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kitchen. Emphasis on the her .”
    â€œI’m sure you all set her straight.”
    â€œWe tried to do it gently, but she made it hard.”
    â€œDo you have a replacement in mind?”
    â€œI’d really like to give another student a chance, but after Florene, I’m a little gun-shy. What about this Rocky I keep hearing about? Folks keep telling me what a great cook she was.”
    â€œShe was, but she’s in Boston taking some truck mechanic courses.”
    â€œTruck mechanic?”
    â€œYeah. Her father used to own my garage. She grew up with a socket wrench in her hand. Working on big rigs isright up her alley. Haven’t talked to her in a few weeks, but we do keep in touch. I can give her a call, if you want.”
    â€œPlease.” Bernadine had yet to meet the legendary Rocky, but the more stories she heard, the more her curiosity was piqued. “If she says no, I’ll talk to Florene’s professor about hiring another student.”
    â€œHopefully one with a little less ’tude because we already have Crystal.”
    Bernadine grinned. “True.”
    â€œSo what’s with all the catalogs?”
    â€œSchool stuff. Have you seen Marie today? I need to give them to her and let her head spin for a while. Also need to talk to her about the new teacher and when he’s due to arrive.”
    â€œShe and Genevieve are in Vegas.”
    Bernadine stared, dumbstruck. “Genevieve Curry went to Vegas?”
    He chuckled and nodded. “Yep. They’ll be back tomorrow.”
    Genevieve Curry had grown up with town schoolteacher Marie Jefferson, Clay Dobbs, and Malachi. She was quiet, reserved, and such a lady she still wore white cotton gloves to church. Her husband, Riley, disappeared last summer, along with his six-hundred-pound pet hog, Cletus, after Cletus caused the death of a human parasite named Morton Prell. All that aside, Genevieve being in Las Vegas was like finding the pope in a strip club, but the idea of it made Bernadine proud of her. “I hope she and Marie are having a good time.”
    â€œMe too. She’s earned it after what Riley and Cletus put her through.”
    Bernadine agreed. Riley let Cletus move into the house, and it became so filthy the place had to be condemned and was razed. Now, because Genevieve had no home, she was temporarily living with Marie Jefferson and her mother, Agnes. “I wonder where they are?”
    â€œMarie’s got a favorite hotel—”
    â€œNo. Riley and Cletus.”
    He shrugged. “You’d think it’d be hard for Riley to hide a hog that big for this long, but they’ve been on the lam for going on eight months now, and so far, no word or sightings. Sheriff Dalton’s warrant is still out on them, though,” he added.
    Bernadine shook her head. She’d had some real memorable experiences while living in Henry Adams, but the mess with Cletus and Riley and their involvement with Morton Prell’s death had to be at the top of the list. As Amari said at the time, “Death by hog. That’s wack.”
    â€œI see your office is done,” she said, changing the subject.
    â€œYep. They finished the last of the interior details a few days ago.”
    â€œSo, when are you moving in?”
    He responded with a slight squirm that reminded her of Amari’s, so she asked cautiously, “What’s the matter?”
    â€œI don’t need an office, Bernadine.”
    â€œYou’re the mayor, Trent. Mayors have offices.”
    â€œI know—”
    â€œBut?”
    â€œWhy can’t I do what I do from the garage?”
    â€œBecause you can’t hold business meetings in the garage.”
    â€œWhy not? It’s worked okay up until now.”
    She sat back and eyed him.
    He grinned. “Uh oh. Here it comes.”
    â€œBack in the day, when you and Tamar and the seniors ran things, meeting in the garage worked fine, but the