Page 34 of The Fall Back Plan
He pushes himself to his feet and brushes off his front. Jolie has Sophie halfway to her office, but they both stop and turn.
“I don’t have a gun,” Shane repeats.
“You deserved a takedown,” Mary Louise says.
He nods. “Fair.” He looks toward Jolie. “Can I talk to you in private?”
“No.” That’s Mary Louise, me, and Ry in unison.
“Yes,” Jolie says. “But out here, so they’ll feel better. Let’s take that booth.” She points and he heads toward it. She squeezes Sophie’s arm. “Are you okay?”
Sophie has her hand pressed against her heart. “Yeah, fine.”
“We can finish our discussion in a bit if you’re up for it.”
“I think I’ll head back to my shop,” she says. “Trivia ended up being way more action packed than I expected. I need a breather.”
Jolie smiles at her. “You’re hired.”
“But you didn’t see me host anything yet.” Sophie sounds surprised.
“You just made a joke thirty seconds after we thought we were dealing with an active shooter. You’ll do fine under pressure,” Jolie says.
“Even though I screamed?”
“Shows you were into the moment,” Ry says, and Jolie points at him. “Yeah. That.”
“I’m inclined to agree that they should hire you for anything, even though nobody asked for my two cents,” I add.
“Sweet,” Sophie says. “I’ll come chat with you about the details tomorrow?”
“Sounds good.” Jolie waves as she heads for the exit then joins Shane at the booth.
Mary Louise and I exchange glances. She doesn’t look thrilled.
“If she thinks I’m letting him out of my sight before he’s off the premises, she’s crazy,” I say.
Mary Louise nods. That’s it. Just a single nod.
“Mary Louise, come work for me.”
One half of her mouth goes up. This is not the first time I’ve asked.
“No, Sheriff.”
“Why not?”
“I set my own hours. And Becky talks too much.”
I give a soft laugh so we don’t interrupt the pair we’re watching so closely. “She does, but she’s a sweetheart, and she’s good at her job.”
“She is, but she’s married to my cousin. I get enough of her at holidays.”
I didn’t know that, but it doesn’t surprise me. Harvest Hollow is the kind of place where people like to stay, and there are lots of family trees with sprawling roots thick with cousins, usually grouped in the same sections of the city. Lots of Moores on this side of town. Lots of Shelbys on the other side. That kind of thing. I once accidentally went on a date with a second cousin.
The normalcy of the conversation is doing a lot to restore my equilibrium. There is nothing in Shane’s body language to suggest that he’s going to make a move Mary Louise and I won’t like, and Jolie’s says she’s not on alert.
Even as I quietly give the order into the radio for my deputies at the exits to stand down, I stay right where I am.
