“Jake’s wife, Daphne?” Brady asks.
Tabitha nods. “That’s the one. Daphne says she’s heard other people saying you're the one responsible for the fires at the retreat. That you’re trying to get the insurance money so you can leave Whispering Pines again because you never liked it here in the first place.”
I stare at her in disbelief. Daphne, of all people, is gossiping about me? Telling everyone I’m involved in insurance fraud because I want to get out of town again. Even if she didn’t start the rumor, she’s repeating it. She should’ve come straight to me and told me. Instead, she’s talking about it so much that Tabitha heard though Misty and her sister.
Daphne likes me. She’s been the warmest to me since I returned.
What about the people who don't like me? What are they saying?
Whispering Pines will never get over my seventeen-year-old self telling everyone I hated it here and wanted to leave and never return. I don't get a pass for being young and semi-stupid.
I’m back because I appreciate a lot of what this town has to offer me and my daughter. I don’t think I’m “too good for Whispering Pines.”
But that’s what they’ve decided. Well, fuck them.
Tabitha’s eyes fill with tears. “I can’t believe she’d talk about you. You’re the best mom and the best cousin I know. Seriously, forget them.”
“Tabitha, it’s okay.” I give her a consoling hug, still incredulous this kind of gossip exists and Daphne was the one spreading it.
But that’s how small towns keep people in their place. Everyone gossips, and everyone eventually gets a taste of their own medicine.
Brady pulls out his phone. “Excuse me.”
He walks ahead with the phone pressed to his ear. The dogs follow with a stick between them. “What’s going on, Jake? I heard Daphne was saying things about Sammy.”
Tabitha and I stand, staring.
“He doesn’t have to….” My throat gets thick with emotion. “I can defend myself.”
“It’s sweet.” Tabitha has the gooiest expression on her face.
Brady turns back to us and tucks the phone in his pocket. “Jake’s going to have a word with Daphne. She’ll set the record straight.”
I bite my lip. There’s no point in snapping at him that I can take care of myself.
He’s being Brady, taking care of business and doing what he does best, being the hero. As long as I’m here, I’ll take it. The comfort, the sex, the laughs, and the lasagna.
I should take advantage while it’s available, because I can’t see staying in Whispering Pines.
They don’t want me.
I don’t want them.
I’ll go back to California and find a way to live with an overbearing, egomaniacal ex-husband and one less best friend who I’ll have to deal with anyway.
This fucking sucks.
For now, I’ve got Brady. “Thanks for calling Jake.”
“Anytime.” He holds out his hand. I weave my fingers through his, and we walk toward home. I half-listen to Brady and Tabitha joke about the insane amount of lasagna baking in the oven.
Lara will be home in less than forty-eight hours. Then I’ll start prepping her and Mom and Dad for our return to California. It was a mistake coming here, and it’s time to correct that mistake.
Chapter Eleven
Ilookdownfromthe ladder on the supermarket roof to the guys assembled below. Time to start the landing drill. “This is a good example of a situation where you’ve got to bring two ladders on the initial climb,” I explain.
I jump the last few feet to the ground. My hamstring stings with the impact. “You’ll need one long and one short. There’s no way to know from the ground if you can trust the parapet wall. Then there’s the possibility of elevation changes.” I survey my guys. “Can anyone tell me which ladder we’ll end up using and where we’ll place it?”
