The Liar

“I’ll see you then.” She kissed Viola on the cheek, and once again dashed out.

She picked Callie up, then, knowing her parents were having a date night—and wasn’t that sweet?—decided on impulse to drive to Griff’s. Callie could play with the pup for a bit, and Griff could give her the details on the trouble he’d had.

It didn’t occur to her until she’d made the turn into his drive that she should’ve texted or called ahead. Drop-bys were risky, and potentially rude.

She couldn’t change her mind, not with Callie so excited, but she had an apology ready when she stopped beside Griff’s truck.

He was out with the dog, turned, grinned, even as Snickers raced toward the van.

“How’s that for timing? I just got home.”

She lifted Callie out, had no more than set her down when her girl dropped to the ground to hug the wildly wiggling dog.

“Hey. I’ve dropped to second place pretty quick.” Griff crouched down. “None of that for me?”

“Griff.” With a flirty smile, Callie lifted her arms. She kissed his cheek, giggled, rubbed his stubble. “Tickly.”

“I didn’t know pretty ladies were coming.”

“I should’ve called. Just coming by, it’s presumptuous.”

“Presume.” With Callie on his hip, he leaned in before Shelby could think if she wanted to avoid, and kissed her. “Anytime.”

“Shrek kisses Fiona, and then she’s her real self.”

“That’s right. Are you your real self, Red?”

“Last I checked. How’s this going?” A little unnerved, she lowered to give Snickers her attention.

“Not bad today. He handled the job. We finished it.”

“Finished?” She looked up as the dog licked everywhere he could reach. “At Mama’s? Oh my goodness, she’s just going to go crazy. Daddy was getting her straight from the salon and taking her into Gatlinburg to visit Gilly and the baby, then for dinner and a movie. She doesn’t know you finished.”

“She’ll know when she gets home.” He set Callie down. “Do me a favor, Little Red. Run around with Snickers some. He needs the exercise.”

“Come on, Snickers! You need cersize.”

“I’m thinking cold beer. You want in?”

“I better not, but you go ahead. You’ve earned it working so late getting that bathroom done.”

He thought about the trip to Gatlinburg, the ring. But he’d given his blood oath not to say a thing until the deed was done. “Ah, well . . .”

“I only came by for a minute, to give Callie the treat, and to ask you what happened last night. I heard something about it at the salon.”

“Word doesn’t travel around here, it just hangs in the air at all times. I don’t know exactly.” He glanced toward the house, found the anger still wanted to rise. “Somebody was in the house, downloaded my files from my laptop.”

“Why in the world— Oh, I bet you do your banking and all that online.”

“You win. It’s all good. Everything’s changed up, secured. But it’s weird. Easier, right, to break in during the day, strip the damn place. But to sneak in one night with a flash drive? It’s just weird. Talked myself into a real security system, though. In addition to the fierce and deadly guard dog.”

Shelby looked over to where Snickers stumbled and rolled. “He is all that. It’s probably smart getting one out here, though we just don’t have much trouble. Except we have had recently, haven’t we? Sometimes I feel like I brought trouble with me.”

“Don’t.”

She tried to shake it off. “You go get your beer. I’m going to let her run off some energy with Snickers, if that’s all right, then I have to get her home, get her fed.”

“We can throw together something here.”

“I’d like to, so would Callie, but I have a dozen things to do yet. And I’m running late myself as I lost my keys and spent near to an hour hunting for them.”

“You put them in that side pocket of the purse thing.”

She lifted her eyebrows. “You’re observant.”

“You do it every time.”

“Well, I guess I missed, as they ended up under the counter at the Pizzateria. I don’t know how they did. I know I didn’t get them out when I was in there, but that’s where they were.”

“Did you have your purse with you all day?”

“Of course—well, not with me,” she amended. “I can’t cart it around while I’m working.”

“Let’s go check your laptop.”

“What? Why?” She nearly laughed but sudden nerves got in the way. “You can’t think somebody stole my keys right out of my bag, then put them under the pizza counter.”

“Let’s just go check your laptop. It’s probably nothing. Callie can run around the backyard with Snickers. I’ll stop and pick up some dinner.”

“I was going to do up some of Mama’s leftover ham from their Sunday dinner with some mashed potatoes and butter beans.”

“Yeah? I’m all in for that if there’s enough.”

“There’s always enough.” A smart cook knew how to make sure of it, and she’d enjoy spending time with him. But . . . “You don’t really think somebody got my keys. That’s just crazy.”

“We’ll just check it out.”

Because crazy or not, he did think it.

He locked up first, for what good it did, and followed them around the winding back roads—gave the oak tree a narrow stare as he rounded the curve.