Chapter 15

Jo tapped Laverne's arm. "Do you still want to go with me today to pick up my dress?"

"Yes siree," Laverne said. "I have my eye on a pair of earbuds I found at the Malton's hardware store last time I was in there."

Jo arched a brow. "You already have a pair of earbuds. In fact, I believe more than one pair."

"These are better. They stay charged longer and will fit in my ear." Laverne tilted her head to the side. "My other ones keep falling out."

"Are they expensive?"

Her resident's eyes slid to the side. "Maybe a little more."

"A little more?"

Courtney laughed. "Laverne showed them to me. I would never pay big bucks for earbuds."

Jo pinned Laverne with a stare. "Must I remind you…"

"I know." Laverne rolled her eyes. "I'm on a budget. Fine. I'll stick with the ones I have even though they keep falling out, but when I lose one, I'm buying a new set."

"Thank you." Jo changed the subject. "Nash and I have plans for everyone later tonight."

"Plans?" Delta asked.

"Yes."

"And I don't know about it?"

Jo pinched her thumb and index finger. "It's a small-ish plan. We would like you to stay."

"It looks like me ‘n Gary are gonna hang around after dinner."

"You had better. If not, you'll definitely be missing out."

Despite the residents trying to guess what it was, Jo and Nash did a good job of keeping it to themselves. Jo caught Nash's eye. He winked and her heart pitter pattered.

Soon…she would be Mrs. Nash Greyson. Jo Greyson, and the big old farmhouse wouldn't seem so big anymore.

The meal ended, and Nash caught up with Jo in the kitchen. "We have them going."

"Who doesn't like something to look forward to?" she asked.

Nash sneaked a quick kiss. "Have I told you lately how much I love you and can't wait until we're married?"

A slow smile spread across Jo's face. "Maybe a time or two. Have I told you I can't wait to be your wife?"

"Maybe a time or two." Nash pulled Jo close. She wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing in his aftershave, marveling at how blessed she was to have a wonderful, caring, thoughtful man like him.

There was only one answer. God. God brought them together.

"Hey, hey." Delta bustled into the kitchen, playfully shading her eyes. "Women and children are present."

"What children?" Jo laughed and reluctantly stepped back from her betrothed.

"Well, maybe just woman." Delta dropped the basket of bread on the counter. "I take it the digging around didn't go too well this morning, considering Carrie hightailed it out of here as soon as you finished chatting in your office."

"We did some online research, checked out Country Renovations' website and reviews." Jo shared what they'd found, about a customer's complaint that a worker got caught peeping through a window. "We checked out all the names on the list of workers. We couldn't find anyone who had a record."

"I'm sure Barney Quaid already fired the person," Nash said.

"Having a peeping employee is bad for business. We found something else."

"About Charlie?" Delta asked.

"No. Someone complained about Carrie's taxidermy service and left a terrible review on the Better Business Bureau." Jo told them what it said.

"How awful. I bet Carrie is beside herself," Delta tsk-tsked.

"To put it mildly, she's upset."

Nash folded his arms. "Does she have any idea who it might be?"

"Nope. The initials were MIN. Could be anybody. The fact the review is new and someone spray-painted ‘die' on the inside of her work trailer leads me to believe there might be a link."

"Which might also tie into whoever put tracking devices on her van," Delta said.

"It stands to reason." Jo glanced at the clock. "My dress is ready. I'm going to run into town, grab the dress, and maybe swing by the cemetery to chat with Charlie."

"You sure you want to get involved?" Nash asked.

"It won't hurt to cover all the bases." Jo shrugged. "Although some clues point to Charlie's involvement, my gut tells me it isn't him."

"Maybe you should take someone with you," Nash said. "I'll go."

Jo wagged her finger at him. "You can't. I'm picking up my wedding dress. Laverne is going with me."

"Keep your cell phone handy." Nash gave Jo a quick kiss and left through the back door.

Delta watched him leave. "That man is madly in love with you."

"And I'm madly in love with him," Jo said. "It's a match made in heaven."

"Possibly even arranged by the Divine angels." Delta started loading the dishwasher. "Do you want me to tag along with you and Laverne?"

"Nah. Thanks for the offer. We'll be fine." Jo left to track down Laverne, which didn't take long. She found the woman in Nash's workshop peppering him with questions. "…kinda late and I like to get up early. How long are we talking?"

"Is Laverne trying to get you to spill the beans about tonight?" Jo asked.

"More like hounding me," Nash joked. "She hasn't figured out I'm not going to slip up."

"I'm not a fan of surprises," Laverne whined.

"It's not that big of a deal."

"Then tell me what it is."

Jo ignored her pressure tactics and jangled her keys. "Are you ready to hit the road?"

"Yeah."

"Be careful," Nash called out.

"We will."

During the drive into town, Laverne told Jo about researching online classes after their chat the previous night. "I have a few I'm seriously considering."

"Like what?"

"Social psychology. I figured I could start with the history of psychology. The human mind is fascinating."

"Even yours," Jo teased.

"Yeah." Laverne pondered the statement. "I am pretty unique, if I say so myself."

They reached downtown Divine, and Jo lucked out when she snagged an empty spot in front of the hardware store. She'd texted before leaving and found Charlotte waiting for her near the back. "I'm sorry it took a little longer to finish the alterations."

"No worries. Thank you for doing it for me."

Charlotte started to hand the dress over and hesitated. "Do you want to try it on again?"

"I'm sure it's fine. Are you and Wayne still planning on coming by tonight?"

"Absolutely. We wouldn't miss it. Seven-ish, right?"

"Correct."

Laverne leaned an elbow on the counter. "Coming by for what?"

Jo shook her head.

Charlotte pressed a finger to her lips. "Mum's the word."

"While I'm here." Laverne casually looked around. "I might want to peruse some of your inventory."

"What kind of inventory?" Jo asked.

"Something cheap. What's my budget?"

"Five dollars."

"Five dollars?" Laverne gasped. "You can't buy anything for five bucks."

"Then maybe you shouldn't bother looking at something you can't afford."

Laverne mumbled under her breath and stomped off.

Jo thanked Charlotte again and caught up with her resident near the door. "I thought we both agreed last night that you need to save money."

"We did, but this isn't any fun."

"Sometimes life isn't fun." Jo propelled her out onto the sidewalk. "It's called adulting. It's what you do when you're a grown adult and have to make tough decisions, like saving for the future."

"You can save your breath. I get it, but old habits die hard." Laverne climbed into the passenger seat and snapped the seatbelt in place. "Where are we going now?"

"To the cemetery, to chat with Charlie Golden."

"I'm not a fan of cemeteries."

"Why?"

"Because they are in too many scary movies."

"Maybe you should watch different movies."

"Do you have an answer for everything?" Laverne asked.

"I try. It might not be what you want to hear, but telling you what you want to hear isn't my job," Jo said. "My job is to prepare you for the day you leave the farm."

"Another lecture." Laverne's expression grew pained. She placed her hands on the sides of her head. "I should learn to keep quiet."

"Agreed." Jo checked for traffic and backed out onto the street. "Finally. You and I can actually agree on something."