Page 32 of Out to Get Her
“Later? Why?”
He nodded toward the door as he held up his next chip. “Because she just walked in. And I’m pretty sure she’s headed this way to accuseyouof something.”
Erin was confused for only about half a second. Then she heard that voice behind her. The one she could never in a million years forget. The one she’d been avoiding since she’d stepped foot back in this town.
The voice abruptly stopped rambling to the cashier and said, “Give me one minute. I see someone I need to have a chat with.”
ChapterEleven
Erin slumped in her chair.
“Crap.”
“Mmhmm,” Trey murmured over his chip crunching. He swallowed, then forcefully brightened his expression and sat up straight. “How are you, Mrs. Weaver?”
Adeline Weaver stood over them, looking back and forth between Trey and Erin. “I didn’t know you two were acquainted.”
Erin forced a smile that felt more like a dry-rotted rubber band about to snap. “Hello, Addie. Good to see you.”
“I’ve been helping Erin with her grandfather’s estate and final business affairs.”
Trey’s smile was much more natural than Erin’s. His effortless display of charisma was impressive. And probably handy now that she knew his history and how everyone around here must have initially reacted around him. Charm could be a very useful survival tool.
Addie’s expression shifted from prepared-to-pounce to ready-to-bake-a-sympathy-cake.
She turned her attention to Erin. “I haven’t had the chance to tell you how sorry I was to hear about his passing. You must be devastated. We all feel his loss very deeply around here.”
“Thank you, Addie,” Erin said. “It’s been… hard.”
Her throat threatened to close up just saying those words. It was harder than she’d ever imagined, yet she didn’t want to let anyone know how hard. And she sure as hell didn’t want to talk about it. Especially not with Addie.
“I’m sure it has been, dear.” Her voice dropped. “I thought I’d heard talk that you were back in town, but I was so busy that day. What with thefireand all.”
So much for any lasting effects from Trey’s charm.
The bells on the cafe door jingled as someone new entered the restaurant, but Erin didn’t dare take her eyes off the woman staring her down.
“Yes, I heard about your loss, too. I’m so sorry.” She forced another smile and tried to channel some of that Trey magic. “Your BLT was the first thing I came looking for when I got here.”
The woman’s cheeks brightened at the compliment, but she wasn’t deterred from her goal. “Strange how my kitchen caught on fire the same day you rolled into town, isn’t it?”
Trey cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. He seemed to raise his brow at someone across the room behind her, but Erin had her hands full at the moment and couldn’t see who was at the diner door.
“That is quite the coincidence,” Erin acknowledged, refusing to take Addie’s bait.
“Coincidence? Young lady—”
“Well, hello, Mrs. Weaver!” Sam’s voice cut through the conversation with out-of-character enthusiasm and a big, bold grin. “Trey. Erin. Good to see everyone.”
“Hello there, Sergeant Ardoin.” Trey made an exaggerated grimace at her while Addie’s attention was torn between Samantha and Erin.
Samantha was clearly alert to the trouble already, although Erin could have handled Addie on her own. She’d had enough of the woman’s derision to know she was all bluster and bark, but had no real bite to speak of. Like pretty much everyone else around here.
Still, if she didn’t have to be the one to deal with it today, all the better.
The bonus was the tingle of heat creeping up the back of Erin’s neck at the sight of Samantha. Her cheeks were probably turning red with heat as well. Hopefully, she hadn’t imagined that tiny glimmer of mutual interest the other night. Maybe Erin could even forget that Samantha was a cop… temporarily, that is.
“Samantha, I was just telling Erin that it is quite strange that she showed up here just as—”
