I stared at the empty mug in my hand. Any more caffeine in my veins and I’d be bouncing off the walls, but the thought of saying no didn’t occur to me. “I’d love to,” I replied, thinking fast. Trey wouldn’t be awake for hours yet, and I’d still have the afternoon to read through my pile of queries.
Hurriedly changing out of my sweats, I fiddled with my hair and applied makeup. Under close scrutiny in the mirror, I looked pretty good, despite what I’d been through over the past twenty-four hours. I’d been told more than once that I bore a close resemblance to Marilyn Monroe when she was still Norma Jeane Baker, but that’s only partially true. I’d kill for Norma Jeane’s perfect lips or luminescent skin, but our smile was almost identical, and I definitely had Marilyn’s curves.
Even with the additional primping, I managed to arrive at Java the Hut in thirty-two minutes. Sean was at the counter, looking attractively authoritative in his uniform.
“I took the liberty of ordering you a caramel latte,” he said. “That’s what you were drinking yesterday, wasn’t it?”
In the midst of all the excitement at the agency, he’d noticed what kind of coffee I drank? This man was a keeper.
“Yes, thank you,” I said, trying to conceal my astonishment. “It’s my favorite.”
We sat down at the corner table by the window. Across the street, the Dunston Herald building seemed to mock me. I looked away, preferring to meet Sean’s guileless blue eyes.
“I have some news,” he said. “I had a quick chat with the principal and a member of the school board’s legal team. They called an emergency meeting this morning to discuss the damage to their field.” He grimaced. “Doesn’t sound like a fun meeting, does it?”
“No,” I said with a groan, thinking about how often Trey and I had met in the principal’s office over the past few years. “Are they going to press charges?”
“Actually”—he paused, and his mouth stretched into a wide smile—“I pleaded your case. I mean, er, Trey’s case. I assured them that his blood alcohol level showed that he hadn’t been drinking and suggested his actions were not malicious. I tried to toss out the ‘boys will be boys’ excuse.”
“He still needs to be held accountable.” I felt strongly about that point, even though I wished it could all just go away.
“Oh, I agree. And so did the bigwigs at the meeting. But they’ve agreed to drop the charges against Trey if he helps with the cleanup.”
Relief flowed through my veins. “Like community service?”
“Yes, but without an official court record. Of course, you’ll be required to cover the costs of the damage. They’re going to call you today to set up a meeting with you and Trey.” He touched my hand. “But I wanted to tell you the good news right away.”
His fingers were warm on mine. “Thank you, Sean.” I shook my head. “I don’t know what’s going on with that boy.”
“Could his father help with this? Sometimes a man has better rapport with…not that you don’t…” He scratched his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“No, you were right to ask,” I assured him. “My ex isn’t in the picture. I haven’t laid eyes on Bill since I walked in on him in bed with Miss Tobacco Leaf. I was pregnant with Trey at the time.”
“Hold on a sec, Lila. Miss Tobacco Leaf?”
My cheeks flushed. Even now, after all these years, the memory still affected me. “Bill was an advertising executive and was very involved in the community. His lifelong goal was to run for public office. As a result, he was often asked to judge contests. For years, he judged those creepy toddler pageants, and then he began to serve as a head judge for the Miss Tobacco Leaf pageant.” I took a sip of coffee. “I guess he took his role as interviewer very seriously, because he brought one of the candidates home.” I paused. I’d come to the part of the story that made me ball up my fists, even though I’d told it a dozen times by now.
“It’s okay,” Sean said gently, obviously sensing that I was struggling to continue. “The fool hurt you. That’s all I need to know.”
I held out my finger. “Just wait. You’ll never hear a version of cheating spouse like this one. Let me earn my coffee.” I toasted him with my cup. “Basically, I came home early from an assignment, kicked off my shoes, and headed upstairs to change out of my work clothes. There was Bill, lying naked on the bed. His wrists were handcuffed to the bedpost, and he wore a blindfold made of what looked like a pair of black lace panties.”
Sean’s eyes grew round. “Uh, oh.”
“It gets better,” I promised. “So I’m standing in my bedroom like a deer in a shotgun sight when this redhead with big hair and heavy makeup struts in from the bathroom. All she had on was her Miss Tobacco Leaf sash. It didn’t cover much. She was very well endowed.”
Sean squeezed my hand, but I could see that he was fighting back a grin.