Head over Heels for the Holidays

by Jennifer Bernard

  “Yes.” Cara raised her hand. “I just wanted to say that I’m really glad you and Rune are dating. He seems so much happier.”

  Maya opened her mouth to clarify that they weren’t really dating, then closed it again. As far as Cara knew, they were. And more and more, it was hard to find that line between fake dating and real dating. The energy between them kept shifting into something heated and exciting. Something that kept her up at night. But they still hadn’t lost that original “friend” connection. The combination was incredibly seductive.

  She blinked away those distracting thoughts. “Is there anything that’s more of a police matter?”

  This time Maggie answered, lifting her gaze from the floor. She still looked upset, but she’d gotten ahold of herself. She’d survived being raised by a fugitive trapper, she would survive this disappointment. But that didn’t make Maya feel any better. “Have you found Mrs. Holt’s yak yet?” she asked.

  “No. Do you know something?”

  “I don’t know anything, but I could spread the word.”

  “I think we’ve done a good job of that already, between the flyers and reward. We’ve been mentioning it on the radio and on the Bush Lines.”

  “No, not with people. With the animals.” Maggie’s wide gray eyes lit up with eagerness. “They’re all very busy right now getting ready for winter, but I can try.”

  “Okay. Sure. Give it a try.” Why not? They weren’t getting anywhere with the search so far. At least she could give Maggie that—a chance to be helpful.

  Cara’s phone beeped and she shot to her feet. “Rune’s here to pick us up. Bye Maya, thank you!”

  A thrill traveled through her. Damn, if even hearing Rune’s name got her excited, she might have a problem.

  “When you talk to those animals, make sure you tell them about the reward,” she called as the girls left her office. “We can pay it in birdseed or something.” They waved, not really listening.

  If only Rune was there to get her joke. She could always count on him to appreciate her sense of humor.

  As she gathered her things, Maggie’s stricken expression refused to leave her. The poor kid had gone through so much. All she wanted was to see her mother. That didn’t seem like too much to ask, especially during the holidays.

  The holidays.

  Slowly, an idea formed. Maybe there was a way to pursue the Lost Souls investigation and give Maggie what she wanted.

  Maybe she could make the holiday season work in her favor here.

  She checked the time. She still had a few minutes before she had to run off for yoga.

  As always, it took a while for the call to connect, the sound traveling through underwater cables to reach the wilderness, and to get through Kelsey’s multiple layers of security. “Aurora Lodge, Kelsey here.”

  “Hi Kelsey, it’s Maya Badger from Lost Harbor.”

  “Police Chief Badger? Is everything okay? How’s Maggie?” Tension vibrated through the woman’s voice.

  “She’s fine. Sorry, I should have said that right away. She’s doing great. In fact she was just here with her new best friend.”

  “She was?” Now Maya heard longing instead of fear. “I’m glad you’re keeping an eye on her. I can’t tell you what a relief that is.”

  “We’re all doing that. Count on it.” That was one thing about living in a tiny town on the edge of wilderness. No matter their differences in other areas of life—like religion or politics—most people genuinely did look out for each other. “I’m calling because Maggie’s pushing hard to be able to see you.”

  Kelsey sighed. “I know she is. She mentions it whenever we talk. I keep telling her it’s not possible—”

  “I had an idea about that. What if a group of us booked the lodge for a holiday event? She could blend in with the rest of us. Her new friend looks a lot like her. We can make it seem that they’re sisters.”

  A short pause followed her suggestion. “You want to book the entire lodge?”

  “That would be the safest, so we don’t have bystanders wandering around. I have no idea what that would cost.”

  “A fortune.”

  “Right.” She didn’t have a fortune, and this wasn’t anything she could charge to the Lost Harbor police department. So much for that idea. “Well, I had to suggest it.” She hesitated, then decided to apply just a teensy bit more pressure.

  “Maggie was crushed when I told her there wasn’t anything I could do. I’m worried she might hop in a boat and find you herself.”

  “She can’t do that.” The fear was back in Kelsey’s voice. “Maya, please make sure she doesn’t. Let me look at the calendar. Hang on.”

  Maya heard the clicking of computer keys.

  “There’s only one way this would work,” she finally said. “But not until Christmas. The owners always close the lodge for that week. I could request to keep the lodge open for a special event, but I can’t keep the staff here.”

  “We can do our own cooking and cleaning and whatever else is needed,” Maya said quickly. “We don’t need any staff. Just you,” she added. “Since that’s the whole point. Did you have other plans already?”

  Kelsey gave a shaky laugh. “As if any plans would be more important than seeing Maggie. No, I plan to be here. Let me clear it with the owners. Since there will be no staff, maybe I can comp you the rooms.”

  “That would be very helpful, since I’d rather not mortgage my house for a party.”

  “This would be amazing,” Kelsey said. Hope radiated through all those underwater cables. “Christmas with my daughter? It’s almost too much to hope for.”

  “One step at a time. Let me know what the owners say.”

  “I will. Thank you, Maya. Thank you so much.”

  And that was the rest of her plan. With Kelsey in a happy holiday mood, and reunited with her long-lost daughter, maybe she’d finally be willing to talk. Which meant she could get something concrete for the FBI.

  She ended the call and began mentally composing a guest list as she closed up her office. She needed some backup out there, of the first responder variety. Darius, Ethan. Maybe Rune.

  And just like that, sunshine spread through her heart. With Rune with her, this holiday party/investigation would actually be fun. She’d have an ally, someone who always made her feel beautiful and…singular. As if there was no one else like her in the world.

  The same went for him. Who else was that perfect Rune combo of openhearted fun and rock-like strength? No one. That was who.

  She sighed and slipped into the bathroom to change into her yoga clothes.

  Chapter 16

  After Rune dropped off Maggie, he parked at Harris’ house for one last home nurse visit before Thanksgiving. Cara skipped down to the fish house to study for a makeup calculus exam.

  As he attached the pulse ox to Harris’ index finger, Rune grinned at the older man. “You’ve done it, my friend. Recovery from heart surgery can be a haul, but you’ve made it to the other side. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks go to you, kid. You’re a fine nurse.”

  “Nah. You did this. Give yourself credit. You’re a tough old sailor.”

  Harris chuckled as Rune marked down his vitals. “Runs in the family.”

  “Says the father of the police chief.”

  Harris put a hand on his shoulder, making Rune look up in surprise. “She’s not as tough as she seems, though,” he said. “So watch how you handle things.”

  Okay, then. This was that kind of conversation. Under normal circumstances it would be awkward, but given the confusing state of things between him and Maya, it was a thousand times more so.

  “To be honest, she’s in charge,” he said with a laugh. Keep it light. That was the way to handle this.

  “Maybe.” Harris gave him a shrewd look from deep brown eyes that seemed to see right through him. “But she doesn’t show everything she’s feeling.”

  Rune took out a stethoscope from his bag and draped it o
ver his neck. “Mind if I check your heart?”

  “Mind if I check yours?” Harris shot back.

  Rune laughed ruefully. “Touché.” He set the sensor on Harris’ chest. “Look, you don’t have to worry about me and Maya. We’re friends, we’re always going to be friends. I’m…here for her, that’s it.”

  “Jerome is here.”

  The abrupt change of subject made him jolt. “He is?”

  “Yeah. He and Leanne are having Thanksgiving with her family. Maya didn’t tell you?”

  “I haven’t seen her in a few days. I’ve been working shifts at the fire department.”

  “It’s going to be tough for Maya. He hasn’t been back since he embarrassed her in front of the town.”

  Rune held up his finger for a moment of silence so he could listen to Harris’ heartbeat. Steady, no hint of a murmur. Excellent.

  “Your heart sounds great,” he told Harris.

  “That’s good, but unless I know Maya’s going to be okay, my heart’s not the most important. Hers is. So what’s your plan, Rune?”

  “My plan? Like I said, my plan is to let Maya lead the way.”

  “You sure that’s the best plan? Maya doesn’t always know what she wants. She thought she wanted Jerome, and that boy wasn’t worth the toilet paper on her shoe.”

  Rune hid a smile as he put away the stethoscope. He didn’t mind hearing that about Jerome. Not at all. “It’s not like that with me and Maya.”

  He straightened up, flexing the muscles that had gotten cramped while he’d been crouching next to Harris. The man gazed up at him as if Rune was disappointing him greatly.

  “Do you know that at first I didn’t like you and Maya being friends in Hawaii?”

  Rune absorbed that information without much surprise. He’d picked up on the man’s disapproval. “I think I knew that.”

  “I didn’t have a lot of trust in white boys. Hurtful things can be said, whether you mean to or not. But I can’t keep her in a cocoon. So I let her keep playing with you and I kept a close eye. A very close eye.”

  “No wonder I got nervous every time I went to your house.” Rune managed a smile. He’d always tried to behave well around Harris. He’d looked up to him. A steady, caring father figure wasn’t something he was used to.

  “I put the fear of God into you, didn’t I?” Harris chuckled. “That was on purpose. I’m a peaceful man, until someone messes with my Maya.”

  “So how come you never kicked me out? I could be such a little shit sometimes.”

  “Yes, you could. I saw it. But I saw Maya stand up and speak on it too. Like the time you said she didn’t need sunscreen because her skin was already dark, and she gave you a lecture on melanin right then and there. She schooled you about how black people get sunburn like anyone else. And you listened to her. You always listened to her.”

  “Of course I did. She was a lot smarter than I was.” He chuckled as he stowed away his stethoscope. “Not that I was dumb, but I didn’t always do the smart thing.”

  “Maya chooses her friends very carefully. She chose well with you. I didn’t see it at first, but eventually I did.”

  Rune turned his attention to packing up his medical bag, partly to hide the emotion that suddenly closed up his throat. Praise from Harris Badger wasn’t just an ordinary compliment. Coming from a man he admired, who also happened to be Maya’s father…that was pretty special. “Thank you,” he said finally. “I’m glad you didn’t kick me to the curb.”

  “I might now though.”

  He turned back with a frown. “Excuse me?”

  “If you let Maya call all the shots, this thing ain’t never going to get anywhere. She’s too gun-shy. It’s up to you, kid.”

  “But I told you, it’s not like that with me and—”

  Harris waved both hands in the air. “Don’t waste a heart patient’s time. I have eyes. I know Maya. I know you pretty well, too, after all that close attention I paid when you were nine. It is like that. But it won’t be unless you do something soon.”

  Was there anything more embarrassing than getting lectured about your love life by the father of the girl you were involved with? “I…uh…” He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. His respect for Harris Badger ran deep. He owed the man some honesty.

  “There’s a situation,” he finally said. “Cara and I, we may have to leave Lost Harbor soon.”

  Harris frowned and cocked his head at him. “Is it the job? Travel nurse?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Taking a deep breath, he explained about Cara’s stalker. Then he had to explain why he and Maya had delayed telling Harris about it.

  “If you’re worried about this creep showing up here, we can clear out in a flash. We’re used to it,” he added.

  Harris kept shaking his head as he absorbed the news. “Nah, he’d best stay far away from me or he’ll regret it. Why do you want to leave? To my mind, you’re in the best place you could be. Small town, police chief right down the road. You gotta take a stand somewhere.”

  “Maybe.” He shrugged. “But I can’t take chances with Cara’s safety.”

  Harris’ eyebrows quirked. “I see that. There’s some other chances you’re not taking either.”

  Rune closed his bag and got to his feet. A sadness came over him, a sense of a missed opportunity, a life he could have lived if it weren’t for the stalker. “You can’t always do everything that you want.”

  A short silence followed, then Harris said, “Well, you think hard about what I’m saying.”

  “I will, Mr. Badger. I always listen to what you say. Learned that lesson early.”

  Harris chuckled.

  “And I’ll send a final report to Dr. Morrison. She’ll be handling your case from here on out.” With a last smile, he headed for the door.

  “Listen to your heart,” Harris called after him.

  “See you at Thanksgiving tomorrow.”

  Outside, the frosty air held the scent of spruce and fog. A storm was in the forecast for Thanksgiving, but tonight, an eerie mist was filtering onshore from the lake.

  Listen to your heart.

  If only he could do that. His heart had all kinds of things to say about Maya. That she grounded him, that she sent his pulse into overdrive, that he wished there was a holiday party every night just so he could hold her hand.

  For a moment he let himself dream. What if he could stay here and pursue Maya and win her heart without fear of having to leave? What if the two of them could just…be together? No fake dating. No hiding his real feelings.

  That would be heaven. Pure heaven.

  He got into his car—and just like that, the dream shattered.

  On the passenger seat sat a letter with no postage and block letter handwriting. It was addressed to Cara.

  He jumped out of the car and scanned the immediate area. He hadn’t been inside Harris’ house for much more than half an hour. But the driveway dissolved in a blur of fog. Whoever had been here was nowhere to be seen.

  Pulling out his phone, he ducked back into his car.

  “Cara, you okay?” he asked as soon as his sister answered.

  “You mean because my brain might explode from these calculations? No. I’m not. I need a freaking hot fudge sundae.”

  He relaxed as he steered the car down the slope to the fish house. At least the creep hadn’t gotten close to her yet.

  He dialed Maya next. “How far away are you? Can you come over? It’s an emergency.”

  “I’m on my way home from yoga. What happened?”

  “I found a letter in my car. Like the kind we used to get—”

  “I’ll be right there. Don’t touch it.”

  “I won’t.”

  He parked outside the fish house and jumped out of the car. Even though he’d just spoken to Cara, he had to check on her. Thick mist hovered over the ocean and the little dock disappeared into a foggy limbo. The temperature hovered around freezing. Each particle of mist that lande
d on his face left a prickle of cold.

  He locked the car door, then hurried into the house. Cara sat on the sofa with a crocheted blanket on her lap, glaring at her algebra book. “I hate math,” she announced.

  “Okay.” God, he hated to insert darkness into her oh-so-normal teenage moment. The sound of a car engine caught his attention. Maya was coming. Reinforcements. Something he hadn’t really had up to now.

  “Listen, Cara. There’s a letter in the car addressed to you. Maya’s on her way to check it out.”

  “What?” She shoved aside her math book and jumped to her feet.

  “Have you noticed anything suspicious? Anything at all?”

  “No!” All the color left her face, leaving her eyes burning blue against her pale skin. “I thought we were safe here. I was so sure of it.”

  He heard a car door slam outside. “Come on. Maya’s here.”

  “I just have to grab a coat.”

  He didn’t wait for her, but went outside to join Maya. She wore a dark parka over her yoga clothes, along with Sorel boots and a burnt orange bandanna tied around her hair.

  She was pulling on a pair of examination gloves as he came around to the passenger side and clicked the key fob. “Where did this happen?” she asked, without any preliminaries such as greetings. Police Maya—that was how she rolled.

  “At your dad’s place.” He gestured to the top of the mist-shrouded property. “It was there when I came out. I looked around but didn’t see any sign of an intruder.”

  “I’ll do an extra sweep when I’m done here.” She shook open a plastic evidence bag and reached for the envelope with her gloved hand. “You didn’t open it, right?”

  “You said not to touch it.”

  She slid the envelope into the plastic bag, where it lurked like poison about to destroy his world. He wasn’t ready to leave Lost Harbor. He didn’t want to start all over again somewhere else. He didn’t want to leave Maya.

  The thought wrenched at his heart.

  Stop whining, he told himself. It is what it is.

  Light splashed across the snowy yard as the fish house door opened. Cara trudged over to them in unfastened snow boots. “Can I see it?”