I shuddered. “Gross. No. I’m not lookin’ for a job. I have my own business, thank you very much.”
He chuckled. “Then why are you asking about a girl from my club?”
“She’s my friend’s cousin.”
He leaned his shoulder into the wall and crossed his arms. “You don’t say.”
“She’s missing. She worked a shift on Friday night, and no one has seen her or the bartender since then.”
“Tell your ex-boyfriend and have him look into it.”
“He won’t do anything. She’s taken off before, and he thinks that’s what’s goin’ on this time.”
“But you don’t?”
“Well . . . at first I didn’t. I was just helping out because my friend insisted. But then we went to Gems—”
He held up his hands, his eyebrows shooting up. “You went to Gems?”
“We had to ask around to see if anyone knew what had happened to Dolly Parton.”
“And?”
“And I walked away with a job offer and the information that she and the bartender disappeared after they closed together on Friday night. Oh, and that Mud sent men to Nikko’s house to look for him.”
He stood up. “Mud sent guys after the bartender?”
“Yeah, I thought it sounded suspicious too. Someone from your club told me that Mud’s up to no good. I think Dolly and Nikko saw something they shouldn’t have and took off. Mud knows they saw it, and that’s why he sent guys after them . . . unless it’s all a front and he did something to them.”
Skeeter rubbed his stubbly chin. “This is good, Lady. Given how much he’s hurt my business, I’ve been trying to get some intel on him for weeks. This is my first real lead.”
I shot him a condescending look. “You’re welcome.”
He laughed and moved closer to me. “So this job offer . . . did you dance for Mud?”
I took a step back. “No! And that wasn’t the offer.”
“Then what was?”
“Bartending.”
He laughed again. “The gateway job to dancing.”
“I didn’t take it.”
“Good.” His voice was hard. “If you need a job, you’ll come work for me.”
“So you can’t help me with Dolly?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just as curious about where she is as you are.”
“Only because of what she might have seen?”
His eyes pierced mine. “I’m not a charity, Rose, so don’t sound so surprised. But let’s just say that tracking her down could be mutually beneficial.”
I steeled my shoulders. “Like our arrangement.”
“They’re your terms, Lady.”
He was right. I couldn’t let myself forget it.
Chapter Fifteen
I was back at Maeve’s house before Mason showed up, but I’d chewed up too much time with Skeeter to stop home and get Muffy. I was thankful Maeve didn’t ask any questions about where I’d been. When Mason showed up about fifteen minutes after me, he was subdued, but he loosened up as we ate.
The three of us sat at Maeve’s kitchen table, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how blessed I was to finally have the family I’d always wanted. I insisted on staying and helping clean up the kitchen, and I gave Maeve a long hug before we left.
Both of our vehicles were parked at Maeve’s, but we decided to leave Mason’s car and drive my truck home. He offered to drive.
“Is everything okay, Mason?” I asked after a couple of minutes of silence passed between us. I turned sideways in my seat to study him.
He flashed me a guarded smile. “Why do you ask?”
“Because you had an unexpected meeting with your boss, and you were quiet as a church mouse throughout dinner.”
“I’ve got a lot of pressure on me at work. Nothing to worry about.”
“Don’t do that,” I said. “Don’t dismiss your feelings because they’re related to work. Tell me what’s goin’ on. Why did he want to talk to you?”
Mason took a deep breath. “He’d heard about an investigation I’m working on, and he wanted to know more about it. I told him what I could, but I got a dressing down.”
“Does this have anything to do with J.R. Simmons?” I’d wanted to ask him since I first heard of his troubles at work, but hadn’t been sure how to broach it.
“No.” His voice was hard.
“I’m sorry.” I unfastened my seatbelt and slid into the middle seat, re-buckling and leaning into his side.
He glanced at me and kissed my temple before wrapping his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. “What worries me is how he found out. Only a handful of people know.”
“What are you investigating?”
He hesitated for several seconds. “I can’t talk about it, sweetheart. Official business.”
“How can it be official business if your boss doesn’t approve?”
He turned down our hidden drive, the headlights bouncing off the front porch. “You’re going to have to trust me.”