Page 129 of The Even Odder Couple

ChapterForty-One

SPENCER

I shove my chair back and leap to my feet. “Can you cover the desk on your own?” I blurt to Kayla. “Friday nights are usually slow.”

She nods, her brow creased. “Everything okay?”

“Not by a long shot.”

“What about Mr. Dudley?”

“I’ll take care of him.” Racing from the break room, I head down the hall, past the librarian cubicles, straight to Mr. Dudley’s office. He’s got half a pizza on his desk and a whole slice in his hands.

“Mr. Dudley. With your permission, I’d like to clock out for an hour. Maybe two. Please. It’s important.”

“But. But. But,” he sputters. Like a tugboat wearing a bowtie.

“Kayla said she can cover the desk.”

“Be that as it may,” he says. I blink. This might be the first time the man’s ever used that phrase semi-correctly. “If you let me go,” I continue, before he can refuse, “I’ll talk you up to the mayor. Tell her what a great guy you are. All true stuff. Things she’d discover on her own, of course. Eventually.” I lower my voice to up the intensity. “But I’m offering to help fast-track your relationship.”

Mr. Dudley chokes out something that sounds a lot likewoof,then his cheeks puff out like one of the blowfish in the aquarium. His throat’s as red as a pepperoni.

“It’s all right,” I rush to assure him. “I know you and Mrs. Lockhart are”—don’t picture it—“involved.”

“Hmm.” Mr. Dudley swipes at his brow. Sweat flicks onto his desk. I’ll never eat pizza again. “Go,” he says. “Now. Before I change my mind.”

“You won’t regret this,” I say, already halfway through the door.

“Tell Miranda I took cotillion!” he shouts. “Women love ballroom dancing!”

“You got it,” I shout back, jogging down the hallway to clock out.

As I race across town, ignoring all speed limits, worst case scenarios scream through my head. I trust Tess. That’s not the problem. It’s Troy I’m worried about. First, he’ll try to charm her. When that doesn’t work, he might just lie. I’d like to think Tess wouldn’t believe anything he tells her. But Troy’s not above getting aggressive to get what he wants.

Why didn’t you knock that guy out years ago when you had the opportunity?

Now, instead of cold anger, hot guilt roils in my gut. The whole time we were roommates, I never told Troy off. Never put him in his place. To keep the peace—to keep things even and controlled—I let a man get away with treating women like objects.

Well. Not anymore.

When I arrive at the ranch, I barely get the car in park before hopping out and dashing to the camp office. Frank didn’t say where Tess and Troy were, but this is as good a place as any to start looking.

He’d better not be alone with her.

Instead of Tess, I find Mrs. Lockhart sitting at the desk. She looks up at me, startled. Then again, after I caught her with Mr. Dudley, this may just be how the mayor looks at me from now on.

“Where are they?” I snap. My heart is clanging with irrational rage. I’d better calm down before I see Troy and pound his face in.

Or maybe not.

Mrs. Lockhart’s eyebrows meet above her nose. “Who?” she asks. “Who?” like an owl with a beehive.

“Troy,” I growl. “Frank said he’s with Tess.”

“Ah, yes.” Mrs. Lockhart purses her lips. “No need to worry. Apparently, while he and the rest of your friends were enjoying their reunion, he realized he’d lost his watch. He believes the clasp must be unreliable, and the watch slipped off here at the ranch. It’s a beloved heirloom. From his great-grandfather. Apparently.”

I grit my teeth. “Never heard that story.”Apparently. “So what does a missing watch have to do with Tess?”

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