“So it’s true?” Mark called out.
“Was it the same gun that killed Jenna?” Anika, Mark’s girlfriend, asked.
“People, please,” Ferris called. “It’s illegal for me to mention anything to do with that, even as the mayor. Speculating and discussing the case before charges are made tramples over Jonah’s rights.”
“So there’s a case?” Basil called.
“Shouldn’t he be held at the station until we know if that gun killed Jenna?” Anika asked.
Ferris tugged at his shirt like it was choking him.
The town got louder. Polly’s muscles tensed beneath Joel’s palm, and he ran his thumb in a circular motion.
Ward rose from the front row and turned to face the crowd. “Come on, guys. There wasn’t any evidence to arrest Jonah Goodwill. Legally, we can’t hold him just to ‘wait and see.’”
A few more people called out and questions were asked. Ferris and Ward took turns answering.
When the meeting was finally over, Polly stood, causing his hand to drop, and he missed the contact immediately.
He followed her out of the community center.
“Are you okay?” he asked, when they reached her car.
“I don’t know. I’m shocked. And I’m not looking forward to telling my mom about Jonah tonight.”
“Are you staying at her place?” Joel asked, not sure how he felt about that. Jonah had been living there. Was he there tonight? Or had he kept his old place and moved back there?
“She’s staying at my house.”
“But you’re with Maggie and Ethan.”
“No, I’m going home tonight.”
He inched closer. “Polly, you were run off the road. You need to stay safe.”
“I am.” She glanced away before looking back at him. “I had a visit from Bronte this evening.”
Air hissed between his teeth. “This evening?”
“Yep. She came into Bloom just before I closed.”
So she was still in town. Dammit. He almost didn’t want to ask, but fuck, he needed to know. “What did she say?”
“That if you don’t marry her, you’ll lose a lot of money, power, and influence.”
“You know I don’t care about that stuff.”
“And that you’re going to break my heart.”
Thefuck? Bronte didn’t even know him.
He touched her hip. “Doyoubelieve that?”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“Believe this.” He lowered his head. One swipe of her bottom lip with his thumb, then he kissed her. Brushed his lips softly over hers before doing it again.
For a moment she was stiff. Then she melted into him, and the days apart, the lost touches, lost words and the longing, it all just poured into the kiss.
