Page 43 of How I Love You

“You bet.”

“Because there isn’t anything more important for them to worry about?” I asked, incredulous.

“Hey, don’t make the Charlotte Oakians sound like they’re not playin’ with a full deck. It’s just… Well, when folks around here smell love in the air, it’s basically blood in the water. Ain’t nothin’ more important than that.”

I gave her a long look. This town sounded like something out of a fever dream, but she didn’t seem to be joking.

“I know it may seem silly to an outsider, but you’ve gotta understand. Charlotte Oaks was founded on family values. And while a lot of small towns only care about haltin’ progress or keepin’ newcomers from changin’ everythin’ they hold dear, these people care about fillin’ our community with more happy families who will raise their kids here, take them to the Harvest Festival and the Chili Cookoff and even the synchronized grillin’ events.”

I blinked, trying to wrap my head around the wordssynchronized grilling,but Dakota wasn’t done.

“I know I promised I wouldn’t strangle you with my roots, but after today, I figure the best way to make sure the town doesn’t band together to do it for me is to lay down and play dead.”

“You really think they’ll leave us alone if they think we’re together.” It wasn’t a question. Clearly, she did. But I needed a minute to get on board with this.

“I know they will. Charlotte Oakians don’t take no for an answer, but if we’ve already said yes, they’ll find a new challenge.”

Her logic was baffling, but there was a strange kind of sense in it. I wasn’t used to letting someone else take charge, especially when it came to digging for information. In my line of work, I asked the questions, made the calls, and played things by myrules. But this town? It was its own beast. And Dakota? She was its unofficial guide. As much as I hated to admit it, I needed her to navigate this particular situation.

“Fine. We’ll play dead. Now, can we please go inside and find out about this—I can’t believe I’m about to say this—pirate treasure?”

She grinned, clearly thrilled that I’d conceded. “Let’s!”

We headed toward Shifty’s house, the path taking us deeper into what could only be described as a hoarder’s paradise. Rusted car parts, busted appliances, and towers of forgotten junk lined every corner of the property, making it feel like we were navigating through an obstacle course of scrap metal and old memories.

The house itself wasn’t much better. The clutter spilled from the yard and onto the porch, which was barely visible beneath stacks of old newspapers, boxes, and other random items. But beneath the mess, I could tell the house had been well-kept once. The wooden siding, though weathered, was still intact, and the windows were clean—at least, the ones that weren’t covered by piles of random junk.

“Okay, where were we?” Dakota asked as we finally sat around the cluttered kitchen table, trying to ignore the sheer volume ofstuffpacked into every corner of the room.

“Syd’s treasure,” Shifty said, sitting down across from us, his wiry frame nearly swallowed by the mountains of hoarded possessions around him.

“So, Syd found the treasure… and then what did he do with it?” Dakota asked, her voice casual but focused, clearly trying to keep the conversation moving in the right direction.

I shifted in my seat, the PI in me bristling. I wasn’t used to being sidelined like this. Normally, I’d be the one asking the questions, guiding the conversation. But every time I so much as moved, Shifty’s beady eyes flicked toward me, his suspicionobvious. He wasn’t going to open up if I pushed. Dakota had him talking, so for now, I had to let her handle it.

“Gave it to Roy, of course,” Shifty said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Safe-keepin’, if you catch my drift.”

Dakota and I exchanged a glance, her expression matching the uneasy feeling settling in my gut. I wanted to jump in, press for more details, but Shifty was watching me like a hawk.

“Why would Roy need to keep it safe?” Dakota continued, doing her best to keep her tone light. “Didn’t Syd want to do anythin’ with it? Like… I dunno, spend it?”

Shifty chuckled, the sound low and gravelly. “Eventually, sure. But in the meantime, he needed to keep it away from a certain fella who’d already tried to snatch it from him a time or two, and there ain’t nobody better at keepin’ things safe than ol’ Roy. May he rest in peace. Sure is a shame Syd didn’t manage to get his loot back before the old man kicked the bucket—rest his soul. Doubt he’ll ever find it now.”

“Dakota Jolene!” a feminine voice rang out, cutting through the musty air.

I snapped my head toward the voice, but there was too much debris in the way to get a clear view. Judging by the commanding tone, though, I assumed it was Bernice, Shifty’s wife. My suspicion was confirmed when she wound her way through the towers of boxes, old gadgets, and junk, a landline phone pressed to her ear, the cord trailing behind her like some sort of tether to the past.

“Yeah, Bernice?” Dakota replied casually, as if she got summoned like that every day.

Bernice pressed the receiver tighter against her ear, her voice booming. “Your momma says you better be bringin’ that new boyfriend of yours round the house for supper. If you don’t, you won’t be eatin’ tonight.”

My eyes flicked to Dakota, catching the way her cheeks flushed as she looked my way, clearly flustered. “Tell Momma I said he’ll be there.”

I blinked. “I will?”

“Darn tootin’ will,” Shifty muttered, his beady eyes narrowing as he gave me a stare that could peel paint off a wall.

Great. Now, I was not only playing the silent statue, but I’d somehow been roped into playing Dakota’s fake boyfriend for her entire family.

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