good at dodging questions by answering back with his own in his questions. “Maybe I’m just passing through.”
“First off,” Gia snapped, “passing through is generally at night and here for supper. Secondly, you hopped into Laurel’s fake taxi to get a ride here.”
“And you are staying at the Windmill.” I added my two cents before I lifted the lid off of the pie dish and helped myself to a piece of the best apple pie this side of the Mississippi.
“So tell me Jax Jackson, why are you in Walnut Grove?” There was a deep-set suspicion in her eyes.
“He’s with the Underworld Music Festival,” I blurted out before I stuck a fork full of pie in my mouth.
“You are?” Gia pulled back. Her eyes narrowed. “I told you Carmine said they’d have it all worked out in three weeks. But Carmine didn’t say anything about someone coming today.”
“And Carmine tells you everything.” There was something that wasn’t adding up here. I knew Carmine never kept anything from Gia. “He didn’t tell you about Morty firing me either,” I reminded her.
“Something’s fishy.” Gia smacked her hand on the counter and rushed over to where the cash register sat. She grabbed the phone off the wall and pulled the phone cord up over her head so the server could go under it. “Carmine!” I heard Gia scream into the phone.
“Oh no. Someone is getting into trouble.” Jax laughed. “Who’s Carmine and what did she mean by three weeks?”
“Mind your own business,” Gia yelled over her shoulder at Jax.
“So what’s good here?” Jax picked up the laminated menu and gave it the once over.
“Everything,” I said and picked up my cup of coffee. Out of my peripheral vision I could see Jax Jackson was staring at me.
Chapter Seven
“Don’t forget about your date!” Gia yelled over the lunch crowd as she hustled her butt to get people their lunches.
After she gave Carmine the business, she didn’t have time to chit-chat with Jax and me. He ordered the bacon, lettuce and tomato double decker and so did I. Oh, and extra fries.
“That was good.” Jax patted his belly. He checked his watch as we stepped outside. “Do you think Louie is up yet?”
“He should be.” Walking to the car, I retrieved the Benjamin from the bottom of my hobo and handed it to him. “I can’t take your money. I’ll take you to the Windmill.”
I held on to the corner of the bill while he tugged on the other end.
“Are you going to let go?” He jerked a little harder. “I guess I owe you something for bringing me here. What did the other guy give you?”
“Why are you so curious about the other guy in my taxi?” I would understand if Derek or Gia asked me these questions but not this guy. This stranger.
“Taxi? Aren’t you using the term loosely?” His smart ass comment made me laugh.
“Get in.” I opened the door and plopped down. “Louie should be there by now.”
Jax and I didn’t say another word until we got to the Windmill, which was only less than a half mile down Main Street.
“This is it?” Jax looked frightened.
There was a broken down windmill in front of the hotel with a half lit sign attached to it. A couple of the blades were missing, a few were dangling. The slightest bit of wind made the old thing creak and groan. It was a perfect site for one of those creepy thriller movies.
“The one and only.” I pulled the old Belvedere into the lot and stopped right in front of the glass window where big Louie was happily sitting.
“I see what you mean by big Louie.” Jax moved his head back and forth as though he was surveying the place.
“It might not look like much from the outside, but it’s super clean on the inside. Sally Bent cleans all the rooms. She’s a freak.” I took a deep breath and corrected what I had said about Sally. “Neat freak.”
Sally Bent was another girl in the orphanage. Louie’s parents wanted a girl so they came and adopted Sally. It was a real
“First off,” Gia snapped, “passing through is generally at night and here for supper. Secondly, you hopped into Laurel’s fake taxi to get a ride here.”
“And you are staying at the Windmill.” I added my two cents before I lifted the lid off of the pie dish and helped myself to a piece of the best apple pie this side of the Mississippi.
“So tell me Jax Jackson, why are you in Walnut Grove?” There was a deep-set suspicion in her eyes.
“He’s with the Underworld Music Festival,” I blurted out before I stuck a fork full of pie in my mouth.
“You are?” Gia pulled back. Her eyes narrowed. “I told you Carmine said they’d have it all worked out in three weeks. But Carmine didn’t say anything about someone coming today.”
“And Carmine tells you everything.” There was something that wasn’t adding up here. I knew Carmine never kept anything from Gia. “He didn’t tell you about Morty firing me either,” I reminded her.
“Something’s fishy.” Gia smacked her hand on the counter and rushed over to where the cash register sat. She grabbed the phone off the wall and pulled the phone cord up over her head so the server could go under it. “Carmine!” I heard Gia scream into the phone.
“Oh no. Someone is getting into trouble.” Jax laughed. “Who’s Carmine and what did she mean by three weeks?”
“Mind your own business,” Gia yelled over her shoulder at Jax.
“So what’s good here?” Jax picked up the laminated menu and gave it the once over.
“Everything,” I said and picked up my cup of coffee. Out of my peripheral vision I could see Jax Jackson was staring at me.
Chapter Seven
“Don’t forget about your date!” Gia yelled over the lunch crowd as she hustled her butt to get people their lunches.
After she gave Carmine the business, she didn’t have time to chit-chat with Jax and me. He ordered the bacon, lettuce and tomato double decker and so did I. Oh, and extra fries.
“That was good.” Jax patted his belly. He checked his watch as we stepped outside. “Do you think Louie is up yet?”
“He should be.” Walking to the car, I retrieved the Benjamin from the bottom of my hobo and handed it to him. “I can’t take your money. I’ll take you to the Windmill.”
I held on to the corner of the bill while he tugged on the other end.
“Are you going to let go?” He jerked a little harder. “I guess I owe you something for bringing me here. What did the other guy give you?”
“Why are you so curious about the other guy in my taxi?” I would understand if Derek or Gia asked me these questions but not this guy. This stranger.
“Taxi? Aren’t you using the term loosely?” His smart ass comment made me laugh.
“Get in.” I opened the door and plopped down. “Louie should be there by now.”
Jax and I didn’t say another word until we got to the Windmill, which was only less than a half mile down Main Street.
“This is it?” Jax looked frightened.
There was a broken down windmill in front of the hotel with a half lit sign attached to it. A couple of the blades were missing, a few were dangling. The slightest bit of wind made the old thing creak and groan. It was a perfect site for one of those creepy thriller movies.
“The one and only.” I pulled the old Belvedere into the lot and stopped right in front of the glass window where big Louie was happily sitting.
“I see what you mean by big Louie.” Jax moved his head back and forth as though he was surveying the place.
“It might not look like much from the outside, but it’s super clean on the inside. Sally Bent cleans all the rooms. She’s a freak.” I took a deep breath and corrected what I had said about Sally. “Neat freak.”
Sally Bent was another girl in the orphanage. Louie’s parents wanted a girl so they came and adopted Sally. It was a real
Similar Books
