Софи Райан - The Fast Аnd Тhe Furriest

“For both of us, please,” he said to our waiter.

Once the young man had collected our menus and headed for the kitchen, Jackson leaned back in his chair. “Mac called me earlier. We didn’t talk very long but it’s a start.”

“It is,” I agreed. I’d hoped that Mac might call his friend after what he’d said earlier about Jackson’s insight into Davis Abbott.

“I offered to take his case again. He turned me down but if you think he needs my help will you call, please, Sarah?” He pulled a business card out of his pocket, took out a pen and scrawled something on the back. “That’s my cell.”

“Mac already has a very good lawyer.”

“I wasn’t trying to imply he didn’t. It’s just that . . .” He made a helpless gesture with one hand. “I’d like to help if I can.”

I took the card and tucked it in my purse.

The waiter returned with a large china mug and the coffeepot. I smiled a thank-you and added cream and sugar to my coffee. “You and Mac have been friends for a long time,” I said.

Jackson nodded. “Since we were kids. Ever see him play baseball?”

“A couple of times in a charity game for the animal shelter.”

“Can he still hit it out to left field?”

“And then some,” I said. “How long has he been making those killer buffalo wings?”

“He still makes those?” Jackson asked.

“As often as we can talk him into it.”

Now it was Jackson’s turn to smile. “He perfected them back when we were in college. You’ve heard of the freshman fifteen?”

I nodded. He was talking about the weight gain a lot of first-year university students experience.

“Mac’s ribs were the main cause of mine. It’s good to know he hasn’t lost his touch.”

Caleb came back with our burgers then, along with more coffee. Jackson took a bite of his burger while I took the top of the bun off mine and added about half of my vinegary coleslaw.

“Oh man, this is good!” Jackson exclaimed, wiping a bit of ketchup from the corner of his mouth.

I’d just taken a bite of my own burger so all I could do was nod.

We’d eaten about half of our meal when Jackson set down his fork and reached for his coffee. “What’s Mac like now?” he asked. “We only talked for a minute but he seemed . . . I don’t know, quieter, guarded.”

I wasn’t sure how to answer. If Liz had been sitting next to me she would have said, Tell the truth . So that’s what I did.

“The two of you haven’t spoken in close to two years. It’s going to take time for him to let down his guard with you.”

Jackson sighed. “You’re right.” He made a face. “The stupidest thing I ever did was believe Leila’s parents over Mac. He was—he is —my best friend. I’m ashamed of myself.”

“So why did you?” I asked.

“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” He shook his head. “If you want to say Mac and I were like brothers—and we were—then you’d have to say Leila was like a sister to me. I thought Mac was crazy to buy that old house and then live in it while trying to do a bunch of the renovations. Ask him. He’ll tell you I told him he was out of his mind.”

He played with his fork, turning it over on the paper place mat. “For the record, I never thought Mac had deliberately tried to hurt Leila. But I did think what happened was his fault. I blamed him for the two of them living in that house in that state and I thought it was asinine for him to think he could go to his office all day and then spend half the night working on the house.” He sighed. “I should have listened to him. I should have remembered that no one—not even Mac—made Leila do something she didn’t want to do. I was a judgmental jerk. In the end it’s as simple as that.”

“Yeah, you were,” I said. “But you’re here now. That counts for something.”

“I hope so,” he said.

“What were Mac and Leila like as a couple?” I asked, reaching for an onion ring.

The smile returned to Jackson’s face. “They were like something out of a romance novel. I used to rag on him because once he met Leila it was like every other woman ceased to exist.” He looked around for Caleb and gestured to his cup when he caught the waiter’s eye. “You’ve probably heard that Leila’s great-aunt played matchmaker.”

“She got them both to come to the same fund-raiser.”

He nodded. “I was there and they literally did lock eyes across the room. No one else had a chance with either of them after that.”

There were sides to Mac I hadn’t realized existed.

Jackson got a faraway look on his face. “I admit at one time I was a little smitten with Leila. I think every man who was friends with her was a little bit in love with her.” He looked away for a moment then his eyes found my face again. “I’m not trying to make excuses for how I treated Mac. I’m trying to explain why . . . why it was possible for me to believe what her parents were saying, that she was better off in their care.”

I nodded without speaking. I was even more curious about Leila. What had she been like to inspire the kind of feelings both Mac and Jackson still clearly had for her? And what had it been like to be her sister, to be the dirty little secret to a perfect sibling? We really didn’t know anything about Leila’s sister, Natalie. Was I just grasping at straws now? Or could she be our killer? Was Leila’s accident nothing more than a case of sibling rivalry? Was that what Erin Fellowes had discovered? Was that what had changed her mind about Mac?

Questions. More and more questions and again, no answers.

“Give Mac some time,” I said.

“I’m trying,” Jackson said. “It just drives me a little crazy that I could be helping him and he won’t let me.” He gave me a sheepish grin. “I’m a bit of a control freak in case that isn’t obvious.”

“I never would have guessed,” I said solemnly.

He laughed and snared an onion ring. “These are really good.”

“I told you, everything is good here.”

He nodded. “I can see why Mac decided to stay in town.” His gaze stayed on my face for just a bit longer than was appropriate.

“There is something you could do that might help,” I said, pushing the last bit of my coleslaw onto the last bite of my burger.

“Name it,” Jackson immediately said.

“Tell me about Natalie Welland.”

He frowned. “Wait a minute. You don’t think she killed Erin, do you? Why would Natalie want her sister’s best friend dead?”

I set my fork down. “I’m not saying she did. I just . . . I don’t know anything about her.”

Jackson let out a breath. “Well, it was hard for her at first, seventeen years old and walking into a family she didn’t know, but Leila was happy to have a sister after being an only child and in time they really did become sisters.” He reached for his coffee again. “I thought she was trying too hard sometimes—Leila, I mean—but she seemed determined to let Natalie know they were family. I’ve thought more than once that Leila only started du Mer so they could work together.” His mouth twisted to one side. “I just don’t see how Natalie could have had anything to do with Erin’s death. There was just no reason.”

I glanced at my watch. I’d been gone long enough. I needed to get back to the shop. I looked around for Caleb. “If you’re thinking about paying for lunch I’d like to remind you that I invited you, which means you’re my guest.” Jackson smiled. “You already know how persistent I can be.”

“Thank you,” I said as I got to my feet.

He stood up as well. “I enjoyed this. If you don’t have any plans, would you have dinner with me tomorrow evening?”