A Minute on the Lips (18 page)

* * *

T
HE
FESTIVAL
started early on Sunday morning. Andi made a few quick trips around the various parking areas to make sure everything looked fine then got out to walk the vendors’ area on foot. About lunchtime, her cell phone dinged with a text.
Meet me near the Smokehouse. Let’s do lunch. xMark

Andi glanced at her watch and the content crowd around her. She thought it might be worth a try so she headed that direction. It was an absolutely beautiful day, one that should be enjoyed to the fullest.

When she got to the Smokehouse, Andi found Mark with his mother and her grandmother.

“There she is, the beautiful sheriff,” Mark said.

Gram’s face lit up when she saw Andi. She kissed Gram on the cheek. Mrs. Taylor opened her arms for a hug, so Andi did what people do and returned it. And then she gave Mark a quick kiss and a small poke to the abdomen. He grabbed her hand and smiled. “Let’s eat.”

Once they were seated, Andi asked Gram about the church service. Nettie had picked her up and they’d managed to make it with time to spare. Gram mentioned how happy she was to join them for lunch, thanks to an invitation from Mark. She hated to miss all of the festival.

Andi looked at Mark and he shrugged innocently. And that was it. Andi was done for. He’d brought Gram to lunch as a surprise for both of them and Andi would now follow him almost anywhere.

She just had to decide whether that included Tall Pines
after
she lost the election.

Andi was so thankful that her input was not required for the lunch conversation. Mark and Andi were both quiet, and sometime right after everyone ordered, he clutched Andi’s hand under the table. And Andi knew she was going to survive. The Fall Festival had been a challenge, but she was going to live. Andi hated to leave them but as the waitress cleared the plates away, her radio scratched out a call for an accident at one of the overflow parking lots near the edge of town. Andi was the closest and answered that she was on her way.

“Gram, you’ll be okay?”

Gram rolled her eyes. “I’m in good hands.”

“Yes, you are,” Andi said. “Maybe I’ll catch up with you guys later.” She waved, leaned down and pecked Mark’s lips. Then she whispered, “Thank you,” and hustled for the door.

Andi meant to track them down, but by the time the festival stragglers left the courthouse square, she was dead on her feet. She poured herself behind the wheel of the SUV and headed for home. Before she got out to face Mojo’s wrath for missing dinnertime, Andi pulled out her phone and texted Mark
. Made it home. Thanks for bringing Gram out. I miss you.
And she sent it before she could second-guess the last part.

His answer was quick.
Get some rest. I miss you, too. Mom’s staying another week, just for the debate, but maybe dinner sometime? We need to talk.

The last sentence immediately worried her, but she was too tired to think about it then. She answered,
Maybe, let’s talk when I have both eyes open, possibly after a gallon of coffee.

Andi swung the door open and was convincing herself to stand when her phone dinged. She smiled when she read his message.

Good idea. Good night, beautiful sheriff.

T
HAT
SMILE
WAS
long gone when Andi made it into the office the next morning. She’d dodged the street crew all the way in. Picking up the litter and cleaning up the barricades and tents would take a few days, but by next weekend the town would probably be back to normal. It would definitely take longer for Andi to recover.

Lori’s smile was smaller than normal, but it was a real smile.

“Good morning, Lori.”

Lori nodded. “Sheriff. I made the coffee. Thought you might want some.”

Andi forced herself to stop and pasted on a smile. “Thanks.”

She went to the kitchen and filled the biggest mug she could find before she creaked into her office. Her desk was still covered in reports, but the phone wasn’t blinking. Andi had only ten emails, and they were all positive comments. That was a new experience, so she leaned back to savor it and her first sip of the steaming hot coffee.

Lori peeked around the corner and waved an envelope at her. “Tammy left this for you.” The phone rang and Lori dropped the envelope on Andi’s desk before she ran to answer it.

That sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach was back. Andi opened the envelope and pulled out two pages of topics that could come up in the debate. Tammy and Jackie had gone to the same school for list making. Andi nearly sobbed aloud when her phone dinged.

Good morning, Andi. Doing okay so far?

Andi wanted to text back a loud wail. Instead she wrote,
Fine, until I opened my list of possible debate topics, delivered before I even made it to work this morning.

Andi stared at the phone until his answer came back
. I can’t help much with that, wouldn’t be ethical. Could rub your shoulders or your neck if that would help.
The winky emoticon made Andi laugh. She hoped that was the idea.

Andi didn’t think there was an emoticon to cover her feelings so she answered,
*rolling eyes* Thanks. I’ll let you know.

His answer was quick.
You do that. Hope it’s a good day.

Andi texted back,
Thank you. You, too.

And then Andi put the phone back in her pocket, where it should have been all along.

She’d put off returning Marcus Hightower’s phone call long enough and she’d run out of excuses. As she dialed and listened to the phone ring, she silently willed him to be in a meeting or on vacation or late to work or just anywhere except behind his desk.

“Hightower.”

“Sir, it’s Andi Jackson. Returning your phone call.”

Marcus Hightower cleared his throat then said in a gruff voice, “About time, Jackson. I was beginning to think you were giving me the brush-off.”

Andi didn’t know what to say to that. While she frantically flipped through polite responses, he said, “Got an open desk. Are you ready to get back to work?”

The idea that he would contact her about a job was...so nice. That morning she needed the ego boost. But she had no clue what the answer was. “Well, sir, as you know, I’m serving as sheriff now. And my grandmother...I’m not sure she’s ready for me to—”

“Up for reelection, aren’t you?” Hightower interrupted. “How’s that going?”

Andi sighed. “About like you might expect. I could very well be ready for a new job in a month or so.”

“Jackson, you get back here to Atlanta. We’ll talk terms. You’ve got three weeks and then we’re filling it. Understand?”

Andi fiddled with her pen and made a note on her calendar. Not that she’d need the reminder. “Yes, sir. Thank you for keeping me in mind. I’ll be in touch.”

“Three weeks, Jackson,” he reiterated, and then he hung up.

A man of
very
few words.

Andi turned over her cell phone and thought about calling Gram to talk over the possibilities. She knew what Gram would say. Go. She almost texted Mark to beg him to meet her for lunch. Why she wanted his opinion, she had no idea. But if he said stay...that would be something to think about.

The reasons to go hadn’t changed much. She’d been so good at her job. Every day she’d felt she was making a difference. She worked with people who might not really like her, but they respected her abilities. And she was free of her past in Atlanta. No one knew. And if they did, they wouldn’t care.

She leaned back in her squeaky chair to stare at the ceiling. She could quit. She could go back just like everyone expected her to. And it would be easy. Here...she would always be her father’s daughter. People would remember her mistakes for a long time. But there would also be Gram. And Tammy. And the deputies she worked with, even Jackie and Mona and Edna and people who were family. When she’d left, she hadn’t understood that, but now that she was back and she was...different, she couldn’t ignore that connection.

She could probably lay the blame for that at Mark’s feet.

The truth of the matter was that she didn’t have to make a decision yet. She picked up the phone and called Tammy. They made a date to meet at Purl’s Place to talk debate answers. The positive yarn vibes might give her the strength she needed to make it through this week.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“S
HERIFF
, I
THINK
you need to see this.”

Andi looked up to see Lori in the doorway, her eyes a red swollen mess and a folded newspaper in her hand. “Looks like your boyfriend got a good story after all.” She tossed the paper in front of Andi and walked out.

Andi unfolded the paper and saw a picture of Jackie reunited with his trophies. She read the story quickly and saw that Mark had printed it all. Every fact was there in black and white. She felt the crushing weight of disappointment. Ralph’s name and his motive were covered, but nothing about what was in Jackie’s safe—other than an unspecified amount of cash—made it into the story.

She put one hand over her aching stomach and tried to catch her breath. Finally she stood up slowly and straightened her shoulders. Lori refused to meet her eyes when she stopped in front of the dispatcher’s desk. “Lori, none of that information came from me. He must have gotten it from Jackie...or...I don’t know, but I worked hard to try to...” Andi didn’t know what to say. She looked at Lori’s family pictures. “Listen to me. I know what the talk can do. And you and I, we’ve had some trouble, but I wouldn’t do this.”

Lori sniffed and wiped away a smudge of mascara. “I think I believe you, Sheriff. It’s just with the election and your...relationship, it seemed...but I understand.” Lori straightened her shoulders. “It’s just a little talk. The news will be on everyone’s lips for half a minute and then they’ll be on to something else. What difference does that make anyway?”

Andi knew exactly what difference it made, but Lori had the right attitude so she smiled. Then she walked to the Country Kitchen.

She was happy to see the diner was empty except for Jackie. “How could you give him the information when I asked you not to?” There was no other way for Mark to have all the details. Jackie had broken his promise.

She didn’t even want to pretend to make polite conversation. She was as mad as Jackie normally looked.

He dropped a towel onto the counter and said, “I didn’t, Sheriff. I’m a man of my word.”

The swinging door opened and Ralph walked out. “Sheriff, I talked to the paper guy.”

Andi was shocked. “Why would you do that? I had it all worked out. Everything was under control. Jackie agreed. Why?”

Ralph rolled his shoulders. “I just couldn’t... I didn’t want to live with the secret.”

“What about Lori? And the boys? Didn’t you think about how this would affect them?” Andi’s voice was getting louder. Even Jackie looked concerned.

“They didn’t have anything to do with it. And if it’s too much for her, I’ll understand.” Ralph shook his head. “Wouldn’t blame her anyway. I did a stupid thing.”

Ralph twisted the towel he was holding. “But I gave my word to Jackie and Miss Mona that I won’t ever talk about what I mighta seen in the safe. Not even to Lori. That’s a promise I won’t break.”

Andi believed him. She had no idea why. He was a thief, but maybe the same understanding that made Jackie ready to make amends had convinced Ralph to keep Mona and Jackie’s secret.

“It takes a man to own up to his mistakes,” Jackie said. “Why don’t you go talk to your wife? A little explaining can sometimes go a long way.” He spoke like a man who’d had plenty of opportunities to learn that lesson the hard way.

Ralph glanced at the clock. “Got two more hours today, Jackie.”

Jackie waved a hand. “Get back before the dinner rush. Go now.”

Ralph untied his apron and folded it on the counter. Then he said, “Sheriff, I appreciate everything you did.” She believed him, but she was so disappointed in the way everything had turned out after all her investigating and her perfect solution.

Andi slid onto a stool, and Jackie poured a glass of tea in front of her. “Helluva thing. I’m not too sure about him, but I gotta respect wanting to tell the truth.”

Andi snorted and picked up the glass. “Weren’t you the one so determined to keep Wanda’s secret for leverage and to protect Mona’s secret?”

Jackie propped his hands on his hips. “Ralph’s admitted where he was wrong. I can, too.”

Andi nearly strangled on the tea, but she coughed a few times and set the glass down.

He pointed a finger at her. “Don’t go telling anybody.”

Andi shook her head and stood up. She felt as if she’d run a marathon—every movement was hard work.

“Going to talk to the newspaper man?” Jackie asked. “I think he’s sitting on my bench.”

Andi looked out the window. Mark Taylor was waiting for her apparently.

“Sheriff, you should know...he came by to interview me and Ralph approached him, not the other way around. Taylor...he might have let it go after I said no comment. Impossible to know now, but...I thought you might need to hear that.”

Jackie seemed concerned. Andi couldn’t imagine how devastated she must look to have softened Jackie’s heart, but she appreciated the effort.

When she stepped onto the sidewalk, Mark turned but he didn’t smile. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad is it? Twenty?” Mark Taylor without a smile and good humor shining in his eyes was rare. He looked tired. And grimly determined.

Andi paced in front of him and tried to figure out what to say. Nothing would come. “Ralph told me he’s your source.”

Mark nodded.

“I guess I can’t say anything to that.” She waved her hand. She hated feeling helpless. And tired. And disappointed. “Oh, except I think you knew how I’d feel. I had it all worked out. Jackie was happy. Ralph was sorry and ready to make amends. But...now.”

Mark leaned forward to brace his arms on his knees. “But now the story’s out. Everyone knows it. And they know the truth. Not just the facts, but the whole truth. The whys and the hows—they’re all out at once.”

“And Lori’s crying and Ralph thinks his wife is going to leave and doesn’t blame her and there are two little boys who won’t understand a thing about that. Ray Evans will be on the warpath, and all I wanted to do was...” She stopped and propped her hands on her hips while she tried to figure out what she really wanted to say.

“All you wanted was to make it all perfect again. For everyone. Ralph understands there will be consequences. Next week Jackie’s going to do a follow-up story about the cook-off, what it means to have everything back and how Ralph’s helping in the restaurant. There’s the whole story. I mean, Andi, I understand you. I know what you want. You want perfection, mostly from yourself. You want everything tied up in neat bows, but not even Tall Pines is like that. It doesn’t mean you haven’t done a great job or that Ralph and Lori and their boys can’t be happy now. The truth is out. Why talk about it anymore? Jackie’s made it clear he’s satisfied. Thanks to you, Ralph has a job and it’s the perfect way to show the whole town who he is. I did my job. You did yours. Justice. Truth. They’re tied together.”

He meant every word. Andi shook her head. “But...you knew how I felt. You did something you knew would hurt me and you didn’t even warn me. What am I supposed to think about that?”

Mark was serious as he stood and took her hands in his. “I didn’t do it to hurt you. If you think I did it lightly, you’re wrong. But it was the right thing. And if you think I’m going to be afraid to do the right thing because it ruffles feathers, even if they’re yours, you don’t know me. You wouldn’t like me, either, if that’s who I was.”

Andi pulled her hands from his and looked up at him. He had a point but that didn’t make her feel better. There was an ache in her chest, and she could feel the sting of unshed tears. She didn’t want to walk away from him. “Maybe you’re right. But I just don’t know if I can trust you with me, if I can live with the threat of the front page hanging over my head.”

“Andi, not one word of that story came from you.” He shook his head with a bitter laugh. “I don’t know if I can spend time with a woman who thinks I can’t tell the difference between what’s news and what isn’t, what’s really important and what isn’t.”

Andi licked her lips. “I guess, maybe...let’s just hold off on this discussion until after the election, okay? Maybe I just need...”

“Time.” Mark’s voice was hard. “Yeah, me, too.”

Andi nodded and walked back to the sheriff’s office.

* * *

W
HEN
THE
NIGHT
of the debate rolled around, Andi was too tired to be nervous. Losing had started to feel inevitable, so Andi began looking at other sheriff’s departments in neighboring counties and had even checked out the application procedure for the state police. She spent her time with Tammy or Gram drilling her on crime statistics, where they’d apply grant money in the upcoming year, her plans for improved community outreach, and the new domestic-violence education program she wanted to roll out.

And she did not text Mark. But she’d missed him desperately—missed his face, his smirk, his way of cutting through her reserve. She’d liked having him to bounce ideas off of or just listen. The more she thought about it, the clearer it was that even if she’d never made the decision to trust him, she’d done it anyway. Without a conscious thought. That said a lot about him and it scared her to death. She still wasn’t sure what to do about him, about leaving Gram, about a job. It felt like the whole world was balanced on this election.

Just before she stepped up on the stage she heard her phone ding.

Good luck tonight, beautiful sheriff.

Andi looked up to see Mark behind the moderator’s table. He smiled and she smiled back. The nervous butterflies in her stomach went wild, but she was nearly sure they had nothing to do with the debate.

With a sharp squeal of feedback from the microphone, Mayor Jones got the attention of the audience, a group of people seated in lawn chairs around the grass. Fall had arrived just in time and everyone was wearing fleece in the hometown colors. Andi was looking at a sea of crimson and black. She hoped that wasn’t an omen.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if I can have your attention, we’ll get the debate started. We’ve allotted thirty minutes for this event and we plan to get the entertainment started right on time.”

The crowd quieted down, and Mayor Jones hit Ray with the first question. He and Mark traded back and forth in the beginning, asking questions about statistics and revenue and plans to expand the department. Ray and Andi were a chorus of two. Their answers were nearly identical so she couldn’t fault Ray’s logic. Tall Pines was a comfortable town with little crime and not a whole lot of revenue to play with. The only improvements that could be made involved updated systems and new hires. Ray and Andi both wanted those things. Andi had no idea why people didn’t bail except the musicians were already anxiously lined up along the stage.

“My final question is this.” The mayor paused and waited for everyone to quiet down. “We know both of you. Tell us what makes you the best candidate. Ray, why don’t you go first?”

Ray cleared his throat. “Well, now, I’ve got to say I’ve learned a lot from watching Sheriff Jackson. She’s increased our involvement in the schools and in the community in ways I admire and plan to continue and improve. But the honest truth is that Sheriff Jackson has not been transparent with the citizens of Clinton County. I plan to change that. I’d like to believe Sheriff Jackson has other ideas that would benefit Tall Pines. My goal is that she will continue to serve as a part of my staff. She has done a sound job as sheriff. I think she has more to offer and hope she’ll do so.”

Andi looked over at Ray and he looked away. It was almost an apology, but he’d done it so well that he looked like the bigger man. She glanced at Mark, and he shrugged. She hadn’t prepared for this.

“My qualifications and experience make me the best candidate.” Andi glanced at her grandmother and added, “I grew up in Tall Pines. I know this town and you all know me. I want to serve here.” She wanted their votes because she needed the job. That was the honest answer, but Andi was almost sure that wasn’t the winning answer.

“Sheriff, Mr. Evans brought up a valid point. Would you care to address the sheriff’s department’s communications?” Mark leaned back in his chair and winked at her.

Andi looked out over the crowd. All the girls from the Hair Port were there and so were Miss Margaret and Edna. She could see both Amanda and Sarah from the Smokehouse and Fat John was seated in the crowd. So were all the deputies and Lori and her family. Tammy was there with Gram. And Andi decided she was done hiding. If she was going to stay in Tall Pines, they were supposed to be her family, too.

Finally, Andi took a deep breath. “Ray does bring up a good point about communication, although I don’t believe the department was a great deal more transparent under his leadership.” She glanced his direction and he tugged on his shirt collar. “The fact of the matter is that I am not sworn to transparency.” Andi watched Edna’s eyebrows shoot up. “I am not sworn to dispel speculation or to satisfy idle curiosity. I am sworn to protect. That is the first and highest goal of my job and it’s the guide for all I do.”

A few people in the crowd nodded and Andi felt stronger.

She laughed. “Even when you don’t seem to appreciate it, I try to keep the good of the whole county in mind. I’ve had a conversation with a very smart man about the difference between the facts and the truth and it all boils down to getting the whole story.” She glanced at Gram. “So here’s some truth. I may not be as transparent as you like because I spent a lot of time being the focus of the stories, the center of gossip when I had absolutely nothing to do with the cause and no way to fix it. My father left. He didn’t feel one single minute of the shock or scorn or pity or fascinated judgment my mother and I did. So I am sensitive to the effects of words, and I’ll always do my best to hold on to that. It makes me compassionate, and that’s a good thing to have whether you’re the victim of a crime or the victim of a loved one’s stupid decisions.”

Gram nodded and Andi took another breath. “And I’ve made my own mistakes. I was gone for too long, but I haven’t forgotten the importance of family. Tall Pines is where I need to be. And I’ll admit I’ve probably gone too far—communicating as little as possible through the newspaper and other sources. I was trying to protect myself instead of serving Tall Pines. And that’s a mistake.”