Page 35 of The Vineyard Bride

Hurt people hurt people.

But a split-second later, a man in his thirties with a cereal milk stain on his t-shirt answered the door.With a funny jolt, Lola thought:Is this Valerie’s new boyfriend?This milk-stained thirty-something?

“Hi!”Lola began, using her half-flirtatious voice.

The man dotted his fingers around his lips, trying to clean himself up.“Hello?”His eyes scanned from Lola to Audrey, who hung back, shifting her weight on her feet.

“Sorry to drop by like this,” Lola began, her head pounding with her hangover.“But I wondered if Valerie is around?I’m an old friend, and I really need to speak to her.”

The man scratched his bald spot and shook his head.“Valerie?Hmm.Yeah, that’s the woman I’m subleasing from, I guess?”

Lola’s stomach twisted.“She’s not here?”

The man shook his head.“No.I’ve lived here for about five months now.”

“And you have no idea where she is?”

The man bristled.“I guess if I did, I wouldn’t feel right about telling you that.”

“Listen, dude.My mother is Valerie’s best friend.”Audrey shot out.

Lola whipped a hand out as her smile widened.“Audrey, it’s okay.I respect that.Thank you.”

The man shrugged and stepped back, opening the door just the tiniest bit.Through the crack, Lola could make out all of Valerie’s old furniture and hung photographs and paintings, proof that most of Valerie’s life remained within those walls— the only that was missing was Valerie.

What the heck is going on?And why didn’t she mention that she’d moved somewhere else?

Once back in the car, Lola started the engine and allowed it to purr beneath them.Audrey buckled her seatbelt and crossed her arms.“Does this mean we should give up?”

“Not yet,” Lola murmured.“I want answers.And another cup of coffee.”

“Coffee, yes.And maybe a hair of the dog situation,” Audrey mumbled.“My head is threatening to explode.”

“We can get you a Bloody Mary in a little while,” Lola countered as she eased the car from the side of the road.“Can you do me a favor?Can you get Jenny on the phone?”

Audrey breezed through Lola’s phone passcode (something Lola didn’t know Audrey knew so well) and called Jenny.With the phone on speaker, each ring echoed through the little car until Jenny’s eventual answer.

“Hi, Lola.”Jenny sounded slightly stricken.“I can’t talk right this minute, but can I call you back after my shift?”

“So, you’re at the coffee shop this afternoon?”Lola breathed, relieved.She’d thought that Jenny normally worked most Sundays, a paycheck that helped her continue with her art career.

“Just like always,” Jenny affirmed.“You in town?”

“I’m going to stop by,” Lola offered.

“Great.”Jenny’s voice was high-pitched.

“Unless that’s not something you want?After what happened on the Vineyard, I mean,” Lola tried.

“Lola, we’ve been through so much together.Even though we’ve been distant lately, it doesn’t mean...”

Next came the sound of someone at the coffee shop, demanding why Jenny wasn’t paying attention to them.“I’ve been waiting in line for, like, five minutes.I need a latte to go.ASAP.”

“I’ll see you in fifteen, Jen,” Lola interjected.

“Yeah.See you in a bit.”Jenny hung up to tend to the customer as Lola and Audrey continued to creep through Boston traffic.

“You think Jenny will know where Valerie is?”Audrey asked.

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