Page 4 of Home Tears

She shook her head. “Nope. ’Fraid not. I know for certain that owner won’t want you bothering him. Can’t tell you a thing.”

The back door slammed shut, and a second later Barney appeared, holding a bleeding arm to his chest. “Mae, I didn’t find a barn back there, but I’m pretty sure I found your cat. He didn’t take a likin’ to me. You might need to pay up on that tetanus shot you offered.”

Mae cursed, grabbing his arm. “I don’t have a barn cat. I was just messing with you.”

“You were?” He sounded like an insulted four year old. “But you said you weren’t.”

“That’s the whole point. You don’t admit to it when you’re doing it.” She started probing his wound.

“Ouch, Mae! That hurt.”

“We need to clean this so you don’t get an infection. Jeffries, watch the bar for a while?”

He lifted his hand in the air. “Sure thing, Mae.” Then he pretended to zip his lips. “And look, still shutting it.”

She rolled her eyes, pulling Barney to the back. “Come on. Let’s clean this up.”

“You make sure that’s all you’re cleaning up.”

“Thought you were shutting it, Jeffries?” Mae shouted over her shoulder.

“Doing so again. It was a temporary error.” He saluted and took another drink.

As they disappeared into a back area, Jonah asked, “Hey, who owns that Mustang out front?”

Jeffries shrugged and took a drink. “You got me there.” His eyes slid toward Dani and a hint of a smile lingered there, just a hint. “I haven’t seen a vehicle like that around for a long time, not since Mae’s little niece took off.”

Jonah frowned. “You mean Erica and Julia’s sister? That niece?”

Jeffries waited till Jonah glanced to where Mae had disappeared before winking at Dani. “That’s the one.”

Dani glared at him, knowing she took a seat purposely in the shadows. If Jonah fully looked around, he would’ve seen her and maybe recognized her, but he was more interested in Mae. Feeling a knot start to tighten in her stomach, Dani knew it was time to head out to the cabin. Jonah would have more questions if he spotted her and she was still hoping to put off giving those answers.

“What was her name?”

“I dunno. Didn’t talk much, but Mae thought the sun set around that girl. She went in a slump for a good few months after that girl took off.”

Dani stiffened again.

“Yeah, I remember that. Whole town was in an uproar because Erica and that guy started hooking up. No one seemed to like that couple,” Jonah murmured, his voice slightly distracted.

And that was enough. It was time to go. Dani slid off her barstool. No one noticed as she made her way to the door, and just as her hand reached to open it, she heard Jeffries say, “It’s a damn shame, too. Mae was hoping that girl would come back for the youngest’s funeral. When she didn’t show, Mae fell apart for a few months. That girl broke Mae’s heart.”

She stood frozen, her hand still on the doorknob and she looked back. Jeffries was staring right at her.

She hadn’t realized…

Ten minutes later, Dani pulled up outside Mae’s cabin.

Small and nestled among the trees, it looked like a fresh coat of white paint had recently been applied. Dani didn’t go inside right away. First things first. The lake beckoned to her and after pocketing the hidden key from behind the grill, she went straight for it. Conflicting emotions were inside her, but she nudged them aside again. No matter her damned history, she still yearned to be around water. The dock looked like a rag tag line of wood, all thrown together, but she was surprised to find out how sturdy it was.

Mae had been taking care of this place.

Dani was still sitting there when she heard a car approaching. Standing, she walked back around the cabin, and had another shock in store. She thought maybe Mae came behind her with food, or even Julia heard about her and tracked her down. She was wrong on both accounts.

A police cruiser was parked beside the Mustang. There were two men sitting in the front, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the driver. Sitting there, in a crisp uniform was the other reason why she left town.

Jake Cairns.

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