Page 83 of Shadow Sabotage
But nothing could have prepared me for what he actually asked.
“Why doesn’t Serena McGrath like you?”
“What?” I dropped my arms, confused. “What are you talking about?”
He studied my face. “She tried to pick Sheriff McGrath up for lunch. When she found out he was in a meeting with you, she presented with clear anger and jealousy.”
“What?” My jaw dropped.
“Does she have a reason to be jealous?” He watched me closely.
“No,” I protested. “Of course not.” But then a realization hit and I bit my lip.
“What is it?” His voice was calm, but his eyes were narrowed in on me like I was prey in the water and he was going in.
I shook my head. “Nothing that I’ve done. But… Serena used to work for him. That’s how they met. He was married at the time. They’ve always said nothing started between them until later, after he got divorced. But the consensus in town was that they had an affair and that’s the reason he left his wife.” I felt guilty repeating old gossip, but we all knew that it was true.
Vance’s eyes lit with clarity. “Ah. I see. She knows her husband is a cheater, so she’s worried it will happen to her, too.”
“Maybe,” I admitted. “But ew. He’s mydad’sage. I’ve never thought of him as anything except a mentor.”
“Maybe you’ve never considered it. But has he ever given you reason to think that he has a special interest in you?”
“No, of course not,” I said, shaking my head. But then I paused. Hehadtaken a special interest in me. I knew that was partly why Collins gave me such a hard time. But it wasn’t a romantic interest, was it?
“She’s blonde, you’re blonde,” Vance pointed out. “She’s younger than him, you’re younger than him. She worked for him, you work for him.” He shrugged. “It’s a pattern. I can see why she’d be concerned.”
“Ew.” That was the only word that came to mind.
Vance chuckled. “It’s clear from your face that you’re shocked she would consider you a rival.”
“Totally shocked.” I grimaced. “I’m kind of disturbed now. But for the record, he’s never made any kind of move on me. None whatsoever. I don’t know if the pattern is the reason he encouraged me to apply for the job, but he’s never once crossed the line, I promise you that.”
“Good,” Vance said quietly. He looked around to make sure no one was paying any attention to us.
“What?” I asked, leaning in.
“I just have to point out that someone else fits the pattern. Blonde, young. Looking for an older man…” His brows rose.
My jaw dropped as I realized what he was getting at.
Katelyn Brown had also been a young blonde.
And that realization made his coffee date with her look even worse.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Vance
We ate in silence.The restaurant was too crowded to speak freely about the case, and neither of us seemed to be in the mood for personal chatting.
I’d tried to be angry at her for thinking the kiss was no big deal, but all of that had gone out the window the moment I’d seen her face. Now, I was just angry at how she was treated by her coworkers and for what Sheriff McGrath might have had in mind for her.
I could see the gears shifting in Claire’s head as she thought about the implications of Serena being jealous. I knew personally how difficult it was to find out that someone you looked up to wasn’t the person you thought they were. Claire was in a tough situation, no matter how this played out.
But I was relieved to know that the sheriff had never made a move on her. It didn’t mean he wasn’t interested though. The wide eyes and crimson in her cheeks when we talked about it made me think Claire was afraid I was onto something she’dnever considered. That his recruiting her and giving her the special treatment Collins resented might have been because of her looks instead of despite them.
I hoped it wasn’t true, if only because I didn’t want Claire taking that hit to her confidence. She already feared she wasn’t good enough for this job. She didn’t need another reason to believe it.
