by Patti Larsen
Not owning up to anything of the sort, though, just so you know.
At least Mom had managed to smooth things over enough with Daisy we kept our partnership together. I bobbed a nod at Melissa, the pretty and petite young woman who’d replaced Toby Miller at the reception desk, and didn’t even bother to stop to talk, helping myself to the swinging gate between the entry and the bullpen, the path to Crew’s office familiar not only because of regular visits to him but due to the fact my dad spent so many years there himself. I inhaled, exhaled, steadied myself for my happy meeting, trying to wipe clean the slate of Rosebert and Daisy’s continuing tension. She’d cancelled her plan to exit the business, but our friendship was suffering and I had no idea how to fix it.
Not my problem right now, not while Melissa spluttered as she often did at my passing before falling impotently quiet, hazel eyes anxious, dark blonde curls escaping the bun she’d tried to force them into. Not that Toby would have stopped me, either, but because she wanted me here, not out of lack of anything resembling confidence. When Dad poached his old receptionist for Fleming Investigations, Geoffrey leaped on the chance to replace her with someone of his choosing and I wondered as I bypassed the ineffectual young woman who seemed more flustered than proficient what he’d been thinking.
Getting inside Geoffrey Jenkins’s head, however? Yeah, not something I was willing to do. And besides, I had a handsome sheriff to visit, right? No way I was tainting that moment I savored every single time, the instant I opened his office door and took a long, happy, greedy look at tall, dark and deliciously gorgeous.
Wouldn’t you know? He wasn’t alone. And from the guilty flinch on my father’s face when he turned to grin at me with that expression that told me he was up to no good, their collusion meant trouble.
***
Chapter Five
Honestly, I wasn’t surprised to find the pair of them huddled at Crew’s desk, obviously colluding on something they’d rather no one else knew about. Considering my boyfriend (yes, I was calling him that in my head now, no matter whether I had the courage to use it out loud or not) was likely about to lose his job, the fact he’d mentioned going to work for my father meant they’d probably been discussing the business. And while I was glad to hear Crew would be staying in town, the fact he was going to join team Dad—or partner with him, more likely—that meant we’d also be business partners since Dad made me one last August.
Not that I was against partnering with the man I was in love with, but some things didn’t mix. Still, he’d been pretty awesome about my helping out with cases now that he was over the whole “Reading is out to get me” irritation I fully understood now that I’d seen it in action. So maybe we’d enjoy working together on even footing, without him feeling like he had to tell me to mind my own business or protect me from myself.
Yeah, right.
“Don’t mind me.” I set Crew’s coffee on the desk, kissed the top of my dad’s head and turned to exit, not bothering to pause for my hoped-for interaction with the gorgeous sheriff. Probably just as well, I had work to do at Petunia’s and these little visits sometimes turned into an hour lost in laughing and talking when he didn’t have a case pending.
Crew saluted me with the cup, Dad sitting back and grabbing my hand before I could leave.
“I was on my way out.” He stood, the tall, still broad shouldered former sheriff towering over me like always. The gruffness of his voice did nothing to hide his good humor, and I found myself engulfed in my father’s arms for a moment, the familiar scent of the laundry detergent Mom used on his plaid shirt taking me back to a time I was a little girl and hugs were far more frequent. Not that he was stingy, the opposite. I guess I just didn’t take the time these days to hug him back, though every time I did it brought a grin to my face.
“I’ll stop by the office later.” Crew didn’t bother to elaborate, though Dad’s nod told me they were definitely up to something. Whatever. I let my father go without a word, instead cocking one eyebrow at the sheriff who stood slowly, stretching like he knew it would distract me, his own grin wicked enough as he crossed to me and leaned in.
“No kissing at work.” I tossed that little rule of his at him while he chuckled in my ear.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” How could the touch of his hot breath on my cheek make me feel so weak in the knees? Or the rumble of his voice set off the kind of internal fireworks that always succeeded in taking my own breath away?
Crew leaned away, grinning down at me, those blue eyes flashing like he knew exactly the kind of effect he was having on me. I cleared my throat, sipping my fresh latte to buy a moment to pull myself together while he backed up and sat on the edge of his desk, hands catching my free one, pulling me toward him. Seriously, if he wanted to keep his no kissing rule intact, he had to stop tempting me like this.
“I’m out tonight,” he said, thumb stroking over the skin on the back of my hand, voice low and deep. Why did it sound like he’d made some suggestive remark instead of a casual comment? Growl. “They’re blowing the beaver dam at midnight and I want to be there, just in case there’s complications.”
Right. The big dam at the top of the Minute River that fed Cutter Lake had reached a point it was impacting the waterway and Fish and Wildlife decided to capture and relocate the beavers before eliminating the dam.
“It’s okay,” I said, wishing he wasn’t otherwise occupied. “I’m out this weekend anyway, remember?” Sigh. He had to remind me, even when Mom failed to. Probably because she hadn’t thought a reminder necessary. I really had to stop saying yes when Mom asked me to help her with her side projects. But she always seemed to get to me when I was at my weakest, and with enough lead time I figured why not. Case in point, this ridiculous two nights at the newly minted Black Woods Hunting and Fishing Retreat, tucked away in the middle of nowhere on Black Mountain. While the facility wasn’t fully up and running until spring, Mom had been approached by the owner to set up for a small group of wealthy hunters looking for a good time. The fact the owner was looking for two women to cater to the men in his group kind of gave me the creeps, but whatever. Let any of them try anything and they’d find out what a redheaded temper looked like up close and personal.
Fending off drunk city boys who decided to play at being mountain men wasn’t my idea of a fun weekend. But Mom needed me, right?
Sure she did.
Crew let me go, standing again, as if sensing I wasn’t in the mood for teasing right now. And I wasn’t. Just thinking about the pending trip made my stomach hurt. “You don’t have to go,” he said. I’d shared enough of my reticence with him his concerned was almost protective. “Your mother can take Daisy or one of the staff.” Or my Dad. That hung in the air like it wanted to be said but hadn’t been yet.
I shook my head, inhaling, exhaling, pulling myself together before smiling up at him. So sweet, that expression of worry and compassion. “I’m fine,” I said. “Besides, it’ll be good for me. Give me a chance to practice my redhead temper management or something equally idiotic.”
Crew laughed and hugged me, big, strong body fully committing to the embrace. I loved that about him, how he put his whole being into his hugs. I couldn’t help but wish it didn’t have to end. But, inevitably, he released me, lips brushing over my forehead in a not-quite rule breaking kiss.
“Keep me posted,” he said. “And I’ll see you for dinner Sunday night?”
I stepped away, wishing I could stay longer. “Can’t wait. Your place?”
“I’ll make spaghetti.” His favorite and now mine, just because.
I left with a cheerful wave for Melissa who managed one of her own at the last second. Poor thing, she had to be overwhelmed. At least, she looked that way, deer in the headlights her favorite expression. I headed off toward Petunia’s with a headshake, not envying her at all. Toby might have been a small woman with a penchant for fleece vests even in the dead of summer, but she was an expert organizer and held the job of reception
ist for the Reading Sheriff’s Department for so long she was a fixture.
Well, no longer. I guess change came to everyone.
I paused at the crosswalk and watched with veiled dislike as the SUV limo with the Black Forest Hunting and Fishing Retreat logo zoomed through the stop sign, almost taking out a passing hatchback. Grunt. Tourists like that were part of the reason the residents of Reading were so unhappy and willing to back Geoffrey. I hustled then, tossing the remains of my drink in a nearby trash bin, picking up three discarded cups within feet of the refuse container, frustrated myself, to be honest. But, I made my living from these visitors and a few bad apples were no reason to cut all our financial throats.
Did that mean I had to like the idea of spending two nights in the woods with a bunch of strange men? Nope. Especially when that meant I had to leave Petunia’s and the annex to Daisy. And Rose, ultimately. I shuddered a bit and not from the cold while I paused on the corner and looked up at the front entry of my bed and breakfast. Okay, time to admit why I really didn’t want to go this weekend. It had nothing to do with leaving Petunia’s, with rude tourists who thought they owned Reading, or Crew.
It had everything to do with Daisy. And the fact my best friend wasn’t anymore. I had to acknowledge that, own up to it and either do something about it or live with the fact I was lying to myself. I just wasn’t sure which I was prepared for.
Funny thing about asking for something to come to pass? There’s a good chance it’s going to rear up and hit you in the face. Speaking of not being prepared, as I entered the foyer of Petunia’s, Daisy on my mind, I found her perched in the sitting room with her head down, hands over her face, shoulders shaking as my small, anxious pug whined up at her like her heart was breaking.
Um, okay, this was not how I planned our encounter to go. Especially when Daisy looked up at my entry and the old bestie I knew, the woman I adored, looked back at me at last through tears falling from her gray eyes.
“Oh, Fee!” She leaped to her feet and hugged me. “I’m so glad you’re here. We have to talk.”
***
Chapter Six
I dragged her downstairs to my apartment, leaving one of the girls from the kitchen in charge of the front desk, knowing she’d be fine since I didn’t have any new guests coming today. Within moments I was sitting on my sofa with Daisy at my side, Petunia between us, the pair of us retreating from an enthusiastic hug that healed everything, as far as I was concerned.
Daisy wiped at her nose with the tissue she liberated from the box on the coffee table, blowing delicately before crumpling it in her hand, clutched in her lap like a lifeline.
“I’ve been such a terrible friend.” Her voice shook just a little as I helped myself to my own tissue and wiped at the tears on my face, my nose clearing effort far less dainty than hers. Petunia licked her lips, rocking from one front foot to the other as she looked back and forth between us as if sensing we’d made up and was happy for the fact.
“We’ve both been awful,” I said. “I’m sorry, Day. I just don’t know how to help you and I got frustrated.”
She nodded, tried a little smile, the sun coming out from behind a cloud. How had I let anything come between me and her? “It’s been so confusing,” she whispered, apologetic. “I know you don’t like Rose, Fee. I get that. She can be… difficult.” She said it. I held my tongue as Daisy exhaled a shaking breath before her smile returned for real. The smile I missed the last two months. “I’ve been trying to find a way to talk, to air out what’s been keeping us apart. I just didn’t know how.”
“This works.” I hugged her again, sinking back into the cushions after letting her go the second time. “Day, I love you. You’re my best friend and I couldn’t do this without you.” I waved my hands around me, taking in Petunia’s and the annex and everything, not having to be specific because I knew she got it. “I hate that you’re hurting over this. But you have to understand that I asked you to be my partner, not your step-sister.”
Daisy nodded again, cleared her throat. “I know,” she said. “I do, I swear. And I’ve told her that. It’s just, she has this way of talking to me that makes me doubt myself.” She glared at the tissue in her hand, anger showing. It wasn’t like Daisy to let things fester or linger, so I figured something had to have happened to make her come to her senses. “When I think about what she says, I know she’s wrong. But when she’s around, I just can’t help it. It’s like she’s so logical and everything she says makes sense until I can’t think anymore.”
Master manipulator? Check. “You know you’re awesome,” I said.
Daisy’s little smile flashed. “Thanks, Fee. I wish I could carry you around in my pocket with me all the time.” I was going to reassure her again when she sighed deeply, falling back into the couch beside me. “The thing is, I know she’s not a good influence, Fee. But she’s family.”
“By marriage,” I said. “And you get to choose who you let in, Day.”
She shook her head, so sad, eyes filling with tears all over again. She covered her mouth with the used tissue, hand shaking. I lunged for the box, offered it as she sobbed softly before pulling her emotions under control and meeting my gaze again.
“That’s the thing,” she whispered. “I didn’t tell you, I didn’t know how. But I found out last year.” She swallowed hard. “Dad and her mother had an affair years ago, Fee. Rose is actually my half-sister.”
Oh, crap. No wonder she was struggling. To Daisy, family was everything and finding out Rose was literally related? There was no way she’d abandon the girl now, not when her only other relative, her father, wasn’t much of a role model. In that moment of understanding I had an epiphany—that Daisy’s whole connection to who she was had been tied to a man who didn’t give a crap about her and now a half-sister who used her to get what she wanted. Meanwhile, the people who really loved her, me included, let her down by turning our backs when times got tough.
Okay, so I was being a bit melodramatic, but still. And it was mostly me, since Mom figured out how to get along despite the fight I still didn’t know the contents of they’d suffered in August.
“Daisy, dear.” I looked up, startled to find my mother had snuck down the stairs (or, more likely, just walked down like a normal person because Mom wasn’t a sneak like her daughter) and was standing in my kitchen with her hands clasped in front of her. There was so much compassion etched in her beautiful face I almost cried all over again. It set Daisy off, that’s for sure, my friend sobbing softly as Mom hurried to her and sank to the sofa next to her, hugging her tight around the shoulders. She cradled Daisy’s head on her shoulder, rocking her softly and rubbing her back while she met my eyes with her own hurt ones.
Nice to have this out in the open at last. “Day,” I said, “we’re so sorry. I wish I’d known.”
“It’s my own fault for not saying anything.” Daisy leaned away from Mom, another brave smile just making me feel worse. “I should never have listened to her.” There was that anger again. So what triggered this change of heart? “I know I’m perfectly capable.” Hmmm. Did Rose try to push her too far and maybe tipped her own hand to the point Daisy pushed back? I hoped so. “I’ve been working here long enough I know my job.” Okay, that sounded pretty specific.
“What happened?” Mom asked it, thankfully, because if I had I wasn’t sure my tone would have been quiet so calm and collected.
Daisy seemed like she was going to spill but instead just shook her head. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “All that does matter is I’m done being a jerk. I swear.” She hugged Mom, then me again, before kissing the top of Petunia’s head. “Rose won’t be working here any longer.”
Wow, okay, so that was a huge shift. And meant there was likely a blowup coming between Daisy and her half-sister. “I’m going to stay, Mom.” No way was I leaving her to handle this alone.
My mother nodded but Daisy was instantly against it, face set and determined. “No, please.” She looked back
and forth between us. “I can handle this, I promise. Please, I need you to trust me right now.”
I met Mom’s eyes. She didn’t say anything but I knew what she was thinking. Trust was a big necessity, I could feel it from Daisy. If I stayed, if Mom stayed, would Daisy’s newfound resolve to stand up to her sister last? If we didn’t trust her, could she trust herself?
Ack.
“With the election pending,” Daisy said, hammering the final nail of decision into my coffin, “with Olivia on such shaky ground, we have to keep going.” She wiped at the last of her tears, shoulders squared, old familiar smile back in place. “I’ll be fine. And when you get back, Rose will be history.”
“And you won’t do it alone,” Mom said. “Because John will be here, in Fee’s apartment, making sure you have backup.”
Relief washed over me, almost made me nauseated, and from the flush and brief flash of excitement on Daisy’s face, she felt it, too.
“There,” she said, patting our hands, laughing a bit, her lighthearted return making me feel better. “All set. What could possibly go wrong?”
She had to ask that, didn’t she?
***
Chapter Seven
I sat in the passenger’s seat of Mom’s sedan, Petunia parked on my lap, her fat butt wiggling as she panted her excitement at being included in our little adventure. I don’t know why I decided at the last minute to bring her along, but having her warm weight pressed against me, her snorting joy radiating from her, made me feel better about the two days and nights I was about to spend surrounded by wilderness and enough testosterone to make a sane woman lose her freaking mind.
Mom hadn’t said a word, as kind as always about the pug’s inclusion. Maybe she was so used to having Petunia around the thought of not bringing her felt odd. I know for me I was so accustomed to the snoring dog next to me on the bed that sleeping without her had become difficult the few nights I’d spent away the last few years. Mind you, sharing my bed with a farting and covers hogging creature of the canine variety wasn’t my ideal choice. But making room for someone else—a very specific someone—was going to have to wait a bit longer.
