Tangle (Dogwood Lane 2)

“Like we’re charging him what we’d charge someone else. We’re just covering costs and a little overhead.”

A paperback I’ve been reading for a couple of weeks is buried at the bottom of my bag. I retrieve it and toss it on the bed. “That’s your fault. I thought it was fine to charge him full price.”

“Yeah, well, I’m trying to be the change I want to see in the world.”

I chuckle. “And what change is that?”

“A world where everyone isn’t ready to fuck you over.”

Mom’s face floats through my brain, and by the way Jake grumbles under his breath, I bet he’s thinking of her too. Shaking it off, I redirect our conversation.

“If you change your mind about coming down here, let me know,” I say.

“Nah, I’m good. I have enough messes here to keep me busy. The meeting this afternoon went better than expected, but I still have to rework an entire schedule.”

“Suit yourself. I gotta go before the town shuts down.” I get to my feet. “I’ll send you some pictures of the Love Nest tomorrow.”

“No. Don’t. I don’t need or want that visual.”

I grab my keys and wallet off the nightstand and stick them in my pocket. Heading out the door, I switch off the light. “Talk to you later, Jake.”

“Bye.”

The door to my room shuts behind me.

CHAPTER SEVEN

TREVOR

My headlights shine on a hand-painted sign spelling out the words GRABER’S GROCERY in bright-red letters. It’s the only thing open in town besides a gas station and a place called Mucker’s. The latter is the size of a shoebox and looks packed.

I kill the engine and step onto the asphalt. The air hints at winter’s rapid approach. I shove my hands into my pockets, letting a shiver roll down my spine as I walk into the small market.

There’s one checkout line open. The girl working the lane has to be fresh out of high school. She looks at me, much to her current customer’s dismay, before giving me a wide, warm smile as a welcome.

I wave, chuckling to myself that I beat her to it, and grab a cart.

The place is quiet. There are random shoppers here and there as I walk the length of the store. Country music from the nineties trickles through speakers nestled somewhere overhead as I try to locate a deli counter or a sandwich.

“Can I help you find anything?” A man crouched at the base of the cereal display takes off his hat.

“I’m just looking for a sandwich. I didn’t realize there wasn’t any fast food in this town until now. And the café is closed.”

He grins, getting to his feet. “A burger chain tried to come in here a couple of years ago, but the town council ran them off. Said it would hurt local businesses, which I suppose meant the café and Mucker’s, as that’s all we have.”

“Mucker’s looked busy. Good food?”

“Yeah. Kinda famous for their pizza around here. And the Rocket Razzle, but those’ll put you on your behind if you don’t watch out.”

“Good to know,” I say. “So sandwich? I’m not picky. Just starving.”

He nods. “Yeah. Sorry. Keep going down until you get to the dairy section, then swing a left. There’ll be something over there to get you to morning.”

“Thanks.”

“Hey, no problem.”

He goes back to stocking shelves as I head toward the dairy case. I spy a cooler loaded with sandwiches. A turkey and cheese appears to be my best option. Swiping a bag of chips and a stick of beef jerky, I make my way back to the front.

A jet-black ponytail sticks up above the candy rack in front of me—a ponytail I recognize.

My skin warms as I approach her quietly. Her hair is swishing back and forth, a phone to her ear, and I bet dimes to doughnuts she’s giving someone else hell. I’m kind of jealous.

I quell a laugh as I take a wide berth around a frozen foods display. As I come up behind her, a smile instantly graces my lips.

“No,” she says into the phone that’s sandwiched between her ear and shoulder. “I had dinner with Dane and Neely. And Penn, actually.” She shifts her weight on her sneakers as she listens. “No. I’m not sure, but there are always options.” She listens again. “Well, that probably would be the best option, but the chance of that is zero.”

Her laugh rolls straight to me, like she emitted the sound for my own personal enjoyment. It lifts the sides of my mouth as I listen to her rattle on.

“The answer is no,” she says. “Now I gotta go. Someone is waiting on me.” She laughs again, joggling her items in her arms. “No. Not him. I’m at Graber’s. Goodbye, Claire.”

She slips her phone off her shoulder and shoves it in the pocket of her hoodie.