3. Chase
If ever there was a motivator to get me to clean up or clean out my brother’s place, the stench of this sofa is it.
My back is sore, and I’m relieved there’s no game tonight. But I need to see my physical therapist first thing when I get back to the city.
I stretch my muscles and groan. I give the hard couch a pat as I push off to stand. “Yep. You’re on the everything must go list.”
Behind me, I hear the tearing of fabric and turn with a scowl. “The hell are you doing?” I bark at Pepper, who’s tearing off a sizable piece of the black silk curtain.
She pauses mid tear. She’s in a thin white t-shirt I assume must have been under that pink hoodie she wore yesterday and the same pink velour pants. Her brown eyes are brighter and with the morning sun streaming through the windows, I catch a hint of green in them when they widen at my tone. She scans herself as if the answer is obvious. “I don’t have another outfit. I can’t walk around in the same thing I wore yesterday.”
I shake my head. So many questions.
“First, the three people you saw yesterday aren’t going to remember what you were wearing. Second, those are my brother’s curtains, have you no respect?”
“You just said everything had to go. Surely, you’re not thinking of keeping these?”
“Not any more now that you’re wearing them. You think my brother’s got a sewing kit here, Cinderella? Or do you have mice in that backpack of yours who will do it for you?”
“Don’t be silly. Cinderella would never wear black. For your information, I have several safety pins and a bridal emergency sewing kit. I can make it work.”
I wave a hand. “Fine. Just don’t start singing or anything.”
Her brows jump. “Not a morning person either. Gotchya.” She trots off to the bedroom.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I circle the small living room in broad daylight. The dark wood floors are covered in a sheen of dust and dried moisture spots. Empty boxes I’d prepared and never filled are stacked up against the back wall. The last time I was here I planned to fill them. Quickly. Just toss everything into boxes and drop them off at the nearest shelter.
But these were Elliot’s things. Sweaters we’d given him for Christmas. Jackets we’d passed on to him. Quilts our grandparents made that only Elliot was interested in keeping.
My gut twists painfully as my eyes scan the place.
I need to get out of here.
“Are you good?” I call back to Pepper. “Need me to spot check the place for reptiles before I go?”
Please say no.
A few seconds later, she appears in the short hall between the living room and bedroom. Her hair still tied up above her head. “I’m good. And thank you.” She glances at the couch. “For staying. I’m not sure where I’ll be tonight, but you won’t have to put up with me for long, I promise.”
I don’t take the bait in asking her what she has planned. She’s not my problem. Still, I take the moment to study her features. Noting the bags under her eyes slightly faded. Wondering if it’s the result of a good night’s sleep or just cover up.
“You know—no one lives here. You’re welcome to stay until…whenever.” I raise an arm awkwardly. Until whatever it is you’re running from goes away.
She shrugs and forces a smile as she scans the abandoned cottage. “It’s a new day. Who knows?”
Clearly not you.
With a curt nod, I head to the front door. “I’ll be at the Inn. Do you want me to wait for you?”
“Oh, that’s okay. I’m going to try that shower while the mice work on my skirt and then maybe take a walk through town singing ‘When You Wish Upon a Star.’” She adds a coy smile then spins back to the bedroom.
With a light chuckle I can’t help, I take off. With any luck—Pepper Woods will find her way back out of the town she couldn’t wait to escape.
“You look like shit,” Dad says when I slip behind the bar to tackle the ninety-year-old coffee machine.
The damn thing never liked me. I still don’t understand why Dad kept this old thing around after he bought the place. It’s been here since I was in high school. Big and gold with too many functions than anyone in this town would ever need.
I push the lever upward and hot steam nearly burns my skin off. I curse and jump back. Then try the other direction and the small tube starts crackling, but nothing happens.
“Fuck it.”
I turn and find Dad leaning against the bar with a smirk. “Need some help?”
“Where’s Bethany?”
“Late, but we just opened and no one really starts coming down until after nine.” He shifts my mug under the machine and works his magic until it starts brewing.
“Listen, next time you wanna play hero to some damsel, do me a favor and pick someone a little more appropriate—like Noah. He’s the fucking town lawyer. His job is helping people out of jams.”
He slides my mug across the counter to me. “You were due for a good deed around here, Chase.”
“Yeah, well—I think I’m good for a while. Not only did I have to take her down to the arena with me because it was too late to get across town, but I had to bring her back.
Dad assesses me and nods. “Explains why you look half crippled. Took the couch?”
I glare at him.
“Where is she?”
“Back at the house. Getting herself ready like she’s got someplace to be.”
“What’s your problem? Why are you so hostile toward helping out an old friend?”
I sip my coffee slowly.
Dad shakes his head. “Don’t suppose she told you what happened?”
I glare again. But the voice behind me cuts me off.
“Yeah right,” Levi says, taking a seat beside me and shooting a thumb in my direction. “Because this is the face of someone who says, ‘this is a safe space.’” He scoffs and digs into the basket of croissants. “Yeah, heard about the runaway bride in town.”
“Runaway bride?” Dad jerks. “I told you Pepper Woods stopped by looking for a room.”
“You don’t remember? She was supposed to marry John Mayfield’s son. Yesterday.”
Dad’s eyes widen. “That’s right—she was engaged to Troy Mayfield. The wedding was yesterday?”
Levi reaches for the remote and flips through channels until Pepper’s picture comes on the screen with a red banner moving across the bottom.
Troy Mayfield Wedding Postponed—Bride Missing.
The screen flips to a reporter outside a venue. Behind her, vendors clear chairs, flower arrangements and signs pointing to the ceremony from the scene.
“Thank you, Cindy. That’s right, the wedding is officially postponed. Sources say the bride is ill while others flat out say she’s missing. We don’t have confirmation of either yet. Police are due to accept a missing person’s report as of one p.m. this afternoon when the twenty-four-hour time period is reached. In the meantime, do let us know if you’ve seen Penelope Walker. That’s her on the top right. She has blonde hair. She’s five foot three and is assumed to be in the D.C. area.”
Shit.
The sight of her picture on the screen and millions of people looking for her bothers me.
“Don’t they need permission to show someone’s face like that?” I ask.
“Nope.” My brother, the lawyer, shows up, slipping in beside Levi. “She signed up for this when she agreed to marry a public figure.”
Can’t argue with that.
“Dad says you took her to Elliot’s?” Levi asks.
“You took her to Elliot’s without cleaning it out first?” Noah is the neat freak and nerd of the family. He keeps nearly every aspect of his life spotless—even his relationships. First sign of trouble and this guy is out.
“It was Dad’s idea. Besides, she didn’t mind,” I argue.
“And by the looks of it…she slept just fine,” Levi mutters appreciatively, looking over my shoulder.
I turn and find Pepper with the same hoodie from last night, open this time revealing her white tee and a black silk skirt that looks remarkably fitting. Her hair is still wet from the shower. Her white sneakers making an interesting statement to the entire ensemble.
Quickly, Dad grabs the remote from Levi and turns off the TV. “Morning, Penelope.”
“Morning, Mr. Reeves.”
“You can call me Aiden now.”
She nods curtly. “Aiden.”
“You remember my other two knuckleheads here. Levi and Noah.”
Pepper gives a warm smile, but before she has a chance to say anything, Levi slides off his stool and embraces her.
“Pepper Woods. Back in our neck of the woods. Good to see you. What’s…new?”
She glances down at the remote he’s clutching and snatches it playfully. Then points it at the television above the bar. “What were you guys watching?”
The news headline reappears on the screen of a runaway bride in quotes.
Pepper swallows hard and shuts it off, but doesn’t seem overly surprised.
“Pepper, why don’t you have a seat,” Dad says calmly, abandoning her preferred name.
Distant eyes look up and scan each of us wordlessly. Then light up as she finds the coffee machine behind the counter. She points to it. “Do you mind if I…?”
“Be my guest. My waitress is late.”
“Thanks.” She circles the bar, plucks a glass mug from the overhead rack and expertly handles the machine, making herself something dark and foamy.
We all stare at her and she shrugs. “I used to live upstairs. This machine and I got very friendly in those few weeks.”
Dad chuckles “How long you stayin’? You want a job?”
She circles the bar and takes an empty stool, sipping her coffee. “Until they find me.”
My brothers and I exchange glances. Dad gives us all a look and mumbles something about getting Pepper something to eat before disappearing through the kitchen door.
Noah looks up. “Pepper, are you in trouble?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
Noah turns to Levi—as if to indicate ‘your turn’.
“Pepper, Noah’s an attorney. If you’re in trouble, he can—”
“He can’t help me,” she cries then backpedals, taking a deep breath. “I know I have to go back. I just needed to think.”
He nods. “Cold feet. I get it.”
Noah slaps his arm. Then turns back to Pepper. “Why do you have to go back? Shouldn’t you be asking yourself if you want to go back?”
Her eyes darken and mist, which leads both my brothers to turn to me. I shake my head at them. Neither one of these two can handle an emotional female.
“I’m going to go see if Dad needs help,” Levi mutters before hopping off his stool.
When Noah looks like he has another question on his tongue, I shoot him a glare and he holds up a hand as if giving me the floor.
I take Levi’s seat next to Pepper. Her eyes glued to her mug.
“Why here?” I ask quietly.
“What?”
“Why are you hiding out here?”
“I told you—I just needed time to think. To see if a life as a politician’s wife is the right fit for me.”
“Right—because love is overrated?”
“Right.”
I feel myself losing patience and slide her chair flush against mine.
“Hey,” she whines.
“Look, you don’t have to answer any of our questions—but if you’re bringing trouble here, we need to know. Being engaged to a member of the presidential family is no fucking joke. Anyone follow you? Do you have a phone where you can be tracked?”
“Will you stop it.” She shifts and jumps off the chair. “God, forget it. I’ll figure something out.” She grabs her backpack and races out the door.
Fuck.
My body reacts in a need to go after her, but I’m glued to my seat. That’s not who I am. I don’t chase women. Even if they are on the verge of tears.
Especiallywhen they’re on the verge of tears.
But when I turn back, I find my family glaring at me outside the kitchen door.
“What? You can’t tell me you don’t agree with me.”
“I do,” Noah says, sticking his cell in his back pocket. “I just got off the phone with a friend of mine in D.C.” He holds up his hands. “I didn’t tell him she’s here, but Pepper running off is causing turmoil, and they’re definitely coming for her. It won’t be long until someone figures out she’s not an Upper East Side girl from New York and our town and Pepper will be plastered in negative news for weeks, which will take years to recover from.”
Dad scratches his chin. “That’s not what we’re about. We can’t abandon her. Pepper came here looking for help. She feels at home here.” He shakes his head. “You boys disappoint me.”
The door bell chimes and Bethany walks in. “Hey, Boss. Sorry I’m late. The cats were crazy this morning.”
“No worries, Bee,” he calls. “Probably best you weren’t here for all that,” he mutters to us then goes behind the bar.
Levy turns to me. “She couldn’t have gone far.”
With a head shake, I grab my helmet and step out onto the sidewalk, looking in both directions. I find Pepper speed-walking in that city-girl way down Crest Lane.
I’m about to call her when she freezes and tucks herself behind a building wall. The hell?
When I look across the street, I see Angela White and the Kane sisters. The Kane sisters now own a beauty shop on Third. We went to high school with them. They were part of the in-crowd—part of the Pepper Woods crowd.
Now she’s cowering away from them like a bullied high school kid.
“Pepper.”
She snaps her head back. “What?”
“Can we talk?”
“No. Don’t worry, I’m getting out of your pretty hair and your perfect little town.” She quickly swipes at tears she doesn’t want anyone to see and turns in the other direction.
I curse. “Why me?”
I jog back to the alley behind the Inn and hop on my bike. Making a mental note to tell Dad to pick another Reeves who has time for Pepper’s drama.
Starting my engine, I catch a glimpse of where she ran off to and rationalize with myself. “I’m not chasing…I was going that way anyway.”
I round the corner on my bike and spot her on the move halfway down the lane, a few blocks shy of Hideaway Lake. Locals glance her way while others just stop and stare.
I catch a glimpse of panic flicker across her face before she lifts her hoodie over her head.
I ride up beside her and hand her my helmet. “Hop on. I’ll take you wherever you’re headin’”
Glancing around, she considers her options. “In this skirt?”
I rev up my engine. “Suit yourself.”
“Wait.”
She bends, tearing a large slit into her skirt and hops on. “Train station, please.”