Picking Up the Pieces (2 page)

I clenched my hands at my sides and then relaxed them. He was right. I’d thought the worst of him when he was only trying to keep me safe. “I’m sorry.” My voice broke.

He gave me a grim smile. “Don’t be sorry. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“What are you going to do about…”

“Hilary?”

I nodded, feeling nauseated again. “She’s got it all planned out.”

His eyebrows rose with his smirk. “She always has.” He moved toward me, stopping less than a foot away. “Do you believe in destiny, Rose?”

We’d had this conversation before. “You know I do, Joe.” My voice broke again.

“I used to too. I used to think you were my destiny.” Tears filled his eyes. “Maybe I should put more stock in karma.” He swallowed again, the tears threatening to fall. “I haven’t been a good person, Rose. I’ve done some terrible things.”

I shook my head. “Maybe so, but I believe that deep in your heart you’re a good person, Joe McAllister.”

“I know.” A tear slid down his cheek. “And you believed in me enough for both of us.” He choked on a sob. “Now what do I do?”

I threw my arms around his neck, burying my face into his chest as my own sobs broke loose. “I can’t go back to you, Joe. I can’t. Especially not now.”

His arms wrapped around my back, pulling me flush against him as his body heaved. “I know.”

We clung together, crying in each other’s arms for nearly a minute until he pulled away. “I love you, Rose, but I’m letting you go for real this time.” Then he pulled me back into a hug, squeezing me tight before kissing the top of my head and backing up several steps.

“Are you leaving Henryetta?” I asked, suddenly panicked.

“No.” He wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand. “Ironically enough, I feel like I belong here. With or without you.”

I nodded.

“We’ll discuss the business later.” His gaze swept the ruined room again before he walked out the door. “It’s not going anywhere.”

And neither was Joe. That thought filled me with more relief than I had a right to.       

Chapter Two

Rose

I swallowed a fresh sob and wondered what to do. I needed to talk to someone, but who?
Mason was tied up with work at the courthouse. He’d barely had time to talk to me earlier, when I’d called to tell him about my doctor’s visit. I went with the next person who popped into my head. Someone I could always count on to support me and give me sound, unbiased advice.

Jonah’s secretary gave me an anxious glance when I walked into the office of the New Living Hope Revival Church. Poor Jessica had her sights set on Reverend Jonah Pruitt, and she’d seen me as a threat ever since starting her position a couple of months ago. Her anxiety had lessened after she learned that Mason and I were together, but I suspected no one spent as much time behind closed doors with Jonah as I did.

“Hi, Jessica.” I glanced at the closed office door. “Is Jonah busy?”

“He can’t see you right now,” she said, her mouth pursed. “He’s with someone.”

“Okay.” My nerves were wound up tighter than a ball of yarn, but I wasn’t about to take advantage of my friendship with my pastor if he was genuinely busy. “Do you know how much longer he’s going to be?”

She gave me a half-shrug. “Not sure.”

I wanted to assure her that I wasn’t her enemy, that I was actually trying to help her cause, but I would never betray Jonah’s trust. Instead, I said, “Would you tell him I was here and I’ll—?”

Jonah’s door swung open and the voices of the two men in the doorway filled the reception area. The middle-aged man across from Jonah shook his hand. “Thanks, Reverend.”

Jonah gave him a grin. “Now, Phil. I thought we’d agreed you would call me Jonah.”

“Well, thank you, Jonah. I’ll see you on Sunday.”

Jonah’s gaze followed his visitor toward the door, then landed on me. “Rose, to what do I owe this pleasure…” His voice broke off when he saw the tears that were already filling my eyes. He reached out for me and looked over his shoulder. “Jessica, hold all my calls.”

He ushered me into his office, then shut the door behind us before guiding me to the guest chair in front of his desk. I was glad I didn’t have to see the look on Jessica’s face.

“When are you going to ask that poor girl out?” I asked, reaching for a tissue off his desk. “You’d make my life a whole lot easier.”

“I’m working on it.” He sat next to me, the barest hint of a grin lifting his mouth. Jonah Pruitt was a good-looking man. He put more care into his appearance than most men, but if I had my own weekly televised service, I’d probably do the same. His short blond hair was gelled and spiked in a way that suited him. The truth was, he could have his pick of just about any single woman under the age of forty in Fenton County and beyond, but his past love-life experiences hadn’t ended so well. Which was, of course, an understatement given that his mother had murdered his old girlfriend.

I blew my nose into the tissue. “Well, work on it faster.”

“Rose, what’s going on?”

Tears filled my eyes again. “I don’t even know where to start.”

He gave me a sympathetic smile. “It’s usually best if you start at the beginning.”

“I’m a terrible person, Jonah. If you were a priest, I’d be making a long confession.”

He chuckled. “You, a terrible person? Not likely. But tell me what you’ve done if it’ll make you feel better.”

I took a deep breath. “You know that big bust at the barn outside of Pickle Junction city limits…?”

His smile fell. “Yeah…”

“Did you hear that all the money was returned to the businesses that had been robbed?”

Now he looked downright scared. “Yeah…”

I tucked my legs on the seat, under my skirt. “I might know what happened.”

“And do I want to how you came to know it?”

My eyes met his. “Are we protected by client-psychologist confidentiality?”

His gaze leveled with mine. “What did you do?”

“Nothing bad. Not really. I just kept Skeeter Malcolm from getting killed, and in return he helped me get my money back.”

His eyes widened and his voice rose. “You’re the Lady in Black.”

“Shh!” I leaned over the arm of my chair. “No one can know, Jonah!”

“You really are?”

I didn’t answer, which I knew would be confirmation enough.

“Joe and Mason didn’t figure out it was you?”

“No, thank God.”

Jonah shook his head in disbelief. “I didn’t suspect, so I guess they wouldn’t either. How’d you get mixed up with Skeeter Malcolm anyway?”

“It’s a long story.” I shifted in my seat.

He sat back in his chair. “Good thing I don’t have another appointment for an hour and a half.”

“How’d you know about The Lady in Black and Skeeter?” Neely Kate already knew, but she often knew things people never ever found out about. I’d been hoping this would be the same.

“
Every
body knows you were with Skeeter. Well, not
you
. The Lady in Black.”

“Great,” I grumbled, sinking deeper into the chair. “I told him it was a stupid name.”

“I’m waiting. How did it happen?”

“After I figured out that the guys who robbed the bank were planning to bid for Daniel Crocker’s business, which Skeeter was the only real contender to win, I figure he might appreciate knowing about his competition.”

Jonah scowled. “You were supposed to take that information to Mason, not Skeeter Malcolm.”

I placed my hands on the arms of the chair. “You know I needed the money by today to save the business. If I’d told Mason, I wouldn’t have gotten it back in time. If at all.” I knew I sounded defensive. I supposed I was.

He took a deep breath and released it. “I still don’t get how you ended up at the auction.”

“When I went to Skeeter to see if he was interested in the exchange, I didn’t stop to think that he’d want to know
how
I knew.” I grimaced. “Skeeter got really ticked off, so Bruce Wayne panicked and told him about my visions.”

“Wait.” Jonah sat up and leaned toward me. “How did Bruce Wayne get involved in this? I didn’t realize he knew about your visions.”

“I never told him, Jonah.” I sighed. “He figured it out on his own. Go figure. And once I got it in my head to get Skeeter’s help, Bruce Wayne called Scooter to set up the meeting.”

Jonah shook his head, frowning. “Rose, do you understand the seriousness of what you’ve done? If Bruce Wayne got caught up in any of that—”

“I know, Jonah. I know. I told him I was going to do it without him, but he refused to help unless I let him come with me. He insisted the business was worth fighting for. So I made him a partner.”

“A partner? In your business?”

I nodded. “I’m going to split up the business and Bruce Wayne and I are going to be co-owners of the landscaping portion.”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s just as much his business as it is mine. I may be putting up the money, but I wouldn’t be this successful without him. Especially now.”

He nodded. “Let’s jump forward. How did you end up at the auction?”

“Once Skeeter realized I had the sight, he made me have a vision. I saw him get murdered at the auction.”

“So he made you go to see if it would change?”

“Yeah, but I insisted on wearing a disguise. I saved Skeeter but then the auction was busted. I panicked when I heard Joe’s voice shouting orders, but Skeeter and Jed got away through a trapdoor and took me with them.”

Jonah was silent for several moments, making me uncomfortable. “So you got your money back and saved your business?”

“I didn’t get my money back at the auction. I found it on my front porch last night.” I cringed. “And I didn’t use it to save my business because it had already been saved.”

He shook his head in confusion. “Wait? Was it Mason? Did he find the money after all? But why did you go through with the auction then?”

“It wasn’t Mason.” I paused. “It was Joe. He and Violet were in cahoots and Joe paid off my loan at the bank on Wednesday. That’s why they were spending so much time together. Planning it all, I guess.”

He continued to watch me. “What did Mason say when you told him?”

“He doesn’t know yet. I only found out right before I came to see you. Vi asked me to meet her at the nursery at eleven and Joe was there in his uniform.” I rubbed my forehead, fighting more tears. “Joe put a lot of work into getting the nursery ready this summer. He said he couldn’t let it die. So when Violet told him about our money troubles, he offered to help. He’s a partial owner now.”

Jonah was still for several seconds. “How does one woman get herself into so many predicaments?”

I grabbed another tissue off the desk and blew my nose. “I have no idea.”

“You’ll need to verify this with Mason, but I doubt Joe can claim a stake in your business. Even if he did pay off the debt, he’s not a legal owner. It’s still yours.”

I nodded, still unsure what to make of the whole mess. “There’s something else.”

“There’s
more?
” He looked horrified. “Sorry.”

I offered him a grim smile. “Hilary showed up at the nursery this morning, looking for Joe.” I paused, trying to push the words past the lump in my throat. “She’s pregnant.”

Jonah’s face paled.

“And I’m not. I took a test last night and went to the doctor this morning so he could confirm it.” I lifted my eyebrows. “And before you ask how I feel about that, I’m equally relieved and disappointed. Which confuses me.”

“It’s understandable. You were preparing yourself for a baby and had probably convinced yourself it could be a good thing.”

“Well, my vision about Hilary is coming true.” The night before Joe and I broke up, I’d had a vision of Joe winning an election with a very pregnant Hilary at his side.

“No,” Jonah said. “Big elections are in November, and yesterday was Thanksgiving. Unless Hilary has become an elephant without us realizing it, the timing is off.”

“Does it matter when she’s due, Jonah?” I asked. “Pregnant is pregnant.”

“True, but you’re with Mason now, so why does it bother you so much?”

My chin quivered. “I asked myself the same question. Part of it was that she told him in front of me and Violet, and Joe just looked so blindsided and devastated. I’ve never seen him that way. Not even when he broke up with me.”

“And the other part?”

“Joe and I are better off apart, but I care about him. I don’t like it that he’s hurting right now.”

Jonah’s hand covered mine. “You are a remarkably good person, Rose Gardner. Most people wouldn’t feel that way about their exes.”

“Maybe it’s because it was a mutual split. We didn’t break up out of hatred or a lack of love; we did it to save each other.” I looked into Jonah’s eyes. “Will you talk to him?”

“Joe?”

I nodded. “He’s dealing with this whole issue with Hilary, and I think he’s finally accepted that I’m not going back to him. He needs to talk to someone, someone who’s not me.”

“I’m not exactly Joe Simmons’ favorite person, but I’ll reach out to him and see if he’s receptive. It’s the best I can do, Rose.”

I leaned over the arm of the chair and hugged him. “And it’s all I can ask. Thank you.”

I started to get up but Jonah pulled me back down to the chair. “What are you going to tell Mason?”

“I’ll tell him about Joe saving the business and get his take on that and on Hilary.”

“I’m not worried about those parts. I’m talking about the Lady in Black.”

I shook my head. “No. I’m not telling him. I helped Skeeter at the auction and I got my money. It’s done.”

“What do you think Mason will say when he finds out you helped Skeeter Malcolm become the new crime boss of Fenton County? Mason can’t stand Skeeter; he’s vowed to bring him down.”

I squared my shoulders. “Then I have all the more reason
not
to tell him.”

“Rose.”

“I have to go, Jonah.” I hopped out of the chair and took a step backward, out of his reach. “It’s done. Who cares about the Lady in Black? She made one appearance and now she’s gone forever.”

“I think you’re being naïve.”