Page 13 of Dead and a Best Friend
"No way!" Pen shook her head. "I'm not taking your money. Besides, I'll never be able to pay you back."
"Don't worry about that." I pulled us both up into a sitting position. My inheritance wasn't endless, but I had enough to help Pen out without going broke. I knew Pen, though. She wouldn't take charity.
"Not happening," Pen stubbornly retorted. "I'll go to the sheriff. Oliver is a good man, right? Maybe he can arrest the creepy guy."
"But what about the money? It's probably there because they did something illegal, which means you could get into serious trouble with the police for spending it."
"Oh God! I think I'm going to puke." Pen leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes. I slipped my hand into hers and held on while she settled down.
"That is why," I said, as she opened her eyes and locked with mine, "I am going to get the money. We'll put it in a bag and take it to Oliver. He doesn't need to know you spent it as a 'fuck you' to Aiden." I grinned. "I'm not going to let you refuse, because otherwise, I'll just go behind your back. You're my best friend. Like a sister. I'm doing this. You can look at it as a gift for the baby." I raised a brow.
Pen snorted. "Talla, I didn't tell you about the money or the baby because I didn't want you to think I was asking for your help. I mean financial help. It was a dilemma."
"Oh, fiddlesticks, Penelope! I know you better than that. From now on, you better not keep any more secrets from me. Well, at least dangerous ones."
"I'll pay you back a little each month," she said.
"No way! It's a gift from me to you. I won't take it." I grinned. "So, a baby, huh?"
"Yeah," she said, looking down and rubbing her belly. "It sure was a surprise."
"I'm guessing Aiden doesn't know."
She hesitated. "He'd kill me, so no. You're the only one who knows." Pen sighed heavily. “Do you think the plan will work?”
"Of course it will work. I thought of it, didn't I?" I snickered.
After a moment of silence, Pen asked, "Has the big bad wolf made his move?"
I glanced at my friend, and she raised her eyebrows. Mine shot up at the sudden change of subject and question. Pen gasped and got in my face.
“Tallulah James, did you sleep with that sexy, dangerous man?”
I giggled. "There wasn't much sleeping going on."
"Oh my God! I'm suddenly hot."
The look on her face was priceless.
"I love him, Pen. You know that."
"I know, Talla. I'm happy for you." Biting her lip, she asked, "You won't tell him about the trouble I'm in, will you? Or Jessop. Don’t mention the baby either."
"They'll be able to help."
"No, I mean it. I don't want them involved. If you tell Carlisle, he'll tell Jessop. You know he will."
Against my better judgment, I once again, agreed to keep silent.
Much to my relief,Pen was upstairs sleeping. She looked like she hadn't slept in a while. My friend needed me more than I realized. That bothered me.
I was torn about how I was going to explain withdrawing so much money to clean up the mess she'd gotten into. I blamed Aiden for it. Andrew Richardson, a senior at R&R Attorneys at Law, would question me about the withdrawal from my trust fund. I had two options: tell him to mind his own business or lie.
Neither option appealed to me. The truth was out of the question.
As I spotted two detectives walking purposefully across the town square, I remembered that I hadn't told Pen about Riley. Relieved when they moved past the café, I decided I needed to figure out why they were in town. Oliver would be the best place to start.
As I left Bernie and Sam at the café, I realized that, as an employee, I would have lost my job by now.
