AllFreeNovel
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Pushing the contract across the counter, I lean in and whisper, “Belle reads.”
She presses her lips together to hide her amusement. “Weren’t you just leaving?”
“Yes. I’m heading back to Denver tonight for practice and we leave for Vancouver tomorrow for three days. Make yourself at home.” I dig my card out of my wallet and set it on the counter. “You should hold onto this for anything you—or the place—might need.”
She looks at the card and nods.
“How are you getting in touch with Charlie?”
“Oh.” She jumps and races to the living room, I follow behind. From the side table, she lifts a Darth Vader head contraption—and it takes me a minute before I remember what it is. “We found this yesterday. Did Elliot have a landline?”
“Uh…no. I did. That…was my phone.”
A slow smile creeps her lips. “Like when you were a kid?”
I walk up and take it from her. “No. Like when I was in college.”
She presses her lips together but can’t contain her excitement. “Does it work? How do you use it?”
I sigh, flipping the thing over to check for any corrosion. “I’d have to turn the service back on but should still work. These buttons here don’t do anything but play sound effects, but the receiver is back here.”
“That’s amazing.”
I smirk, handing it back to her. “I’ll have it back on today. I’ll give you a call when it’s working.”
“Is it loud? Is it going to scare the crap out of me?”
“No more than a frog in the couch.” I set it down and turn to leave.
“Hey, Chase. Thanks again for letting me stay here. I promise I won’t overstay my welcome. I’m sure Troy got the hint by now and is probably moving on to more important things. Like his campaign.”
I shrug and lift the T.V. remote. “Let’s see for ourselves.” In a flash, I picture Pepper going back to D.C. or New York, thinking she’s a free woman and ending up being forced into a marriage she didn’t sign up for.
I swallow down the tightness in my chest and flip through talk shows and shopping networks until I get to the news channel.
“Local farmer wins lottery,” I read off the screen.
“There you go—see—all better. I’ll give it a few days and…go back.”
“Pepper, that’s the local news.” I hit the next channel. “This is the national news.”
I point to the screen with a close-up of a photograph of her on the top right of the screen.
The banner across the bottom reads:
One Million Dollar Reward for Missing Penelope Walker.
“Troy Mayfield is offering a hefty reward for his missing fiancée. The mayoral candidate of Virginia refuses speculation of a runaway bride scenario and says he’s concerned for her safety and is expecting a call or note for ransom. Mr. Mayfield explains she was excited for their nuptials and wouldn’t have run off.”
The screen shifts to photos of the Pepper and the douche smiling and posing for cameras on a ski trip, with friends at dinner, and at a few high-profile events. I can see what Pepper meant. The man in the photos looks nothing like the man running for mayor.
“Mayfield is offering a generous sum of one million dollars to anyone who finds Ms. Walker. If you see this woman, call the number on the screen or the local police.”
Pepper’s face pales and she drops onto the couch.
“Let me guess…you think this is the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for you?” I say dryly.
I circle the couch but don’t sit. I fold my arms, watching her. Her eyes are filled with moisture and her hands are shaking.
