Page 181 of Ice Princess

If Gunner has his teammates watching my mom too, that means he has the same safety concerns that I do.

Worried, I remove my pink work gloves, walk away from the ‘garage’ for privacy and give mom a call.

“Hi, Rebel,” mom says cheerfully. “I was just about to call you.”

“Is everything okay?”

“About that movie night we missed, are you free this Sunday?” Mom sounds upbeat and relaxed. “I was thinking of setting it up for Saturday, but I remembered the final game of the playoffs is this weekend and we’ve got to support Gunner.”

She laughs so happily that it makes my chest tighten. “Yeah, Sunday sounds great, mom.” I scuff my pink work boots into the sand. “What are you up to?”

“I’m at home.”

I check my watch. “Why so early?”

“It was the strangest thing. Sheriff Kinsey very sincerely thanked me for taking care of him and his family and then he gave me a few days off.”

Why would he do that unless…

Did Gunner tell his parents already? I wonder what they said and how they responded. Is he okay?

My heart hurts for him and I wish I could give him a hug right now.

“I really felt that Sheriff Kinsey appreciated my work and it reminded me that no job is too small. The officers and the Sheriff do their part by keeping Lucky Falls safe, and I do my part too.”

Sometimes, I wonder if my mom is the wisest woman in the world or the most naive. “Are you really that happy, mom?”

“Of course I am. I’ll take this opportunity to rest so I can go back and work even harder.”

I play with my necklace, battling if I should say something about the will now.

“Rebel! Rebel!”

A new voice calls my attention to the street.

Marjorie White slows her turquoise blue Cadillac in front of our makeshift garage. “Rebel!”

“Who is that?” Mom asks.

“Marjorie White.”

“She probably wants to discuss Society business. Don’t let me keep you from your important duties.” Mom blows kisses into the phone and hangs up.

With a sigh, I trudge over to Marjorie.

She hops out of the car and slams the door shut. “Rebel, what’s going on? I thought you and Rodney Howard had a deal? Why did his secretary just call saying he changed his mind about the donation?”

“What?”

“I thought the matter was decided!”

“I-it was!”

“Not according to her.” Marjorie slides dark sunshades down her nose and pins me with a dirty look. “Miss Hart, what exactly happened at that meeting with Rodney Howard?”

“It was… a regular meeting,” I lie, glancing away.

Marjorie gleefully informs me, “Well, there’s a nasty rumor going around that you flirted with Rodney’s son to get the donation, but it backfired and now Rodney’s taking his anger out on the whole town.”

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