Page 59 of The Last Goodbye

“It would definitely be better to know now, and sure, she’d be upset for a little bit, but then tomorrow would be a new day.”

I was a pro at moving on from disappointment.

“Exactly,” Gracie said.

“What can I do?” I asked, chewing on my thumbnail, because I wasn’t sure how I could possibly help.

“So, Bass has mentioned to the guys that she hangs out at this dive bar in Whisper Lake, which is one town over. Apparently, he gets calls from there occasionally when she hasn’t paid her tab, so he knows that’s her hangout.”

“He gets called for money, and he doesn’t even talk to her?”

There was so much more to this man than I’d realized. His heart was so large, and he did his best to keep it hidden. I understood his need to protect himself, because I often did that myself.

“Yes. She gives his name and number out to the owner whenever she can’t cover her bill. He tries to act all tough and stoic, but Cutler told me that Bass usually just pays it.” She sighed. “And he stepped out of the restaurant a little while ago, and Cutler went to check on him. He was calling the bar to ask if she was there, but unfortunately, they aren’t picking up the phone.”

I hopped down and grabbed my keys. “Do we know the name of the bar?”

“It’s called Whisper-Tails, and I know this is a huge ask. It’s probably a twenty-minute drive each way,” she said, and I could hear the anxiety in her voice.

“It’s fine. I’ve got no plans tonight.”

“Okay, I can send you a picture of her from Jovi’s Facebook page. If you could just take a look around and see if she’s there, then that would mean that she isn’t at the airport, nor trying to get here, because she should be getting on her flight in the next hour. And at least we can tell Bass so he can break the news to Jovi tonight.”

“If I see her, should I try to convince her to go to the airport?”

Gracie chuckled. “I mean, you’re already going above and beyond. I don’t know that you would have any luck with that, but sure, if you tell her how important it is to Jovi, maybe she’d feel some inkling to do the right thing. But don’t hold your breath. Jovi has talked to her, and she’s made it clear that she wants her there. If that didn’t work, I can’t imagine what would.”

“Okay. I’ll see what I can do. And if she’s not there, then what?”

“Well, if she’s not there, then I guess we have to wait it out. From what I’ve heard from the guys, if she didn’t come here, she’ll definitely be there.” She sighed and added, “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. I know it’s a huge ask, but it means a lot. It might save some heartache tomorrow if she finds out it’s not happening tonight.”

“I’m on it.” I locked up the back door and made my way to the front of the restaurant. “I’ll call you after.”

I walked the short distance home and hopped right in my car to head to Whisper-Tails. I typed the address to the bar into my GPS, and it was less than twenty minutes away. I saw a text pop up from Gracie, which I assumed was a photo of Jenna Bennett.

Music boomed through the speakers of my car, and the time passed quickly.

Once I arrived, I pulled the door open, and the place looked a little rough. It definitely wasn’t the type of bar that I went to for happy hour, but I also lived in New York City, and that was a whole different vibe.

But this was a whole different vibe from Blue Sky Bay, too.

The lighting was dim, the brown leather barstools were all peeling and worn, and the place smelled like warm beer. Only a few people were in the entire establishment, so it definitely wouldn’t take long to figure out if she was here.

I pulled my phone out and looked at the photo that Gracie had sent of Bass’s mother and noted the slight resemblance between her and her son. The same hair color and eyes, but that was about it.

I glanced around, noting only two women with shoulder-length dark hair.

“Jenna Bennett?” I asked as I stepped close to the woman who looked to be the same stature as the person in the photo, and she turned around immediately. Her hair was unkempt and falling out of the elastic behind her head; her eyes were bloodshot and her nose was ruddy.

“Yes? Do I know you?” she asked. Her voice was hoarse, and a deep cough followed her words. She reached for her rocks glass, which looked to be almost empty.

This had gone much easier than I’d expected.

One of the beauties of small-town living.

Finding the specific bar and the specific person would have taken hours in New York.

I pulled out the stool beside her, and the bartender strolled over. “Can I get you a drink?”