Personally, the smartest thing he could do was back away from her and this entire mess.

Then again, he thought as he drained his beer, he’d never been smart where women were concerned.

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 12

Jase was waiting for her. Big as life, long legs stretched in front of him, he leaned against the hood of her car as she exited the restaurant two doors down from Aubrey House where she and Tanisha had coaxed Selma to eat some dinner. They’d also drunk a glass of wine and had lingered over dessert while talking for hours.

Jase started to push himself upright, but she held up a finger to keep him at bay, silently asking for a little time. He got the message.

“So you’ll be all right?” she asked Selma.

“Of course not, but . . . yeah . . . no . . . Oh, God! I don’t think I’ll ever be ‘all right’ again.” Pale and shaky, Selma scrabbled in her purse, no doubt searching for her cigarettes.

As Selma found a half-empty pack and lit up a filter tip, Tanisha’s dark gaze met Brianna’s. The silent message she conveyed wasn’t good. They both were worried sick about Selma and her daughters.

It had been Brianna’s idea to grab a bite at the pub. She knew it had been an exhausting day for Selma, who had poured her heart out in the meeting. It had been difficult for Selma to let the members of the group witness her anguish. Thankfully everyone had let her speak, the sparse comments confined to condolences and words of encouragement.

The tone of the meeting had been somber, almost bleak. As twins, everyone had heard of the 21 Killer, and Brianna suspected some held a macabre fascination for the killer who targeted twin siblings. The group had been thankful that the murderer had been caught, tried, and convicted . . . until Selma’s worries had opened the door to a terrible new possibility that 21 was still at large.

Even usually talkative and smiling Jenkins had been somber. Enrique had put aside his hostility and Elise, though constantly knitting, hadn’t turned the discussion back to her problems. Milo had remained silent, and Jenkins had sadly shaken his head throughout Selma’s story. Tanisha, who’d always been hard on Selma, had shown a kinder side and insisted on joining them for dinner where not only did she allow Selma to fall apart, but showed true empathy and understanding.

“You sure you want to go home?” Tanisha asked as the three women walked to the spot where Selma’s little Chevy was parked.

“Yes, of course. I’ll be fine.” Selma drew deeply on her cigarette. “I mean as fine as I can be.”

Brianna didn’t like the idea of Selma being alone. “You could stay at my house,” she offered.