“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “Just you and me. A sunrise flight.” He opened his door and got out of the car. Deirdre met him at the front of the car before he could go around to open her door.
“This is incredible,” she said, her voice awed. The wonder swam in her eyes when she looked at him too, and Wyatt’s heart softened for this woman.
“Surprise,” he said, taking her hand in his. “Let’s go check in with our pilot.”
“Is that what they’re called? Pilots?”
“I hope so,” Wyatt said. “I’m not going up in that thing with just anyone.”
Deirdre giggled, and Wyatt wanted to tuck her into his side. Into his life. For good.
The strength of his feelings surprised him, but he also knew they were true. He was in such a better place now, and he’d started to fall in love with Deirdre Bernard. All the way in love.
“Morning,” he said to the man standing in the sand, smiling. “I’m Wyatt Gardner. This is Deirdre Bernard. We’re your passengers this morning.”
“Morning, Chief,” the man said, though Wyatt didn’t know him. “Deirdre, nice to meet you. I’m Sam Cabelli, your balloon pilot this morning.”
Wyatt and Deirdre exchanged a glance, both of them grinning.
“There are some safety rules for our flight,” Sam said. “So if you’ll step up into the basket, we’ll go over those before we leave the ground.”
Wyatt steadied Deirdre as she climbed in first. “Oh, my,” she said, a shaky laugh following. “It’s more stable than I thought it would be.”
He joined her, with Sam bringing up the rear and securing the latch on the gate behind him. “Okay,” he said. “First rule: there are no sudden movements in the basket. Second, no leaning over. Third, you don’t touch anything.” He smiled through it all, though Wyatt had the feeling he was being very serious.
“Basically, your job is to enjoy yourselves,” he said. “I’ve got hot chocolate or coffee, as well as doughnuts or danishes.”
Deirdre looked at Wyatt, and he knew which he wanted. He couldn’t help his love of doughnuts, and while he hadn’t gotten up to work out this morning, there was always tomorrow. He tucked Deirdre into his side and faced Sam again.
“We’ll pass out the food once we get to our maximum height, which is twelve hundred feet. We’ll—”
“Twelve hundred feet?” Deirdre asked, obviously alarmed. She looked from Wyatt to Sam, who simply kept smiling.
“That’s right,” he said. “You’ll have a three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the islands and the ocean. It’s truly spectacular.”
“Twelve hundred feet,” she repeated.
Wyatt chuckled and pulled her a little closer, though she was right at his side.
“We’ll be up at that altitude for about forty minutes,” Sam said. “Then we’ll gradually descend. I should have you back on the ground in about ninety minutes. You can ask any questions you want while we’re up there, and all of the food on-board is for the two of you. This is your flight. I hope you enjoy it.” He turned to attend to the controls, talking about what the basket and balloon were made out of, and the fact that hot air balloons actually had holes at the top and bottom of the nylon.
“Holes,” Deirdre muttered, and Wyatt could admit that his own nerves were screaming a warning at him.
Then Sam turned on the flame, and a roar filled the space around them. Fire shot upward, putting that hot air into the nylon. And the balloon began to rise.
“What are we doing?” Deirdre asked, her tone near panic now. “Wyatt, this is insane.”
“Hold on,” he said, glad there were handholds along the edge of the basket. He wasn’t sure he was standing on solid ground either, but Sam guided the balloon smoothly up. And up. And up.
“Wow,” Wyatt murmured as his view of the horizon expanded. He twisted slightly, not wanting to move too much in case it dislodged the balloon’s flight path, and looked over the island of Getaway Bay.
They were rising fast now that he had landmarks to use, and he easily picked out the station along the biggest road running east and west across the island.
“This is incredible,” he said. “Are you looking at the island, Deirdre?”
“I’m afraid to move,” she said.
“You can move freely,” Sam said. “Don’t worry about that. There’s hardly a breeze this morning, too, which is nice.”
Wyatt couldn’t even imagine being in a balloon in some of the wind the island experienced, and he was suddenly glad this excursion had been cancelled the past two weekends due to wind. He’d been disappointed then, but now, he knew how important the weather conditions needed to be.
“I feel like I need to be strapped in,” Deirdre said, but she managed to edge around Wyatt so she could see the island. “Wow.”
Wyatt had already said that, but she was absolutely right. The ocean seemed flat and dark. The greens on the trees were vibrant and alive, with the white slashes for the beaches surrounding everything.
He put his arm around Deirdre’s waist, and she leaned into him. Powerful feelings moved through him then, and he pressed a kiss to her temple. “There is no one I’d rather experience this with than you,” he whispered.
Deirdre’s only response was to press further into him, making Wyatt feel like the luckiest man in the world.
“Okay,” Sam said a few minutes later. “We just passed one thousand feet.”
“I can’t look down,” Deirdre said.
Wyatt didn’t want to either, and he said, “Just keep your eyes out on the horizon.”
“We’ll move around all three bays,” Sam said. “And then make our way back here over the rain forested parts of the island.”
Wyatt enjoyed the silence, punctuated by bursts of hot air as Sam piloted them along a route only he knew. Wyatt drank in the spirit of the ocean, the peace of the island, and the joy of being with Deirdre.
“Doughnuts?” Sam asked, and that was literally the only thing that could’ve made this morning better. He ate an apple and mango fritter as the sun finally lifted itself out of the ocean, casting a new glow over the scene.
Deirdre sucked in a breath and said, “This is incredible.” She gazed up at Wyatt. “Thank you, Wyatt. This is the best surprise I’ve ever gotten.” She tipped up to kiss him, and Wyatt couldn’t think of a better way to spend his morning. Any morning.
They took pictures and drank their way through the coffee and hot chocolate and ate pastries. Deirdre asked Sam questions, and Wyatt listened to the sound of her voice. By the time they touched down very close to where they’d taken off, Wyatt had a very strong feeling that he’d just fallen all the way in love with Deirdre Bernard.
They stayed to watch Sam take down the balloon completely, and then Wyatt walked with Deirdre down the beach, their shoes discarded near the front bumper of his Jeep.
Deirdre seemed content with her own thoughts, and Wyatt couldn’t think of anything to say that didn’t start and end with I love you. He didn’t think she was ready to hear those words—and honestly, he wasn’t ready to say them.
Up in the air, everything had been clear. Down on the ground, though, he wondered if a month was enough time to really be in love. Maybe he’d just experienced some of the magic of the morning. Either way, he didn’t think Deirdre was going anywhere, and they’d hopefully have plenty of experiences that could testify to him and let him know if how he felt right now was really true.
“I need to sit for a second,” she said, and she lowered herself onto the sand with a sigh. “That was a lot of standing. Worth it, but a lot of standing.”
Wyatt groaned as he sat beside her, the sand soft beneath him. “Agreed.”
“I didn’t even know Lobster Bay was a thing,” she said, lacing her arm through his and leaning her head against his bicep.
“It’s really just this,” he said. “It’s not like East Bay or Getaway Bay, with huge beaches and hotels and stuff. This is the best snorkeling on the island though.”
>
“Why isn’t anyone here then?” she asked.
“So we can have privacy for this.” He turned toward her and kissed her, thrilled when her fingers moved into his hair. He laid her down on the sand and kept kissing her, feeling thirty years younger as he made out with his girlfriend on the beach.
And the best part? There wasn’t anyone to interrupt him with the word, “Chief?” No distractions. Nothing but him and Deirdre, as he tried to tell her he loved her without using a single word.
A week passed, then two. The Halloween parade was in just one more day, and Wyatt would be glad when it was over. Most people probably didn’t know that Halloween was one of the most stressful days for a police officer.
All that makeup, all the masks, and hats, and flowing costumes. It made identifying threats terribly difficult, and Wyatt didn’t want anyone on the island to get hurt. More kids got lost on Halloween in Getaway Bay than any other time of year, and he couldn’t wait until Wednesday, when it would all be behind him for another year.
Today, he had a meeting over near Deirdre, and he’d said he’d stop by her office and take her to lunch. They’d planned to simply walk down the boardwalk to Manny’s and get tacos. Easy things like that made Wyatt’s heart sing as loudly as the bigger dates they’d had.
He’d taken her to movies, on a couple of hikes with him and Tigger, and they had plans to go snorkeling that weekend. He saw her almost every day, but they both had schedules and very full jobs, so there were times where two or three days would pass with only calls or texts.
Wyatt was fine with all of it. He didn’t need to move quickly, not when he could take her hand and hold it whenever he wanted. Kiss her hello and goodbye and everything in between. Call or text at any hour.
He flipped a black ballpoint pen from one hand to the next as he listened to a lecture from a K9 sergeant from another island department talk about the dogs he’d been training. Wyatt had wanted to bring in a K9 unit for years, and it was finally going to happen—but through the Sheriff’s department.
That was fine with Wyatt, and he’d been working closely with Sheriff Tracey Batista, who’d be the one to monitor the dogs and the men who worked with them.
The meeting finally ended, and Wyatt stood up. His uniform itched along the collar, but he didn’t move to scratch his skin. He shook hands with everyone, thanked them for coming from Oahu, and headed out to his cruiser.
Your Tidal Forever sat just down the street, and he arrived before his air conditioning had truly cooled the air inside his car. The scent of frosting and flowers met his nose when he entered the building, and he took a moment to remember the last time he’d been here.
Jen had wanted—and gotten—a big Getaway Bay-wide celebration for her wedding. Wyatt had come to almost every appointment here with her to make sure she got the dress she wanted. The food. The decorations. The invitations. All of it. Your Tidal Forever could handle as little or as much as a bride wanted, and Jen had wanted it all.
“Morning, Chief,” someone chirped, and he looked to the smiling woman several feet in front of him, standing behind a desk. Sunny, the receptionist. “Are you here for Deirdre?”
“Yes, please,” he said. “But I can go back to her office, can’t I?”
“She’s in a meeting,” Sunny said. “Can I get you a bottle of water? Coffee? I just heard that they’ll be done in ten minutes.” She kept her smile perfectly in place, and Wyatt thought she put off good energy.
“Water is fine,” he said as his phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket to find Deirdre had texted to say Ten min. Sorry.
No problem, he sent back.
“Here you go, Chief.” Sunny held a bottle of water toward him, and he took it from her.
“Thank you.” He sat on the couch and started thumbing through his phone. His email would be a nightmare by the time he got back to his office, and he tapped to read the important ones from Norma.
His heart thumped out a couple of extra beats when he got to the message about finding the driver of the car that had crashed into the office building in a known drug area and being able to arrest him for possession.
What’s going on with Villalobos? He typed quickly and sent the text to his lead detective on the case, Noel.
Just got him back to the station. Want us to wait to question him until you get here?
Wyatt looked up as if Deirdre would be right there. She wasn’t, as only a couple of minutes had passed since she’d said she needed ten. He didn’t want to cancel their lunch, but he did think he should be there for the interrogation of the only lead they had in the shooting case.
Give me a few minutes, he sent to Noel. Set him up nice and comfortable, and I’ll be there in half an hour. That would give him time to talk to Deirdre, not just leave and text her later.
A few minutes later, the door to his left opened, and a whole group of women spilled out of it. He knew most of them, as they worked here and he’d been here numerous times before. They didn’t all scatter to their offices, and Wyatt stood to find Deirdre.
She came toward him. “Uh oh,” she said. “You have that look on your face.”
“We have a suspect in custody I need to speak with.”
Disappointment flashed in her eyes, and Wyatt felt it keenly in his gut. “Okay,” she said. “Go.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. He really didn’t want to disappoint her. They’d had dozens of good dates that he hadn’t broken. Lots of commitments he’d kept. “Wouldn’t you want to talk to Emma if you could?”
She sucked in a breath, pure shock covering every other emotion in her eyes. She crossed her arms and looked around at the same time Wyatt realized he’d made a mistake.
“I’m—”
“I said it was fine,” she said, her voice on the icy side. “I’ll talk to you later.” She turned away from him then, and Wyatt felt her receding from him the way the waves pulled back from the shore.
His phone rang then, and Noel’s name sat on the screen. He wanted to make things right with Deirdre before he left. He hated to leave her when she was upset, and he cursed himself for mentioning her daughter.
The daughter she hadn’t spoken with in a very long time. That she couldn’t speak with.
“I’m sorry,” he said, finishing what he’d started to say earlier. Deirdre’s shoulders barely moved, and he swiped on the call from Noel.
“Chief,” Noel said, and Wyatt thought once again about retiring.
“Yep,” he said. “I’m on my way.” And with that, he walked out of Your Tidal Forever, but hopefully not out of Deirdre’s life.
Chapter Fourteen
Deirdre felt cold from head to toe, though the air conditioner in the building had actually been on the fritz and it was hotter than normal. Charlotte’s office had almost been insufferable with all the bodies in there and so many decisions being discussed to death.
But her bride had some very specific requests, and Deirdre felt it best to get everyone’s opinion on them.
“Thank you so much,” Michelle said, stepping over to Deirdre and hugging her.
“Oh, you’re welcome,” she said, patting her bride on the back. Her heart still wasn’t sure how to beat normally after Wyatt had said her daughter’s name right out loud for everyone to hear.
The woman stepped back and joined her mother, and they smiled around at all the wedding planners. Charlotte’s expertise had been crucial, and Deirdre was glad she’d asked her friend for help. She also had a delicate way of explaining why certain things wouldn’t work, and they’d managed to get Michelle away from the idea of a wedding location up in the mountains.
Guests simply wouldn’t be able to attend, Charlotte had said. Deirdre had said the same thing, but in a different way. Charlotte made things personal, asking Michelle about her grandmother and disabled aunt, and Michelle had come to the conclusion herself that the mountain locale wouldn’t work.
“So who’s Emma?” Michelle asked.
“Oh, uh….
” Deirdre didn’t know how to answer. Could she lie? She’d only told one person at Your Tidal Forever about Emma, and that was Lisa. The other wedding planner caught Deirdre’s eye, and she must have had panic in her expression, because Lisa came right toward her.
“Hey, Michelle,” she said, pure professionalism in her voice. “I can’t wait to see that dress on you.” She guided them toward the door, and Michelle and her mother left. Lisa returned to her and asked, “What’s going on?”
Tears filled Deirdre’s eyes, and she couldn’t speak.
“Did she cancel?” Lisa gestured for the other women to come over, but that was the last thing Deirdre wanted. “It’s going to be okay.”
“What’s wrong?” Charlotte asked, touching Deirdre’s shoulder.
Deirdre didn’t know what to tell them.
“Is it something with Wyatt?” Meg asked. “Maybe we should go back in your office, Charlotte.”
“Yes,” Lisa said. “Come on. Shannon, grab some water, would you?”
Deirdre went with her friends when she wanted to flee. What was she going to tell them? Activity flurried around her, and Deirdre allowed Lisa to guide her back into the office. Shannon’s heels clicked into the room a moment later, and the door closed behind her.
She sat down, and she was very aware of all the eyes on her. Even two was too many, and Deirdre covered her face. She didn’t want to expose all of her secrets, and how dare Wyatt say anything about her daughter?
In front of a client, no less.
“Deirdre?” Lisa asked, her voice timid.
Deirdre drew in a deep breath and let her anger take over. That way, she wouldn’t cry. That way, she wouldn’t come off as pathetic. Just having the protective order was pathetic enough.
“Wyatt was going to take me to lunch,” she said. “But he got a call for work, and I was disappointed.” She looked around at the other women. They were all professionals, put together with slacks and skirts and earrings. She knew them, but she didn’t know them. Meg and Lisa knew the most about her, and Deirdre simply had a hard time making friends. Not one of them knew about the protective order.
The Police Chief's Bride Page 9
