Page 6 of Jolene's Justice

Ugh.Why did she care? She shouldn’t. She didn’t! She wanted to insist that she didn’t care, but her wayward heart refused to let go completely. Her mind tried to deny it, but her heart was still heavy with longing. And it pissed her off.

“So he was a bit of a daredevil?”

“You could say that. Especially when we were back home. There were days he’d storm onto base looking for a challenge. I have no idea what lit the fuse on those days. He was one of the few pilots with a girl at home. His life seemed perfect.” Matt’s expression shifted. His smile disappeared and his brow creased, as if deep in thought. “But that one time I saw him with Angelica—”

“Ready to go?” Finch asked, interrupting what Matt was about to reveal. Jolene’s heart was in her throat. Matt had inadvertently given her more information than she’d ever allowed Finch to provide her with.

That name again. She could still hear the weariness in Finch’s voice when he spoke the name.

“Sure,” she answered, rising on her still wobbly legs. Finch was by her side in an instant, placing a steadying hand on her arm.

“You okay?” he asked. The concern in his expression caused a confusing mix of warmth and anger.

She pulled away from him under the guise of throwing her water bottle into the trash can. “I’m fine,” she muttered as the bottle hit the bottom of the can with a clang.

She turned just in time to see Finch mask a hurt expression. A sudden stab of guilt hit her for causing his pain but she quickly buried the emotion deep down. She had nothing to feel guilty about. She’d do well to remember that.

Finch thanked Matt as she made her way to the door, but then halted in her tracks when a realization hit her. “Um . . . Finch?” He turned to face her with a questioning brow. “How am I gonna get to the hospital?” In her haste, she had completely overlooked the issue of transportation. The airfield was tiny, and the only thing that could be seen was the vast openness of the land, without any car rental counters.

Finch grinned and held up a set of keys. “Weare going to drive the car I rented.” Jolene noticed the emphasis he’d placed on the first word, and it sent a ripple of stress through her. He couldn’t seriously be thinking of accompanying her.

“Okay . . . um . . .” She racked her brain to try to figure a way out of this situation. “Well, if you can drop me off at the hospital, I’d appreciate it.” She could call an Uber when she was ready to leave.

“I’m not going to leave you alone to deal with this, Jolene.”

“No, really. I’ll be okay. You don’t need to come with me.”

“Sorry. No can do. I promised Natalie.”

“What?”

“Natalie made me swear that I wouldn’t leave you alone. It was an easy vow to make, since I was gonna stick to your side like glue.”

She couldn’t believe this. This man couldn’t stay with her. She didn’t want him to. She’d managed to avoid most interactions with him for nearly a year. Just long enough for her to build up her walls. She was aware that spending too much time in his presence could cause her walls to start crumbling. There was no way she was taking that chance.

“No,” she stated firmly. She crossed the room to where he stood, the keys still dangling from his fingers.

When she tried to snatch them from his hand, he swiftly moved them out of reach. “Yes.”

“No.” She lifted onto her toes, straining to reach the keys to no avail. She was of average height, but he clearly had the advantage, towering almost a foot above her. Losing her balance, she toppled into him, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close. She inhaled sharply as the musky scent of him filled her nostrils. A captivating aroma of the freshness of the outdoors and the sweetness of candy.

“Listen. Let’s not waste time arguing about this. Let’s get to the hospital so you can see your dad.”

Jolene stepped out of his arms with an abruptness that left her feeling hollow. She gritted her teeth and willed the despondent feeling to disappear, letting anger take its place. “Fine,” she agreed. She could argue about it again later.

She smiled and thanked Matt for his kindness as she stepped through the door, following Finch. The storm had passed, leaving a cool, damp evening in its wake, typical of early spring in northwest Georgia. Finch helped Jolene into the SUV he’d rented, and she noted he’d already transferred their luggage into the back.

Turning on the car, he programmed the address of the hospital into the navigation system, then set off. Jolene watched the trees blur past the window as they drove. The Chattahoochee National Forest stretched out before them, with the Appalachian Mountains rising in the distance. Her little hometown of Sunnyvale was nestled along the Chattooga River, about eighty miles outside of Atlanta.

Growing up in Sunnyvale had been idyllic; the population never exceeded five thousand, the streets were peaceful, and the people knew each other like family. Her ambition to be a big city chef made her leave behind the familiarity and security of home. Thinking of how that had turned out, she wondered if she never should have left. And on the heels of that came the question of why she never returned.

But when her life in New York City had crumbled, the weight of her failure was too much for her to bear among the people who had known her since she was a child. Instead, after spending some time licking her wounds in the house she’d grown up in, she chose to go somewhere unfamiliar, where the only other person she knew was an old acquaintance from college. She didn’t regret the move. She loved Lake Haven. It had the same small-town vibe that Sunnyvale did. Most nights, Jolene’s Bar was packed with her friends and neighbors, and the room was alive with music and laughter. The atmosphere catered to both families and the singles scene, offering good food and the occasional entertainment for everyone. She was proud of the life she had built there, even though recent events had left her feeling helpless.

A few orders she had sent to her suppliers were nowhere to be found, and upon further investigation, she discovered they had been canceled. That was just the tip of the iceberg of odd occurrences that had left her feeling baffled and frustrated. Fear and uncertainty swirled in her mind as she considered the potential repercussions if she couldn’t fix the issues.

She had built strong relationships with most of her suppliers, so they worked together to fix the supply issue. She was grateful for the strong rapports she’d built in her network. Her reputation was well established in the area. But knowing all that didn’t ease the anxiety she felt waiting for the other shoe to drop. She just hoped Ox and Nan could handle any complications that might arise while she was caring for her dad. She could always count on her head bartender and head server to have her back. Their loyalty was solid.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and checked the notifications. It was another wrong number text. They had been sporadic over the last few weeks. Always worded in a weird, non-threatening manner. This one was a little different.

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