Chapter 15
15
C arley grinned at her phone and her texts from Mason. Then she tapped her sister's picture and put the call on speaker. The phone rang twice before Margo answered, "Morning, what's going on with you today?"
"I'm wondering if you have some time to talk with me this morning. It's nothing important or urgent. I mean, it's important to me, not urgent. Does that make sense?"
Margo chuckled. "Sure. Do you want me to come over by you or do you want to come over here to the Governor's Mansion? Jace had to go to work early today."
Carley laughed. "I still can't believe you live in the Governor's Mansion. That is so ridiculous."
Margo laughed. "I know. I can't believe it either. I'm still a little pissed that Jace bought it without hiring a real estate agent and that I missed out on the sale. But I love living here, so I'll forgive him."
Carley laughed. "Well, you just remember if you two ever sell it, I'm the realtor that you call. I get the sale."
"You got it, sis. Why don't you come on over? How long before you can be here?"
"I was just about ready to go to the office now, so how about if I pop over in about 15 minutes?"
"Sounds great. I'll have coffee here for you."
"Thanks. See you in a bit."
Carley hung up the phone, grabbed her purse and laptop, then headed out to her car. That's when she remembered Jace wanted the note and the medallion. She ran back inside to get them. She'd left them on the counter in a bowl.
She grabbed the note and the medallion and ran back out to her car, laying them on the seat. She spotted Hanna's delivery van headed toward the bakery as she neared town and thought cinnamon rolls would go perfectly with her conversation this morning. She followed the van to Hanna's bakery. She hadn't seen Hanna in a while, and she was feeling great this morning. It was a perfect day to reconnect. As she stepped through the door, she received a big smile from Hanna.
"Good mornin! How are you today?" Hanna greeted her.
"I'm great. How are you?"
"We're good. Really good." Hanna smiled and her face lit right up. It was nice to see her friends happy. She wanted that. Happiness…it seemed to evade her in her life, but she was feeling hopeful now.
"That's wonderful. We haven't caught up in a while."
Hanna nodded. "That's so true. Let's rectify that."
"That sounds perfect."
"Okay, what can I help you with?"
Carley smiled. "How about two cinnamon rolls to go, please?"
Hanna laughed. "Sounds good."
Hanna pulled a little box from the back counter, lined it with a wax paper sheet, and deftly set her giant cinnamon rolls inside. As Carley saw the size of them, she silently mused she should have ordered one, and she and Margo could share it. But these were so good, she didn't want to share. Not even with her sister.
Hanna rang up the purchase, and Carley handed her a twenty-dollar bill. As Hanna made change, she said, "How about if I get Grace on the line in a while and plan a Thursday ladies’ night out?"
"I think that sounds fantastic. Thanks so much, Hanna."
"Okay. I'll confirm with you later today."
"Thank you. Have a great day!"
"You as well."
She picked up the pretty little box with the most delicious cinnamon rolls ever made and headed to her SUV. She had a girls' night out planned, maybe a new boyfriend, and she was about to eat breakfast at the Governor's Mansion.
She chuckled and shook her head when she thought of that again.
She drove up the road to Margo and Jace's home. The name of the road was Classified Drive. The first time she'd heard that, she thought it was hilarious. Jace had petitioned the city council to have it renamed. Typical Jace.
The driveway was surrounded by trees. There were variations of oak and palm trees as well as smaller shrubs that were interesting to look at, but there was some longer brush underneath. She knew without a doubt she wouldn't go walking through those trees anytime soon. Who knew what lay in there?
She pulled to a stop at the front door, grabbed her box and her purse, and was surprised to see the door open before she even made it to the top step. Her sister stood there looking gorgeous as ever wearing yellow slacks and a white sleeveless blouse with a gold chain. She looked every bit a governor's wife, even though she wasn't.
"Good morning. You look like you fit right in here." Carley hugged her sister and Margo laughed.
"I do fit here. We've made this our home, and we love it."
"That's good. I'm glad to hear it."
"I brought cinnamon rolls. Hanna says hello, and she would like us to get together on Thursday for a girls' night. Are you up for that?"
"I am. I think we were just talking about that, weren't we?"
"Oh, that’s right, we were, but we didn't set any plans, so now we have plans. Pencil it into your calendar."
"All right, sounds good. Let's go out back. I've got the table set and coffee's ready to go. We can sit in the Florida Room and chat."
"Sounds good."
Carley followed her sister to the back of the house. Margo poured them each a cup of coffee and Carley put a cinnamon roll on each of the two plates, then carried them to the Florida room. Margo followed her with the coffee. The room was warm and all windows. It was peaceful and of course, beautifully decorated.
They made themselves comfortable on the sofa. Both put their legs up on the coffee table and looked out the windows at the landscaping. The flowers were in bloom. Birds and butterflies flitted from flower to flower.
Carley really enjoyed sitting back here with her sister and looking out at all they'd done. She and Margo had spent hours back here changing up the landscaping. Margo could have hired someone, and she did for some things, but she wanted her hand in the gardens, and Carley was eager to help her. It was a bonding experience, not that they needed one. They were the closest to each other of all her sisters.
"So, tell me what's on your mind, Carley," Margo said.
Carley took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "When did you know you wanted to have a relationship with Jace?"
Margo turned her head and stared at her. She swallowed the bite of cinnamon roll she had in her mouth and set her plate on the coffee table.
"Um, I don't know that I actually had a decision to make. I didn't have a day that I knew I wanted to have a relationship with him. It just sort of happened, I guess. If you recall I didn't like him much in the beginning."
Carley laughed. "Oh, I recall."
"I don't know. It just, I guess it was meant to be. It was kind of like peeling an onion.. He kept showing me sides of himself that I didn't or hadn't seen before or didn't expect to see. And each time a layer of the onion was peeled back, I liked more and more what I saw. Does that explain anything to you?"
Carley and nodded. "Yeah, it does."
"So why are you asking?"
"I don't know." Margo stopped her with her hand up.
"I think you do know. Let me see if I can fill in some blanks." Margo twisted to see her clearly. "You like Mason. He likes you. I could tell the way you acted with each other yesterday. Also, the way you look at each other. Little smiles here and there. Am I getting warm?"
"Yes, you're getting warm. And after everybody left yesterday, we slept together."
Margo sucked in a deep breath and her brows shot up. "Get out of here! Did you really?"
Carley's face heated. It had nothing to do with the weather. And as she looked at her sister, she swallowed a big lump in her throat. "I did. We did. I wanted to. And he did too. But he kind of, I don't know." She took a breath. "We started kissing and then he pulled away and said he was damaged and wasn't worthy of me, and I didn't deserve to have to put up with him. He has nightmares. And then I, I don't know. I guess I kind of talked him into it. Or told him I didn't care. And I don't, Margo. I don't care. I think he's really a good human. And I think you know I haven't been with a good human like ever. So, he appeals to me in so many ways. But I hope I didn't make a mistake."
"A mistake in what, honey?" Margo asked.
Carley turned and put her left leg on the sofa with her left arm on the back, so she could see Margo full on. "I mean he hesitated, and I sort of insisted. I just thought he was being shy. And maybe I pushed him too fast. And I don't want to scare him off. And I suppose now I kind of feel like, I don't know, a little trampy. I mean, we didn't even have a date yet or anything."
"Oh, well, not everybody dates first before they have sex, sweetheart."
"You and Jace did."
"Well, again, not everybody does it the same way, and I didn't like Jace all that much at first. And I can just tell from seeing Mason every day at work that he is a good human. He's a real good human. And he's smart as a tack. And yeah, he's been through a lot and has PTSD. You already know that, because we saw him have an attack. He doesn't have many at work, but he's had a couple."
Carley considered that. "I was actually considering having Grace bring Chiefy over to see how Chiefy reacted to him. She seems to have a keen sense for someone in need. But I don't want to overstep my bounds either."
"I thought about that too. But Jace told me to mind my own business."
Carley laughed. "Yeah. That's sort of how I feel. It's like I should mind my own business. But I want to help him, Margo. I really want to help him and I want to get to know him better. However, I don't want to be push and I don't want to move too fast."
"Well, I think you'll move at the pace you're supposed to move at. If he keeps pulling away, you will sense if he's just not into you or if he's just scared. And let's face it, anybody who’s had a rough past may be scared to move forward. The unknown can be scarier when you've had a bad time of it or are reliving your ugly past."
"Yeah, I guess. Well, anyway, we're going to see each other tonight after work. So, we'll have more time to spend with each other."
"There, you have a date. And not too far after having sex the first time." Margo laughed.
"Please don't tell anybody about that. I'm keeping you in confidence."
Margo chuckled. "Honey, I wouldn't tell anybody anything about you. Let's just see how it goes, okay?"
"Yeah, I'll see how it goes."
They finished their coffee and as much of their cinnamon rolls as they could manage. Carley left Margo's house feeling as if a burden had been lifted.
Margo rode with her to the Sandbar, since Jace was already there. Margo would either come home with him or walk home later, they lived so close.
Carley entered the Sandbar expecting to see Mason behind the bar, but she didn't see him. She had to admit she felt a little letdown.
She followed Margo to the office, and there was Jace talking to Mason. Carley's face heated, not expecting to see him there. And now, seeing him again for the first time since yesterday and knowing what she had told Margo. She wasn't quite sure how to greet him.
"Good morning." Mason grinned at her.
"Good morning."
Jace looked between the two of them, kissed Margo, and then said to Mason, "So you let me know if you have any questions. I think if we maneuver that stuff around in the back room the way we discussed, we'll be fine."
"Sounds good. I'll get it taken care of."
"Thanks, Mason."
Mason glanced at both her and Margo, then nodded and left the room.
Margo asked Jace, "What was that all about?"
"Well, Kaysen called in sick today, and I had a lot for him to do, so I called Mason to update him, and he offered to come in early and help unload the delivery truck. The storeroom is a mess, and Mason likes things in their place, so he's actually going to go through and organize it. I can always count on Mason, and I'm grateful for that."
Margo smiled. She turned to Carley quickly and grinned and then sat at her desk.
"Carley brought you the note and the medallion."
Carley shook her head to think about the task at hand and pulled the medallion and note out of her purse. She handed them to Jace and avoided eye contact. She felt embarrassed from the way he looked at her and Mason.
She found the courage to ask, "Can I see the video to see who it was that put the note on my car to see if I recognize him?"
"Sure."
Mason stepped back in. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I'd like to see it too."
"Of course, " Jace responded.
Jace cued up the video and they watched the man as he approached her car from the road. He looked around and then he stuck the note under her windshield wiper. He then put his hands around his eyes and looked in the windows all around the vehicle. The driver's seat, the back seat behind the driver, the back window. He walked around the passenger side back seat and then the passenger seat. Then he turned around and walked back toward the road.
Jace stopped the video and stood to look at her. "I watched more of it to see if he had a car and drove past, so I could give that to the police, but he didn't. I don't know where he walked to. There isn't much down that way. I have a call into Grace because her rentals are down there. I'd like to know who she has renting to this week. I think he was looking in your vehicle to see if you had the medallion lying in there somewhere. I don't know what he would have done if he would have seen it in the car. Maybe try to break your windows to get in. I don't know."
Jace continued. His eyes landed on Mason's then he looked at her. "And it's kind of weird that he didn't sit in the parking lot and wait for you, which I'm glad he didn't. Do you recognize him?"
"I do. That's the guy who was watching me pull out of my office parking lot the other day."
Jace nodded and looked over at Mason.
Mason said, "Yep, that's the guy I saw running from the building."
"You're sure?"
"I'm absolutely sure. Actually, he was wearing the same clothes."
"Alright, well, I'm headed over to the police department with this on a thumb drive and the note, so that they can see what's going on. Maybe they know who he is, but Carley, in the meantime, please make sure you're never alone when you're out and about. I know that's hard with your job, but just be extra vigilant, okay? Keep your phone in your hand with your thumb hanging over the nine in case you have to call 911. If you can bring someone with you for showings or anywhere you go, try and do that, okay?"
She shrugged. "Okay, It's hard to bring someone with me, but I can make sure that I have safety procedures in place. I'll carry my phone close. I always put the name of whoever I'm meeting and the address and phone number in the computer, so Addison always knows where I am. If I don't check in shortly after the showing, she calls me to make sure everything is okay. We do have that system in place."
"Okay, well, that's good. But like I said, if Addison or someone can go with you, that's probably better. I don't mean to scare you, but we don't know what this guy wants, other than possibly this medallion."
Jace looked down at the medallion in his hand, and he turned it around. "I've never seen anything like this."
He handed it to Mason. “Have you ever seen anything like this?”
Mason turned it over in his hand and stared at it. "No. I haven't seen anything like this either. It seems like the embossing is worn down. It's old."
"Yeah, I think so too. But police might have a database that they can match it in some way. All right, well, I'm going to run this over then. Thank you for bringing it by Carley."
Carley looked somewhat relieved before saying "Actually, thank you for taking care of this. I do appreciate it."
Jace kissed Margo and stepped from the office. Mason followed.
Carley hugged Margo. "I love you, sis. Thank you for everything. I'll see you later."
"Mind what Jace said, Carley. Be safe no matter what."
"I will. I promise."
She walked out, and Mason was standing by the door. "Again, not eavesdropping, but I also wanted to ask you to please be extra cautious, just in case. It seems like all he wants is this medallion, but he doesn't know you don't have it anymore. I don't even know how he knew you did have it."
"I don't either, and it's weird. When I pulled it up, it was in the bedroom closet in your condo, and it was wedged between the carpeting and the wall. It took me a little while to wiggle it out."
"Could he have been there watching you?"
She swallowed. "I propped the door open. He might have been, but if that was the case, why didn't he just ask me for it?"
"I don't know." He sighed. "I don't know, Carley. Maybe when I walked in, I scared him away from whatever it was he had planned."
She blew out a breath. "Ugh, that's terrible. But, okay, I'll be careful, I promise."
"So other than the showing that you have this afternoon at the condo, do you have anything else today?"
"No, today is about paperwork, mostly."
"Okay, is there any way you can make the showing at the condo a little bit later tonight? That way I can be there."
"Well, he said that was the only time he had available. Quinn told me landscapers are going to be there all day until dark, so there'll be plenty of people around. If my showing is creepy, I'll ask one of the landscapers to come in with me."
"Well, that's not perfect, but all right. I'll be home as soon as I can. Please keep your phone in your hand."
"I promise I will. I'll see you later then."
She walked out of the door, feeling a little nervous, but also a little excited that he cared, and a little creeped out.