Tied With a Bow and No Place to Go (Tizzy/Ridge Trilogy Book 3) (2 page)

“We can’t do anything for Jay Roy,” Synola said. “So tell us
why you’re convinced Bubba’s cheating.”

Rayann wiped tears and hiccupped the words out.
“I—found—makeup—on—his—collar.”

Tizzy gripped the steering wheel. She didn’t believe it, but
apparently Rayann did. “That’s not proof. An innocent hug will leave makeup.”

“I’ve found it more than once. How many innocent hugs is the
man getting?”

“Lord, this is why marriage is not for me,” Synola declared.
“The two of you are still newlyweds and one’s being ignored and the other
thinks her man is cheating. Damn! I thought Jay Roy’s giant pocket-rocket would
be the drama of the day.”

As Tizzy put the car in gear and headed for the highway, she
figured by now, all over town, tongues were wagging about Jay Roy. He’d been a
lifetime member of the community, a star quarterback in high school, and
current owner of a string of chicken houses. She pushed the man from her mind.
Rayann’s problem was more important. “Okay, we need to decide about Bubba.”
Tizzy glanced at her friend. The color drained from Rayann’s face. “Oh God,
don’t start crying again.”

“Should we ask Jinx? He’s trying to get his P.I. business
established and you could be his first case,” Synola said.

“He’s friends with Bubba. I’m not sure he’ll do it,” Rayann
said.

Tizzy flapped her hand in the air. “Get a tissue from the
glove box. Your mascara must not be waterproof. You’ve got raccoon circles.
What kind of surveillance do you want—Bubba followed and pictures taken?”

“I guess.”

Tizzy made a right turn onto the highway. “I bet Jinx will
take the case. He’s a professional. But can’t you confront Bubba?”

Rayann blotted her cheeks, then pulled down the visor mirror
and removed the marks. “No. If he is cheating, I can’t discuss it with him.”
She erupted into tears again. “You see how upset I get just talking to you?”

“Well, I sure as hell can talk to him and put an end to this
crap,” Synola said.

“No!” Rayann jerked her head around to face Synola. “If I’m
wrong, I don’t want him to ever know I doubted him.”

Tizzy swerved to the side of the road, slammed on the
brakes, and shoved the gear into park. “Listen to me,” she said, trying to be
the voice of reason. “If makeup smudges are the only evidence, then you’ve got
to agree that’s not enough to convict him.”

Rayann blinked at her. “That’s not everything. He’s taken up
fishing.”

Tizzy tried to make sense of the statement and then Synola
asked before Tizzy could. “What does that have to do with infidelity? I’m
confused.”

Rayann buried her face in her hands. “He never catches
anything.”

Tizzy tapped the steering wheel with her fingers and shot
Synola a look that said, don’t dare laugh.

“Well, have you asked him about his failure as an angler?”
Synola said.

“Yes. He says he throws them back. He’s doing it for sport,
not food.”

Tizzy smiled. “That’s a reasonable answer.”

Rayann took a staggering breath, a glimmer of optimism
crossed her face and Tizzy thought she’d made a breakthrough. But Rayann
straightened and said, “Dwayne’s hiding something. I can tell he’s lying. A
woman senses these things.”

Tizzy nodded agreement and hoped Rayann was wrong. But if
Bubba is cheating on my best friend, I’ll serve him up a helping of Keep It in
Your Pants Pie. She squeezed Rayann’s hand. “Okay, I’ll talk to Jinx.”

A few minutes later, she parked across the street from Sweet
Thangs Bakery. Tizzy’s mom, Pattiecake McAlister, and aunt, Sugarpie Monroe,
owned the place. Although in their fifties, they were as sassy as if they were
still in high school. They’d be waiting for Jay Roy details.

The pink and white awning stretched across the front of the
store gleamed in the early morning light. Tizzy loved the place. While at
college, her dad often asked how she planned to use a Philosophy degree. At the
time, she intended to go to law school, but a hasty decision to marry, then
Boone’s unexpected death, and the surprise pregnancy with Gracie, changed all that.
In a way, Sweet Thangs proved to be her salvation.

Still a half hour before opening, she used her key to open
the door. Rayann and Synola followed. The aroma of vanilla and coffee floated
to her. She inhaled, letting the scents settle on her tongue. The smell brought
a smile to her lips. Everything about the bakery soothed her, even the simple
tasks of measuring, mixing, and baking.

The door barely closed behind them when Pattiecake and
Sugarpie dashed from the kitchen spouting questions like team players in a game
of Pictionary. “How did Jay Roy die? Did you say he was naked with a ribbon
tied around his Willie? What did Dan say? Are the girls who’re in town for the
reunion suspects?”

The questions overlapped and Tizzy couldn’t tell who asked
what. She threw her hands in the air. “Stop! Please. One question at a time.”

Pattiecake grabbed her daughter’s hand, dragged her to a
table, pulled out a chair and pushed her onto the seat. The rest of the group
followed and each claimed a place.

“Is it true? He was naked?” Pattiecake started again.

Synola laughed. “He didn’t have a stitch on except cowboy
boots and a bow tied around his baloney-pony.”

Pattiecake grinned and tilted her head as if to share a
secret. “Back in high school, girls said his dingus was quite impressive. Not
that I ever saw it.”

Propping an elbow onto the counter, Synola’s brows rose into
her hairline. “Well, even with it wilted, I’m impressed. I can imagine how big
it would be—fully bloomed.”

The air hung heavy with the scent of baked cakes, pies and
cookies. Pattiecake drew a deep breath and released it. “I can’t believe he’s
dead. I just saw him yesterday.” She zeroed in on Rayann’s swollen eyes.
“What’s wrong, Sweetie? The dead body got you upset?”

Rayann wasn’t paying attention. Instead, she stared at her
wedding ring, twirling it around her finger.

“She thinks Bubba is screwing around and wants Jinx to
follow him.”

“Synola!” Rayann screamed.

“Oh, was I not supposed to tell? I didn’t hear you say I
couldn’t.”

As if rehearsed, Pattiecake and Sugarpie circled Rayann
pulling her into a double hug. Tizzy knew if anybody could lift her friend’s
spirits, those two could. When they released her, she sat and laid her head on
the table.

“We can help you with this,” Pattiecake said.

Rayann spoke into the Formica. “How?”

“Between the two of us,” Patticake flipped a finger back and
forth toward her sister, “we have over sixty years of marriage, and honey,
we’ve heard plenty. Women talk here the way men talk at the bar. I’d say that
makes us experts in the field of fornication and faithfulness.”

Rayann rolled her head to one side and looked up at the
women, a flicker of hope in her expression.

“First question: Has he started wearing cologne?” Sugarpie
asked.

“No.”

“Does he make excuses to work past his shift?” The question
from Pattiecake.

Rayann sat up straight as a ruler. “No.”

Sugarpie eyed Tizzy and continued. “Stopped showing
affection or saying he loves you?”

“No.”

“So far, I don’t hear any incriminating answers,” Tizzy
said, staying positive.

“Maybe not, but I’m telling you, something’s not right. I
can’t put my finger on it, but I can sense it. Statistics prove twenty percent
of men cheat during the first year of marriage,” Rayann said.

“Look on the bright side. That leaves eighty percent who don’t,”
Tizzy said.

“That’s right, and isn’t your anniversary right around the
corner? Perhaps he’s taking dance lessons and wants to surprise you,”
Pattiecake said.

“Oh my Lord. I’ll bet that’s it!” Tizzy said. “That would
explain the makeup and the new hobby.

Rayann’s pained expression told Tizzy, no sale.

“Well, if Bubba’s playing Pickle Me, Tickle Me, with anybody
but you, Jinx will find out.” Sugarpie put her hands on her hips. “I know what
will make you feel better. Y’all want cinnamon rolls? They’re fresh out of the
oven.”

“Sounds good to me, I’m starved,” Tizzy said.

Synola smacked her lips. “Me, too.”

“Coming right up,” Sugarpie said. “Y’all finish the Jay Roy
story and talk loud enough so I can hear, because I don’t want to miss a word.”

“Oh, and bring me a dozen chocolate covered strawberries to
go, please,” Tizzy said. A few minutes later, as she finished the story,
Sugarpie returned, passed each girl a plate, and set the platter of rolls on
the table.

“Well, surely a woman didn’t kill Jay Roy.” Pattiecake
picked up a roll and smiled at it. “He was such a smooth operator, even when
his wives divorced him, they still liked him.” She pulled off a sliver of
pastry and popped it in her mouth.

“There must have been something wrong with him. He has three
exes,” Synola said.

“He was a nice guy, but couldn’t resist temptation,”
Sugarpie said.

Tizzy wiped sticky fingers on a paper napkin. The comment
made her squirm. “I couldn’t be friends with an ex if he’d cheated on me.”

Synola swallowed and licked icing from her lips. “No lie.
You didn’t discover Boone’s indiscretion until after he died, and it happened
before y’all married, and you still got pissed.”

Tizzy crossed arms under her breasts and leaned back. “I
saved myself for him. We promised to be each other’s first. I thought we were.
Then I found out he’d been unfaithful — more than once, so it pissed me off
plenty, even if he was dead.”

Pattiecake rubbed her daughter’s shoulder. “Relax. That’s
water under the bridge. Even if Boone cheated, he gave you the best thing in
your life—Gracie. And now you have Ridge, so I’d say things worked out just
fine.”

“And don’t forget the money,” Synola said. “Boone did leave
plenty of life insurance and his half of the bank, so I’d say you came out more
than fine.”

“I am now, but grieving for him and having a baby without a
father almost killed me. I believed Boone was the love of my life, but turns
out, Ridge is, and he’s a terrific daddy to Gracie.” She spoke the words with
conviction, but a twinge of unease settled in her chest. Seven months into
marriage, and already a serious issue needed attention. She pushed the feeling
aside and gave attention back to the group. “Can y’all get along without me for
a while? I want to talk to Ridge before he gets started on Jay Roy’s case. He
should be in town before lunch and since we’ve added sandwiches to our menu
that will be the busiest time.”

“We’ll make it,” Patticake said. “But I hate for you to miss
the gossip in here today.”

Sugarpie nodded. “Don’t forget we scheduled a private party
for the classmates in town for the reunion. It starts at two.”

“I’ll be back before then.” Tizzy spun on her heels and
Rayann called after her. “Hey, don’t say anything to Ridge about what we
discussed. Okay?”

“Wouldn’t think of it.” She walked out the door and crossed
the street to her car. She drove a block to McAlister’s Tavern, parked and
admired how the new green paint accented the barn wood sign. Jinx Monroe, her
first cousin and new owner of the bar planned more changes. She’d convinced him
to add a private investigation office. It seemed a natural fit with his
military background and mysterious connections. She hiked her purse over her
shoulder. A small bell tinkled when she opened the door.

Jinx, head bowed, studied a set of blueprints spread out on
the counter. He glanced up and dimpled her. God, he should be on a calendar.

“Hey cuz. It’s too early for a drink, so what’s on your
mind?”

“I have a possible case I want to discuss with you.”

He folded the papers and shoved them aside. “What kind of
case?”

“Unfaithful husband. The wife just wants him followed and
some pictures taken if you catch him with anybody.”

“Okay. I’ll need his work schedule and any other regular
activities he does. Five hundred dollar retainer, two hundred dollars a day plus
expenses.”

“Will it be a problem if you know the guy?”

Jinx ran a hand across his jaw. “Damn. Please tell me it’s
not Ridge.”

“No, of course not.”

“How well do I know the man in question?”

Tizzy sucked in a staggering breath and released it. “It’s
Bubba.”

“Dammit to hell. Rayann going paranoid?”

“Maybe. She’s convinced there’s another woman. Are you still
interested?”

“Sure. Forget the fees. I’ll do it just to prove her wrong.”

“When you tail him, I want to go. Okay?”

“The reason being?”

“If he is cheating, Rayann will be better off hearing it
from me.”

“That’s not news I’d want to tell her, so you can ride
shotgun.”

“Great. You still want to jog together sometime this week?”

“Sure.”

“Okay. Now, a bottle of your best champagne, please. I’ve
got a private welcome home party planned for my husband.”

Jinx strolled to the end of the bar and opened a small
refrigerator. “Here you go. Already chilled. I hear you had some excitement
this morning. Figured Ridge would handle the case.”

“I gotta go. When I have more time, I want a tour of the
office construction. From what I can tell from the street, they’re making
progress.”

“They’re on schedule. If everything continues to go as
planned, they should be finished by the end of the month.”

She headed to the door. “Talk to you later. Put this on my
tab.”

“Am I ever going to collect your tab?”

She called over her shoulder. “There’s always hope.”

Ten minutes later, she pulled into her drive, glad to be
away from the morning drama. She had a possible crisis of her own. She walked
next door to Browning house. Once inside, she started the air conditioners.
After Boone died, wanting to preserve part of the town’s history, she still
took great pride that she’d bought the place. The third oldest home in town, it
served as the perfect location for her and Ridge to share private time. Since
Brownsboro didn’t offer any hotels Ridge stayed there when he worked his first
murder case.