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“Not necessarily the power, but he sure doesn’t want to look into it or anything else that has to do with the BRR. I’d like to have a private discussion with the sheriff about Bennit.”
He looked into Aidyn’s eyes and saw determination. “I think we’re on the same page.”
He sent the security logs to Spencer, then turned the monitor off. Aidyn turned to leave and bumped into Lara.
“What’s going on with my father?”
Aidyn maintained eye contact with Lara but didn’t say anything.
Tate stood and Lara turned to look at him. “Lara.” He took a deep breath. “There’s something between your dad and the BRR. I can’t figure it out. Everett hinted at it yesterday when we were up there. Your dad seems especially touchy about the subject and doesn’t like being questioned about it.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I know.”
She turned and drifted into the bakery and slid behind the counter. His stomach tightened as he watched her lean against the glass bakery case.
A quick glance at Aidyn, he jerked his head toward the door. Aidyn strode to the door and waved at Lara as he stepped out of the bakery.
Cautiously, he moved toward Lara and watched as she took in deep breaths.
“Lara?” Her sad eyes looked into his. “What do you know or think about your dad and the BRR?”
Her throat constricted as she swallowed. She squared her shoulders. “I’ve overheard people talking the past couple of years. They didn’t know I was listening. When I came back from college the rumors were thick around here. But, they always are. Some of the old biddies in town were whispering that my dad had a girlfriend up in the hills.”
His brows rose into his hairline faster than he could stop them. “Is it true?”
She shrugged slightly. “I don’t know. I asked him about it and he told me not to be ridiculous. But...”
She cleared her throat and swiped at invisible crumbs on the glass case.
“I won’t say anything, Lara.”
Her eyes closed a moment then opened and delved into his. “I’ve wondered about it over the years. A lot. My parents keep so many secrets. They always have. I’ve often felt like an outcast in my own home. My mother’s illness. My father’s comings and goings. The secrets never go away. Even now when I ask what’s wrong with my mom, my father tells me not to worry about it.”
He reached for her hand on the glass case and wrapped his around it. Her eyes welled with tears, and she swallowed, but he never looked away from her.
He’d been attracted to her right from the start, but right now, her vulnerability was magnetic.
“I’m sorry, Lara. That must be difficult to live with.”
She inhaled deeply and cleared her throat. “I’m used to it. But I’m afraid it’s made me terribly weird about being left out of things. I’ve chased more than one boy away.”
He chuckled. “They were just sissies.”
She laughed. But didn’t pull away from him.
“So? I have some weird idiosyncrasies.”
Her eyes rounded. “You do not.”
“Of course, I do.”
“Well, don’t leave me hanging. Tell me.”
“I love cookies. And, when there’s only one cookie left, I can’t let anyone else have it.”
“Oh, gawd. That’s not a weird idiosyncrasy.”
“It isn’t? I think it is. My brother and sister have always teased me about it. They said I was selfish and wouldn’t share. I think my sister said, ‘Tate’s a non-sharer.’”
