The text from Braisley came as I left my aunt's street. I paused to read it, so I didn't give Officer Bradley a reason to pull me over.

BRAISLEY: I'm leaving town now but wanted to say goodbye. Are you around?

What? I read the text again. Her vacation wasn't over until the end of the week. Why would she leave early?

My eyes narrowed as the only reason came to me. Dalton. I'd kick his ass. We'd get all the bakery girls together to have a joint ass kicking. I'd invite Lainey because then, if she did any of the kicking, she could talk her boyfriend Chief Anderson into not arresting us.

The plan worked out easily.

I used my voice-to-text to message her back and then headed to the bed-and-breakfast. Screw men. I wasn't going to let one jerk keep her from the rest of her vacation or our town. She deserved a glorious trip with exceptional memories. We all deserved great vacations, and I planned to help Braisley get hers. It was my duty. To scorned women everywhere.

The miles until empty dropped to six as I hit the bed-and-breakfast parking lot. Weird. I wasn't normally that heavy on the gas pedal. The gauge must be broken. Katy and Braisley were standing by the rental car at the far end of the lot. Braisley had a pink box in her hands-I assumed cupcakes from Anessa-for the long journey back to Indiana.

I parked on the street to be faster and then marched toward them. "We're not letting Dalton do whatever he did. I will call in reinforcements." It was better to leave the finer details of my plans-like the ass kicking-out until the last minute. They'd ask fewer questions that way.

Braisley tilted her head with questions in her eyes. "What?"

"Well..." My pace slowed as I reached them. Did I read the situation wrong? No. "It was Dalton. Wasn't it? The reason that you're leaving."

"Noooo," Braisley said with the same pink hue she'd worn the other day. "He's been great."

Katy and I both tilted our heads at her and sighed. The sun poked through a spring cloud and lit up the surrounding area.

She laughed. "I promise."

I crossed my arms and studied her facial features for signs of lying. She passed. "Then what? Is it because our beaches suck?"

They didn't totally suck. They were beautiful in their own way but vastly different from beaches in the South. She'd had a beach towel with her when we first met. She definitely expected a Southern beach.

"Without me there to liaison, half my department quit. My boss is freaking out. He's sent threatening text messages to two employees already. His wife is worried he'll ruin the entire company if someone posts anything to TikTok."

Oh.

"Good, that I don't have to kill Dalton, but I'm going to miss you." Indiana was far away. It's not like she could hop in the car and come for a weekend visit.

"Same," she said, clutching the box of cupcakes. "I'm definitely coming back here on my next vacation."

It sounded nice until I remembered she'd been forced to take this vacation, and since it didn't go well, she'd probably never take another one. Not me. If I wasn't self-employed, I'd use up my vacation time the second I got it.

"We'll come visit you. There's lots to do in Indiana. Right?"

"Ummm." She frowned. "Totally. It's basically a party all the time."

That wasn't the impression I had of Indiana, but I didn't call her on it.

"We'll text all the time," Katy said, emphasizing the word all.

She nodded at her. "Absolutely."

I gave Braisley a tight hug goodbye. Katy and I waved as she backed out of her parking spot.

Katy turned to me right before she stopped at the exit. "You know what's weird?"

"Huh?"

She pointed at the back of Braisley's car as it drove away. "We never found out what she was running from in the first place."

True.

"This time," I said, watching as she turned, "I don't think she was running."

At least not from anything external.

"Yeah," Katy said and headed toward the bed-and-breakfast as the sun fluttered behind another cloud.

I walked with her until we parted at the front sidewalk, and I turned toward my car on the street.

"You want to hang out later?" Katy yelled from the porch.

The car door hit me in the thigh as I stopped to answer her. "Sorry, I'm in a rush to get a few things solved. Later this week, for sure."

"Okay, I'm going to hold you to it."

My smile stretched across my face as I got in the car and headed for home. It didn't fall until I stepped into the house and glanced at my floor before taking my shoes off.

"What in the hell is this?" I asked, bending over to get a better view.

Broadrick stretched over on the couch to see where I had my finger pointing. "Did I miss one of the presents from Mr. Jasper?"

"You knew about this?" I stomped to the kitchen and grabbed a napkin. Who popped this much? It had to be from eating all my grass.

The man I let stay at my place out of the kindness of my heart stayed on the couch, petting the dog he was trying to steal from me. "I thought I got it all."

"I've had enough. This has to end." I scooped up the brown ball of poop and crushed it in the napkin. Not my wisest choice. "I need to focus. Mr. Pooper must go. I'm taking him to my mother."

She got me into this mess. It was her mess. She had to deal with it because I was done. I had more important things on my mind. Like solving a damn murder.

Broadrick raised his left eyebrow at me. "You can't have enough gas in your car for that."

Mother f'er.

"Ugh." I almost stomped my foot.

Broadrick laughed and dislodged NB from his lap as he stood. "I'll fill it while you pack up the rabbit stuff."

"Better idea," I said and held up a finger. "We both pack up the stuff and then take your truck."

We could get him out of here faster if we worked together because the rabbit had to go. It was him or me, and I paid the rent on the place.

"You just don't want to be alone with him," Broadrick said, but didn't argue about my brilliant idea.

I searched for my phone as he grabbed the big bag of hay that came with Mr. Jasper.

"It's in your other coat pocket," Broadrick said.

The phone dropped from my pocket as I reached for it. The insanity never ended

"Mom," I said as soon as she answered. "I'm bringing Mr. Jasper to your house."

"What? Who is this?" she asked.

I stomped my foot. The day deserved it. "We're coming right now. He's your problem."

"Who?" she asked and turned on water somewhere on her end of the call. It cut into the connection. Was she doing dishes as my life fell apart?

"The bunny. Mr. Jasper is the bunny you stuck me with." How did she forget?

Broadrick snickered from the floor while he scooped up the loose hay from Jasper's encloser. I searched for something to throw at him. The only thing close were shoes and I couldn't risk those on his thick skull. I was having a mental breakdown while my mother forgot the bunny she dropped on me and he laughed about it.

"Oh, that's great. I was going to call you about him tomorrow."

I stopped my search for a weapon. "You were?"

"Yes, his family will be here tomorrow night to pick him up and I don't want them thinking I didn't watch their family pet."

"But..." A barnyard smell came from Broadrick's area of the living room. "You didn't watch him."

"They don't need to know that. It's our secret," she said. "They'd think I'm a bad pet sitter."

She was a bad pet sitter! Even worse than me. And I was one of the worst.

"Just be ready. Broadrick and I are packing him up now." I deserved an award for keeping a level voice.