Page 123 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

Not to him, anyway.

“What a jerk. He was just using you to get information?”

“Yup.”

Garrett had known she’d be at Tabby’s Monday night. For all Aspen knew, he’d told Dean, and Dean had broken into her house.

It all made sense now. Of course it’d been Dean. Garrett had told him Aspen wouldn’t be home.

The realization felt like a fresh betrayal.

“Why did he do it?” Jaslynn asked. “I thought you two were hitting it off.”

“I guess that was all an act.” But it had felt so real.

“Are you going straight to Florida, then? Have you talked to your grandparents?”

“No. I’m just going home. Last night, I called the landlord at our old building, and he has a one-bedroom available.” There was something to be said for a five-hour time difference. It’d been late in New Hampshire, but it’d still been business hours in Kona.

“Don’t do that,” Jazz said. “Don’t give up everything because this one thing didn’t work out. I’m sure your grandparents would love having you nearby.”

“Why are you sure of that?” Aspen hadn’t intended the sharp tone. She tempered it when she spoke again. “They hated my mother. People who hated my mother don’t like me. It’s that simple.”

“That’s not true. They’re your grandparents.”

“You know how many times they came to visit when I was a kid? Three. Three times they made the trip.”

“It’s not exactly cheap to fly to?—”

“I haven’t talked to them since the funeral.”

“Have you called them?”

She hadn’t. She should have, but...

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t have family left, at least not any that want me around.”

Outside the rented sedan, people hurried by. On the opposite side of the street, a woman chatted with a man in a suit. A mom ushered three little kids up the steps into the library. Outside the door to The Patriot, two groups of people met each other and stood and hugged and talked.

The world went on around Aspen, these people, this town that hated her. Good people who saw ugliness in her. And why not? Her mother had murdered an innocent woman. If Aspen’s guess was correct and they found her mother’s body buried near the house, then her father had killed her.

No. She couldn’t believe that. She wouldn’t. Even if it was true.

“You have me,” Jaslynn said. “We might not be sisters by blood, but we’re sisters in every other way.”

“I thank God for you.” If not for Jazz, Aspen would have nobody.

“What will you do?”

Aspen shrugged, not that her friend could see. “I texted Gene.”

“The guy who bought the restaurants?”

“I’m hoping he’ll have a job for me.”

“But you hated working there, even more after your dad passed.”

But it was familiar. Easy. Nobody would reject her or hate her at the restaurant. She might not like the job, but she was competent and respected. The longtime servers would be friendly to her.

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