Page 47 of Tessa's Trust

She grinned, somehow making her look even tougher. “I know, but it’s boring in here, and we might as well talk.”

The woman wasn’t wrong. I fluffed my ponytail and tried to squeeze more water out of my hair. “I got in a fight that ended up with a very expensive fish tank being blown up. However, it wasn’t my fault.”

“Did the fish die?”

I didn’t know why, but I instantly liked the woman since she was worried about the fish. “No, we got them all back in the tank. The owner will have to fix it, but I think we saved all of them.”

She grinned. “That’s a good thing. I’m Roxy Smith.”

“Tessa Albertini,” I said. “It’s my first time here.”

“Oh, not mine,” Roxy admitted.

I checked out her tank top. “Did you have a jacket? It’s pretty cold out there.”

She nodded. “I did, but they took it as evidence.”

I bit my lip. I was really curious, but I also didn’t know holding cell etiquette. Was it okay to ask detailed questions? My gut said it wasn’t.

She snorted. “You are new at this. I got in a fight, and there was blood on the coat. But, actually, like you, it wasn’t my fault.”

“What happened?” I might as well pass the time and make a new friend.

“We were protesting the county commissioner’s refusal to allow us to expand Bernie’s Outfitting on the south side of the lake. There’s no reason. There wasn’t a bad environmental impact or anything, but all of a sudden, they’re anti-growth.”

I thought I’d read something about that in the paper. “How far do you want to expand?”

“Just about twenty feet to the south. Not even close to the lake.” She shook her head. “I know we can appeal, and maybe they just didn’t understand the plans, but we thought we’d stage a minor protest. I mean, why not? It’s Christmas season. We were just having fun.”

I scratched my chin. “Then why the fight?”

“Oh, it actually had nothing to do with the expansion. My ex-boyfriend’s new wife decided to show up with a couple of her friends, and things got ugly.”

I shook my head. “Why are people fighting all of a sudden? What happened to the good old days when we just argued, sent letters or, I don’t know, ignored each other?”

She rubbed her impressive biceps. “I don’t know, but I kicked her ass, so I ended up here.”

I could believe it. The muscles in her arms were surprisingly cut. “You must work out.”

“I do. I do CrossFit at least once a day.”

That was impressive. I tried it once and thought I was going to die. “Sorry about your ex.”

“The jackass was a jerk. The guy was a Lordes member. Have you heard of them? They’re a motorcycle club, or at least they used to be. They’re disbanded now.”

Oh, I knew way more about the Lordes than I wanted to. Aiden had been undercover with them for a while. “I think I’ve heard of them. They’re no longer around, are they?”

She stretched out her legs. “I guess some of the members are still around, and somehow this chick won’t leave me alone.”

I nodded. “I get it. I mean, I don’t understand any of it, but I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“Thank you. Man, I wish I could find somebody good to date. You know? A stable and friendly man who just wants to hang out and maybe hit the bowling alley once in a while.”

“That makes sense to me,” I said. She seemed tough and sweet at the same time. In fact, the more I thought about it, Eddie had tried to help me save all those fish. He’d fallen several times, but he had made sure not to squash any, and he’d even picked one out of a lady’s hair.

I cleared my throat. “You know, I know a guy you might like to meet.” Maybe if this whole restaurant thing didn’t work out for me, I could start a matchmaking business.

“Yeah, what’s he like?”

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