Thirty-Two and a Half Complications
Page 53

The bedroom windows were covered with sheers that blocked out the view of my old nursery, making it easy to ignore the room. But I’d spent the afternoon fighting nausea and I couldn’t pretend I might not need to use this room in nine months. I opened the door and leaned inside, taking in the contents.
The décor was startlingly pink, which would work well for a girl, but we’d have to come up with something else if we had a boy. I put my hand on my stomach, wondering what it would be like to have a baby growing inside me.
I heard Mason’s cane thump on the floor behind me, but I didn’t turn around to face him, still too ashamed after my earlier confession.
He pressed his chest against my back and wrapped his arm around me, placing his hand over mine. “Are you staying with me because we might be having a baby together?” he asked, no accusation in his voice.
I shook my head and pressed my other hand on top of his. “No. I would never do that to you. You have to believe me.”
His body relaxed into mine. “I do, but I needed to hear it.”
“Maybe we should move somewhere else,” I said, resting the back of my head against his chest, needing to be as physically close to him as possible. “Far away from Henryetta. Then we can get away from him.”
“What about your business? You love it.”
“I might not be working there much longer anyway,” I sighed.
“I know you and Violet had a terrible fight, but you own more of the business than she does. In fact, she has no capital in the business at all other than sweat equity. I’d have to brush up on my business law, but I’m nearly one hundred percent positive that doesn’t give her any ownership unless you two are married.” There was a teasing tone in his voice. “You’re not, are you?”
I laughed and closed my eyes, grateful that things between us were getting back to normal. “No. This may be Arkansas, but I believe two sisters marrying—even half-sisters—is still illegal.”
“Good thing for me.” He spun me around and gave me a kiss. “I know we’re in a rocky spot right now, but we’ll get through it.”
I nodded, hoping it was true. “There’s something else I need to tell you about the Gardner Sisters Nursery.” It was time to tell him everything else too.
His eyebrows lifted. “What?”
“It has to do with that money that was stolen in the robbery.”
The chorus of Laura Bell Bundy’s Giddy On Up filled the room—Neely Kate’s ringtone on my cell. Mason gave me a half-hearted grin. “I believe your culprit in crime is calling. Answer your phone.” He gave me a squeeze and headed for the doorway. “I can interrogate you later about what you two are doing.”
I answered the phone just before it went to voice mail. I had so much to tell her. “Hey, Neely Kate.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that you found Mr. Sullivan’s body this morning?” she asked, her voice thick with irritation. “I had to find out from my cousin. I’m sure you can imagine how embarassin’ it was for me to not know anything about my best friend finding the loan officer lyin’ dead in a ditch. I have reputation to uphold, after all.”
I cringed. “I’m so sorry, Neely Kate. But Joe showed up at the crime scene and…” My voice cracked. I wandered into the baby’s room and sat in the rocking chair.
“Why do I get the feeling something really bad happened?”
“I suspect because you know me so well.” I took a breath. “Muffy and I went for a walk and wandered over to the farm to the south. Muffy found him in the ditch next to the gravel drive. I called 911 and Joe showed up.” I gave her a very condensed version of what happened before we got in the car.
“Do you think he was really goin’ to arrest you?”
“Honestly, Neely Kate, I wouldn’t have put it past him. Especially after the stunt he pulled when he was taking me home.”
“What did he do?”
I hesitated, suddenly unsure of sharing my secret shame with my best friend. What if she thought I was a horrible person? But one thing I’d learned about Neely Kate was that she was loyal. She loved me and would stand by me no matter what. “He kissed me.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“I wish I was, but the worst part is that I kissed him back.”
“Oh, Rose…” She hesitated. “Did you change your mind about Mason?”
I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me, my voice breaking. “No! I love Mason. It was an in-the-moment thing. I was caught off guard is all.”
“What are you gonna do if Mason finds out? You know Joe will be sure to tell him just to rile him up, although you think he’d know better after last night.”
“I already told Mason.” I took a breath. “I had to. No secrets.”
“Oh, mercy. How did he take it?”
“It’s a bit rocky right now, but I think we’ll be okay.” I hoped. “He seems to have forgiven me, even if he hasn’t forgotten.” Not that I expected him to. If I’d found out that Joe had kissed Hilary while we were still together, I would have needed a lot more time to get over it.
“I guess I can let it go that you didn’t call me about Mr. Sullivan. You obviously had bigger issues to deal with. Besides, I have news of my own.” She paused dramatically. “My second cousin knows a woman whose uncle works in Ted’s Garage with Toby. He said Toby’s worked on a gold Charger multiple times. Which explains his weird reaction when you asked him about it last night.”