Page 30 of Captivating Anika
“Let me just get your color ready.”
Walking into the supply room, I bump into Landon, who immediately apologizes.
“Sorry, about the spray. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Landon can be like a young puppy, happily boisterous and sometimes lacking in good judgment.
I brush it off. “It’s fine.”
“My misguided attempt to lighten the atmosphere,” he continues. “This place has been pretty gloomy the past few days.”
He’s not wrong. The tension has been palpable in the salon, with Kim on edge and the rest of us on eggshells around her. Out of consideration for her, we’ve avoided talking about what happened Monday, but it wasn’t easy when Evans showed up at lunchtime yesterday, wanting to question Monique and Landon about what they might have seen. Which ended up being nothing.
“I know. I’m supposed to get my car back today, and hopefully the police have some more answers soon so things can settle down.”
“I still say it was him,” Landon comments, as he lingers in the doorway. “Kim’s ex. I bet he hired some idiot who didn’t know the difference between a Toyota and a Mazda.”
Then he disappears down the hallway.
It’s one possible scenario, and I’m ashamed to admit I hope he’s right.
Because otherwise someone out there has it in for me.
Hog
It turned out to be a really nice day, despite the unseasonable chill this morning.
I was able to get a decent stretch of sleep, even with the persistent hard-on that followed me home. When I woke up, I had a quick visit with Petunia and her brood, talked to Franco about making an appointment with the lawyer to finalize the transfer, and put a call in to the realtor to let her know I’m ready to move on that house in town.
It’s been a productive afternoon already. I even made it into the GMC dealership in Farmington and took the new Suburban for a test drive before heading into Durango. There I stopped in at the real estate office and signed the lease on the house, and now I’m on my way up to the Arrow’s Edge compound to check in with Brick, who runs the auto shop.
I park the truck and get out, and as I walk to the auto shop, Wapi comes out of the clubhouse. I change direction and meet him at the bottom of the steps to shake his hand.
“Congratulations. A girl, I hear. Good luck with that.”
He grins a little sheepishly. “Yeah, I’m sure I’ll need it. Lindsey is already threatening me she’s gonna lock up my guns.”
I chuckle. “Right. Guess sleep is at a premium with all these added responsibilities,” I offer, noting he looks a little the worse for wear.
“No shit,” he reacts, wiping a hand down his face. “Worth it though. It’s all worth it.”
“I bet.”
“Anyway, sorry to rush off on you, but Linds just took the baby over to her mother and the house is empty. I’m going to try and catch a few z’s.”
“Grab it while you can.”
He throws me one of those tough-guy chin lifts I’ve never been able to master, and heads for his bike. I watch him drive off, the look of a man who knows he has it all on his face, and I feel a pang of something close to envy.
I notice Anika’s Miata parked on the far side of the shop as I walk up.
“I had it in the shop for about five seconds,” Brick says, standing in the open bay door, wiping his hands on a rag. “Damn smell is brutal; it sticks to everything.”
“Yeah, I know, it’s pretty bad.”
“Tires I can order, the replacement for the soft top as well, but I don’t know about that smell, man. The car is a mess. Whatever it was leaked into the passenger seat, the inside panel of the door, all the carpeting around the center console, so that all probably has to be replaced. That’s as far as I got without a fuckin’ gas mask, but I’m guessing with fabric covering all the seats, the best thing to do is gut the thing down to the frame.”
That doesn’t sound very promising. I was afraid the smell might be the most challenging.