Page 62 of Fighter
“Sure.”
“I do have some questions though.” He followed on the other side of the counter as I slipped over to the coffee machine and reached for a to-go cup.
“About Talmage?” I asked as I reached for the coffee. My stomach revolted again. Had Talmage gotten into something even worse already? Jayson just drummed his fingers on the counter with a poker face that probably got him on the force in the first place.
“He's dating Amber Wilson, right?”
“Reputedly.”
He snorted. “Have you seen her around at all?”
His inquiring tone changed slightly. Probing, almost tentative. I didn't like that at all. The coffee felt warm on my fingertips as I poured it into his cup and reached for a lid.
“Amber and I aren't exactly the best of friends,” I said as I set it down. “The only time I ever hear from her is when she's lurking around Talmage's house. Now that I live at the coffee shop, I haven't seen her once. Why?”
“Just looking into a few things.”
“Have you seen Talmage?”
He shook his head. “Not recently.”
“Me either.” I chewed on my bottom lip. Perhaps I could solve two problems at once. The problem of Talmage's silence, and the awkwardness of asking Benjamin to go over with me while Ben was . . . floundering. “Would you . . . would you be willing to help me out?” I asked.
“With what?”
“I want to go to Talmage's and check on him, but I'm not sure it would be wise to do it alone. No one in my family has heard from him and I don't have a car that I could just drive by. I work non-stop so there's no time to ride my bike over there.”
Jayson nodded once. “Let's call it a welfare check. When do you want to go?”
Overhead, the clock moved slowly toward noon. I reached for my apron, then called to Dagny, “Can you cover for me while I take my lunch?”
She gave me a thumbs up. I reached for my apron strings and said to Jayson, “Right now?”
He swept up his cup. “Let's go.”
Riding in Jayson's truck with him was intimidating at first. His canine, Odin, whined gently in the back as we pulled out of the Diner parking lot. Low-level radio chatter rang in the background, and equipment cluttered every available spot. As we started to drive, I didn't need to direct Jayson anywhere.
“Do you know where everyone lives?”
He grinned a quick smile. “Pretty much. Perks of small town deputy life.”
I tucked my hands under my legs as we rode, feeling an acute sense of fear. Whether it was just nerves, or something more, I didn't feel right. A nagging something was eating at me, and I felt deep in my bones that it was about Talmage.
“So,” Jayson drawled. “You and Benjamin, huh?”
Heat leapt to my cheeks. Stupid. Cheeks. They always gave me away. I didn't look at him, but wasn't about to deny it either.
“Yep.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught his grin. “You got a good one. Tough one, but good.”
Whether he meanttoughin physical or emotional terms, I wasn't so sure anymore. For his steel-like exterior, Benjamin was a mess of a man. Tonight would give me a better idea of where things lie between us. He'd had some space and time to work through the Sadie revelation, which couldn't have been easy.
Now, I had to face my brother.
Or so I hoped.
Less than three minutes later, Jayson pulled to a gentle stop in the road just outside Talmage's place. My hands felt weak in my lap when I peered out on the unkempt lawn and weeds spiraling onto the grass from the field behind the house. A note fluttered on the door, and I wondered what it said. The inside was dark.
