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Her dad had kept it open all these years and when she came home, she stayed here. Dad’s place was nice and all, but he had his way of doing things and she had hers. Plus, if she went out with friends, she didn’t want to have to sneak into the house like a wayward teenager.
Unlocking the door, she stepped inside, and relief washed over her as her body relaxed. She’d done alright for today. She had organized both the old and new affidavits and implemented a new system in the office.
She gently laid her laptop on the wooden table in the kitchen. Slipping her heels off, she glanced down at the scuffs and wrinkled her nose. She rummaged through the closet in the hall that contained everything from extra towels to a toolbox on the floor to all the things in between. She found the wax paste her dad had always used to shine his shoes and grabbed a rag. Sitting on the sofa, she began applying the wax to her shoes to, at a minimum, camouflage the scuffs. At a maximum, she’d be able to wax those scuffs right off.
Her phone rang, and she laid her shoe and the wax on the coffee table and stumbled to her purse. On the fourth ring, she tapped the answer icon, “Hi. It’s Kenna.”
Giggling on the other end of the line made her cheeks flush hot. “Hi, Kenna, it’s Lara.”
“Hi, Lara. I’m sorry, I was in the other room.”
“It’s alright. It sounded like you were busy. I’m only calling to extend an invitation for girls’ night. Shianne and I would love to have dinner and catch up. And I thought I’d ask my two new roommates, Adelaide and Maya, to join us. They don’t know many people here and I thought it would help them and you to meet someone new. Plus, it’s just been a long time.”
She plopped on the sofa. “You have roommates? I thought you got married.”
Lara’s laugh was genuine. “I guess that did sound weird. We have roommates. Tate’s company remodeled the old sewing factory on the edge of town into a beautiful home, office, and working facility. We all live out here.”
“Oh, wow. I didn’t know. I only just got into town a couple of nights ago and I haven’t had the chance to get around and see any of the changes. Other than seeing you at the bakery this morning, I’ve been nowhere else.”
“Well, we don’t have to do it tonight, but what if we plan for tomorrow night? You won’t have to cook, and we don’t have to make it a late night. I still get up early to bake, so let’s just make it dinner and a couple of drinks.”
“Tomorrow sounds great. You’ll need to pick the place, since I’m not sure what’s still here.”
“Sounds good. Let’s head out to the Broken Barrel and have heavy, greasy bar food.”
“Ugh, my pants just pinched me.”
Lara laughed, and she joined her. It felt good to laugh. “I’ll see you tomorrow night. How about five-thirty?”
Kenna nodded. “Five-thirty at the Broken Barrel. See you then.”
She put her phone on the sofa next to her and her stomach tightened. Colt Lowe probably still lived in town. It was unlikely he’d ever leave here. She picked her phone up and tapped Lara’s number. She bit her bottom lip as she listened to the rings.
“Hey, Kenna, that was fast, what’s up?”
“I just wondered if you knew if Colt Lowe was still in town.”
Lara hesitated for far longer than was comfortable. “He is.”
“Does he hang out at the Broken Barrel?”
“Pardon my nosiness, but you aren’t hoping to meet up with him, are you?”
“Oh, God, no. I don’t want to see him.”
“Whew. The last I heard, someone had kicked him out of the Broken Barrel.”
“Fighting?”
“Yep. And threatening to kill Chesson Ward. He still owns the Broken Barrel.”
“He threatened to kill him? Was he drunk?”
“Not really. He’d had a couple beers, but he was just in one of his surly moods.”
Kenna sat back on the sofa and stared out the tall windows at the far end of her living room. The sun was setting, though it was staying light longer these days.
“Do you see him much?”
