Maureen’s exhale could have pulled the wallpaper from the wall. “You’re the one having sex with him.”
Hya licked her lips. “They say it’s a fine line between love and hate…” She looked at Arissa and winked. “It’s not a fine line at all.”
“Oh dear God. I think we should vote to kick her out,” Maureen said.
“It’s time,” Millie said, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention like she would with her kids. Arissa stayed behind the others since there was no room and she didn’t know him. It was weird enough for him just getting this call. Millie connected the call, waited, the others moving a little closer to the screen when Noah appeared.
“Hot damn,” Hya muttered, inching Maureen over so she could get a better look. “Noah Brown, look at you all grown up.”
Noah smiled. “Look at you all…” He paused and finished. “Looking the same,” he muttered with surprise lacing his words.
Hya moved closer. “Sugar, the angle is off a little. Maybe you could lower the camera so we can get a look at the whole…package,” she said with a wicked grin.
Agreement immediately followed from the Belles in the form of head nods and hmm mmms.
Noah shook his head. “Glad to see some things haven’t changed.” Then he moved his face a bit closer to the camera and squinted, “Jesus, Mill, you still have the same hairdo.”
Mille patted her hair. “Why mess with perfection, Sugar?”
“We actually do have a reason for this call,” Maureen said, and then added, “Are you still married?”
Noah’s smile faded and an expression flooded his handsome features before he corrected it and offered, “No, been divorced for five years now.”
Arissa moved from her spot, stood behind the others because they didn’t know what she did. Taking in Noah, she could see Hank and him being friends, just by the way he was looking at the Belles, with the same reluctant patience that Hank had. “Hey. I’m Arissa.” She paused before she added, “I’m Hank’s girl.”
Noah’s lips spread into a wide smile that reached his eyes. “I had no doubt Hank would have a girl on his arm that looked like you.” He nodded his approval and said, “It’s nice to meet you. I…” He paused, looked at the women on his screen, a very far off version from the ones he was used to seeing. “It’s really nice to see you all but I gotta ask, why the call?”
Maureen glanced up at Arissa. “You should take this,” she said, standing to give Arissa her seat.
Arissa settled, then studied Noah before she said, “I’m going to try to be delicate because I don’t want to piss you off. But first, you know who Phoebe is, right?”
Noah muttered, “No.”
“Phoebe was Hank’s girlfriend. She lived here in Summerville for a time. Not too long ago, her ex came to Hank’s house accusing him of texting Phoebe.” Arissa let her words drop because she knew he’d have a reaction to that.
“Say again?” Noah asked, tilting his head.
“I was at Hank’s, he was out picking Vern up—”
Noah cut Arissa off. “Jesus, that woman is still alive?”
Arissa couldn’t help the smile. “Yes, and now has cats that need wrangling from time to time. Anyway, this man showed up, tried to break in, scared the shit out of me and said he was there because Hank was still contacting Phoebe through texts. We talked to Phoebe and she knows the texts couldn’t have been from Hank just by the language, but after looking into it, we think it might have been his mom.” Arissa took in a deep breath. “She tried to scare me away, she did the same to Phoebe and when Hank learned of this, he remembered what happened between the two of you.” Arissa held his stare and added, “We think it was his mom who meddled with you.”
Noah didn’t ignore what Arissa had said but he did ask first, “How’s Hank?”
Arissa smiled again because he was Hank’s friend, even still. “He’s not doing so well. This is getting to him, the questions, the why.”
“Heard from my parents before they moved outta Summerville he was about to be elected sheriff, how’d that go?” Noah kept on with his questions. Still not ignoring what Arissa had said but he wanted to know about his friend, one that he thought about everyday.
“I’m sorry. I’m just dumping this shit on you. Hank is sheriff and has been for eight years.”
Noah smiled. “It’s okay, Sweetheart. Damn, my man,” he said the last in a mutter. Then he touched on the reason for the call in the first place. “I always wondered about that time. But back then the chick had me by my dick, so I didn’t question Hank’s guilt. Yeah,” Noah agreed. “The texts she got didn’t sound like Hank but like I said, I was young, had a piece and she latched on and I couldn’t see anything past that.”
“Do you remember anything unusual with his parents when you were younger? We’ve noticed a pattern of his mother pushing people away that get close to Hank, but what we can’t figure out is why.”
Noah gestured with a shrug. “I mean the woman never let him do much, she never cut that cord and as I’m seeing it right now, still hasn’t. We were kids, you don’t think much about that shit but my mom…” He paused a second to collect the memory. “Heard my mom talking to my aunt about Catherine Weathers, how she was an odd one. My mom thought since me and Hank were tight that her and Catherine would be too, but nope.” Noah shook his head. “Didn’t want anything to do with my mom Far as I can remember, that woman never had close friends.”
“That’s a really good point,” Maureen said. “She’s been active, but always on the outside. She’s never formed a circle of friends. Thirty-six years in a small town and she still doesn’t have one.”
Noah snapped his fingers and pointed at the
