Thirty-Two and a Half Complications
Page 58

I went to him and he pulled me onto his lap, giving me a gentle kiss. “I’m sorry I’m not coming with you, but this is important.”
“I know.”
His mouth lifted into a soft smile, but his eyes were filled with regret. “I don’t want you to think I’m not going because I’m angry with you.”
I didn’t say anything.
“I won’t lie. I’m still upset over what happened between you and Joe. But right now I’m more upset with myself. I have some things to sort out.”
“Okay.” It wasn’t, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
Giddy On Up blared in the silence of the room and I grimaced as I pulled my phone out of my purse and turned it off.
“Sounds like Neely Kate is waiting for you. You better go.”
I stood up and turned to leave, but Mason caught my wrist and pulled me back. “I love you, Rose.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I love you too.”
Neely Kate knew something was wrong the moment I slid into the passenger seat.
“What happened?”
I filled her in on everything that had happened since our phone call.
“I can’t believe Mason wants you to talk to Samantha Jo.”
“I think he figures I’m gonna talk to her anyway, so I might as well get helpful information out of it.”
“Still…”
“He wouldn’t willingly let me do anything dangerous,” I said, suddenly feeling defensive.
“Good heavens, Rose. I know that. It’s just I’m so used to you sneaking around, it feels weird being so up front about it.”
I couldn’t argue with that. “So our original plan of finding her after church works out great. Mason’s working and Ronnie’s fishing.”
A smile spread across her face. “A girl’s day out!”
“I’m pretty sure whoever came up with that term wasn’t talking about interrogating suspects in a bank robbery.”
“For heaven’s sake,” she said in mock annoyance. “We’re simply planning to make a Sunday afternoon call on poor Samantha Jo.”
The church was mostly packed when we entered the sanctuary, but we found seats about halfway down the aisle in the center of a pew.
“Rose.” Neely Kate tugged on my sleeve, then pointed to the other side of the aisle. “Look who’s here.”
Two rows ahead of us, divided by the aisle, was Samantha Jo Wheaton with a big tattooed guy who looked like he’d rather be chewing on glass than sitting in the New Living Hope Revival Church.
“What’s she doing here?” I asked. “I’ve never seen hide nor hair of her in church.”
“Guilt makes people look for atonement.” My best friend gave me a smug grin.
Of course, the explanation could be simpler than that: Jonah’s church was the hot new Sunday morning entertainment. For a town used to hymns sung to organ music and shouted sermons about fire and brimstone, the citizens of Henryetta were flocking to Jonah’s church, which boasted a live band and songs that sounded like they could be on the radio. The fact that the service was televised didn’t hurt. But I didn’t see the point of telling Neely Kate that.
The band took the stage, the musicians wearing jeans and T-shirts. Momma surely must have been rolling in her grave two miles away. Just as they started to play, someone caught my eye.
Violet. She was walking down the aisle, wearing her favorite plum-colored dress and her Coach purse, which she only pulled out for special occasions.
And then I saw what her occasion was.
She wasn’t alone.
I realized Neely Kate must have seen them too, because she reached for my arm, her nails digging into the flesh. “How could she?”
Several people around us turned toward Neely Kate, but she didn’t even notice. She was too busy staring at Violet, who was slipping into the pew, Joe following behind holding Ashley’s hand. Violet must have put Mikey in the nursery.
Neely Kate was livid. “Didn’t he just kiss you yesterday morning?” she stage-whispered.
More people turned around, their eyes widening when they realized that she was addressing me. Mason was well liked in the congregation, and everyone knew we were a couple. Several gave me disapproving frowns.
“Neely Kate,” I hissed into her ear. “People can hear you!”
“I don’t care. Who does he think—?”
“Neely Kate!” I said, more insistent. “Think about Mason and me.”
She pressed her lips together, refusing to sing the first song because she was so busy shooting a laser-like glare in Joe and Violet’s direction. I stole glances of my own, barely able to focus on Jonah’s sermon as I tried to figure out why I cared so much about them spending time together. Joe and I weren’t together, so he could date whomever he wanted. But my sister? Though I was far from convinced there was anything going on between them, it felt wrong on so many levels to see them together.
And Violet. She was the one who really made me mad. She was jumping from man to man, taking the one who had the most to offer. Joe was currently the flavor of the week, it seemed. Maybe her attempts to reconnect with the mayor had hit a snag. Or maybe she was just trying to prove me wrong about Joe not wanting her.
Neely Kate was still seething when the service ended, and I suspected what she had in mind as she started to push me out of the pew.
“Neely Kate! Stop!” I turned and blocked her path. “I can’t face him. Not after yesterday... I need to stay as far away from him as possible.”