Free ThreeReasonsWhy by Mari Carr Page B

looked troubled about something, his
face far too serious for her fun-loving friend. “Yeah.”
    She noticed he had a brick in his hand and pointed to it.
“Is that what broke my window?”
    He placed the brick on the counter. “Yep.” There was a piece
of paper in his hands. “Had a note attached to it.”
    “You’re kidding. What does it say?”
    “Slut.”
    Jill frowned. “That’s all.”
    “You don’t think that’s enough?”
    “Sounds like I pissed someone off.”
    “Gee. Ya think? Christ, Jill. The question is who?”
    She shook her head. She honestly couldn’t think of a single
person. “I have no idea.”
    “Me neither. Fuck. Think it could have been directed at
Cheryl?”
    “No. Not at all.”
    Her response didn’t make him any happier. “Yeah, me neither.”
    “Don’t worry, Wes. It’s just a window. Maybe whoever I made
mad got it out of their system with the brick.”
    Wes shook his head. “If you think I’m going to let this rest
with a light shrug and an ‘oh well’, you don’t know me very well. If this were
the first attack, maybe I wouldn’t be so concerned.”
    “No one’s attacked me before this.”
    Wes leaned against the counter. “Someone keyed your car and
flushed a bunch of rags down your toilets. Now this. You are most definitely on
someone’s shit list.”
    Jill tried to hide how much Wes’ words bothered her. She
wasn’t used to being a victim.
    “What about Seth?” Wes asked.
    Jill’s anger piqued at his suggestion. “What about him?”
    “You said you two weren’t seeing each other anymore. Was the
breakup mutual or one-sided?”
    “There wasn’t a relationship to end. We had some fun
together. It ended on a friendly note. Seth wouldn’t do something like this.”
    Wes didn’t look too convinced. “Maybe not, but I think I may
pay him a little visit today.”
    She shook her head. “Oh no, you’re not. I told you, Seth
wouldn’t do this. That should be good enough. You don’t need to talk to him.”
    “Jill, we’re light on suspects. I’m going to tug every
thread we have, and right now Seth’s the only one dangling in the wind.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t want you harassing him.”
    “I’m just going to ask him a few questions. I hardly call
that harassment.”
    She crossed her arms. She was tired and short-tempered, but
she couldn’t shake the idea that Wes was pointing the finger at Seth based on
jealousy, not the facts. “Don’t talk to Seth.”
    Wes took her arm and gently pushed her against the counter.
Her traitorous body instantly reacted to his touch. He bent until his face was
only inches from hers. “Pixie, I don’t tell you how to cook your lunch specials
and you sure as hell aren’t going to tell me how to do my job.”
    She started to lambaste him, but he reached up and gently
ran a finger under her eye. “Dark circles. You’re tired.”
    She shrugged.
    “You aren’t sleeping any better than me.”
    She wanted to deny his statement, but it wouldn’t come.
    “Why are you doing this to us?”
    His words flipped the trigger, broke the last straw of
resistance inside her. “Us? There’s no us , Wes. The sooner you figure
that out, the better off you’ll be.”
    He nodded, his jaw set in stone. “I know you believe that’s
true.”
    She scowled at his condescending tone.
    “But I know different,” he said.
    She closed her eyes, feeling like the biggest bitch on
earth.
    “I’ll call Jack at the home improvement store and get him to
come out and replace the window. See you later, pixie.” He bent down to kiss
her, but she turned her head at the last minute so he was only able to land a
glancing buss on her cheek.
    “I will be back, Jill. I’ll always come back.”
    She watched him walk away, her heart breaking at his
confession. Somewhere deep inside, she hoped his last words were true.
    * * * * *
    Jill was refilling salt shakers when Wes pulled up outside
the diner shortly before dusk. He