Mercy (Somerset University #3) - Ruby Vincent Page 0,40

I could be where I am today.” I dropped my voice, peering hard into her eyes. “But I didn’t do it alone. If you’re in trouble or in over your head, you can tell me, Teagan. I will do whatever I can to help you.”

She scrunched up her face. “Why would I be in trouble? Because of the club?”

“Because I know there’s more behind your disappearance than you’re saying. You can deny it and pretend everything is fine, but I know it’s not. Things have not been fine in this sorority for a very long time.”

Her expression smoothed out, drawing blank.

“You can talk to me or not. Either way, I’ll find out what’s going on.”

“There’s nothing going on.”

“But there is.” I smiled.

“Ladies?” Jade cut through the tension. “Everything all right in here?”

I raised my voice. “Everything is fine, Jade. I’m putting the garlic bread meatballs in the oven now.”

“Wonderful.”

We stood there long after she was gone, locked in an unwavering gaze. Teagan was first to break.

“I won’t confess to something that never happened, Val.”

I lifted my shoulders. “You don’t have to. Like I said, I’ll find out either way.”

“You do that.” Teagan backed out of the room. “You know, life isn’t one big conspiracy. Someone isn’t always trying to pull something over on you.”

“Yes, they are.” I returned to my meatballs, calmly folding and laying them out. “If you don’t think so, it means they’ve already fooled you.”

MAVERICK

“I just got off the phone with Candace.”

“What’s the verdict?”

I tipped over the chip bag and littered a little salty goodness around Adam’s sandwich. He was taking lunch out on the terrace like the lordly gentleman he’d become. But even lordly gentlemen liked peanut butter and banana sandwiches with a side of kettle chips.

My mother called me halfway through Dad duty to fill me in on the dog situation.

“Her plan was to breed Nala,” she said. “Purebred blue heelers go for a thousand dollars a pop. Unfortunately, this particular litter—”

“—was sired by a roving tramp.”

“Precisely. She won’t be back for another month, but in the meantime, she’s happy to hire a pet sitter to take them off your hands.”

“She can consider me the pet sitter. Turns out, we like having them here. Milo and Teddy kept Jaxson company while he was sick. And Olivia has claimed Dixie. I’m serious. She said she’ll fight anyone who tries to take her.”

Mom’s laugh rang through the phone. “You can tell her that won’t be necessary. Candace plans to find new homes for all of the puppies, so if you want one, she says you guys have first pick.”

I stopped at the sliding glass door so Adam didn’t overhear the conversation. “We definitely want one. Maybe two. Adam’s been great with them. Very responsible. Val thinks he’s ready for a pet.”

“Your father is interested too. Because we don’t have enough pets,” she said under her breath.

“Mom, all you’d have to do is hold Chester and you’ll melt like a popsicle.”

“My track record with resisting you boys and your animals speaks for itself. I love you, darling. See you soon.”

“Bye, Mom.”

I went outside and set Adam’s lunch in front of him. The chair beside him held a brown wicker basket and a little mewling Pepper who was trying to figure out how to escape. Adam had taken strongly to her. She was at the top of our list for his puppy surprise.

Plopping down on the other seat, I inhaled a deep breath. Today was the kind of perfect day that made even the most miserable shut-in want to be outside smelling the roses.

“We should go to the beach,” I announced. “What do you think, little man?”

“Yeah,” he cried. “Can Pepper come too?”

“Pepper’s not quite ready for the beach. How about I round up the daddies and we’ll meet Mom there?”

“Okay.”

Two hours later, I was packing Adam and the beach gear in the car. Val called as I hopped in the front seat.

“I hear we’re going to the beach,” she said.

“Too good a day to waste it. You can join us or steal this opportunity to have alone time. Steam in the tub with a book and your chocolate stash.”

“Tempting. Very tempting. But I can do that tonight after we put Adam to bed. I’d rather be with my boys.”

“We’ll be at the beach house. You have a suit and everything there, right?”

“I do, but it’s an old one. Doesn’t fit right now that the Sallys have me packing on the muscles. Mind grabbing me one from our room?”

“Of