A Minute on the Lips (13 page)

His lips twitched. He knew very well how close he was. “Why law enforcement? You could have been anything, right?”

“Well, Doctor, you see...”

Mark nodded thoughtfully, pushed his imaginary glasses up his nose and pretended to lick an invisible pen. And she felt a little of the tension ease out of her shoulders. “I think I wanted something that made me feel in control. My dad left when I was nine. My mom got sick and died of breast cancer when I was in high school, and everything was so chaotic. Rules. Laws. Procedures. They made sense, and I knew what was expected. I could measure myself against them and excel, but I didn’t want to be a police officer. I wanted to be a federal agent. I wanted to make a
big
difference.”

He tilted his head to one side. “Seems a stretch for a girl from Tall Pines.”

Andi laughed. “Yeah, it really does. You ought to try flipping it, being ex-FBI back here. Throw one Chinese word into conversation or correct someone about Afghanistan’s geography and people look at you like you’ve just sprouted wings or said you voted Democrat.” She wadded up the corner of her napkin. “Do you remember that show, the one with the female FBI agent who solved crimes with the profiler? Her name was Agent Shenandoah Steele and she wore black boots and a gun holster and solved impossible crimes. She gave me the idea.”

Mark choked a little on his pizza. When he finally got his voice back, he said, “Warn me before you hit me with truths like that, Andi.”

“Not exactly what you expected?” She laughed. “I liked her. Agent Steele worked hard and was proven right every single time. People respected her work. She was the best at what she did. That’s all I wanted. The fact that perfection is impossible to achieve in real life has been a disappointment, let me tell you.”

He shook his head and tangled his fingers with hers while time stopped. The sounds of the restaurant disappeared, and there was nothing except him, the warmth in his eyes and the small smile on his lips. She couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t want anything to shatter the moment.

When Reanne dropped a stack of napkins on the table, they both straightened and Andi took a deep breath. She slowly slid her hand back across the table and regretted it instantly.

She licked her lips. “When I told Gram I was going to be an FBI agent someday, she didn’t laugh. It made perfect sense to her. We went to the library and researched how you become one. I picked a college and two majors to get the education required. And I did it.”

“Could you go back?” Mark asked. “I mean, things have settled down here. Would they hire you?”

“Yeah, but that scare... When I thought I might lose Gram, it was like I woke up. I’ve only made it home once a year since I graduated college. We talked on the phone almost every day and she was fine. It never occurred to me that something could happen to her.” She shook her head. “I can’t be that far away again. She needs me too much.”

Mark sighed. “You know something bad could happen to Gram even with you living around the corner, right? Even as the sheriff of this town, something bad—something you can’t control—could happen to her.”

Andi felt the sting of tears and took a soothing drink of her tea. “I know, but I hate it.”

He nodded. “Yeah. No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be in control.”

Andi didn’t answer for a moment. “Gram tells me to go, but I can’t leave her. I guess if I lose the election, I can try the state police or maybe another county. I could drive up on the weekends to see her...”

“I’m going to say one more thing before I take off my psychiatrist’s hat, step down from my soapbox and ask about your favorite movie—as is only right for our first date...”

Andi braced herself.

“You deserve to build a life that makes you happy, and you can’t if all you do is what people expect.” He shrugged. “And that’s true whether you live here, in beautiful Tall Pines—home of your grandmother and some of the area’s finest yarn—or someplace else. Don’t give up any of that happiness for a job. I bet your grandmother would say the same.”

For minutes or hours, neither of them spoke. His eyes were locked with hers and it was okay. He didn’t say that she’d made the wrong choices, that she should have taken better care of her grandmother or that she was crazy for getting her life’s direction from a television show. He understood her unwinnable war to be in control. The look on his face said he admired her no matter what.

And that admiration was so different and new it was impossible to ignore.

Finally he smiled. “Now tell me your favorite movie.”

Andi laughed. “Well, I don’t know if it’s my absolute favorite, but I can quote huge chunks of
Sleepless in Seattle
. That’s probably a sign of my misspent youth.”

He looked a little horrified so she reached over to pat his hand. “It’s okay. If you don’t know it, I have a copy that I’d be happy to show you.” He shook his head slowly. “Or I could run through as much as I remember.”

He coughed and pretended to motion for the check, and then they laughed together. It was nice. He and Andi traded favorites and flirty jabs until there were two slices of pizza left and she’d had enough sweet tea to feel the buzz again. The deck emptied and by the time they paid the check, the restaurant was deserted, too.

Mark handed over the bill and cash to cover it. “Are we closing the place down?”

John chuckled as he counted out change from the drawer. “I think you guys are it.” He whistled as he looked from Mark to Andi and back. “I’d say that’s a pretty good sign for a first date.”

Mark pocketed the change, then grabbed Andi’s hand. As he opened the door, he waved at John. “Me, too. Thanks for letting us hang out.” John waved back and came around the counter to lock the door behind them.

“It takes some getting used to,” Mark said, “this dating with the whole town watching, doesn’t it?” Out on the sidewalk, they could hear faint strains of music on the square.

Andi tangled her fingers in his. Without talking about it, they both walked in that direction. Andi hoped it meant neither of them wanted the night to be over.

When Mark began pulling her across the street toward the crowd on the courthouse lawn, Andi dug in her heels.

When he looked back, she pointed to the corner. “There are crosswalks painted on the street for a reason, Mr. Taylor.”

Mark hung his head for a minute before he rolled his shoulders. Then he very obviously looked left and right at the empty street and back at her.

Andi tugged her hand from his. “What can I say? It’s a pet peeve. It’s a simple enough rule to obey.” She marched down to the corner and waited for him.

When he rejoined her, she threaded her fingers through his and pulled him off the curb into the crosswalk. The crowd in the town square was a decent size considering the heat they’d been having. There was a group on the stage playing a decent version of “Stand by Me” and dancers circled to the side. A soft breeze cooled things off and Andi and Mark sat along the brick wall to listen to a song or two. Every now and then his fingers would squeeze hers or his thumb would trace over the top of Andi’s wrist. It was weird. And nice.

And that’s when Jackie, Mona, Miss Margaret and Edna strolled by. Andi tightened her grip on Mark’s hand to get his attention, then she smiled at Mona. She seemed to be the friendliest of the group.

Jackie fired the first shot. “Nice to see you’ve got plenty of time to enjoy yourself, Sheriff.”

Mark flashed a smile that showed all of his teeth and nothing else. “Nice to see you aren’t letting your losses ruin your weekend, Jackie.”

Jackie pursed his lips and shot a glare at both of them before he stomped off. “Mona, I’ll be in the car.”

Miss Margaret and Edna
hmmed
in unison before Edna said, “And now I understand why you were so all-fired ready to defend Maylene, Sheriff. Thinking you might need breathing room yourself?”

Andi shook her head. “Well, now, Edna, I hope I’ve always wanted to keep my nose out of other people’s business. It’s only the right thing to do, after all. I can hardly wait to hear the news you’ll be spreading tomorrow.”

One of her eyebrows twitched and Andi could tell Edna wanted to let her have it with both barrels, but instead she moved her lips in a poor imitation of a smile and said, “Nice to see y’all.”

Miss Margaret watched her walk away and then turned back. “I guess I should go with her. She’s my ride home.” She patted Andi’s hand in Mark’s and smiled as she left. Andi was shocked when Miss Margaret turned around to mouth,
Way to go!
Now, she might have been impressed with Andi’s shutting down Edna or her snagging a date with Mark Taylor. Andi preferred to think the two thumbs up meant she was impressed with both.

Mark looked at Andi, then smiled at Mona. “Sorry, Mona. We’re good at clearing a room, I guess.”

She chuckled. “That’s a handy talent to have.” She started to walk toward the car where Jackie sat, no doubt steaming up the windows with his ire.

“Hey, Mona, I wanted to ask...” When she paused, Andi lowered her voice. “I didn’t see Ray Evans’s name on the list Jackie made. Has there been any trouble between the two of them?”

She peered off for a moment to think. “I know they wrangled a bit when he was sheriff over some slight. Jackie always thinks people ought to do more than they do, but they’ve been friends a long time.” She shrugged. “I guess it’s hard to imagine Ray wanting to steal from Jackie.”

Andi nodded. “Okay. Thanks. Y’all have a good night.”

When she walked away, Mark looked at Andi. “So you think the ex-sheriff might have a motive?”

Andi moved closer. “You have a disturbing lack of concern for the rules that keep our society whole and you’re too charming by half, but I think you’re more than just a pretty face.”

There could have been a flush on his cheeks but it was too dark to tell. He rested his forehead against hers, and his breath tickled Andi’s cheek when he said, “Don’t tell anyone, okay? You’ll ruin my reputation.”

CHAPTER NINE

W
HEN
A
NDI
SCREECHED
to a stop in front of Shady Pines on Sunday morning, her phone beeped to let her know she’d gotten a text message. After a quick glance at the clock to see exactly how late she was, Andi decided against digging the phone out of her purse to check. Gram got antsy when they were running behind schedule, but when they were late for church, her grandmother went straight for atomic meltdown. She’d leave nothing behind but rubble if Andi didn’t get her to her seat before the music started. Andi hadn’t even unbuckled her seat belt, and Gram was rolling across the threshold and shutting her door with a slam.

Her grandmother’s mouth was tight when she snapped, “I guess you overslept, then?”

Andi jumped out to help her get in the car. She shoved Gram’s chair in the trunk and hopped back in. Breathlessly, she said, “Yes, ma’am. I’ll drop you at the door and find a place to park. I hope you won’t miss much.”

“I should start riding with Nettie. That woman’s never late.” Gram huffed once and loudly, then it looked like she was trying to calm herself. Finally, she turned to ask Andi in a much more civil tone, “So, did you have a good time last night?”

She had, but the memory of holding his hand as they listened to music on the square brought her warm pleasure and scared her to death. She wasn’t ready to talk to anybody about that, so she said, “It was a fun time.”

“Going out again?” Gram leaned forward to urge the car to go faster. “On a real date this time?”

Andi wasn’t sure how to answer that. Mark hadn’t asked and if he did, she didn’t know what she’d say. They were still working on Jackie’s case, so dinner might come up again, but there was no good reason for a real date. She was leaving. Eventually. Besides, she would never be able to trust him. Would she? Andi shrugged.

Gram tsked. “Use your words, Andi.”

Andi took a deep, calming breath as she made the last turn to get Gram to church. “We haven’t made any plans.” Getting Gram’s hopes up and then disappointing her would be just another thing to lose sleep over. “We’ll see. He had some good ideas. Mark’s smarter than I expected.”

Gram was quiet for a second before rough chuckles spilled out between her lips. “I’m not sure that’s the most glowing praise, Andi.”

When they reached the drop-off area, Andi threw the car in Park and ran around to get her grandmother’s chair and help her out of the car.

One of the ushers hurried over. “Morning, Ms. Jackson.” He acknowledged Andi with a nod. “Let me help you inside. The music’s about to start.” Gram shot Andi a glare over her shoulder before she smiled sweetly up at Bob Randall. “Why, yes, Bob, I know. We got a later start than normal today.”

Andi rolled her head on her shoulders after she slid behind the wheel. She hated the thought of walking in late, but at least Gram could enjoy the singing. That was her favorite part. If they’d missed all that just to arrive in time for the sermon, lunch would have been spent in tense silence.

As she parked in one of the handicapped spots, Andi pulled out her cell phone to turn off the ringer. One ring in the middle of church, and Gram would probably never speak to her again. She noticed the text message again before dropping the phone into her purse.

The first blare of organ music hit her full in the face when the single remaining usher opened the door. She hunched her shoulders a bit as she speed-walked down the aisle to slide in beside Gram. All through the service, Andi wondered about the text, but she knew pulling out her phone in church would not be well received. If she’d gotten up on time and been early to pick her grandmother up, Andi might have chanced it, but as it was, she told herself it could wait.

She wasn’t on duty this weekend and if there was an emergency, her staff knew to call and keep calling. Plus, chances were good that someone else in the sanctuary could let her know if something happened long before anybody gave her a call.

Andi tried to pay attention to the sermon and the songs and the announcements, but she was pretty sure she had a stupid grin on her face too often, betraying the fact that her mind was not on the here and now. She was thinking about pizza and a man who was smart enough to see things about her that she didn’t show anyone...and also hadn’t given her a real kiss good-night...or tried to tease one out of her. She wanted to make excuses for him, but part of her was convinced he was only in this for the information. Didn’t that prove she should keep everything strictly business? What might it be like to have more?

When Gram patted Andi’s thigh, she realized the service was over. And it looked like it had been over for some time. She must have gone through the motions, because nobody but Gram seemed to think anything about her behavior. Her grandmother was amused by it, so Andi had high hopes she was over her disgruntlement. “Gram, are you ready to go?”

She tilted her head. “Honey, I’ve been ready for ten minutes now. We’ll be the last ones out of the parking lot.”

Gram muttered something about how fitting that was since they were the last ones in, but Andi wanted to let that go, so she pretended not to hear.

They were quiet on the short drive back to Shady Pines. The noon meal on Sunday was a big family event, and Gram and Andi always ate there after church. It was nice to see her trading barbs with her cronies and watch how the staff treated the residents. It was a good place. Andi would rather have her at home, but Gram was happy. And if the meal left something to be desired, mainly salt and any kind of fat, that was fine.

Sitting at the lunch table at Shady Pines was like being stuck in a chair at the Hair Port. The conversation meandered here and there, and most of it was centered around what somebody heard from so-and-so, who’d picked it up from the girl at the grocery store. Andi was on pins and needles throughout the meal because there were too many potential missiles to hurl her way. Eventually she dropped her guard and was enjoying her chocolate cake when disaster struck.

Edna’s sister Rose was one of Gram’s card buddies. She leaned around her granddaughter and said, “So, Andi, I heard you were out on the town with the newspaper man last night. Edna said you looked really...flashy.” She leaned back to watch the fireworks.

Gram opened her mouth, but Andi stopped her with one look. “That’s right, Rose. We did go out. We ate dinner, we listened to the music and then we went home. And you’ll have to get more info on my outfit from Gram over cards. She’s the one who picked it out. Please make sure you get all the details right when you relay Gram’s answer to Edna because I’d hate for it to get distorted before it even makes the rounds.”

One quick glance around the table showed that everyone was waiting with bated breath for Rose’s response. Rose looked a little shocked. An apology was trembling on the tip of Andi’s tongue. She’d apparently developed a zero-tolerance policy on gossip and was scorching earth left and right, even against less-frequent offenders. She shot a look at her grandmother. Gram was calmly folding her napkin, but when she met Andi’s gaze, she tilted her chin up and straightened her shoulders. And Andi smiled.

Rose pursed her lips. “Well, now, Andi, I’ll be sure to do that.” And everyone else at the table was very interested in their own plates.

Andi squished all her cake crumbs with a fork and licked it clean before she stacked her empty plate on top of Gram’s. She wasn’t going to apologize, and she was going to get over her embarrassment at being the topic of conversation. Her worry over what people thought of her was not a problem confined to Tall Pines. Whether she was here or in Atlanta, she had to find a way to handle it.

Andi smiled. “I knew I could count on you. That’s one of the things I love about living in Tall Pines. Everyone is so helpful and caring, just like one big, happy, dysfunctional family.” She patted Rose’s hand.

Andi hoped she hadn’t made it too difficult for her grandmother to show up for her Monday morning card game. She followed Gram back to her unit. There was an interrogation coming.

Before she’d fully cleared the doorway to her unit, Gram asked, “Why’d you oversleep, young lady?”

Andi wondered what she thought the possibilities were. Had she slept in because she’d been too busy with her new live-in lover to hear the alarm? Or maybe she was in an alcohol-induced haze and needed buckets of black coffee to get it together? The coffee part was right, but Andi was only in her normal haze.

Andi dropped onto her grandmother’s sofa. “I couldn’t sleep last night after I got in. Too keyed up, I guess.

Gram picked up her yarn. “So you had a good time, then?”

Andi didn’t want to get her grandmother’s hopes up. She really didn’t. “We went to Fat John’s for pizza and we talked about the case a while.”

Gram was looking at Andi over the rims of her glasses and slowly shaking her head.

“Just a little. Mark had a good question. What if the motive for stealing the recipes and the trophies wasn’t to hurt Jackie but to cause me trouble?” Andi raised her eyebrows.

Gram added a few double crochets to her dishcloth before nodding her head. “So maybe Ray sees a way to discredit you in front of the town?” She looked out the window for a minute before she asked, “Do you think Jackie would be in on the plan, then?”

“No way.” Jackie would never have risked Mona’s unhappiness.

Gram watched her hands work the hook and yarn. Andi didn’t know why. Her grandmother had crocheted without looking for years.

“Well, I don’t think Ray would want to tangle with Jackie for no reason.”

Gram had a good point. There were easier ways to get her. Of course, Ray couldn’t have known what was in the safe. It would have seemed easy enough—a little prank maybe—to break in and take the trophies. Stealing from the safe would make it look legitimate. Andi wanted Ray to be guilty, too.

That might be a problem, something that clouded her judgment. Darn it.

“What else did you talk about?”

This was dangerous territory. Andi usually glossed over anything that might cause her grandmother pain or worry.

“Oh, you know, the usual. A little bit about growing up in Tall Pines, the FBI, what I’d do if I weren’t sheriff. He had some good insight there, too.”

This was something else she was going to have to come to terms with. Acting as if her father didn’t exist or pretending she hadn’t been hurt when he left or after her mother died—or even when people said unkind things about her—didn’t work. And escape was starting to seem more and more unlikely. Gram was here. Tammy was here. She had a good job. It was a beautiful place. And then there was Mark. Maybe. Andi had a lot of incentives to stay in Tall Pines.

Andi shook her head. “I really hope I didn’t say too much. Maybe the amount of baggage I have is more than he’d like to carry. Or maybe he got exactly the information he was looking for, and we’ll see it on the front page next week.” Her stomach clenched at the thought of how easily he’d talked her out of her reserve. He’d been a good sounding board. Was he going to make her pay for her honesty and vulnerability?

Gram watched her closely. “Was what you said true?”

Andi bit her tongue and stifled the urge to get into what “true” meant again. What she’d said had been both factually correct and true. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be said. And even if I might say it to you, I don’t want it in print for the whole town.” If Gram knew how she felt about staying here and what she wanted, their arguments would start up again, but if it went out in the paper, Andi would lose this election.

Gram patted her hand. “Andi, honey, think about Mark, not Ray and what he’d do to win. Do you really think you’re just another story?”

Andi took a deep breath. She thought about the look in his eyes when he was frozen on her front porch. And the warmth in his voice when he said she deserved to be happy. And the comfort in having his hand wrapped around hers.

As her heartbeat slowed, she said, “Thanks, Gram.”

Gram completed the round she was working on then changed yarn colors. Very little seemed to rattle her. Except maybe being late for church.

“How do you do it, Gram?” Andi asked. “How do you stay here in Tall Pines after all that’s happened? Doesn’t it bother you?”

Gram peered over her glasses. “Honestly, Andi?” She shook her head. “The only thing that really bothers me is that it bothers you.”

She rubbed her right hand with her left before flexing her fingers. “I had a hard time when John left town. I still don’t really understand how he could desert his family like that...

“But the truth is that I couldn’t make decisions for him. You couldn’t either. He did what he did on his own. I hate that he left and that he’s the kind of man who could abandon his family for his own selfish gain—mainly because of what it did to you and your mama. Money only gets a person so far. You needed your daddy.”

Gram picked up her crochet hook. “They were his decisions. Not yours. And they had absolutely nothing to do with you, who you are or how lovable you are. Never doubt that.”

Andi swallowed and forced herself to ask the question she was afraid of. “Gram, did you think I’d abandoned you? I mean, I hardly ever came home. Not until it was almost too late. What if I’m just like him?”
What if Edna had been right?
Her accusation had stung, but it was hard to ignore the similarities between her father’s escape and her own.

Gram frowned. “Girl, you know better. Of course I don’t think that. You were living your life.”

Andi twisted a loose thread on the throw pillow. She couldn’t look at Gram. She could feel the burn of impending tears in her eyes, but she willed them away. “But I could have—”

“And you would have. If I’d called and said I needed you to come home because I had a paper cut, what would you have done?”

Andi shook her head. “You already know. I would’ve come right away and given you lots and lots of grief.”

Gram snorted. “Yeah, you’re pretty good at harassment when you want to be.” She patted Andi’s leg. “You came when I needed you. You will always come when I need you. Because you understand that’s what families do.”