Page 47 of Total Jane Wreck

“Okay, but why the secrecy?” I ask this under my breath. “And what did Mason mean when he was going on about—”

“Jane.” Chet cuts me off, grumbling my name. Then he sighs. Color rises in his cheeks. “Forget about Mason. He’s full of shit.”

“Is he?” I glare at Chet, imploring him to meet my gaze. “Or are you hiding something big?”

Chet flicks away a drop of rain that clung to his eyelash. “Come on. If I were hiding something big, would I throw a huge party and invite my family?”

“Perhaps,” I say. “I’ve got no clue how your mind works. But I just lied for you to Theo, and I hate lying—especially to the police.”

His hands are shoved so deep into his pockets, it looks uncomfortable. “I’m sorry,” he says. “Really. I guess this should be a wake-up call. I’m not good for you, Jane.”

Wait. Hold on. That’s not the reaction I was going for. “I’m an adult,” I tell him. “I decide what’s good for me.”

His laughter sounds desperate. “Maybe. But I have some say in the matter too. And you and me—we’re a terrible idea.”

It’s like I’ve been punched in the stomach. All the wind is knocked out of me. I try to respond, but even if I could find the words, I can’t breathe well enough to speak.

But then Theo comes out of the tack room. Grace follows, rigid and weirdly floaty, like she’s capable of rising above this tense situation. Axel Rose makes a beeline for the feed room.

“Just a couple more things,” says Theo, his eyes darting between the three of us. “Ms. Poole, you said you heard a commotion and looked out your window? What did you see, if anything?”

Grace’s mouth purses. “Just people moving around. Someone was running—maybe two someones. I didn’t recognize them. But there’s no reason why I would.”

Theo jots a single note. “Okay. Chet, can you show me your security setup?”

Chet nods. “I don’t have cameras around the blue barn yet. But I’ll show you the footage I’ve got. It’s in my study.”

They leave together, Theo’s sheriff boots squeaking on the barn floor. Grace exhales, loud. Her hands tremble just a little. She leans back on the bench. “That was stressful,” she says, not exactly to me. More likely, she’s talking to herself.

Suddenly, the rain stops. But Miss Adele still seems restless. “Excuse me,” I say. “Time to get to work.”

I saddle up Miss Adele and take her for a ride. She gallops along the newly soaked dirt. The trees still drip with rain, wetting my hair. That should distract me, but it doesn’t. Both my head and my heart are sick with worry—an anxious certainty that I have no idea what will happen next.

And I’m afraid to find out.

Chapter Twenty

“I am not an angel,” I asserted; “and I will not be one till I die.”

Mom’s calling. This can’t be good.

“Hi,” I say.

She doesn’t say hello back. Instead, there’s a long, deliberate silence. “I’ve got good news and bad news,” she says. “It’s about Betty.”

My chest goes heavy. I clutch the edge of my foldout kitchen table. “Alright,” is all I can manage to say.

“Well,” Mom continues, “the good news is that Melissa isn’t getting her. But that’s because Reed’s sold Betty to a polo player in Florida. Cash, all up front.”

“A polo player?” My teeth scrape together. “No, no, no. That can’t happen.”

“Reed gets to decide,” Mom says, as if explaining the weather. “He can do what he wants. And frankly, we could use the money. The divorce has been a strain—”

“Polo barns treat horses like ATVs, Mom.” I hear my voice escalating a pitch higher. “You know what they do. Betty’s not cut out for that.”

Mom huffs. “God, Jane. Don’t you want Reed to get through this with his pride and our business intact? He’s your brother.”

“Right.” I laugh, though it’s humorless. “If Reed wants to punish me, tell him to do it in a way that won’t hurt a poor, innocent animal.” My tears come hot and fast. But a ball of rage grows inside my stomach, even hotter. “Reed could have at least given me the chance to buy her myself.”