Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 66642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Sophie had to admit to having the same feeling, yet she didn’t tell Ginny that. It wouldn’t do any good to deepen their friendship when she would be leaving.
“My whole family will be upset if you leave.”
“Your family has been very kind to me.”
“Just give it another few days. Talk to Drake and find out how much you would make from the sale. I just don’t want you to give up before you explore all your options.”
Sighing, she took a sip of her coffee. “I’ll talk to your friend, then come to a decision.”
“Great. I really want you to stay.”
A knock at Ginny’s door had both of them looking toward it.
“Come in!” Ginny yelled out, and Jody opened the door.
Laughing at Sophie’s startled expression, Ginny got up from the table. “I knew it was Jody,” she explained. “I texted him when I was in the kitchen. He wanted to talk to you before you left.” Ginny turned to go into the kitchen. “I’ll get you some coffee, Jody,” she said from over her shoulder.
“Thanks, sis.” Jody pulled out a chair next to where Ginny had been sitting. “I wanted to talk to you before you left. Have you talked to Knox yet?”
Sophie grimaced. “No, I haven’t returned his calls.”
Ginny handed Jody his coffee. “I need to start a load of clothes. I’ll be right back.”
Sophie suspiciously watched Ginny leave before returning her gaze to Jody. “Is something going on I don’t know about?”
“The sheriff discovered who broke into your apartment and needs to know what you want to do.”
Surprised at how quickly the sheriff had apprehended the burglar, she felt a wave of relief flow through her.
“Was it the man who wanted the money Marty owed him?”
“No. It was your neighbor. Baylin.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Come again?”
“Baylin, the woman who lives next to you, is the person who trashed your apartment.”
“Tell me you’re kidding?”
“I wish I could,” he said flatly.
“Your ex-girlfriend? That’s who we’re talking about?”
“Never a girlfriend, but … unfortunately, yes.”
“Did she say what she wanted to steal?”
“She didn’t steal anything. At least, that’s what she said. We won’t know for sure until you go back to your apartment and go through your things.”
“If she didn’t want to steal anything, then why did she break into my apartment?”
Jody stared at her steadily. “She was jealous of you and wanted you to leave town. I’m afraid that’s not all. She’s been talking shit about the restaurant to her coworkers and friends. That’s part of the reason your business has been so slow.”
“But why?” Why had Baylin gone after her like that? She had thought she was nice when she met her at the diner.
“She is jealous of you.”
Sophie sat back in her chair, astounded. “She’s jealous of me? You’re kidding.”
“No, I wouldn’t joke about something like this.”
“There’s no way Baylin is jealous of me. She’s gorgeous.”
“That’s a matter of opinion.”
She gave him a baleful look. “You know she’s gorgeous; why are you acting like she isn’t?”
“I didn’t say she wasn’t, only that Baylin is jealous of you.”
“Why would she be jealous of me? I don’t see her being jealous of me owning the diner or my apartment.”
“She wasn’t jealous of either of those things.”
“Then what?”
“She knows I am attracted to you.”
Sophie felt the heat pour into her face.
“You’re not disregarding that possibility like you did the others?”
She stared down at her neatly trimmed fingernails. “Nothing like a woman being scorned to bring out the claws.”
“Despite what you believe, I wasn’t in a relationship with Baylin.”
“I heard you and Baylin in her apartment. Try again.”
“We hooked up, that’s it,” he said firmly.
“She thought otherwise.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I never led Baylin on. She always came on to me, and I told her loud and clear that I didn’t want a relationship with her.”
“Spending six hours in her bed with you must have given her other ideas.”
“I get that it was in her head, but other than tattooing it on my dick, I couldn’t have made it plainer to her.”
Sophie gaped at him before snapping her mouth closed. “Or, if you knew she was taking your hookups to mean something more, you could have kept your little friend zipped in.”
Jody burst into laughter.
Her hand tightened on her coffee cup.
His eyes dropped to her white-knuckled grip on the cup. “I wouldn’t,” he warned.
She loosened her grip. “I don’t know what you mean.” She glowered at him.
“Yeah, you do, but I’ll let it pass for now. It’s getting a little heated in here, and I don’t want to give you another reason to run, so I suggest you call Knox and hear what he has to say.”
Latching on to the excuse to avoid talking to him any further, she called the sheriff. She was still talking to him when Ginny walked back into the room to sit down at the table. When she ended the call, she looked at the brother and sister. “The sheriff gave me the option to press charges on Baylin. She’s offered to pay for any damages.”