Page 43 of Rebels and Roses

“I was,” Jane said, hastily tucking the folder back into her backpack. “I need to get back to work.”

“Yes, but…”

There was something in Lucy’s voice that captured Jane’s attention.

“But?” Jane prompted. “Am I being fired?”

Lucy’s eyes widened, and then she grinned and shook her head.

“Not at all. I came back here because we have a visitor in the bookstore. I’ve been trying to call Cooper but he’s not answering. I was thinking he might answer a call or text from you.”

“A visitor? Is it Fiona?”

“No, it’s someone I haven’t met before. She says her name is Erica Malone, and that she’s Tom’s fiancée. She’s looking for him, and he’s not answering either. I told her I’d try Cooper, but as I said, he’s not answering.”

Tom’s fiancée was here? In Winslow Heights?

“How did she even know to come to the bookstore to look for him?”

“I asked her that, too. She said that he’d mentioned the bookstore and the tavern when he’d last contacted her a few days ago. He’d told her during that call that he’d be flying home on the tenth. That was yesterday. He even gave her a flight number so she could pick him up. He didn’t show. She gave him a few hours, and then got the red eye to Chicago, rented a car, anddrove down here. Now she’s sitting in my coffeeshop crying into a chai latte. I don’t know what to do except feed her pastries.”

Jane didn’t need even a second to decide. It was all hands on deck.

“I’ll send a text to Cooper, and then I’ll come out there and talk to her. Hopefully, between the two of us we can calm her down.”

Tom Kemp had a great deal to answer for. Lying, cheating, and who-knows-what else.

Just how had Cooper married into this family? And why wasn’t he answering his calls and texts?

Cooper’s phone buzzed again,this time a message from Jane. He wanted to talk to her, but it would be easier once Fiona and Tom were headed back to Miami. He’d explain everything, and then they could pick things up where they’d left off.

Wherever that was. He was starting to think that perhaps his genius idea of not getting emotionally involved and keeping it all casual wasn’t that bright after all. Despite the passion of last night, Jane could be plotting his demise at the moment.

Jane would be smart not to get too deeply involved with him. He had issues because of his family - mostly his dad’s shitty idea of what it meant to be a husband and father. He didn’t have a clue how to be in a real relationship that had expectations.

“This is so…suburban,” Fiona sighed as they trudged toward the park. “Like something out of a movie.”

“You make it sound like a bad thing.”

“I didn’t say it was bad, I just said it was suburban. I can almost see the hordes of minivans, soccer moms, and spoiled kids.”

Cooper wasn’t going to let Fiona poke at him. She was only doing it because she wanted a reaction. It was an annoying habit that she didn’t even realize she was doing. It was automatic - like breathing.

“What does your phone say?” he asked, his gaze searching for any sign of her brother.

“We’re about…maybe…twenty feet ahead give or take. I don’t know how accurate this is.”

They were close to the playground which was located next to a large fountain with giant fish spitting water in an arc before it splashed in the pool surrounding them. He and Zack had jumped in more than once on a hot summer day to cool off. But mostly to be little shits because they’d known they weren’t supposed to be in there.

The park was surprisingly empty, but it was a hot day. A couple was sitting on a picnic blanket near the fountain, and a few kids threw a ball back and forth while their mother scrolled her phone but that was it. No sign of Tom unless he was playing hide-and-seek behind some trees or bushes.

“It’s got to be just ahead,” Fiona said. “When Tom finally shows up, he’s going to hear about this. He tossed a perfectly good phone away. I know he did it to piss me off because he doesn’t want to go to rehab today.”

“Do you think he’s already left town?” Cooper asked. “He does have a rental car. Would he have made a run for it?”

“Nothing would shock me at this point. He’s in deep denial about his problem.”

“Call the phone,” Cooper suggested. “We could crawl around all these trees and bushes, but if the phone is on it might speed this up.”

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