“So,” she begins, “Libby called me last night. She and Ted are getting a divorce.”
My jaw drops to the ground. “Are you fucking serious?”
My head spins at the news.
“Yeah,” she says. “Libby was pretty upset. I just got off the phone with her again, and she’s heading to her mom’s in Vegas. Ted invited her to San Diego so he could tell her in person. The asshole.”
“Wow. Okay.” Who would divorce Libby? She’s awesome. “Did she say why? It’s none of my business but I’m curious.”
Her eyes narrow briefly. “Ted was having an affair with a woman named Kimmy.”
Kimmy Curtis. Dark hair. Red lips. Mows her lawn in a bikini.
With Ted?
I shake my head to try to focus. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Actually, yes. Can you take a couple of things from the house and save them for Lib? Ted is coming back today and she wants to make sure nothing happens to them.”
“Of course.” I glance up at the house. “Want me to get them now?”
Her lips twist. “Yeah. If you can. I need to get out of here too before Ted gets back because I might kill him.”
I have no idea how I’ll be nice to Ted from this point forward. Sure, his marriage has nothing to do with me, but it is a solid indication that he’s a fuck.
“Do you know anything about the Park Inn?” she asks. “Is it clean enough? It looks pretty close to the airport and has restaurants close by.”
“The Park Inn down on West Chester Street?”
She furrows her brow. “I think so. I just looked it up online this morning.”
I open my mouth to tell her she could stay with me but close it before I do. There’s a look in her eye that stops me in my tracks.
She didn’t like taking Leo’s help for free. Odds are she won’t like my offer to stay with me either—even if I mean it to help her out and not to try to get laid.
Although I wouldn’t be against that either.
“I think that’s a decent place,” I say, racking my brain for the Park Inn. “It’s in a good part of town.”
She nods. “That’s what it looked like. I’m going to call and see if I can get a room until I fly out next weekend.”
“Want me to start getting Libby’s stuff out of the house?” I ask.
Before I can answer, her phone rings in her hand. She looks down.
“If this is about my extended warranty, I’m going to lose it,” she says as she brings the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
Her lips purse together, and I wonder if there’s a person in the world who can take her seriously when she’s angry. I almost prefer this look over the amused one she usually gives me. It’s so animated, and the shadows on her face make her so damn attractive. It’s a definite conundrum.
“This is Jacqueline,” she says, looking at me.
Jacqueline? Noted.
“I can but … what’s this about?” she asks. “Yes, I’m in Savannah.”
The color drains from her face. Her knuckles turn white as she grips the phone for dear life.
My heartbeat picks up as I watch her react to whatever the person on the other end is saying.
“Okay. Yeah. I’ll be there. Who do I ask for?” she asks with a wobble in her tone. “Okay. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you there. Thanks.”
She ends the call. Her gaze pulls to mine. It’s confused and, if I’m not mistaken, worried. Even though I have no idea what she’s worried about, I want to help her because I don’t like this look on her face.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I, um, I need to get to the police station. I need to call an Uber.”
A hundred thoughts race through my mind. Everything from what the person on the phone said to if she’s okay to why she has to go to the police department. I don’t know where to start.
But what I do know just by looking at her is that this has nothing to do with her. Or, at least, I hope not.
She raises her phone to her face.
“I’ll take you,” I tell her.
Her brows shoot to the sky. “What? No. I’ll get a ride.”
“Jaxi. I said I’ll take you.”
Relief washes across her eyes at my offer, and I know she wants to take it. But she’s as stubborn as a mule.
So, I take the option of her not taking my offer off the table.
“Let’s go,” I say, heading to my car. “I just need to grab my keys.”
“Boone …”
“You’re wasting time,” I tell her. “We can talk in the car.”
I don’t hear any objections, but I don’t stand around listening for them either.
And I sure as hell don’t let myself think about how badly this could go given she’s so fucking mysterious. She’s not from around here, yet the local police station wants to see her?
I just follow my gut. And hope it doesn’t lead me wrong.
Ten
Jaxi
The purr of the engine is somewhat soothing to my raw nerves.
Boone pilots the car down the city streets. We float in and out of traffic breezily, as if we aren’t on our way to the Savannah Police Station. The officer’s words pelt me over and over, telling me that he can’t say much until I meet with him face-to-face.
My stomach twists into the tightest knot I’ve ever felt, and a voice in my brain screams at me not to go. That being summoned to the police can’t be a good thing.
But if I was wanted for something, surely they wouldn’t call and ask me to come down. Right?
I close my eyes and remind myself that I can’t be wanted for something. I haven’t done anything. I’m not a criminal.
But what if someone planted my DNA at a crime scene?
I choke back a mouthful of vomit.
“Hey, how ya doing over there?” Boone asks. His voice is
