Page 78 of It Runs in the Family

Her brows shot up. “I have so many questions.”

I waved a hand. “That’s not important. What’s important is that there won’t be any proof to back up my side of the story. The third-shift clerk, Lisa, saw some of it, but I don’t know how much. We were off to the side, out of view of the counter.”

She didn’t say anything for a moment, then said, “I’m glad Garrett is taking this seriously.”

“He’s like a protective older brother,” I said, my chest warming with gratitude. “He’s putting cameras in my apartment tomorrow after he gets off work.”

“Good. Do you have your phone on you?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m gonna give you my number. If you run into trouble and Garrett’s not around to help, call me. I’ll come if I can.”

My mouth dropped open. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I like you, Iris Gardner,” she said with a laugh. “Anyone who calls Cal Pruett out on his bullshit is someone I want as a friend.”

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and entered her name and number. “I don’t have your last name.”

“Garza,” she said. “Stella Garza. I mean it, Iris. Call me if you need help.”

Little did she know I might have to take her up on that. Then again, I suspected Stella Garza could see through bullshit like she had a crystal ball.

She probably thought the chances of me needing help were pretty high.

Garrett’s friends stayed until around ten. Mary Ellen and Ava stayed that long too. Before they left, Ava had convinced Nate to join the Pink Ladies Bowling team, at least for the upcoming Wednesday night, since one of the members had to go to Wednesday-night church service to make her mother happy. She and Mary Ellen tried to get me and Garrett to commit, but Garrett held up his hand and said hot pink wasn’t his color. To my chagrin, they bought it.

After everyone left, I helped him clean up the kitchen. He tried to wave me off, saying it was his party and I was a guest, but I elbowed him in the side for insulting me like that and we soon found a rhythm.

“I like most of your friends,” I said.

He made a face as he turned to me. “Cal can be a jerk.”

“Really?” I asked in mock surprise.

It was his turn to elbow me, although he did so much more gently than I had. “He’s Nate’s stepbrother and they’re kind of a package deal.”

“They seem nothing alike, so how can that be?”

He grinned. “Look at you and me.” Laughing, he stepped aside as I tried to elbow him again.

When he settled back into a pattern of rinsing the plates and handing them to me to put in the dishwasher, he said, “Nate feels some weird loyalty to Cal that I don’t understand. But Nate’s one of my best friends on the force, so if Cal’s a requirement for hanging out with Nate, I’ll deal with it.”

“You’re a pretty awesome person, Garrett,” I said softly.

He scoffed. “’Bout time someone realized that.”

When we finished, Garrett got ready for bed, then brought me a T-shirt and a pair of gym shorts to put on to sleep in since I hadn’t had the foresight to pack a bag. Since he had to be at work at eight, it wasn’t going to happen tomorrow either. I’d be stuck wearing his clothes or the dress I’d worn all day.

That was the least of my worries, though.

As I lay on the sofa in the dark, I tried to come up with a plan for the morning. Find a job. Wash my clothes. And not get murdered.

I moved that one to the top of the list.

Chapter Twenty-One

I woke up to the smell of coffee and the sound of something sizzling in the kitchen. I opened my eyes a sliver and found the living room was dark. “What time is it?” I called out in a groggy voice.