Page 44 of Real Good Love
Logan shakes his head. “He just asked her to come in to answer some questions. That’s all.”
The buzz of conversation behind us grows louder, and Logan’s gaze lifts over my shoulder.
“So she’s the one responsible for all those houses exploding? Just to buy that bowling alley? Shameful what people will do for money these days.”
“Isn’t it, though? I always knew there was something off about that girl.”
Logan’s fisted hands clench tighter on the table, his knuckles turning white. He can’t protect her from this gossip, and I know it must be pissing him off. The last thing he needs is to blow up and have people talking about him, though.
“Do you want to take this home?” I ask. Our dinners are already in to-go containers, so transport is no issue.
Logan grabs a beer and chugs it before nodding.
“I’ll drive,” I say as he slams the second one back. I just want to get us out of here.
We’re out of the tent and walking toward his truck minutes later.
“I don’t fucking believe it,” Logan says, his voice low and frustrated. “There’s no way Nicole would get mixed up in that stuff. She’s not built like that. Why the fuck would she bust her ass like she has been, and then all of a sudden decide to take the easy way out?”
He opens the driver’s side door for me and helps me into the cab of the truck. I have approximately thirty seconds to work out some kind of response to his question before he climbs in.
“I’m not saying she did, but maybe ... sometimes people who are busting their asses all the time but can’t seem to catch a break get desperate, and when an easier solution comes along, they might be in a position where it doesn’t sound like the worst idea in the world.”
Logan slams a fist against the dash. “That’s not her. I’ve known her forever, and I refuse to fucking believe she could do something like that.”
I fire up the truck and look at him, no longer able to hold back the question that’s been on my mind ever since I heard the first whisper of gossip tonight. “Why was she forty miles away, late at night, getting shut down when she tried to buy something at the pharmacy?”
He turns and gives me a hard look. “There’s gotta be another explanation. Like why you had pregnancy tests but didn’t even think you were pregnant.”
“Touché.” I shift the truck into drive. “Where are we headed? Your house or mine?”
“I’m not up for sleeping in that tiny bed of yours tonight.”
“Okay.” I turn the wheel in the direction of Logan’s house.
The silence that normally hangs between us is comfortable and easy, yet tonight it’s anything but. I’m practically squirming in the driver’s seat because of how awkward it feels, and I don’t know what to say to fix it.
“Maybe the fact that they’re questioning Nicole is good. They’re actually taking the investigation more seriously now, right?”
Logan leans back in his seat, his hands now clenching his thighs. “Because national news picked it up and that reporter chick came to town. Chief Timmons will look incompetent if he doesn’t get off his ass and start trying to get to the bottom of it now.”
“Which reporter chick?” I turn on the blinker to go left at the next intersection.
“Memphis something from the Investigation Network.”
My eyes cut to Logan. “Memphis Lockwood? She’s a big freaking deal. I’ve seen her report on things in New York. Mostly corruption cases and controversial topics.”
“Yeah, that one. She’s here in town.”
Shock ripples through me as I wait for a car to turn before continuing on. If Memphis Lockwood is here, Gold Haven is about to get more attention than when Holly Wix wonCountry Dreamsand became a star.
“Let’s hope she doesn’t hear about Nicole being questioned, because that’s the last thing she needs to know.”
Logan looks out the window. “Yeah, let’s hope.”
Chapter 24
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