Friends? Is that what they were?
April cleared her throat. “And I’ll take my phone and the check.”
“Oh, your phone. I’ll get that for you.”
Larissa spun away, and April wrinkled her nose. “She looks familiar. The name is familiar, too.”
“Her family has lived here for some time. She was into the drug scene for a while, but I think she’s clean now.”
April hunched forward. “Then she probably knows who I am?”
“That you’re my ex-fiancée or that you’re the daughter of C. J. Hart?”
“Both. Either.”
He shrugged, a quick lift and drop of his shoulders. “Don’t be paranoid, April.”
“If you say so.”
“How’d it go with Meg?”
“All right, except she kept watching me as if she expected me to steal the silver—and she doesn’t even have any silver.”
“There you go again.” He nudged her small purse at the edge of the table. “She must’ve fronted you a little money to get you back on your feet.”
“She did, but she is living in my house rent free.”
“You’re letting her live there without paying you anything? That’s generous of you. There’s a little housing shortage in Paradiso due to the new pecan-processing plant. You could get some bucks for that house.”
“I don’t know.” She dragged her new purse in front of her and unzipped it. “I feel like I kind of owe it to her.”
“You’re not responsible for what your father did.”
“Or didn’t do.”
His mouth tightened. “You don’t owe your mother’s family anything, April, no matter how guilty they make you feel.”
Larissa set another glass in front of Clay. “Your drink, and your phone.”
“Thanks.” April studied the woman’s dark brown eyes and shy smile. Then she snapped her fingers. “I know you. You dated my brother, Adam Hart, for a while, didn’t you?”
Larissa’s eyes widened. “Yeah, I did. I didn’t think you’d remember me, but I remembered you.”
“Well, it’s good to see you again.” April scooped up the phone and waited while Larissa put down the check and left the table. “Maybe I should try calling Adam again, too.”
“First things first. Give Jimmy a call and clear the air.” Clay half rose from his chair. “I’ll give you some privacy.”
“I don’t need privacy to talk to Jimmy.” She waved him back to his seat and tapped Jimmy’s number into the phone.
She held her breath through the first ring and second ring, hoping for a voice mail.
“Who’s this?”
Jimmy’s voice, abrupt and gravelly, made her jump. He’d put on a totally different act when they’d met, but he couldn’t keep it up forever, and even before she overheard his conversation with Gilbert, doubts had crept into her mind.
“Jimmy, this is April. I—I just wanted to explain what happened and to apologize.”
“Are you coming back home, April?” His voice softened and a pleading tone had crept into it.
She lined up her spine against the back of her chair. “No. No, I’m not coming back, Jimmy.”
“Then you’d better return what you stole, bitch, or I’m comin’ for you.”
Chapter Six
April clutched the phone so hard its edges dug into her palm. “The ring? You want the ring back?”
“I’m not talking about the ring—cubic zirconium, anyway.”
Jimmy chuckled, which caused her fear to spike even more. Had he missed that wooden token?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jimmy. The dress? The wedding. I’ll pay you back for all of it.”
Clay had shifted in his seat and curled his hands into fists where they rested on the table.
“Don’t play with me, April. You took the flash drive from my laptop—and I want it back.”
She let out a slow breath. She didn’t take any flash drive, didn’t even see one in the laptop on the desk. “I didn’t take your flash drive. Why would I do that?”
Clay cocked his head, and she shrugged.
Jimmy paused. “You were in my office yesterday morning before you took off. I know you were. I found some beads or whatever from the wedding gown. So, you must’ve been dressed for the wedding and decided to snoop on me. Why?”
April swallowed. This had to be a good turn of events. He didn’t seem sure that she knew about his business—and she wanted to keep it that way.
“I went into your office looking for you, to tell you I was having second thoughts. Who knows? If I had found you there, maybe you could’ve talked me off the ledge, but you weren’t there and I left. That’s it, Jimmy. I wasn’t snooping on you. I didn’t take any flash drive.”
“Have you talked to Adam?”
“He called me yesterday just to make sure I was okay. We didn’t talk long.”
“How’d he reach you? I’ve been trying your phone ever since I realized you’d skipped out. You ditched it or it’s not turned on.”
“I’d rather not say, Jimmy. It’s over and I’ll be happy to pay you what I owe you for the wedding—even the cheap ring—but I didn’t take anything from you and I’m not coming back. Why is this flash drive so important, anyway, and why would I want to take it?”
Clay kicked her under the table and she wagged a finger at him. She had to keep pretending she had no idea the nature of his business. She’d asked a normal question from an innocent person.
“Important information about my import/export business, and I know you were always asking questions about it.”
“Just out of curiosity. I’m sorry someone took the flash drive but it seems like you’re more upset about the missing flash drive than your missing bride, so it appears that I made the right decision. Goodbye, Jimmy.”
Before he could answer, she ended the call and closed her eyes, the phone cradled between her hands.
“What the hell was that all about?”
She opened one eye and peered at Clay. “He doesn’t know. He thinks I stole some flash drive because he knew I had been in his office, but he seemed to believe me when I told him I hadn’t taken it.”
“As far as he
