Page 29 of Best Laid Plans

"Bailey?" Alma looked at her best friend, tears in her eyes.

Bailey looked miserable. "I…my aunt lives next to the Henderson's and…there was a big brouhaha…. You know, Alma, you should talk to Tyler and—"

"Tell me," my sister screeched.

Bailey grimaced. "He told his family he was going to propose to a girl he works with. His father is against it, but Tyler is—"

"You're talking about Sadie Kincaid?" Alma folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "She's nothing—just someone he fu…sorry, Mama, does on the side."

"And you don't mind?" I couldn't fucking believe it.

Alma shrugged. "Everyone does it, Anson." And that's when she looked at Bailey.

"Do you, Bails?" I asked.

Bailey licked her lips and shook her head. "No. Of course not."

Alma rolled her eyes again.

"What does that mean?" I asked. Was Bailey cheating on me?

My mother grabbed my hand. "Go easy on Alma."

"Mama—"

"Please."

I pushed my half-eaten plate of roast beef away, and picked up my glass of wine. "I'm going to get some work done."

When I got to my office, I saw Carole, our housekeeper, hovering. She'd been in our lives for the past ten and a half years, and there was pretty much nothing that happened in and around the Larue family that she didn't know about. If someone murdered one of us, she'd be the first person the cops would talk to.

"Carole," I greeted her softly.

"Mr. Larue," she said stiffly.

I sipped my wine. "You have somethin' to say?"

"I do."

I nodded toward my office.

I sat on a couch, and Carole took the matching armchair across from me.

"Well?"

She cleared her throat. "There's been a rumor that Nova King is going to be working on Sentinel Heights for you."

Carole was born and raised in Sentinel, a small town where everyone knew everyone's business.

"It's true. She's working for the company in Savannah that's going to do the design and architecture work."

She sat straighter. "Well…you know how important this Sentinel Heights thing is for the town. There's goin' to be jobs for folks before, during, and after construction."

I leaned forward, waiting for her to get her point.

"We're not comfortable with her…you know, after what she did."

"What do you mean?" I asked casually, though I could guess.

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