Nana leaned against the counter. “You’re sure, Anna?”
“I’m sure,” I said, though the word tasted like a lie. “I guess the thief who stole the silver boxes could’ve switch out the teas?” It didn’t make a lick of sense.
“No. Sorry,” Nana said. “I didn’t put those teas out until the day before my grand opening. They weren’t even in the store when the silver boxes were stolen.”
That sucked. “We’re missing something.”
Nana rolled her eyes. “All the cylinders should have had that pretty blue line on the bottom. I’m sorry I missed it. Still, who could’ve gotten in here and had time to swap them out?”
“None of this makes sense,” I muttered.
“I don’t know, honey.” Nana’s voice softened. “But the good news is the bulk of it went to one buyer. Remember?”
“Oh, right.” My stomach sank. “Brad Backleboff.”
“He bought tons of the tea,” Nana said.
I’d completely forgotten. Probably blocked it. Too much chaos, too many fires to put out.
Brooke grinned. “What a sweetheart. I think he sends tea to his cousins every year.”
The woman really needed to choose a guy.
“That was sweet,” Nana added. “The sheriff already got them from Brad.”
“I need to talk to him anyway,” I said.
Brooke leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Word around town is Aiden Devlin paid fifty grand to bail out your Nana. True?”
I blinked. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
Brooke smirked. “I wouldn’t either, sister. The man’s already hot with that whole dangerous motorcycle vibe, but add rich to it?”
“He’s not rich,” I said fast, too fast.
“Anybody who has fifty grand lying around counts as rich. You sure you two are solid?”
I met her gaze head-on. “We’re solid.”
She winked. “We’ll see.”
“I don’t appreciate gossip about my client or my boyfriend,” I said evenly. “We’re dealing with enough without that.”
Brooke lifted both hands. “Hey, I’m just saying what people say.”
“Then stop repeating it.”
The words came out colder than I meant, but I didn’t pull them back.
Brooke’s eyes narrowed just a fraction, curiosity lighting behind them. “You really care about him, huh?”
My throat went tight. “You have no idea.”
Brooke tapped her phone screen. “Fine. I’ll text you the tea distributor info, but it’s not going to help.”
“Do that,” I said.
Nana gave me a worried glance, the kind that carried decades of unspoken advice. I turned toward the window. Outside, Silverville’s streetlights flickered against the gray, and thunder rolled over the mountains.
