The House on Prytania (Royal Street #2)(79)
Author: Karen White

 

I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean?”

 

She stared at me with the look Melanie gave JJ when he told her he’d already brushed his teeth.

 

Ignoring it, I said, “I wasn’t aware that I was a habitual liar.”

 

“You’re not. But even when you’re just skirting around the truth, I know.”

 

Crossing my arms, I said, “Okay. What’s my ‘tell’?”

 

“You put your fingers on your throat. To others it looks like you’re thinking, but I’ve learned that you’re thinking of a more palatable way to phrase something. Like the other day when we were all at your house and Thibaut asked if you’d minded that he’d finished fixing the plaster in the upstairs bedrooms and you said no.”

 

My eyes widened. “Oh. Wow. That’s amazing.”

 

She grinned. “Thank you. Because I was a backstage costume person throughout my high school career, I learned a lot about acting just by watching. Like I’ve said, I’m a quick study.”

 

“Impressive,” I said, heading up the stairs. I paused halfway up, remembering something. “You said you were looking for me—was there anything you needed?”

 

“Yeah. Two things, actually. Sarah mentioned that she was going through the clientele book again. Now, personally, I think nothing’s turned up yet because there isn’t anything there. But until we start working on the Esplanade house, I have some free time, so I wanted to offer my help, even if it’s just to disprove the theory that my dad hid all those items in your house. I highly doubt that they hold some clue to either mystery, but I’m happy to look.”

 

I continued up the stairs, Sunny right behind me. “All right,” I said. “Sarah’s pretty possessive, so I’m not sure if she’s ready to relinquish it yet, but you’re welcome to ask. What’s the second thing?”

 

“I’m missing a purple hair ribbon, and I was wondering if you’d seen it. I think I lost it when your parents were visiting and you were showing them your house. It’s not valuable or anything—it’s just that it perfectly matches a cute sweaterdress I bought and I’m not sure if I could find another.”

 

“Oh, yeah. I picked it up and shoved it in my pocket. I—” I made the mistake of opening the door at the top of the stairs and was immediately attacked by a gray and white ball of fur carrying a stuffed Eeyore in his mouth. He quickly dropped the toy to assault my face with a pink tongue.

 

Jolene came out of her bedroom, dressed for work, the familiar scent of perfume and hair spray wafting around her. Seeing Eeyore, she said, “I was looking for that all morning and finally found it under Nola’s bed—along with all the dirty laundry she hides there. Mardi does love that toy, Sunny, but I swear, I spend half my days looking for it.” She looked at her watch and sighed. “And now I’ve got to go tell Beau I’m late because I couldn’t find Mardi’s ass.”

 

Jolene said good-bye and stepped past us, closing the door behind her. Sunny looked at me with her laughing blue eyes. “She does know what she’s saying, right?”

 

I shrugged. “Who knows? I’ve tried to tell her, but it didn’t stick.”

 

With one last scratch behind Mardi’s ears, Sunny stood. “I’ll go find Sarah and see if she wants any help.”

 

“Good luck,” I said from my prone position, where Mardi had trapped me and was now butting my hand so that I’d pet him.

 

I eventually stood and went to my bedroom, then knelt next to my bed so I could pull out the jeans I’d been wearing all week that might need washing. I found them beneath a long-sleeved shirt and sweater and turned out all the pockets. Frowning, I stared down at the cotton pocket linings that now resembled protruding tongues. I took their rudeness personally, sitting back on my heels to think.

 

My legs had gone numb from sitting in that position by the time I recalled giving the ribbon to Uncle Bernie, along with the yellow one Cooper and I had found in the yard. I wasn’t old enough for memory-loss issues, and I chalked my lapse up to the fact that I had had an extremely busy week and it was a miracle I remembered my own name.

 

I shoved the jeans back under the bed and stood to go tell Sunny that I didn’t have the purple ribbon. I’d made it to my door when my phone buzzed. I smiled when I saw that the text was from my dad. Wherever he was in the world, and even if he was on deadline, he called at least once a week. He said it was to hear my voice, but I had a feeling that he knew I needed to hear his just as much.

 

Good time to talk?

 

Like Melanie, Jack preferred to use the phone to talk instead of texting. But unlike my stepmother, he would actually text first to make sure it was a good time for me to chat instead of just calling out of the blue. He also was a proficient texter and could actually make it through an entire sentence with just one or two glaring typos.

 

I sent a thumbs-up emoji followed by Ive got work but have 10 mins? Only takes 5 to get ready.

 

I laughed out loud at his response, and not just because of the content. Dont let jolene hear you say tit out loud.

 

I returned to my bed and flopped down on top of it before selecting my dad’s number in my favorites list. By the time I hung up, I’d forgotten all about the ribbon, and Uncle Bernie, and the fact that everyone who evaded the truth, including me, had a tell.

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 29

 

 

Sarah and I watched as Jaxson struggled down the narrow stairs with Jolene’s two large suitcases and a garment bag. Jolene walked in front of him carrying a smaller case that she clutched to her chest possessively, not trusting anyone else to touch it.

 

“Is that jewelry?” Sarah asked.

 

“Even more valuable, sweetie. It’s my makeup and hair products.”

 

Sarah glanced at me to see if she should laugh, and I shook my head.

 

Jaxson had volunteered—without coercion, supposedly—to dog-sit Mardi and keep an eye on the apartment while we were gone. Jolene had put fresh sheets on her bed and dragged Mardi’s pallet onto the floor in her room even though Jaxson had insisted he’d just sleep on the couch since it was only one night. Carly was at a friend’s bachelorette weekend in Bermuda, so he was free to binge-watch whatever he wanted on TV and eat the refrigeratorful of meals and snacks that Jolene had made ahead of time.

 

Jolene popped open Bubba’s massive trunk to allow Jaxson to place her suitcases inside. “I thought you were just going for two days,” Jaxson said with a straight face. “Not a three-week cruise.”