Page 135 of Summers at the Saint
“Don’t believe that chick’s bullshit,” he said. “She’s a lying whackjob. Did she tell you what she did to me?”
“She, uh, mentioned it.”
“Yeah. I coulda had her arrested for sexual assault, you know that? One of my buddies is a sheriff’s deputy. He coulda slapped the handcuffs on her, thrown her in the slammer.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I got better things to do with my time. Anyway, I got her ass fired. And the word’s out in this town. Who’ll hire her now? Where’s she gonna go?”
Livvy fixed him with a cool stare. “I wouldn’t know. I try to stay out of other people’s business and mind my own.”
“Good plan,” Garrett said. He looked around the lounge. “So, where’s your sidekick today?”
“Sidekick?”
“You know. Chef Felice.”
Garrett was getting on her last nerve. “How should I know? Maybe she’s still at church.”
“Praying for all us heathens,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Some of us need prayer more than others,” Livvy snapped. “Speaking of which, where’s KJ? Haven’t seen much of him this weekend.”
“His grandparents are in town, so he’s gotta suck up to Granddaddy.”
She locked her bedroom door and texted Felice.
Where are you?
She waited while the little bubbles floated on her phone screen.
Church supper. About to leave. What’s up?
Livvy’s fingers were trembling as she typed.
G just let me know he knows we talked to Chelsea. Kinda freaking me out. I think he suspects something.
Another string of bubbles.
B cool. Leaving here now.
She put the phone down and picked up her laptop and went online to resume paying her bills, but after all the events of the day it was hard to concentrate.
“Okay, I’m outta here,” Garrett called from the lounge. She heard the front door close, and a few moments later, heard his car start.
Livvy sprinted from her room to his. She tried the door, but it was locked.
As she was walking back to her room, her phone dinged to alert her to another incoming text. From Chelsea Shalanian.
CALL ME ASAP.
The front door opened. “Livvy?” Felice called. “I just saw Garrett leave. What’s going on?”
Livvy met her in the lounge, holding up her phone. “I think the shit has officially hit the fan. Chelsea just texted me to call her.”
“Wonder what she wants?”
“Guess we’re gonna find out,” Olivia said. She tapped the number embedded in the text and Chelsea picked up on the first ring. She put the phone on speaker.
