Angels Fall

cheated on."
    "Can't blame you for that, and you take it up with him whenever you like. As long as it's not when I'm paying you to wait tables."

    "He said he loved me, Joanie." This time her voice cracked, just a little—and had Joanie's lips going tight. "He said he was ready to build a life with me."
    "Then I expect you'll have to have a conversation with him right soon. But now, you're going to get out there and do your job. You've got customers."
    "You're right, and I've wasted enough of my time on him. Men are no damn good for anything." She stalked out, leaving Joanie sighing.
    "If that boy's messed this up, he's a bigger jackass than I ever gave him credit for." While Joanie looked worried, Reece felt a tightly clenched fist knead in her belly. Where had Lo been last night and why had he lied about it?
    "And are you going to stand there daydreaming," Joanie demanded, "or take over this grill? I've got office work waiting, and I've got to pay for all this damn paint."
    "Sorry." Reece grabbed an apron, headed to the sink to wash her hands. "The new paint looks good. Cheerful."
    "New and cheerful costs."
    There'd been a three-man crew painting after closing, Reece recalled, and the daffodil yellow with red trim perked up the diner considerably. But what had those men been doing at nine the night before?
    "So. when did the painting start, exactly?"
    "Eleven. And you'd think that Reuben would be too tired to flap his lips in here today after working till three in the morning."
    Casually now, Reece warned herself. Very casual. Just making conversation. "Is that when they came in, eleven?"
    "Didn't I just say so? Reuben and Joe and Brenda."
    "Brenda? Hotel Brenda? I thought her brother was on the crew."
    "Dean had something else to do, so she said. She's better at the cutting in anyhow." Reece began to cook, and as she cooked she tried to imagine Reuben or Lo, Dean or Joe behind sunglasses and an orange hat, outside Brody's kitchen window.

    AFTER WORK, Reece snagged a ride home with Pete.
    "I appreciate you taking me to Brody's."
    "Not far, no problem."
    "Pete, what do you suppose Lo was up to last night?"

    "Some woman's skirt. Never can think without thinking with his dick—beg pardon."
    "I guess if that's so, he must've had more than his share of trouble with women."
    "Usually sweet-talks them out of kicking his balls into his throat —beg pardon again. But he won't have an easy time sweet-talking our Linda-gail. She's a tough nut."

    "You're right about that. Now take Reuben, for instance." Casually again, Reece reminded herself. "You don't see him with women, at least not right and left."
    "He gets around. He's just got the sense to be discreet." Pete slanted his gaze over to Reece, gave a quick, gap-toothed grin. "Had himself a red-hot fling last winter with a snow bunny. A married one."
    "Really?"
    "Kept it pretty quiet, but it ain't easy slipping in and out of a woman's hotel room without somebody noticing. That Brenda's got a nose for that sort of thing. Even if, as i heard, he came in through the basement entrance."
    " The hotel basement," she murmured.
    " Then word got out altogether when they had a hell of a row one night. Her yelling and throwing things. Beaned him with some sort of perfume bottle, it seems. He ended up hightailing it out of there, face all scratched up, boots in his hand."
    "What did she look like?"
    "What?"
    "The snow bunny, the woman. I guess I'm just curious."
    "Good-looking brunette, as I recall. About ten years older than Reuben's what I heard, too. Called him up at the ranch off and on for weeks after, crying, yelling, spitting. Reuben, he confessed to me one night over a few beers how the experience put him clean off married women."
    "That would do it." They were already turning toward Brody's. "I guess Brenda's brother. Dean, had a hot date last night."
    "Or a poker game." Pete clucked his tongue. "I tell you a fact, that boy's got ten dollars in his pocket, he's going to stake himself to Texas Hold 'Em with it. That's why he's broke more often than not, and shining up Brenda for a loan. Gambling's bad as heroin you don't know how to handle it." He stopped his truck in front of the cabin. "Heard you had some doings out here last night."
    "I guess everyone's heard by now."
    "Don't you let it get you down, Reece."
    Curious, she turned to him. "How come you don't think I'm crazy?"
    "Hell, who says you're not?" He smiled. "Everybody is, to some extent or other. But you say