Page 96 of Between the Lines

Essie smiled politely. “They do. But sometimes things are exactly as they seem. And sometimes, people aren’t. Might not hurt to take a closer look at things. Just so you aren’t painted with the same brush.”

Gigi’s brows bent in confusion.

Essie wound Maple’s leash around her hand to keep the dog closer and gave Gigi a small nod. “Nice running into you.”

“You, too,” Gigi said. “Enjoy your walk. And your new girl.”

Essie and Maple started toward home, the sound of the waves following them. Essie didn’t look back.

She had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last conversation she’d have about Darcy Lane. But at least now, she knew where Gigi stood.

In the dark.

Chapter Forty

Maude slid the baking dish of seasoned chicken thighs into the oven and set the timer, then turned back to the counter to trim the ends off the green beans. She was going to sauté those in a pan with two slices of bacon that were already diced up and sizzling away. She’d add salt, pepper, and some smoked paprika, too.

Along with the chicken and green beans, they’d have a salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, thanks to her garden pots in the backyard.

It was the kind of simple dinner that she loved to do, even though she rarely did. Cooking for one just didn’t have the same appeal, but with Robbie here, fixing a dinner like this seemed more worth it.

She heard the front door open and close, then the familiar thud of Robbie’s boots as he kicked them off by the mat.

“Hey,” he said, voice tired but lighter than it had been a few days ago.

“Hey, yourself.” She glanced over her shoulder. “How’s the arm?”

He lifted it a few inches, testing. The bandage peeked out from under the sleeve of his T-shirt. “Sore. But not awful. I did my best to baby it today. Tried to stay away from the saw.”

“Good plan,” she said, and meant it. “I’d rather not have a repeat performance in the ER.”

He snorted softly and came into the kitchen, leaning his hip against the counter. “That makes two of us.”

She finished with the beans, added them to the sauté pan, and wiped her hands on a towel. “How was work otherwise?”

“Productive,” he said. “I fixed the jig that caused the problem in the first place. Should’ve done that earlier. And I sketched out Ollie’s new shelves.” He tipped his chin toward the pan. “What are you making?”

“Roasted chicken thighs, green beans, and salad.”

“Sounds good. I’m starving.”

“You have time, the chicken just went in.”

“I should go shower then.”

She wrinkled her nose at him, even though he smelled fine. “For real.”

He laughed, then held his hands up. “Yeah, well, some of us sweat for a living. How was your day?”

She shrugged one shoulder, her mind going to Ollie and his unexpected guest last night. “Okay.”

He paused, watching her a little more closely. “Really? Because that didn’t sound very convincing.” He straightened. “What’s up?”

She sighed as she started on the salad. She’d already washed the lettuce and dumped it in a bowl. She picked up a cucumber and started slicing. “Ollie’s son, Nolan, showed up at his house last night. Just as Ollie was making dinner.”

Robbie’s brows went up. “Not good?”

“I mean…it wasn’t bad, exactly. But it was definitely unexpected. Nolan is so mad at his mother for everything she’s done⁠—”