Page 122 of Romeo

Me: And here I thought you wouldn’t miss me until tomorrow.

Ma Belle: You did leave after breakfast, right?

The smile faded.

That woman’s instincts were going to become a serious problem for me.

I looked at my knuckles before flexing my fingers. She didn’t need to know what kept me in Rosewood after I’d pulled away from Granny’s house or what I’d had to scrub from my hands before finally pointing the bike toward Nebraska.

Me: I left your house after breakfast.

Ma Belle: Jasper.

I could practically hear her saying my name, and there wasn’t an ounce of flirtation in it.

I wouldn’t lie to her. That had never been an option. It didn’t mean she was entitled to every detail of what I did with every hour after I left her porch.

Me: The bike gave me some trouble. Then I hit traffic. I stopped for a few hours instead of pushing through tired.

All true. The loose bolt had been real. So had the traffic. By the time I finally put Rosewood behind me, pushing straight through would’ve been stupid.

Ma Belle: Are you okay?

My hand loosened around the phone. Of all the questions she could’ve asked, that was the one she chose. The one that would do me in.

Me: I’m fine. The bike’s fine. And now I know you’ve been thinking about me.

Ma Belle: I was wondering where you were.

Me: Sounds even better.

I could picture the eye roll that answer probably earned me, but the thought didn’t last long.

Ma Belle: Something happened last night.

Me: What happened?

Ma Belle: Someone broke into Dennis Coleman’s house.

Me: Who the fuck is Dennis Coleman?

Ma Belle: The man who kept asking me out.

Me: The asshole from breakfast?

Ma Belle: Yes. Someone broke into his house and beat him up.

Beat him up was exactly the way Fiona would word it. Dennis had the shit beat out of him and walked away understanding three things he’d apparently failed to grasp on his own: Fiona wasn’t interested. Her answer wasn’t negotiable. And staying in Rosewood would be a very bad decision.

Me: Can’t say I’m upset about that.

Ma Belle: JASPER!

A laugh escaped me. She sounded scandalized on behalf of a man she didn’t even like.

Me: Cher, the man didn’t know how to take a fucking hint.

Ma Belle: For one second, I wondered if it was you.