Chapter 7

It was a beautiful morning, so we had breakfast on the back deck. Pen had a huge bruise on her cheekbone that had really grown overnight. It looked extremely painful, but the way Pen hadn't stopped talking since it appeared, I guessed it wasn't causing her too much pain.

As it was, my mind kept wandering to Carlisle's office and the feel of his hand in my panties. He made me tingle all over, and if I didn't think of something else, I would need the man again.

"Tallulah, are you listening to me and why are you squirming in your seat?"

My eyes widened. "I wasn't squirming. I was...rearranging." I narrowed my eyes as Pen's lit up with mirth. "What did you say about the motel?"

"I knew you weren't listening," Pen rolled her eyes. "I was saying we need to stake it out. We know the mayor goes there, but I wonder who else does. It would be a start in our investigation of what goes on in the town."

"Hmm, I suggested that didn't I?" I take a slow sip from my cup of coffee, pondering the reality of what I'd suggested when I was trying to distract Pen from what I'd done with Carlisle. "We need to be extra careful with this."

"You could change the name of coffee bean to Coffee, Cake and Investigations," Pen suggested.

I winced. "I think the name is fine for now." I raised a brow at my friend. "You're really enjoying this?"

"Hell, yeah, I am. It's a lot better than working at Richardson and Son Attorneys at Law."

"Speaking of which, when are they expecting you back?"

"Monday. Drew Sr. said I could take the week off. Drew Junior said he had two reports that needed to be typed up by Thursday. I don't think his father was so happy with him. I had a feeling they were already late."

"Okay then." I looked at my watch. "Do you want to come to the café with me? The wedding isn't until three. I checked."

"If it means I don't get to run into your dad, then I'm game."

I winced. "I'd like to avoid him too, so let's go."

"Not so fast," Tate said. He moved into my peripheral vision, and I groaned inwardly when I noticed Trevor with him.

"What are you doing here?" I snapped at Trevor. "It's a little early."

"I haven't been to bed yet." Tate yawned and dropped into one of the spare chairs. Trevor followed. "Heard you had some excitement at Hallen's last night."

My mouth fell open before I caught myself and snapped it shut. I cleared my throat. "What do you mean?" There was no way he knew what had happened in Carlisle's office.

"The guys you were hanging out with," he paused, "and the ketchup."

"Oh, is that all." I sighed in relief. Pen chuckled.

"Why, what else happened?" Trevor asked.

"That was it," I said quickly. Too quickly for Trevor to give me a suspicious look. "So where are you two coming from?"

"Out of town," Tate said. Trevor looked at my brother before looking away.

I caught Pen's eye. "We're going to the café, so we'll see you both later." I dropped a kiss on my brother's cheek, which was funny because Pen did it at the same time.

Pen slipped her arm through mine as we walked into the house. "That was weird," she commented under her breath.

"I agree." The words had barely left my mouth when a booming voice called, "Tallulah, a word in my office."

I groaned and patted Pen on the arm. "You go upstairs and get ready."

"Will you be, okay?"

"Yeah." I untangled my arm from Pen's and waited for her to head upstairs before I slipped into my father's office. I was surprised to find the mayor, Tim Murphy, in the room as well. I frowned as I looked at the two of them. "Everyone seems to be up early today," I commented, my nerves getting the better of me.

"I haven't been to bed yet," the mayor commented.

"That's odd, neither have Tate and Trevor." I tilted my head to the side and watched the mayor closely. His cheeks had turned rosy, and I was sure it had more to do with his annoyance than his embarrassment. "So, what can I do for you?" I asked Father.

"An apology is long overdue."

"An apology? For what?" I took a seat in front of my father's desk without being asked, drawing a frown across his brow.

"You accused the mayor of unsavory behavior. It's time for you to apologize."

"Unsavory business? You mean I accused him of going to the motel to have sex with young girls."

"Now wait a minute!" the mayor shot to his feet. "They are adult women!"

"So, you don't deny it?"

He opened and closed his mouth. "You made me sound like a sleazy lowlife. I am an upstanding citizen of this town." His eyes narrowed.

"I will not apologize for speaking the truth, which the mayor has just acknowledged as such." I looked at my father. "Is that all?"

"No, it isn't!" Father was good and angry. "We raised you better than that, Tallulah James. I will not tolerate you talking to my friends in that way."

I stood and faced him across the desk. "I have a mind of my own. I refuse to be bullied into apologizing when I have no desire to do so. What I said was the truth." I turned and faced the mayor, "And you are old enough to know that the rumor mill will only stop when you do." I started for the door. "Have a nice day." As soon as the door closed behind me, I ran upstairs, but I didn't miss Father yelling my name at the top of his lungs.

"What the hell did you do?" Tate asked. I'd caught him on the way to his room.

"I refused to apologize to the mayor." I stormed into my bedroom. I closed and locked the door before falling against it, my heart pounding. I hated confrontations with Father, and they had begun to happen far too often.

I backed away with shaking hands as I went into my closet. I took out a pair of ballerina pumps. Then I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and smoothed my curls. The last thing I put on was a pale pink lipstick. No one would know I'd had a fight with my father by looking at me. I needed something or someone to bring out the sparkle in my eyes.

Unfortunately, the only man who could do that would probably keep his distance from now on.

The hall was quiet as I approached Pen's room. My father had left. I didn't know how or why, but when he was here, the house felt wired. It was the only way I could explain it. When he wasn't here, the house felt quiet and calm. I stopped thinking when I knocked on the bedroom door.

Pen opened it with a smile. "I'm feeling much better." I winced, but caught myself as Pen continued, "I know I have a huge bruise on my face and my ribs are tender, but inside I feel better. What Aidan did to me yesterday made me realize that I was living in a bubble, and I was waiting for it to burst, and it did."

"Pen, I wish I had talked you into leaving before this happened." I had a lot of guilt about that.

Pen put her arms around me, and we hugged. "You're my best friend, the only one I trust. I wasn't ready to leave Aiden until now, so anything you said wouldn't have mattered." She kissed my cheek. "Let's go see what's going on in town."

We headed out and used my car to get us there. The streets lined with colorful flowers looked pretty. As we approached the center of town, it got busier, so I drove around back of the store. I didn't mind parking there during the day or when Pen was with me. We'd be leaving in a couple of hours to get ready to crash a wedding.

The whole ten-minute drive into town, I'd been thinking about several things. Marshall's upcoming wedding and death was one of them. The other was what was going on in town. Although a little hesitant, I was looking forward to staking out the motel and catching whoever else was using the rooms by the hour.

"You smiled." Pen narrowed her eyes. "What were you thinking?" She paused. "Wait. Carlisle Hallen?"

"I wasn't thinking about the man. I was thinking about what was going on at the motel."

"A lot of unsavory things are going on," she rubbed her hands together, "and we're going to find out what. Now, I need you to tell me what Carlisle did to you. I'm your best friend. We tell each other everything."

"Carlisle is not up for discussion." I fidgeted, hoping she'd let it go. But I knew Pen, and she wouldn't. She was like a barracuda when she wanted to know something.

"More than kissing went on. Oh! Did he get you naked? No, that wasn't it. Not enough time. But he had his hands all over you."

My face heated up.

"I knew it!"

"I didn't say anything."

"It's written all over your face."

"Ugh, you are impossible." I quickly slipped out of the car, Pen catching up with me at the door. I fumbled with the keys until I got the door open, knowing all the while that Pen was staring in my direction. "Pen," I sighed. "I'm embarrassed I let what happened happen." Then, just to tease my friend, I added, "I will say that the man has magic hands."

Pen gasped, which turned into a chuckle. "I think you mean magic fingers."

About to burn up with heat stroke, I went into my office and locked our purses in the filing cabinet. "Not another word."

Smiling, Pen squeezed my arm. "I promise."

"While we're promising things, I want you to promise to give me all the details when you finally get it on with Jessop." I raised my eyebrows, keeping a straight face while it was Pen's turn to blush.

"No comment." She turned tail. "I'll make us both some coffee. I love playing with that fancy coffee maker."

Panic made me chase after her. "Don't touch that machine. I mean it, Penelope."

"I only broke it once."

"Once was enough." I faced Bernie. "Morning, how are you?"

"Excited. My son and his unit are back home. Scott called me last night to let me know. He'll be here in a day or two." Bernie smiled, her eyes glowing with happiness.

"That's wonderful news!" I hugged my assistant. "How long will he be in town?"

"He's not sure yet." She paused as she watched Pen approach the coffee machine. "Let me get you both a coffee." With ease, she slid Pen out of the way and got us both a brew. Pen rolled her eyes.

I chuckled as I looked around at the few customers who were eating their breakfast rolls. There was one person I hadn't expected to see. I approached him. "Lionel, it's good to see you again."

He looked up. "Tallulah, you are a ray of sunshine."

"Oh, you flirt." I giggled and sat across from him. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Really well." He winked. "I have a girlfriend," he whispered as he leaned closer.

"That's nice. Do I know her?"

He shook his head. "No, she's moved into Mildred's house. I warned her about Linc Duffy."

"Good thinking."

"Is she joining you for breakfast?"

The older man blushed. "Yes."

"Oh, good. I'll get to meet her."

Lionel stumbled to his feet. I turned to see a petite woman with white hair hovering in the doorway. She looked to be about Lionel's age, and when her eyes landed on the man, they lit up until she saw me that was.

I quickly got to my feet as she approached. "Hello, I'm Tallulah James, the owner of Coffee Bean. I was just saying hello to Lionel." I offered my hand, and the woman shook it.

"I'm Sheila Connors."

"Nice to meet you. I'll send someone over to take your order in a few minutes." I made a hasty retreat.

"He's dating?" Pen asked.

I nodded and said, "I think they're cute together."

"I think so too."

"What are you two doing today?" Bernie asked as she watched Jessica take Lionel and Sheila's order.

"We're crashing a wedding," Pen whispered. "At The Iris."

Bernie's eyes widened. "Are you sure that's a good idea? There are strict rules at that place."

"Well," I said, "we know the groom and his friends, so maybe we can get an invitation from one of them."

"I wouldn't have thought the bride would be too happy with the groom for allowing two pretty girls to attend their wedding." Bernie raised her eyebrows.

"Two pretty girls who are about to get themselves in a lot of trouble," Jessop grumbled.

"Where did you come from?" I asked, noticing that Pen avoided looking at the man. Interesting.

"I was moving some stuff out of the apartment to make room for Pen." The man blushed. Bernie pushed a large cup of coffee into his hands. "Thanks." To me he added, "I'll be back this afternoon with a mattress."

"Mattress?"

"Where do you want Pen to sleep?" He asked.

"Oh! Of course. I hadn't thought of the logistics." I smiled. "I'm glad you did."

"I'm a guy, I think about these things."

Pen snorted. "If I did, I'd be sleeping on the floor."

Jessop narrowed his eyes at my friend. "I offered you my guest room. I can assure you it has a large bed. It's feminine for Rhodes girl decorated it."

I turned to my friend with shock on my face. She hadn't told me about Jessop's offer.

Pen hissed, "Can you imagine the gossip if I'd moved in with you? Besides, Aiden already thinks there is something going on between us, it would be like adding fuel to the fire."

"I don't give a fuc-"

"Stop!" I snapped, stepping between them. "This conversation either needs to be over or taken somewhere else."

Jessop cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Talla." He fixed his eyes on Pen. "I'm not mad at you, Penelope. I hate what happened, okay. It makes me angry. But I'm sorry I got on to you about it."

Pen inhaled and gave Jessop a soft smile-one that made me think the big guy was going to scoop my friend up in his arms and carry her off into the sunset. Instead, he cleared his throat. "I'd better be going."

"Jessop!" Pen said, grabbing his hand. "Thank you. For everything."

He nodded.

Pen turned to Bernie and me and paused. "What?"

"What? What was that?" I waved a finger between Pen and where Jessop had been standing. "You didn't tell me he offered you a place to stay." I raised a brow. "After all the grief you gave me about Carlisle, too!"

"Wait?" Bernie crossed her arms. "I think I'm missing a lot of what's going on here. Carlisle and Jessop Hallen, huh? You two are involved with the brothers?"

"No! Not at all." I became nervous. "We saw them at Hallen's last night, that's all. Nothing going on there." Tallulah, shut up! "Absolutely not!"

Bernie grinned. "You protest too much."

Pen shoved my coffee into my hands and directed me to my office, all to the sound of Bernie's chuckle.

"We have nothing to do with the brothers, Pen."

"I know." She giggled. "But the way you've been acting, I don't think Bernie believes you."

"I wouldn't believe me either," I muttered.

The fifth dress I tried on was the one. It had been a while since I'd been to a wedding, and certainly not since The Iris Hotel and Spa had opened. My parents were members of the golf club there, but me and Tate were not. Dad had asked me to be fair, but I'd said no. I could kick myself for that. I wasn't sure of the reason for Tate's refusal.

I turned this way and that as I cast a critical eye over the vision of my body in the mirror. Slim and toned, but not overly so. The slight freckles across my cheekbones and nose were covered with makeup. My hair curled around my face and down my back. It was shiny and glossy. The mint green dress I'd chosen stopped an inch above my knee. The skirt was flared, while the body had small cap sleeves and a love-heart neckline. It was cute and appropriate for a wedding, even if it was one, I was planning on crashing. I completed the outfit with a pair of emerald, green high heeled sandals. They made my legs look fantastic.

"Come in," I called when I heard a knock on my bedroom door.

It was Pen.

I did a double take at my friend. "I've never seen that before. It's really pretty."

"You think?"

My eyebrows knitted together at the sound of Pen's uncertainty. "Pen," I walked over to my friend and took her hands, "you look beautiful."

"You're my friend, you have to say that," she mumbled with a smile.

"Because I'm your friend, I'm going to tell you the truth, even if you don't want to hear it." I squeezed her hands and let go. "If only Jessop could see you."

"About him." She inhaled and I noticed tears in her eyes. "I can't think about another man. I have the Aiden mess that will take a while to sort out."

"I understand, and I'm here for you every step of the way. Just remember that I'm not the only one who cares about what happens to you."

She took a breath. "Jessop makes me nervous."

"Why? He'd never hurt you."

"He's so... so masculine."

I burst out laughing. "That's the Hallen men for you."

Pen chuckled. "I hope we don't find the groom in the same predicament you saw him in your vision."

I cringed. "Me too, because that would mean he's dead."

"I wasn't referring to that part."

"I know exactly what part you referred." I rolled my eyes and added when I caught Pen fidgeting with the dress, "I really like this dress. It's different from your usual style. Shorter. You have great legs. The blue really makes your eyes pop. The highlights mixed in with your natural blonde hair look good, too."

Pen held up her hand, laughing. "You can stop. I believe you. I won't fidget anymore." She stopped and looked at her phone. "Tate arrived in my car." She smiled.

"My brother Tate?" I asked in surprise.

"How many guys do you know named Tate?"

"One."

"Exactly. Tate said he felt helpless and wanted to help me in some way. I mentioned that I could use my car if he didn't mind helping with that. He messaged me earlier and said he would have it cleaned for me."

"That's good of him. My brother has been acting very strange lately."

"I was surprised too." She smiled. "He hasn't been hanging out with Trevor as much. I think that makes a difference."

"Hmm." I slipped my phone into an elegant purse. "I hadn't really thought about that." I'd noticed that Trevor hadn't been around the house as much, and I wondered if that had more to do with his falling out with Tate than me breaking off our engagement. Something to think about later.

"Let's go crash a wedding."

Pen grinned but caught herself with a wince. "That hurt."

"How are the ribs?"

"Sore, but manageable." Pen opened the bedroom door with more spring in her step than I'd seen in a long time.