Page 8 of Unexpected Hero

A week later

LETTIE

Inearly drop the phone as I screech, “Arrested?”

“Yes, girl. We’re talking orange jumpsuits. Group showers. Don’t drop the soap. The works.”

My heart slams so wildly in my chest I’m surprised I can’t see it thumping. “Hang on. I need to see your face for this. I can’t tell if you’re full of shit or not. I’m switching to a video call.”

With two taps on my phone, Stella’s rosy cheeks and big brown eyes fill my screen. Like always, she’s got her pet bearded dragon resting atop her shoulder. I can’t hold back a full-body shudder.

Fucking hate lizards.

“Stop that!” Stella points at me with her free hand and gives me the evil eye. “Don’t you dare act that way in Pumpkin’s presence. You know she’s sensitive. Are you trying to give her body dysmorphia?”

Turning from the phone, she mutters in baby talk to the reptile and kisses its scaly snout or nose or beak or whatever the hell it is. Meanwhile, I mime vomiting, drawing a laugh from my best friend.

She’s the only thing I miss about my microscopic hometown. And even if my first week here hasn’t been as perfect as I’d hoped, I have no desire to go back there. It’s beach town livin’ for me from here on out.

“I can’t believe you kiss that disgusting thing.” I mockingly gag, sticking out my tongue and letting my eyes roll to the back of my skull. “This is probably why you don’t have a lover who stays longer than one night.”

She scrunches up her face. “Ew, Lettie. You mean some of them want to stay longer than one night? Now you’re grossing me out. Stop.” She replicates my full-body shudder from a few seconds earlier.

Once we’ve stopped snickering, she gives the camera a wide grin and arches a brow. “Anyhow, yeah… so get this. Here’s what I heard about Toby’s arrest.”

I plop down on the bed, crossing my legs and resting my back against the headboard. “Tell me everything.”

“So, surely you recall that Joey Bowden finally got his dream job in Booking at the county jail.”

No. I don’t remember this at all. Despite living in a small town, I often kept my head down. Stella did enough business nosing for us both.

“Who is Joey again?”

Stella rolls her eyes overdramatically and huffs. “Joey is Jodi’s cousin.”

“Right, right.” I crick my head to one side. “And who is Jodi?”

“Hell’s bells, woman. Do I need to ship some ADHD meds down there or something?”

Perhaps she should. I’m running low and haven’t found a new doctor in Florida yet. Or a job. I should probably get on that before what’s left of my money runs out, leaving me evicted from this lovely establishment. Gag.

I narrow my eyes at her, but she just laughs and continues her explanation. “Jodi Zimmerli from Pork Rinds and Peach Pies Country Store. The one who sold us Four Lokos when we were in high school.”

“Oh, that Jodi. Yeah. I remember her. And her brother works at the jail? How do you know her brother and what his dream job is? That’s weird.”

“No, Joey’s her cousin.”

I blink three times. “It’s no less weird that you know her cousin.”

“Ignoring that because I know you mean it lovingly.”

“Obviously. Back to the point, please and thank ya kindly.”

“So it all started when Jodi asked Jenn Plummer how Joey could get his juvie record expunged so he was eligible for the job at Corrections. You see, Jenn works in the Clerk’s office, but she wasn’t keen on helping Joey because she’s still sour about the pie incident of 2010.”

The corner of my mouth quirks. “I remember the pie incident, but what did Joey do to get a record?”

“Remember when Rhonda Schwenner’s house was put up for sale when she was on that cruise?”

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