.
And we ran through a few backyards and cut through the alleyway downtown before reaching the closest home, which was Axel’s ranch.
We didn’t look back, and we didn’t stop laughing even when we pushed through his front door.
And Axel stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”