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“Are you going to tell him?”
“At this point, I think he might be the only one whodoesn’tknow. And he doesn’t need to hear about it, certainly not right now.”
“Okay, but...how’d things progress from Brant bringing over a portable cooling unit to Charlie finding you both naked yesterday morning?”
Talulah angled the vents to blow more directly on her. “We weren’tnaked.”
“From what he’s telling everyone, you weren’t fully dressed.”
She cringed as she remembered the unpleasant surprise of coming downstairs to find Charlie in the house. “I’d rather not go over the details. What happened is nobody’s business but my own.”
“That’s easy to say, but a lot of people are talking, and they’ll all be staring daggers at you during the funeral. It’s not as if Charlie or any of his family feel the need to protect you or your privacy.”
“They wouldn’t have been friendly to me anyway.”
“True, but they’ll use this to make you look as bad as possible. It’ll be their revenge.”
“I don’t care,” she said, even though that wasn’t remotely true. She’d always liked Dinah and the rest of Charlie’s family, especially his younger sister. “I’ll put in my time here, take care of Aunt Phoebe’s funeral and possessions for Mom and Dad’s sake, and then I’ll be gone.”
“That’s probably easier said than done,” Debbie said. “What about Averil?”
Talulah had long wished she could repair her relationship with Charlie’s sister. When she agreed to come back to Coyote Canyon, she’d still been holding out hope that once Averil realized she was in town they’d be able to get past the wedding. But Charlie had probably ruined any chance of that. “What about her?”
“I know how much you miss her.”
Talulah tried to ignore the pang her sister’s words created in her heart and focused instead on the sweat drying on her skin and in her hair. She craved another shower, but it wouldn’t do her any good to wash up until she was finished cooking. “Averil will never forgive me now.”
“Should I call a few friends and ask them to look out for you while you’re there? I don’t want anyone to mistreat you.”
Debbie had always been a good sister, which was part of the reason Talulah felt so bad about fleeing her own wedding. She’d understood how mortified her family would be. The shame and embarrassment she knew it would cause them was part of the reason she’d felt trapped by the engagement and unable to back out sooner. “I’ll survive.”
“Are you sure? I could ask Joanie and Rebecca to go to the funeral with you. That way you won’t feel so alone.”
Joanie and Rebecca were two of Debbie’s closest childhood friends and they each had their own young families to take care of. “No, thanks. Why would they want to go to a funeral for someone they barely knew? I say we forget about what happened with Brant.”
“Does that mean you won’t be seeing him again?”
“We might bump into each other around town. But knowing Brant, it was just another night for him. He’s probably already forgotten about it.”
“Okay.”
But it wasn’t fifteen minutes later, right after she’d gotten off the phone with Debbie and returned to the kitchen, that Talulah got a text from him.
Eight
How’s the air conditioner working?
Talulah puffed her cheeks full of air she blew out as she read Brant’s message. The air conditioner was working fine. It just wasn’t doing her much good in the basement.
I decided to do all the cooking for my aunt’s funeral, so I’m in the kitchen for the next three days. I wish I hadn’t asked you to put it in the basement. Other than that, it’s great.
I can come move it.
She walked into the sitting room and gazed out the window at the road. She didn’t see anyone, but she suspected Charlie was keeping a close eye on her house. If Brant came over, it would only add to town gossip.
Ellen can probably help me when she gets back.
She won’t be coming back until next weekend.
