“I am very well aware since I’m the first person to come upon Drake after the fact”, Kresley stated with no emotion in her voice. “I am so sorry this has happened and I wish I could help with any info of why it happened, but I don’t know anything. Please just let me know how you want details handled on cancelling wedding plans, and I’ll take care of those soon. The insurance you paid for, Mr. Nolan, will take care of any fees that can’t be refunded or down payments that aren’t returned. You won’t lose any money on things that aren’t in your control.”
“Thank you, Ms. Anderson. I appreciate you taking care of this for my daughter. She has enough to deal with right now. We’ll let you get back to your work. Please call me with any questions”, Pete Nolan stated, just as icy and emotionless as his daughter. Like father, like daughter Kresley guessed. She walked them out of her office to the front door. As soon as it closed behind them, she let out a long sigh, looked over at Grace talking with Officer Boomer Collins for their “daily afternoon safety meeting” and went back to work.
Kresley sat at her desk after her meeting with Claudia for a few minutes, thinking about how awkward that was for everyone, but Claudia handled it as well as she could under the circumstances. She then shook herself more alert and made phone call after phone call, trying to wrap up details for the upcoming wedding for the Smith-Truett couple. She also winced as she made phone calls to cancel plans for Drake Harris’ wedding. Throughout the day, she received several phone calls that would hang up as soon as she answered. She finally asked Grace about them, since Grace patched all calls through to the appropriate Anderson sister. Grace stated that all calls she had answered had someone on the line.
“How many hang up calls have you gotten lately, Kresley?”, Grace asked with curiosity.
“I’m not sure, but I’d guess I’ve gotten around ten or in the last few days.”
“Ten or so since Drake’s murder?”, Grace asked more carefully.
“Yes”, Kresley answered, confused with how Grace was looking at her.
“Kresley, I think you should let Cade know about the hang up calls, just in case. Boomer told me about the note they found here that night. I know he wasn’t supposed to tell, but he kind of let it slip when he was in earlier doing his patrol thing. Why haven’t you mentioned it to us?”
“I didn’t want to worry y’all. I really don’t think I’m a target or anything. Why would I be? I haven’t had anything to do with Drake or his family in a very long time. But yes, I’ll let Cade know, just in case. By the way, what time are we leaving to go do whatever you have planned tomorrow night? I need to make sure I have things wrapped up first”, Kresley stated to Grace as she took out her smartphone to text Cade.
“We’ll leave here around 6:00 PM or so. Wear clothes that are comfortable, but bangin’ at the same time. We may or not be dancing at some point”, Grace stated with a grin on her face. Kresley just nodded her head, her thumbs already flying across the screen of her phone.
Kresley: Hey Big Sexy. Just wanted to say what an amazing time I had last night. Oh, and Grace wanted me to bug you with something. Call me when you can on my cell. XOXO, Kres
Cade: Sure thing. Will call in a few. And you are very welcome. My pleasure baby
Kresley grinned at his reply and went back to work. Cade called her phone a few minutes later. She greeted him with a soft, “Hi Cade. Thanks for calling so quickly.”
“No worries sweetie. I always have time for you. So, what’s up with Grace?”, Cade asked warmly. Kresley could picture him sitting at his desk, chair tilted back and his feet propped up.
“I hadn’t really thought about it until she just said something to me, but I’ve gotten around ten or so hang up calls since Drake’s murder the other day. It’s just a coincidence, right?”
Cade was quiet on his end of the line for several moments. Kresley waited patiently for him to answer, but inside she began to have a sick feeling in her stomach.
“Kresley, are the phone calls transferred from Grace to your office, and then the hang up happens? Or are people hanging up on Grace at the front desk?”
“The hang ups don’t happen until I pick up my line in my office. Grace said that she hasn’t had any hang ups with her”, Kresley answered.
“Okay, baby, it’s probably nothing, but just to be sure, I’m going to put in a request for them to pull your phone records at the office for the last month or so. Don’t sit there and worry, okay? I’ve got this. You know I’ll protect you, right? I’m not going to let anything happen to you sweetheart”, Cade stated quietly, but with enough hardness that it caused shivers up Kresley’s spine.
“I know that and believe it, Cade. I trust you.” Kresley could hear Cade sigh heavily over the phone. “What’s that sigh for honey?”
“Well first, you saying you trust me just hits me hard in the chest. Every time. Damn near takes my breath away. Second, you just called me honey. And now I have the biggest smile on my face. Kresley Anderson, hot wedding planner, called me her honey. I guess that makes me your boyfriend, doesn’t it?”, Cade asked. Kresley could hear the smugness in his voice, but he also sounded really happy.
“So, we’re back in high school again?”, Kresley asked with a smirk. Her giggle gave her away and she could hear Cade grin through the phone.
“I guess we are baby. So, what
