I threw caution to the wind and led Noah around the corner of The Brick's shiny pine bar top into a side hallway leading to the bathrooms. It was far less crowded and further away from curious eyes, but not exactly private.

Right next to the men's room, however, was a storage closet that I figured we could occupy for a few minutes.

Noah's fingers hooked my wrist to gently tug me to a stop before I could reach the door, turning me to face his igneous eyes and pulling me into his firm body.

His sly smile dimpled his cheek as he leaned down to brush my lips in a sweet kiss that made my heart ache.  

"Hey, Wildflower," his deep timbre tickled in my ears. The swell of fluttery emotions his kiss awoke partially undid the guilt that kept knotting my innards. "I wanted to tell you that I spoke with the investigator on Mrs. Wallace's case today. Like us, he is not a fan of Jeffery Wallace or his behavior. Anyhow, Detective Robbins wanted to have you come down to the Skagit County Sherriff's office in Mount Vernon as soon as possible for an interview." 

I blinked up into his pensive gave, gulping down the fear clawing its way up my throat. An interview at the station was a lot better than a search of my apartment.

"Is there a day and time that works best for you?" Noah asked, dropping the volume of his voice as a pretty blonde woman exited the restroom to stare at the two of us like green-skinned aliens. "I'd be happy to take you down there myself. I don't mean to brag, but I hardly know my way around the building at all."

I laughed out loud at Noah's joke while noting the flirtatiously shy smile Blondie offered him (casually ignoring my existence, of course) before turning to walk away. He seemed to have that effect on women everywhere he went.

To his credit, Noah kept his full attention on me, as if I was the only woman that mattered to him.

We were in full view of anyone using the bathrooms and our closeness was inevitably going to inspire questions from any regulars at The Brick (which was everyone in town).

"I'm off at three today?" I replied to raise his brow.

"Well, that is as soon as possible," Noah chuckled and rubbed his chin scruff as another figure darkened the end of the hallway. "I, uh, was hoping you might want to go out again tonight? I thought I could make us a reservation, just in case, at a place in La Conner where they serve dinner on the wa-"

"Two Noah Taylor sightings in one day! I must be the luckiest woman alive!" Cathy's syrupy voice managed to bend the smile on his handsome face into a grimace. "According to your mother, you've been so gosh darn busy these days it's like trying to spot Big Foot." 

He'd mentioned Cathy was close with his family, but I was a little shocked at how she saddled right up to him. Like she was rubbing her willowy, LuLu Lemon-clad figure all over Noah to leave her scent or something.

"My job keeps me pretty busy, Cathy," Noah controlled his expression while I accepted her limp handshake with a forced smile.

"Your job?" Cathy popped a bony hip and sent me a pointed look. "I thought I recognized your friend! Hi, I'm Cathy Van, we met at the Hickory Elementary bake sale."

"Oh, I remember," I replied. "Ava Smith."

"That's right," Cathy nodded as if she just couldn't be bothered to recall my name (now, or ever). "So, you work with Noah?"

"No," I answered her bitchy jab through a stiff smile. "My landlady went missing and Noah is helping us find her."

"Oh, my goodness, do you mean Mrs. Wallace?" Cathy's blue eyes bulged at the juicy gossip she apparently already knew. "She was your landlady?"

"Yes," I huffed. "She is my landlady."

"I'm so sorry, Ava, that's awful!" Cathy's artificial sympathy made me want to flick her on the boob to see if she felt anything at all. "We go to the same church as the Wallace's, you know. So, Raymond and I will be there at the community Awareness Walk that Jeffery is coordinating on behalf of his mother this Thursday. We even agreed to promote it on my blog. I hope we see you there too."

I flattened my face and bobbed my head. That it was the first I was learning of an Awareness Walk for Mrs. Wallace, but I wasn't about to give Cathy the satisfaction.

Jeffery Wallace made his unsavory opinions about me known to anyone that would listen. It was clear that included Cathy Van, the unofficial town crier of Shelter Bay. He probably told her all about the 'homeless tramp' renting the apartment above his mother's garage.

I couldn't tell whether she was shaming me for not going to church or inviting me along to the Awareness Walk, but I chose to believe the latter.

"Thanks for all your help, Cathy," I learned about women like her from dealing with my mother. A delicate blend of appealing to their ego and prostrating oneself was the only way to get into their better graces. "Nobody is as well known in the community as you, and the more we can get the word out about that Awareness Walk, the better."

"Oh, absolutely! Now let's hope we find her," she scrunched up her nose like she knew what I was up to, and then turned her attention back to Noah. "And are we going to have another Big Foot sighting at Crab Fest tomorrow?" 

"I'm working the security tent on opening day," Noah took a cautious step back. "So, you will probably see me around."

"I'm so glad," Cathy waved her spandex-clad arm like a homecoming queen. "Well, I'm off to the little girl's room. It was good seeing you again, Ava. I'm so glad you're making friends here in Shelter Bay."

Cathy's overly perky attitude was about as grating as it got, but she was friends with Noah's family, so I wanted to play nice.

I had flashbacks to my mother's sugar and spice smile, so practically perfect in every way. It was her secret weapon. It was how she lived with herself and the choices she made, always wearing that same dead-eyed smile.

I was going to have to be very careful when it came to little Miss Chatty-Cathy.

"I don't need to apologize for her behavior, right?" Noah shook his head and blew out an exasperated breath. "I mean, you've met Cathy before?" 

"That I have," I agreed. "And she's a hoot. Um, did you tell her about our date?"

"I haven't told Cathy anything," Noah snorted. "But that doesn't mean she won't infer things from that ludicrous conversation we just had."

"Great," I sighed, defeated. "So, everyone knows now."

"Hey," Noah shrugged his sculpted shoulders. "That's life in a small town. Next week, it'll be someone else's turn."

Problem was, people were hearing stories from folks that didn't know anything about me.

No one in Shelter Bay knew the real me, not even Noah. Which would make it that much harder to defend myself from personal attacks and catty gossip. Whether it was a big city or a small town, it was hard to escape gossip once it started.

I could only hope the investigator on Mrs.Wallace's case would listen to me and not the rumors about me.