Serenity (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 13) by Karen Ann Hopkins

Author:Karen Ann Hopkins [Hopkins, Karen Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-05-09T23:00:00+00:00

14

Present day

Todd scratched his buzzed head. “I don’t know. He doesn’t seem like a wife beater to me.”

I popped a French fry into my mouth, not tasting it at all. Across the table, Bobby held the report close to his face as he scanned it. It was mid-afternoon at the diner and the crowd had thinned out considerably since the time we sat down in the booth. Sun shined through the large windows facing Main Street. I raised my chin to the warm rays trying to chase away thoughts of that day I stood in the cold rain, begging Crystal Phillips to tell the truth about her husband.

“That’s the thing about bad people, Todd. They don’t fit into a single mold,” I said quietly, not feeling up to a debate.

Before Todd could reply, Nancy, the owner of the diner, appeared at the head of the table. “You barely touched your food, Serenity. Are you ill?” When I glanced up, I found Nancy’s mouth formed a genuine frown, which was an odd sight because Nancy was always smiling and cracking jokes. For an older lady, her humor made me blush half the time. She’d been born with bright red hair and now, seventy plus years later, she dyed it to the same bright color and still had that fiery spark that made everyone in Blood Rock love her. It didn’t hurt that she cooked up the best burgers in town either.

I pushed my plate past Todd so Nancy could pick it up. “Just not hungry today. I’ll have a coffee to go though.”

Nancy looked between the plate with most of my lunch still sitting on it, and back at me. Her frown deepened. “You most certainly are sick.” She eyed me again. “You always clean your plate.” Before I could dodge her hand, she reached over Todd to press the back of her hand to my forehead. “No temperature.” Crossing her arms, her brow knitted, then a wide smile lifted the frown. “Are you feeling queasy? Maybe that bad-boy husband of yours has finally gotten his way.”

“What?” I glanced between Todd and Bobby. My first deputy’s brows shot up and his mouth dropped open. The coroner finally lifted his gaze from the paper.

Nancy nudged Todd’s shoulder and it didn’t seem possible, but her smile grew larger. “Oh, Sheriff, don’t play dumb. I bet that stud keeps you busy when the sun goes down. Giving Willa a little brother or sister is just the icing on the cake.”

Todd blushed and looked away. The heat flushing my cheeks didn’t come from embarrassment. “My sex life and family planning are none of your business.”

My words pushed Nancy back a step. She wasn’t smiling anymore. “I was just playing with you, Serenity. Don’t take it to heart.” As she pivoted, she said, “I’ll get that coffee ready to go.”

When Nancy was gone, Todd turned to me. “That wasn’t necessary. Nancy was only teasing like she always does.”

I inhaled deeply, then blew out several times. When I looked at Bobby, his round face was tilted and his expression compassionate.

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