Ripple of Secrets: Rose Gardner Mystery Novella #6.5 (Rose Gardner series Book 3) (7 page)

Rose

For the first time in months, I had felt lonely as I ate breakfast at my kitchen table. I’d spent most of my twenty-five years alone. Even now, I was used to being alone off and on during the day. But I’d gotten used to spending my mornings with Mason, so I’d stared at his empty chair with an ache in my heart. Not because I was sitting there with just Muffy for company. I could handle being alone. It was the way he’d left that morning.

I knew I was being unfair. Mason was risking his life and his career to protect me, and I had repaid him by getting upset and being ugly. Still, I wasn’t some delicate flower that needed to be protected from the truth, and while I knew Mason well enough to know that he wasn’t trying to insult my intelligence, I had to know what was going on. It was not just his life or mine, after all—it was
ours
.

So I breathed a sigh of relief when he called and apologized. I was even more relieved when he said he wanted to tell me what he could. Finally, we could work on this together.

I finished cleaning up the kitchen and herded Muffy into the truck to head into town. After the early freezing rain, I’d put off going into the office, preferring to wait for the temperature to warm up enough to make the roads safe. Besides, it was the holiday season and we weren’t even open yet. But today was Neely Kate’s first day and I was hoping to get there before she did.

Nevertheless, I wasn’t surprised to find Bruce Wayne already at the office when I walked through the front door. He was bent over his computer with a frustrated grimace on his face.

“Hey, Bruce Wayne,” I said as I shrugged off my coat.

Muffy raced over to him and put her paws on his legs. He grinned as he rubbed the back of her head, but he didn’t answer me. I thought again about how reserved he’d been at Christmas dinner. Something was clearly wrong.

I tossed my coat on the desk and rolled my chair over to him, the sound of the wheels squeaking against the wood floor adding to the tension. “Why are you mad at me, Bruce Wayne? Is it because I went to New Orleans with Neely Kate last week and left you to go to that estate sale alone? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone.”

His hands trembled as he pulled away from Muffy and sat up straighter in his chair. Bruce Wayne hated confrontation. “If I did everything while you sat on a throne of pillows, I’d never begrudge you for one second, Rose Gardner.”

I leaned forward. “You know I’d never do such a thing, Bruce Wayne. We’re partners and I haven’t done my share in the craziness of the last few weeks. But I promise you, I won’t slack off anymore.”

He glanced up, his gaze guarded. “That’s not why I’m mad you at you, Rose.”

“Then what is it? I’m plum tired of getting the silent treatment from you.”

His eyes hardened. “The Lady in Black.”

My stomach tumbled to my feet. “What are you talkin’ about?”

“You know darn good and well what I’m talking about.”

“I…”

“Don’t try to deny it, Rose.
I
know
. I know you were with Skeeter last week at that meeting.”

“How?” But of course he did. Lordy, I’d been stupid.

“Why?” he asked in a pained voice. “Why would you do it, Rose? And why didn’t you tell me?”

I sighed. “I did it to protect you.” Of course, that was exactly what Mason always said to me, so I knew it didn’t offer a lick of comfort.

He shook his head, his eyes filled with hurt.

I rolled my chair closer. “Bruce Wayne, you can’t be part of this. If you get caught up in any of it, you’ll go back to prison. Maybe for good.”

“Why did you do it at all?”

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. “Skeeter told me Mason’s life was in danger. He promised to help protect him.” He looked doubtful. “Mason’s car accident wasn’t an
accident
, Bruce Wayne. Someone tried to kill him.”

He blinked in surprise. “What?”

“Joe said his brake lines had been cut.” I lowered my voice. “But you can’t tell anyone. They kept it from the public.”

“Why would Skeeter want to protect Mason?”

I shrugged. “To get me to help him. Like you said, he knows how to get people to do what he wants.”

“Okay. So he helped you and you helped him at this meeting. You’re done.”

“No, Bruce Wayne. I’m not.” I licked my bottom lip. “I’m stuck for six more months.”

“What? How?”

I cringed. “The fire at that strip club Gems. Mason was trapped inside. Skeeter saved Mason, but only after I agreed to help him for six months. But Mason has no idea Skeeter saved him and you can’t breathe a word of it.”

He walked to the window and looked out at the courthouse. “You have to tell Mason.”

I gripped the arms of my desk chair. “I can’t.” My voice sounded small and afraid, even to me.

“He’s gonna find out, Rose.”

“Maybe not,” I hedged. “I’ve kept it from him so far.”

He didn’t say anything, only kept looking out the window.

“I can do this, Bruce Wayne.”

“Then let me help you.”

I shook my head, adamant. “No. You can’t be involved.”

“I already
am
involved. I’m the one who got
you
involved.”

We’d had this argument too many times to count. “I’m stuck in this mess. If you want to help me, the best thing you can do is help cover for me.”

“Rose…”

“I can’t tell Mason. It could ruin his career.”

“It’s gonna be worse when he finds out. Or if someone else finds out for him.”

“Look, Skeeter was actually nice to me. Maybe I can convince him to let me off the hook.”

He turned around and looked at me like I’d just announced I was gonna take up mud wrestling. “You can’t seriously believe that.”

No, but a girl could hope. “I don’t want to talk about Skeeter Malcolm anymore.”

He scowled, then sighed. “Fine. We can talk about another problem. I think we have enough equipment to handle bigger landscaping jobs now, but after I picked up the mower from the estate sale last week, I realized there’s no way it’ll all fit in the storage unit out back. It’s in my garage for now, but I still need to pick up a few bigger pieces. We need something else.”

“We can use the barn out on the farm.”

“I got a flatbed trailer to cart the equipment to the job sites, but you’re gonna have to pull the trailer around with your truck. My car won’t do it.”

“Sounds like you need a truck,” I said.

“I can’t afford a truck, Rose.”

“You don’t have to afford a truck, Bruce Wayne. The business would pay for it and it’s a good idea…”

“Only we can’t afford it. We’ve shot the wad on the front-end loader. We’ve got too much money going out, and none coming in.”

He was right.

His cheeks flushed, a sure sign he didn’t want to discuss the next subject, but he plunged ahead anyway. “You know I think Neely Kate workin’ here is a good idea, but how are we gonna pay her?”

I’d wondered the same thing. “I’ll just pay her out of my paycheck.”

He shook his head. “That’s not fair to you. If we’re partners, we should split the difference.”

“Bruce Wayne, the farm is free and clear with no mortgage, and Mason is pulling more than his half in terms of our living expenses. You need all you’re making to pay your rent and utilities.”

“It doesn’t seem right.”

“I was the one to suggest that she work for us. I should have consulted you first, so it’s more than fair for me to cover her salary. And if it bugs you too much, you can pay me back when we’re in the black.”

“Or we can ask Joe to help.”

“No,” I said with more force than I’d intended. “We won’t be asking Joe for anything. This is
our
business. He may be part of the nursery side, but he has nothin’ to do with this part.”

He held up his hands. “Okay, fair enough.”

“She’s gonna come in soon. Now, I don’t want her to know that we’re cash poor.”

He chuckled. “She ain’t stupid. She already knows we’re cash poor, and even if she didn’t, she’ll figure it out within about five minutes if she’s any kind of bookkeeper at all.”

The front door opened and Neely Kate burst in. “Good morning!”

I grinned at her. It was true that I should have consulted Bruce Wayne before hiring my best friend as our bookkeeper, receptionist, and anything else we needed her for. Nevertheless, I wasn’t sorry. She was one of the best things to have come into my life since my momma’s murder.

But then again, from the way Bruce Wayne was beaming, I doubt he would have put up much of a fuss.

“Neely Kate!” I hopped out of my chair and gave her a big hug. “Welcome to your first day at RBW Landscaping!”

She squeezed me before pulling loose. “Are you gonna greet me like that every day? Because if you are, I hope I see you at the office
before
you start digging in people’s yards when summer comes around.”

I laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind. How was your Christmas?”

She lifted her eyebrows in mock disgust. “Well, I got more pickled beets and okra than anyone has a right to enjoy.” She opened her purse and dug around, then pulled out a package wrapped in brown paper. “But I thought Bruce Wayne might like this one.”

He reached up and hesitantly took the package. “What is it?”

“Raccoon jerky. My Aunt Thelma made it. She’s known around the county for her—”

“Jerky. I know about Thelma’s jerky.” His face lit up like she’d given him a bar of gold rather than strips of dried raccoon meat. “Her jerky’s hard to come by.”

“Well, now you have some,” Neely Kate said with a grin.

His smile faded. “I didn’t get you a Christmas gift.”

“It ain’t a Christmas gift.” She shrugged. “Consider it a thanks-for-lettin’-me-work-for-you present.”

I bumped her arm. “Where’s mine?”

She gave me an ornery grin. “Why, I thought the sheer joy of having me in the office should be enough for
you
. I was worried that Bruce Wayne might need a little convincin’.”

He shook his head. “I’m glad you’re goin’ to be workin’ here, Neely Kate. All I ask is that you and Rose keep all that women stuff to yourselves.”

“You mean birthin’ babies and such?” she teased with an exaggerated country drawl.

He cringed. “Yeah.”

“Then I’ll try not to let my water break here at work.”

He ducked his head to hide his blush. “That’d be much appreciated.”

Neely Kate winked at me and I shook my head. I could already see that these two were gonna be a handful together. But my heart warmed with happiness.

Since Neely Kate didn’t have a desk yet, we set her up at mine. She didn’t waste any time opening the accounting program and entering in information for both the nursery and the landscaping office.

I grabbed a notebook and moved over to the table we’d set up in the back for possible client meetings. Both the nursery and the landscaping business were gonna have an opening and I needed to finalize the logistics. But truth be told, I really needed to plan it with my sister.

Releasing a frustrated groan, I stood. “I’m gonna go check on Violet at the nursery.”

Both Bruce Wayne and Neely Kate looked up in surprise.

I lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “What? We need to finalize a reopening plan, and I want to check on how the reorganizing’s goin’.”

Neely Kate pointed a red and white striped fingernail at me. “Don’t you be lettin’ her talk you into spendin’ a ton of money on it. There isn’t much left to spare.”

I glanced over at Bruce Wayne, who was grinning like the cat that got the cream. Okay, so he’d been right. I grabbed my coat and slipped my arms into the sleeves. “Don’t worry. I won’t. I don’t see the point of putting too much effort into it either, but we have to do something.”

My gaze moved over to Muffy, who was asleep in her dog bed. “Do y’all mind if I leave Muffy here? I’m meeting Mason for lunch at Merilee’s at noon.”

Neely Kate waggled her eyebrows. “A lunch date? And we’re not invited?”

My shoulders tensed. “Not this time.”

“I was teasing,” she said. “But now you have me worried about what’s goin’ on.”

Bruce Wayne’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“Nothin’.” I waved my hand in dismissal. “We’re just gonna talk about…things.” That was not gonna appease my friends, but it was the best I could come up with at the moment. And I sure couldn’t tell them about J.R. Simmons.

“Is Mason upset about what happened in New Orleans?” Neely Kate asked.

“He was upset, but not in the way you think. I think he was more upset that we got into trouble and he wasn’t there to help.”

“Then what’s goin’ on?”

I rolled my eyes. This was definitely gonna be one of the perils of working so close to Neely Kate. I would have to tell her about my indentured service to Skeeter, but not today. Especially since it had nothing to do with this situation. “Did it ever occur to you that we were separated all last week and had lots of family and friends around over Christmas and maybe we just want a chance to spend some time alone?”

Neely Kate studied me for a moment. “No. If you were lookin’ for that kind of alone time, you would be
eatin’ lunch—
” she used air quotes, “—in Mason’s office.”