Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
MOLLY
Parker
My husband's message was about two minutes too late. I was already standing in the parking lot next to Elle's car.
"You can go. Parker said he'll be here in five minutes. No need to wait. I know you need to grab Savannah."
"Ummm no." Elle opened the driver-side door and tossed her purse inside. "There's no way in hell I'm leaving you to stand alone in the parking lot. Not with Ben lurking somewhere inside."
"I think we're overreacting about him. Sure, he's a little too forward, but I think he's harmless.
All talk and no action." I don't know if I was trying to convince her or me.
Lately Ben had been rubbing me the wrong way, and sure, I didn't want to talk to him but physical harm?
No way. The guy didn't seem like the type who liked to get his hands dirty.
"That's what people always say about their neighbors after they find out they were living next to serial killers."
Well, that was a bit dramatic.
Accurate. But dramatic.
Which reminded me. "It's been a while since we've had a good true crime documentary night. I think we're overdue."
Elle snickered. "Yeah, we are. I try to get Rhett to watch them with me, but it's not the same. For some strange reason, he thinks it's weird when I try telling him all the ways the killer messed up and why they wouldn't have gotten caught if they did things differently."
And that right there was why Elle and I were best friends. "He just doesn't like you Monday morning quarterbacking. Probably afraid for his life. I mean, let's be real. Between the two of us, we have enough knowledge to get rid of a body without any trace evidence."
"Yeah we do. Don't get me wrong, so does my husband, considering his line of work, but it probably freaks him out that I could do just as good of a job."
It was my turn to laugh. "He thought he was getting some innocent damsel and instead got a feral woman who can handle herself."
"Damn straight. Oh look. There's your husband now."
I watched Parker pull in and sighed in content. Was it crazy how much I missed him throughout the day? Probably.
It hadn't taken much time for him to worm his way into my heart and take root.
"I love that look on your face."
I didn't look at my best friend as I answered. "What look is that?"
"Love. It's the same damn one I have on my face every time I see Rhett after being away from him for hours. It looks good on you, Molly. I'm happy for you."
Well, shucks, my best friend was going to make me blush. I bumped her shoulder with mine. "Go get your baby, then go home to your man. Mine's already here for me."
She smiled like she knew exactly what I was doing. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"That you will."
Parker pulled up just as Elle was climbing in. He didn't give me the chance to open my door though. Somehow he moved fast enough around the truck to get to me. "You know I can open my own door, right?"
"Not when you're riding with me you don't."
I rolled my eyes but secretly loved that he was this way. It just proved that chivalry still existed in some men.
Parker waited until he was back in the driver's seat before he lectured me. "I thought I told you to wait inside for me."
"You did. But I was already standing next to Elle's car when I got it. There was no way in hell I was walking back to the building. Not without my best friend and that seemed silly."
I could see he was trying to digest my words. "Fair enough. I'll know to text you earlier next time if this comes up."
"Or my car might be finished. You haven't told me how that's going." Something was wrong. I could tell just by Parker's face. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like what you have to say?"
Parker turned so he was facing me. "Because you're not."
I wasn't a fan of the dramatic pause he was doing. "Tell me quick. Think of it like a Band-Aid. The quicker you do it, the better it is for everyone."
"Your car was tampered with."
Air escaped my lungs like someone had kicked me. "What does that even mean?"
"I don't have the full details yet, but I'll get them for you. I called Caden on my way here. He's going to look into it for me."
"Look into it how?"
My mind was going a million miles an hour at this point. I was just blurting out questions without even thinking what they meant.
"Both the school and local areas have CCTV footage. He's going to tap into that and see what he finds."
"Isn't that illegal?"
Parker guffawed. "I mean technically, but we skirt that line regularly."
I wasn't sure how I was supposed to respond to that.
"I can see I've overwhelmed you. How about I get you home, and we can talk about it more there? Maybe I can take you out on that date we discussed."
I simply nodded my head. I was going to need a minute to gather myself.
The ride home gave me time to do that. Neither of us spoke and maybe in the end silence wasn't the best idea. I had the opportunity to play out a million different scenarios, and none of them were good. I had an active imagination, and right now, it was having a field day.
Parker finally spoke after he pulled the truck into my driveway and turned it off. "Are you okay?"
"Can we get inside before we talk? I would really like to do so from the comfort of my couch with maybe a pint of ice cream."
Ice cream made everything better.
Breakup? Ice cream.
Period? Ice cream.
Rough day at work? Ice cream.
Someone tampered with your car? Definitely ice cream.
"Yup. Come on."
I barely kicked off my shoes in the entryway before I was dashing into the kitchen and ripping open the freezer. Stuffed all the way in the back was my secret stash.
Why did I have a secret stash?
No idea since no one else lived with me before Parker came along, but it made me feel better knowing it was hidden just in case anyone broke in.
Because yes, if someone did break into my house, the first thing they would want to steal was my double chocolate fudge ice cream.
Priorities, people.
I would also like to make note that I only grabbed one spoon before dropping my ass onto the couch. Parker could fend for himself, and I told him as much.
"I see we aren't at the sharing phase in our relationship." He chuckled at me.
"I'm not sure we'll ever be at the sharing ice cream stage. You want ice cream; you buy your own." There were just some things that were sacred, and this was one of them.
"Noted."
Parker was kind enough to let me eat a few large spoonfuls before he attempted to speak further on the car discussion. "Can you think of anyone who would want to tamper with your car?"
"What do you mean? Like criminals? I don't make a habit of hanging around with them."
Snarky? Yes.
But could one blame me, considering the topic of discussion? I think not.
"What about someone you slept with? Was there a guy who wanted more, but you blew them off?"
I actually snorted at his suggestion. "For that to happen, I would need to have sex lately.
And let me just say it's been far too long since I've gotten any.
" Parker raised his brow at me. "Okay, besides our drunken wedding night, but that hardly counts since neither of us remember it.
" I waved the spoon between the two of us.
"I think it counts."
"Then before that I would say it's been about a year since I had sex, and no, the guy I slept with wouldn't care enough to do that.
That would require him to care and remember my name.
He actually kicked me out of his bed after it was over.
Not that I normally stuck around, but he barely pulled out before he was telling me to scram. "
It wasn't my proudest moment. I was normally a better judge of character than that. But that was cruel even to my low standards.
Parker's mouth dropped open. It brought a little comedy to my current situation.
"That's wrong on so many levels."
"Yeah, but considering the sex was mediocre, at best, I was happy to be kicked out."
Parker cleared his throat. "Okay. Anyone else you can think about who might give you problems? Maybe a disgruntle parent."
I didn't have to think hard. "No one. I usually have pretty good kids.
I make things fun, so the kids love me, and therefore the parents do.
It's rare that I fail a kid. I've been known to find alternative ways to help the kids learn the material and go out of my way to provide extra assistance if needed.
I'm not trying to brag that I'm a perfect teacher, but I can't think of one parent who would have it out for me. "
I didn't even want to mention my lack of a sex life lately. The one example I gave was enough. I was more radical in my twenties but have slowed down immensely since hitting my thirties five years ago.
The frustration was evident on Parker's face. I knew I wasn't helping, but it wasn't my fault I had nothing to give.
"How about we table this discussion for now and go out to dinner? Do you have a favorite place you would like me to take you to?"
Excitement filled me. "As a matter of fact, I do."