A High-End Finish(62)

“Let’s have you fill out an accident report so we can get the insurance company involved.”

As I filled out the form, she assured me that if I needed to see a doctor, their insurance would cover it. I didn’t think it would come to that, but I appreciated her concern.

I didn’t write it down on the form, but I’d been thinking about that moment when Jennifer came over to giggle with Penny. She had grabbed hold of the rack and was swaying around as she talked. I’d stopped paying attention because she was such a twit, but now I wondered if she had deliberately done something to the pin to break it while I was working out.

It was a far-fetched theory, but having known Jennifer for all these years, I wouldn’t put it past her to try to sabotage me like that.

Becky gave me another instant ice pack for later and I walked back to the lobby. Penny was waiting for me, so we left the gym together.

“My car’s right here,” I said. “I’ll see you at the pub.”

“Great,” she said. “And dinner’s on me.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Yes, it is. I owe you.” She glanced over my shoulder. “Oh, there’s Jennifer. Should we invite her?”

“Uh . . .” Before I could answer, Penny skipped over and gave Jennifer a warm hug. I could hear her chirpy voice and knew she was asking Jennifer to join us. I also knew that Jennifer would be happy to join us—as soon as hell froze over.

Penny laughed at something Jennifer said and gave her arm a quick squeeze. She didn’t seem to notice the mean girl glaring at me with stone-cold eyes that made me shiver.

“She can’t make it,” Penny said when Jennifer walked away. “So I’ll see you in a couple of minutes at the pub.”

“Okay.” I waved at Penny, but kept my eye on Jennifer until she got into her spiffy little black BMW, gunned the engine for my benefit, and tore out of the parking lot.

? ? ?

I called Jane on the way to the pub to invite her to join Penny and me for dinner. I thought she might like to get to know Penny, since it was always good to be friends with a banker. Jane passed on dinner, but said she’d meet me at my house later on to spend the night.

The pub was lively on a Friday night. One table in the bar was overflowing with my crew members, so I stopped to talk with them for a minute. I’d seen a few of the guys earlier that afternoon, but I’d been missing out on regular visits to the job sites and wanted to catch up. That would have to wait, though, because I saw Penny walk in a minute later.

We found a table in the dining area and both of us ordered a beer and the fish and chips. We ended up staying for almost two hours and found out we had a lot of common interests. If only she would tell Jennifer to buzz off, we might manage to be good friends.

“Hello.”

I looked up and found Police Chief Eric Jensen’s compelling blue eyes staring right at me. He was out of uniform in a casual jacket, a denim shirt, and blue jeans that looked alarmingly good on him.

“Oh, hello,” I said, sounding foolishly breathless. “Are you on duty tonight?”

He grinned. “No. I’ve got the night off. Thought I’d come in for a beer.”

“That’s nice.” I was about to invite him to join us when I glanced at Penny, who looked positively terrified.

I gave him a regretful smile. “I would invite you to join us, but we’re just about to go.”

“No worries. I’ve got some friends waiting for me at the bar. I just wanted to stop and say hi.”

“Thank you. It’s good to see you.”

“You, too.” He lifted his hand in a wave and walked off toward the bar.

I turned to Penny. “Are you okay?”

“Thanks for making up an excuse,” she said with relief as the waitress brought the bill. “I didn’t want him to sit down.”

“What’s wrong? He’s actually pretty nice.” Easy for me to say, I thought. I hadn’t always thought of him as nice.

Still on edge, Penny reached for the beer bottle and took a sip. “I hate feeling this way, but I just get so nervous around the police. W-we had a robbery at the bank where I used to work. When the police arrived, they accidentally shot one of our own tellers instead of the bank robber. Ever since then, I can’t help it. I feel really anxious around the police. It’s their guns, I guess.”

“I understand.” I leaned in and whispered, “It probably didn’t help that we were all under suspicion for a while.”

“So true.” She signed the check and finished the last of her beer.

“Are you ready to go?” I absently rubbed my shoulder, feeling achy again and way past tired.

“Yes,” she said, smiling with pleasure. “This was so much fun. Let’s do it again soon.”

“I’d love to,” I said, and meant it. At least, as long as she didn’t invite Jennifer.

? ? ?

I slept in fits and starts that night. Not only was my shoulder killing me, but I also suffered another nightmare. This one featured Jennifer and Whitney chasing me on bicycles around the curves of the Old Cove Highway. Cars would swerve and screech their brakes, barely missing me. My bike kept finding gopher holes and ejecting me. I would fly through the air but never hit the ground. Instead, I would wind up back on my bike, racing down the highway with the mean girls in pursuit.