Page 49 of Whispers of Sweetwater

Tilly extended a hand with a bright smile. ‘So, you’re the vet everyone’s been talking about. It’s about time we met.’

‘Hey, Tilly, great to meet you,’ Brianna said, shaking her hand.

Tilly’s grip was firm, friendly. Brianna liked her within an instant.

After a few moments, Tilly leant in conspiratorially. ‘Honestly, I’m just glad to be out of the house. A whole dinner without someone flinging mashed banana or yelling about who stole whose crayons.’

Brianna laughed. ‘How many kids?’

‘Two. Twins. A boy, Danny, and a girl, Jasmine. They are gorgeous, wild and completely exhausting.’ Tilly grinned. ‘Gavin and I haven’t had a meal that didn’t involve cutting someone else’s food in over a month.’

‘Sorry to butt in, you two, but just deciding where to sit.’ Hayden nodded towards a booth in the corner. ‘That one’s free. Let’s grab it before the darts crowd rolls in.’

They’d just started to move when the barmaid’s voice rang out behind them.

‘Well, well,’ Sharon called as she approached, a tray balanced expertly on one hand. Her red lipstick was immaculate and matched her locks of fiery-hued hair, and her eyes were sharp. ‘You bring the cavalry, Hayden?’ she added, tossing him a teasing glance.

‘Just good company, Shaz,’ he replied with a smirk.

‘Better company than you usually keep,’ Sharon shot back, raising an eyebrow at Gavin.

Gavin chuckled. ‘You wound me, Shar.’

Sharon’s eyes swept to Brianna, briefly curious. ‘You’re the new vet, huh?’

‘That’s me,’ Brianna said evenly.

‘Mmm.’ Sharon nodded, then shifted her piercing gaze back to Hayden. ‘Heard Molly’s café got broken into. Rough go, that.’

Hayden’s brows creased. ‘Yeah, it’s been tough for her.’

‘I bet, given it’ll be more than what it seems,’ Sharon said with sureness.

Brianna stiffened slightly. The tone in this woman’s voice didn’t seem to carry an ounce of compassion. ‘What makes you think there’s more to it?’ she couldn’t help but ask.

Sharon’s sharp eyes flicked back to her. ‘Break-ins like that? It’s never just bad luck. I’d bet there was foul play in it somewhere.’ Her eyes lingered and thinned. ‘Ah, don’t fret, sweetheart. I’m just like everyone else in this town, nosey and guesstimating.’ She laughed now, so loud and sudden Brianna startled. ‘Jack always said I had the nose of a bloodhound and the memory of a steel trap.’ She let the words hang before lowering her voice and turning back to Hayden. ‘He told me things, Pierce. Back when he and I were …’ She half shrugged. ‘Anyway, that’s not my story to tell.’

Hayden’s jaw tightened. ‘If you know something that could help Molly, you should just spit it out, Sharon.’

But Sharon only gave him a sly smile and a dismissive wave of her hand. ‘Now, now, Pierce. You know me. I don’t meddle. Just make observations.’ She turned to go, then glanced back over her shoulder. ‘Watch yourselves, darlings. This town remembers more than it says.’

She disappeared into the crowd, leaving a silence that felt heavier than the noise around them. Gavin and Tilly bent over the menu, seemingly absorbed, but Sharon’s words lingered like smoke.

‘Charming as ever,’ Gavin muttered, lifting his schooner before setting it down with a thud. ‘Woman has a knack for sticking the boot in and walking off before you can respond.’

Tilly’s eyes followed Sharon’s retreating figure. ‘Still, she’s not wrong about one thing. This town doesn’t forget. It just … files things away until it’s ready to bring them back up again.’

Brianna leant closer, lowering her voice. ‘Do you think she meant it? About Jack telling her things?’

Hayden’s expression was unreadable. ‘Sharon doesn’t say things just to say them. If she’s hinting, it’s because she wants someone to follow the breadcrumbs.’

Brianna glanced towards the bar, where Sharon had already resumed her rounds, laughing with another table. ‘Cryptic breadcrumbs.’

Hayden nodded. ‘Always. That’s her style. But I’d bet she knows more than she’s letting on.’

Gavin shook his head. ‘Maybe. But you’ve got to take Sharon with a grain of salt. She likes to stir things up, keep people guessing; you know that just as much as I do, Hayden.’

‘Or hint just enough to keep herself interesting, Gavin,’ Tilly added wryly. Her gaze slid back to Hayden. ‘Question is, was there truth under it, or just theatre?’