Paisley
“Hey, Mom, it’s me.” I rested my head against the brick wall and closed my eyes, fatigue burrowing into my bones.
“Paisley, thank God! Your father and I have been worried sick,” Mom said, and a note of hysterical panic rose in her voice.
“Yeah, sorry I didn’t call you earlier. I only had one phone call when they booked me.”
“Preston Davis told your father what happened. You werearrested? I can’t believe this, Paisley. What on earth is going on?”
“It’s a long story.” I sighed and tapped my skull softly against the wall. Next to me, the security guard looked sideways at me, shifting nervously like he was expecting me to throw the phone at him and run. My mother hadn’t exactly been the phone call I wanted to make, but I knew I had to contact them myself if I ever had any hope of redemption as their trouble-making daughter.
“Paisley, you’re being accused of things I cannot even begin to fathom,” said my mother, her pitch dropping to a near-whisper. “Are they true?”
“Gee, thanks, Mom, for having such faith in me. Of course, they’re not true.”
“Well, we spoke to Jeremy and—”
“You talked to Jeremy?” My hand tightened around the receiver, wishing it was my ex-fiancé’s neck. “Why did you talk to Jeremy?”
“For God’s sakes, Paisley, Jeremy is your fiancé, and it was his house that burned!”
“First. Jeremy and I are over,” I grumbled. “He’s not my fiancé, and I fucking hate him.”
“Language.”
“Mom, I’m innocent. I’m not a monster. For Christ’s sake, I did not set Jeremy’s house on fire. I can still hate him and not want to kill him simultaneously.”
“I know that,” Mom said softly. “But the circumstances surrounding the fire are—”
“False,” I said. “They’re shit lies, Mom. You know as well as I do that no one in this town supported me when I took this job.” I glanced at the guard, then slightly turned my head away, lowering my voice. “Someone is framing me.”
“Oh, dear, you really think someone would go out of their way to cause you this much trouble?”
“Obviously, they would. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in here.” I smacked my head against the brick wall and closed my eyes, annoyed with my mother but still wishing I could hug her right then and there.
“Yes, well, what about your friend’s place? The other house fire? We heard a witness stepped forward and identified you.”
“How did you hear about that?” I tried to keep my voice steady, so I wouldn’t be forced back into the cell early for losing my shit.
“It’s on the news, dear,” Mom said. “Mayor Jensen spoke about it early this morning.”
“Awesome.” The grip I had on the phone made my fingers ache. I flexed my hand while my heart beat rapidly in my chest, ready to explode. “Holland Jensen hates me, Mom. He’s the biggest opposition I have.”
“Hate is a strong word, Paisley.”
“It’s still true. He’s probably basking in his own bath of smugness as we speak. He’s always wanted to get me fired from there.”
“Paisley, I—”
Next to me, the guard mumbled into his radio, responding to something that had just been said. He looked at me, and I pulled the phone away from my ear.
“Time’s up,” he said. “And you have a visitor.”
“Mom, I gotta go.”
“But P—”
“I love you.” I slammed the receiver back into place and allowed the guard to escort me back to the holding cell. Excitement bubbled in my chest; I wanted to see Hansen, hold him, sob and cry and never let him leave me alone again. Maybe he’d found evidence that could support my case and prove my innocence. The guys out there, my team, were the last hope I had.
