Instead, she had talked to Derek, her newly promoted service manager. He seemed to be on top of everything. Any problems with business had been resolved or would be waiting on her desk.
The seminar was informative. The weather in California had been warm. Crayton and her past had been out of sight. Just that distance had given her time to evaluate her life for what it had become, not what had followed her for so long.
She’d even played hooky from the seminar one day. On a whim she’d made a short trip to downtown Los Angeles and strolled down the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In a crazy whim of a moment, she’d texted a picture of herself and the Chewbacca character standing on the sidewalk to Sadie, Marcy, Summer and best-friend-forever Joanie. Even to Cain.
After lunch at the Grand Central Market, she’d taken an Uber to Venice Beach with all its skateboarders and inline skaters. The younger beach vibe had turned back the clock for a brief time, so later, when she took an Uber to Santa Monica Pier to enjoy the sunset and lights, she’d ridden the Ferris wheel—twice.
That California day she felt free from all the responsibilities. Sun on face. Wind in her hair. Music and sand and waves of the ocean, all bursting with life. She’d been relaxed for the first time since Phillip’s death. She’d felt alive again.
And she’d thought about Cain. About the kiss. About what it would be like to give herself to him.
Tomorrow, she planned to call him. See when he’d like that dinner she owed him. Maybe she’d even cook for him…at her house…in the evening… After dinner they could sit by the fireplace…enjoy a bottle of wine…laugh…share a few more kisses.
That was tomorrow. Right now, she was tired.
Pulling into the outskirts of Crayton, she debated whether to head directly home or stop by Peyton’s. Even though her body was exhausted and all she’d eaten today was an egg sandwich and a bowl of fresh fruit for breakfast, she still opted to make a quick stop at the dealership. She’d been away long enough.
Besides it was already way past closing time, and everyone was always ready to clock out promptly at 6:00 on Saturday night. She couldn’t say she blamed them though. Some days she wanted to clock out an hour after she arrived.
She pulled up to the back entrance of the showroom and grabbed the keys from her ignition. After quickly unlocking the door and deactivating the burglar alarm, she headed into her office. Maybe this had been a bad idea. Cain would not be happy that she’d been here alone. After all, there was nothing she could do this late in the day, so why not head home. Better yet, she’d take the mail and deal with it first thing in the morning when she woke up.
As she shoved the mail into one of the dealership’s marketing totes, she noticed a large manila envelope propped against the back of her desk chair. Scrawled in black marker across the front were the words: BETSY PEYTON - CONFIDENTIAL - URGENT.
“Okay. Let’s see what’s so important.” She hung her jacket on the coat rack, mumbling to no one as she sat down in the chair and opened the envelope. Surely the service manager would have called her if there’d been an emergency. Or maybe Cain had got a break and was filling her in on the findings.
She ripped open the envelope and a folded piece of paper dropped to her desk. Straightening the page, she stared at the few words written in black marker:
Dear Ms. Peyton?—
Is this really the man you want working at PEYTON’S?
Have a nice day?—
Reaching back inside the envelope, she pulled out a stack of photos and papers. Top picture—cocaine. Next picture—Texas mug shot of Cain Connery.
“Oh my God.” She dropped the stack on her desk and gasped.
Slowly she moved the photo aside. Next was one of Cain selling dope on the street, then one of him with a suitcase full of money, and the last one, a photo of a woman who looked higher than high hanging onto Cain as he wrapped his arm around her. She had her hand wrapped around the back of his head as if she were pulling him in for a kiss. The rest of the paperwork was newspaper clippings on his arrest and the police report.
For a moment Betsy couldn’t catch her breath. Cain had turned out to be just like Phillip after all. What was wrong with her? Where was her judgment when it came to men?
“Heaven help me. I nearly messed up again.” She swiped her cheek, then stared at the wetness on her fingertips. Tears? Why was she crying? She never cried. Never let herself be that vulnerable. Never. But this…this was too much.
She shoved everything back in the manila envelope and headed outside. Numb to the world, she enabled the security system as she locked up and walked to her car. What should she do? Any other time she’d call JB, but he was with Marcy in St. Louis waiting to fly to New York tomorrow. Even her uncle was still receiving physical therapy rehab in St. Louis.
What were her other options? Go to Cain’s house? Call the police? Both?
Unable to decide, she started the car and steered her way across the lot, headed to the other entrance/exit. A car parked next to the service center, its engine running, caught her eye and she threw on her brakes. If one of the employees had forgotten to turn off the ignition on a customer’s car, there’d be heck to pay.
Quickly, she recognized it as the car that belonged to one of her lookie-loo customers. He’d been stopping by a couple times a month for well over a year now, always dreaming of the day he’d buy a brand-spanking-new car. He knew his way around the lot, and she was in no mood to chat right now, so she just waved at him as she drove past his car. He stared in return.
That wasn’t the top priority on her mind now. The envelope and its contents were. She headed straight to Cain’s house. There was no way she would go home without an explanation, although she doubted he’d be able to deny any of what was in the envelope.
Parking on the street in front of his house, Betsy placed a call to the police as she stepped out of her car. Her feet hit a cluster of sweet gum balls littered across the damp pavement from a nearby tree. A second later, they flipped out from under her, and she hit the ground flat on her back and hard. She should have known better than to think her day would get any better. “Dang it!”
“Crayton Police, how may I help you?” Deputy Evans answered the call. “Betsy?”
Luckily, she hadn’t dropped her phone, and quickly shoved it against her ear. “Don’t worry, I’m okay.”
