Susannah's Garden (Blossom Street #3)(69)

Susannah wondered if Carolyn understood the risk she was taking. And she wondered if she herself fully recognized everything she was risking in her quest to find Jake.

They were absorbed in their own thoughts as she drove the rest of the way to the Roadside Inn.

“There’s a rough crowd here,” Carolyn said once Susannah had pulled into an empty parking space.

The lot was full of trucking rigs and broken-down vehicles. One pickup actually had the passenger door missing. Loud music blared from inside, and a few disreputable types clustered near the entrance. Paying them no heed, Susannah marched resolutely toward the tavern, Carolyn at her side.

They stepped into the room and onto the sawdust-covered floor. Cigarette smoke hung in the air like a dense fog. It seemed that every pair of eyes was staring at the two of them. The one good thing about the wailing jukebox was that they couldn’t really hear the catcalls and jeering remarks aimed in their direction. Ignoring her discomfort, Susannah strode over to the bar tended by Sharon Nance. Two men scooted down to make room and Susannah thanked them with a curt nod.

“Well, as I live and breathe, it’s the Bobbsey twins,” Sharon taunted as she strolled toward them from the other end of the bar.

“Hello, Sharon.”

The other woman’s heavily bleached hair was pulled tightly away from her face, leaving little to soften her sharp features. She planted both hands on the edge of the bar. “What can I do for you?”

“How do you know I didn’t come in for a beer?” Susannah asked calmly. She chose to disregard the other woman’s hostility.

Sharon snorted as if to say she wasn’t that easily fooled. “You aren’t the type. Frankly, I doubt you’re here to have a good time, either, although any one of these guys would be more than happy to accommodate you.”

Susannah had hoped for something a little friendlier. She tasted disappointment in the stagnant and smoke-filled air.

“What’s the matter?” Sharon said, glowering at Carolyn. “Cat got your tongue?”

“Hello, Sharon,” Carolyn said in the same cordial tone Susannah had used.

“How’s Daddy’s little girl doing at the mill these days?”

Several heads turned in their direction. A couple of the truckers picked up their beer mugs and left their stools at the bar, moving into the shadows.

Susannah didn’t know what that was about. Were they protecting Sharon—or remaining uninvolved? She couldn’t tell, but hoped it was the latter. This was uncomfortable enough without any further complications.

“I don’t suppose you’ve met my daughter?” Susannah asked conversationally. Her voice trembled slightly, betraying her. “As I told you, she’s spending a lot of time with your son.”

Sharon’s responding laugh was devoid of any real amusement. “What makes you think I’d want to meet your little girl? She ain’t here, that’s for damn sure, and if she was, it’d be of her own free will, now wouldn’t it?”

Susannah nodded warily.

Sharon’s black-rimmed eyes flared. “I bet that’s got you worried. But guess what? Troy’s never even mentioned her. What my son does is his own business. I will say this, though. He’s got a weakness for sweet young things. If I were you, I’d keep your girl away from him.”

“How old is Troy?” Susannah was furious that she’d allowed Sharon’s attitude to get to her.

“Why do you ask?”

“Chrissie’s only nineteen.” She didn’t add that Chrissie would turn twenty in another month.

“Are you trying to make trouble for my son?”

“No, but…”

“If Troy wants you to know how old he is, he’ll tell you.”

This wasn’t getting them anywhere.

“Anything else?” Sharon asked, raising heavily penciled eyebrows. “Oh, yeah. This doesn’t have anything to do with you, but you might find it interesting.” She folded her arms and smiled at Susannah.

“What are you talking about?”

For an instant, the other woman seemed genuinely surprised. “You really don’t know, do you?”

Confused, Susannah glanced at Carolyn. “Know what?”

Sharon’s mouth twisted in a sneer. “Don’t you think Troy looks a lot like his daddy?”

It took longer than it should have for the implication to sink in. “Are…are you saying Jake is Troy’s father?”

Sharon said nothing more and went back to tending bar. “You tell me.”

Now that she considered it, there was a resemblance between Jake and Troy. She felt sick to her stomach.

“Still want me to get his phone number for you?”

“Uh…” Reeling from shock, Susannah couldn’t answer.

Sharon laughed. “That’s what I thought.”

Carolyn’s hand clasped her arm. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“In a minute.” Susannah didn’t understand Sharon’s animosity. She’d never been friends with the other woman, but they’d gone through eleven years of school together. While it was true that Jake had broken up with Sharon and started to date her, he’d apparently had a change of heart after Susannah left for France.

“Why are you so angry?” Susannah asked.