Page 88 of Hunter or Hunted
“She’d left him,” Mallory said. “We hadn’t talked since high school, so I don’t know all the details, but I know she wound up at Rhiannon’s. That’s when we reconnected—when she was finally away from him. But she went over one day to have him sign papers, and—” Mallory pinched her eyes shut and shook her head. “He told the cops they got into an argument and she grabbed his gun. Then... Well, she didn’t walk out. But everybody knew he did it. He ran off after the funeral.”
Simone squinted at me. “Shit.”
“Yeah, it was awful. Still is sometimes.” Mallory paused, eyes growing distant. She forced the smile back on. “It’s crazy, though, now that Liz is so big. She looks so much like Sarah at that age.”
“Does she know about all this?” Simone asked.
“She’s heard the rumors, probably. But I don’t think she knows all the specifics. It’s probably best not to mention it, though.”
“Right. Of course,” Simone said.
A moment of awkward silence crept in. We all sipped our wine to soothe it.
Mallory interrupted it with a smack of her lips. “So anyway.” I laughed at the fluster of it all, and she joined in. “Lizzie really likes you, though. She said you’re teaching her piano?”
“Yeah, biweekly lessons,” I said. “She doesn’t need them, though. That kid can play.”
“Pretty sure she got that from her mom too,” Mallory said. “Where do you teach?”
“She just comes to me,” I said. “I’m not with a company or anything.”
“Are you looking for more students, by chance?” Mallory wiggled her brows, smile sincere again. “Gabby’s been begging me to get her in somewhere, but the closest music school’s an hour away, and it’s just such a hassle with all their other activities.”
“Oh. Wow.” I paused, contemplating. “I mean, I can play, but I’m not an experienced teacher or anything.”
“Sure you are. Lizzie said you’re the best teacher she’s had. But if you don’t have the time, I totally get it.”
Whenever Andrew needed us at the bakery, he called us in. But I still wanted to open my own one day, and paying off that homeless guy to get rid of David’s car had depleted my savings.
“My schedule can get a bit wonky at the cafe. I don’t have a studio or anything either, but if you really need someone—”
“I really do,” she insisted. “And it wouldn’t be a bad idea to build up some business with everything at Maple & Thyme. God only knows what’s gonna happen there.”
A few months back, the whole town saw his wife throwing his shit on the front lawn. Since he managed the bakery, but her father owned it… Yeah, safe to say that Maple & Thyme’s future was unknown.
“Valid,” I murmured. “Molly said we’re usually open through the holidays, so she doesn’t know why we shut down this year.”
“I saw Julia and her dad walking around inside yesterday.” Frowning, Mallory shook her head. “Story was that he was getting ready to transfer it over into Andrew’s name. Now that she’s divorcing him, I doubt that’s gonna go through.”
Stomach sinking, I flapped my lips together in a trill. “Yeah, I was wondering where that’d go.”
“Not to freak you out or anything, but Chris thinks they’re gonna shut down and sell the building.” Scratching her head, she forced a laugh. “Haven’t done much to lighten the mood, have I?”
The thought of losing my job didn’t exactly bring me comfort. But because of the ranch, I still had a roof over my head. And like Mallory said, I had another skill I could profit on. I didn’t make much performing at nearby bars, but Sebastian said a hundred an hour was normal for piano lessons. Maybe Mallory had a point.
I laughed, shaking my head. “No, that’s okay. And yeah, if Gabby really wants some lessons, I’m happy to help.”
Mallory let out a little squeal of excitement, clapping quickly in front of her face. “Perfect! We’ve got a grand piano in the dining room. You could come here to teach her, if that works?”
“That’d be wonderful,” I said. “Thanks so much for asking.”
“Of course! And hey, you get a business card, and I’ll be happy to pass it around at the PTA.” She stood and topped off her glass. “Do you think it’s time we go check on those boys?”
“Yeah,” Simone said, glancing out the window. “One of them’s letting a preteen poke the fire with a stick.”
28
SEBASTIAN
