Page 42 of Best Laid Plans

I closed her door behind me.

Her apartment was beautiful. It had high ceilings with original crown moldings, and large windows framed with lace curtains. The living room featured a plush, overstuffed sofa, adorned with soft, patterned throw pillows, and a vintage wooden coffee table that held a stack of well-loved books, including The Reprieve by Sartre, a book I'd had to read for school, which was why she'd read it as well.

On her dining table, there was a vase of fresh dahlias—just like when I used to eat at her place.

Warm, earthy tones and rich textures dominated the decor, with a mix of antique and contemporary furniture pieces creating a harmonious blend of past and present. She didn't have a lot, but what she did have was quality.

It was probably a one-bedroom, from what I could see. I wondered what kind of bed she had.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked politely. "I have beer and wine."

"Either is good with me."

We walked into her kitchen. It was quaint, with white cabinetry and copper accents that opened into a small dining nook, where a round table and antique wooden chairs with orange upholstery defined Nova to the T.

Nova pulled out a bottle of Chardonnay from the fridge. She took it to the round table, and set two glasses next to it. She poured the wine and sat. I waited to be invited to take a seat.

"Don't stand on ceremony, for God's sake," she muttered.

I sat across from her. I picked up the glass of wine and held it up. "Cheers."

"Sure," she snapped but didn't clink her glass with mine. "Now talk."

"You said something about my asking Pete to destroy your humanity. What did that mean?"

She drank some wine. "You're going to pretend you don't know?"

"I'm not pretendin', Sugar. I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"First things first, stop calling me Sugar. I'm not your Sugar, doll, sweetheart, darlin', whatever. I'm Nova. Use my fucking name."

Beau had called her both sweetheart and doll. Guess he had permission. But what I'd seen hadn't been two people fucking—it was almost like they were siblings. What was apparent was that some very influential people in Savannah supported and cared for Nova.

"My, my, I don't think I've ever heard you swear before." I couldn't help but poke at her. She'd changed a lot, and despite the fact that I enjoyed the changes I noticed, it bothered me that I didn't know her any longer.

"You know, Anson, I've waited for years to have this opportunity to tell you what a horrible person you are, so thank you for giving it to me." There was nothing calm about her now. The woman I'd met at work was nowhere to be seen.

"It's my pleasure, Sugar," I taunted.

She didn't take the bait and just continued as if I hadn't said anything. "Even if you believed I stole from you, and you branded me a thief, you didn't have to make sure that I left Sentinel with three broken ribs, a black eye, a split lip, a concussion, and bruises all over my body."

My entire body went stiff at that. "What the fuck?"

She chuckled mockingly. "Now, now, Anson, you can't just pretend that you didn't ask your buddy, the Deputy Sheriff, to throw me in a cell with Raymond Carre."

I felt nauseous. "Excuse me?"

She leaned back, her jaw clenched as if she was steeling herself to be able to say what she'd been waiting to tell me for years.

"Pete told me how you'd suggested that it would be so much fun to leave me locked in a cell with a racist son of a bitch, who beat and raped his wife and God knows how many other women on a regular basis. Raymond Carre was working off a drunk. You knew that when you came to see me that night. What did you think would happen, Anson?"

I straightened. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"If you're gonna keep pretending you didn't do what you did, then this conversation is a bit too one-sided for my liking."

I felt something shrivel inside me. I tried to remember what I'd said to Pete that night. Something about making sure that Nova learned her lesson or paid for her mistake.

I leaned over, my face close to hers. "Raymond Carre hurt you?"

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