Sidecar Crush

Jonah was in the kitchen when I came in the house. One thing I would say for having a roommate foisted on me when I’d been too drunk to say no—Jonah could cook. I was eating a damn sight better than I had been before he’d moved in with me.

“I just need to change,” I said as I passed him.

My jeans had a few burn holes and I’d gotten pretty sweaty, so clean clothes were in order. I rinsed off in the shower, then put on a t-shirt and a fresh pair of jeans. My going-out jeans, not my work jeans. Work clothes always ended up with scorches and burn holes. My hands and forearms had their fair share of scars, too. Small ones, mostly—I’d never seriously injured myself, but little burns were just part of life when you worked with hot metal all the time.

Jonah and I drove the short distance to Bowie’s house. He lived in a duplex in downtown Bootleg, not far from the high school. Gibson’s Charger was already outside, but I didn’t see Scarlett’s truck. Bowie let us in and grabbed us each a beer from the fridge. I took a seat on the couch and took a swig.

Gibson sat on the other side of the couch, glowering at something on his phone. I knew better than to ask him what was wrong. He either didn’t want to talk about it, and he’d tell me to shut up, or he’d let us know on his own. Wasn’t much in between with Gibs.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” Jonah said as he settled onto a chair. “I’d like to organize a 5K run through Bootleg. What do you think? Would people be into that?”

“You should make it a moonshine run,” I said. “Finishers get a free drink at the end.”

“Does everything have to revolve around moonshine?” Jonah asked.

Bowie and I both looked at him with furrowed brows.

“You can have a regular old 5K run anywhere,” I said. “This is Bootleg Springs.”

“Point taken,” Jonah said.

Scarlett burst in wearing a big smile. The kind of smile that made me nervous. She was up to something.

“Hey, y’all,” she said. “Guess who is in town at this very moment, staying in one of my rentals?”

I glanced up. “Leah Mae Larkin?”

Her expression fell, her mouth dropping open, and her shoulders slumped. “What? How did you know?”

“I saw her at the Pop In.”

“Way to ruin a girl’s fun.” She crossed her arms. “I was hoping to surprise you.”

“Sorry.”

Scarlett’s grin returned. “That’s okay. Because there’s more.” She paused, no doubt attempting to add to the drama.

“Get on with it,” Bowie said, gesturing for her to continue.

“She asked about you,” she said, pointing her finger at my nose.

“Me?”

“Yes, you,” she said, her eyes shining with glee. “And I gave her your number.”

I blinked at my sister, my mouth partially open. I couldn’t think of anything to say to that.

“There’s something I’m missing here,” Jonah said.

“Jameson and Leah Mae Larkin were friends when they were kids,” Scarlett said. “Now she’s a model and on TV.”

“I knew the TV part,” Jonah said. “I guess now I know why you started shit with Rhett the other night.”

I hunkered down in my seat. “Just wasn’t right, is all.”

“Hmm,” Scarlett said. “Well, you better answer your phone when she calls you.”

I gave her a noncommittal grunt.

“Is Jayme calling or what?” Gibson asked.

Bowie got out his phone. “I’m calling her. I was just waiting for everyone to be here.” He dialed and put his phone on speaker.

“Bodines,” Jayme said when she answered. “Everyone present?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Bowie said.

“All right, here’s the latest,” she said. “The sweater tested positive for blood. There will be more DNA testing to determine whose blood, although the chances of it not being Callie Kendall’s seem slim. Still, all we can do is wait for the forensics report.”

“Okay,” Bowie said. “What about the house?”

“They’ll be finished soon,” she said. “I’m pushing to get them out of there. They’ve had plenty of time. If they were going to find something, they would have by now.”