Why hadn’t I been more aware of that? Yeah, I knew why.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Sighing, I dropped my head and went to try to explain. I stood in front of him, feeling his anger and betrayal. I wanted to crawl under a rock. “Will, I—”
“Not tonight.” He cut me off, handing me one of the glasses. “Tonight, it’s about Sylvia and Brandon.” He clinked my glass. “And celebrating getting justice for Peter Vanek.”
I nodded, suddenly not in the mood to celebrate.
Mallory showed up at that moment and threaded her arm through mine. She’d smuggled Petey into the wedding in a large purse, but now he was happily tucked in the crook of her arm, wearing a tiny tux and bow tie.
Where in the world was she getting these outfits? She must have raided the boxes in the storage room.
“Come on, Sylvia’s about to toss the bouquet. Would be a shame if you missed out on that.” She winked at Will, oblivious to the tension between us.
I cringed and, shooting Will an apologetic look, let her lead me away. “You really have to stop carrying Petey around, Mal. He’s got his own legs for a reason.”
“What for? You know this is the destiny of all tiny dogs.” She shared a flirtatious smile with a young man as we walked past him. I rolled my eyes.
Destiny. What a loaded word. Like the universe has some magical plan already mapped out for our lives. I would much rather believe in free will. Believe that we have a say in who and what we allow into our lives and what path our lives would take.
But, then I thought of Zach and how out of control I felt around him. Like my body had its own ideas about what it wanted.
I shook off that thought as Mallory yanked me into the group of excited, single women gathered for their shot at catching the bouquet … and maybe the next marriage proposal. When Mallory released my hand, I slipped into the back of the bunch.
For the next hour I watched everyone else having a good time, dancing and laughing under the stars, while I felt completely out of sync and out of sorts.
Frankie had tried to cheer me up at one point when she found me sitting on the edge of the pool alone, soaking my feet in the water for comfort. With her arm around me and her own bare feet dangling in the pool, we talked about ideas for Peter’s shelter. She was sure wherever he was, he was grateful that something good was going to come out of his murder.
I tilted my head back and looked up at the cloudless sky. Clusters of stars burned and twinkled above us. “I think we should call it the Peter Vanek Animal Rescue.”
“I think that’s a great idea, sugar.” She squeezed my shoulder. “I may know nothing about management or accounting, but you know I put together a heck of a fundraiser. We’ll have Pete’s shelter up and running in no time.”
“I do know. What would I do without you?” Sighing, I leaned my head on her shoulder. She smelled like lemons and champagne. Then I sat back up. “Oh, remind me to put you in touch with this rich model I met … Bianca Rubio. She returned Will’s call this morning, and he told her everything. Apparently, she’d been in love with Peter for months, and he’d finally asked her out. They were supposed to go to dinner the day he died.”
“Ouch,” Frankie whispered.
“I know. Anyway, she never told him she had money. Said she wanted to make sure he wasn’t using her to build the shelter he was obsessed with. But, she does want to give more than the five-hundred she pledged on the Fund Me page, so be sure to give her a call.”
“All right, I will. That’s sad, though. Seems Peter just missed out on a great life,” Frankie said.
“Seems he did.” I suddenly had the urge to sneak out of the wedding early. Being at home, snuggling in bed with Goldie, hiding from the rest of the world was the only place I wanted to be right now.
But my southern manners wouldn’t let me cut out early, so I stood and helped Frankie up instead. “Come on, let’s go see if there’s any of that lemon cake left.”
While I was piling a piece of cake on a plastic plate, applause broke out behind me. I looked up in time to see a half dozen doves gliding above my head. Must’ve been one of Landon’s magic tricks.
Glancing over at the crowd, I noticed Sylvia’s mother had a huge grin on her face, and she was still clapping. Frankie and I shared a surprised smile. My aching heart warmed at bit. Maybe Landon would win her over after all.
Turning back to the table, I shoved a forkful of cake in my mouth. Forget diamonds, cake was definitely a girl’s best friend.
“May I have this dance?”
Startled by the voice in my ear, I whirled around, fork still stuck in my mouth.
Will.
His blue eyes were glassy and brimming with emotion. Hurt? Anger? Affection? His white tux shirt was untucked, sleeves rolled up, bowtie nowhere in sight. He was a mess. I nodded and tried to swallow the sticky cake and the lump in my throat.
Slipping an arm around my waist, he led me over near the piano. Then he pulled me against him and we began to sway slowly together to the music. It wasn’t jazz anymore. More melancholy, like end of the evening lounge music. It fit my mood like a glove.
After a moment, I felt a tiny rumble in his chest … a groan or a sigh. He pressed a kiss into my hair. His voice broke as he whispered, “I don’t want to fight.”
Closing my eyes, I pressed my cheek firmly against his chest. “Me either.”
He stopped swaying. I lifted my chin up to face him. Yep, definitely hurt brewing in his eyes. But also tenderness. Slipping a hand behind my neck, he lowered his mouth near mine. Scotch permeated his breath. He held my gaze as he added, “And I don’t want to lose you.”
Then he kissed me. Soft at first. Then like a man drowning.
I melted into him. Leaning my forehead on his chest after the kiss, I wanted to reassure him that he wouldn’t. Couldn’t ever lose me. But, there was that one tiny raw spot in my heart. He wasn’t comfortable with my psychic connection to animals. And he’d taken a “don’t ask, don’t tell” stance on my water magick. Would he eventually accept all of me?
I lifted my chin again and our eyes met. I guess only time would tell.
I cupped his flushed cheek. “I do love you, Will.”
Relief surfaced in his smile and he wrapped me tightly in his arms. “I love you, too.”
*****
By the time Mallory, Willow and I made the short trek back to the townhouse from the Vinoy, it was past ten thirty, and the moon was a pale watermark in the dark sky. Low clouds had moved in, obscuring most of the stars.
We were all holding our shoes and our stomachs—leaning against each other like we used to do as kids—as we strolled down Beach Drive. Petey was snoozing in Mallory’s purse, passed out from all the attention. Probably having a belly full of the chicken meatballs she kept sneaking him all night didn’t help, either.
“You and Will okay?” Willow asked suddenly. “I saw him leave early.”
“Yeah. He was just tired. Long week.”
Willow glanced at me, but she let it go.
Unfortunately, Mallory didn’t. “Did his abandoning you early have anything to do with Zach Faraday?”
“Mal,” Willow warned her.
Mallory glanced over at her. “What? I’m just saying. I’d be upset if a jinn was lurking around my girlfriend all the time, too.”
“He doesn’t lurk,” I snapped, surprising myself.
Both of them gave me a sharp look.
We stopped to check for traffic before crossing Fourth Avenue. Live music drifted toward us from The Moon Under Water restaurant.
Zach. The cause of so much confusion in my life. But I was too drained to deny my affection for him right now. Too tired to fight and too grateful to want to. Aside from my family, Zach was the only person in the world who knew and accepted everything about me.
We crossed the road.
“Besides, if he hadn’t been there in front of Daisy’s house last night, I don’t even want to think about what could�
�ve happened to Goldie. He probably saved her life. He’s not a bad guy and frankly, I think the fact that you keep bringing up his jinn side is kind of prejudiced, Mal.”
She stiffened beside me and withdrew her arm from mine. “Geeze. Sorry,” she mumbled.
I felt bad for hurting her feelings, but at that moment I knew one thing for sure. I did want Zach in my life. I did. Despite what the fallout would be with Will and despite Grandma Winters’ warning to stay away from him, I had a right to choose who I wanted in my life. “He’s my friend, so I suggest y’all get used to him being around, and that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.”
“Fine,” Mallory said.
Willow stayed silent but she did give my hand a squeeze. I took that as a sign of support.
After we’d passed a guitarist entertaining a small crowd of diners at the sidewalk tables, I changed the subject. “Good news though. Frankie says she can get Daisy’s ring into an auction next month where we can get top dollar for it. I’ve decided to call it the Peter Vanek Animal Rescue, what do y’all think?”
“Love it,” Willow said, giving my arm a pat. “It’s a good way to honor him.”
We passed the Hooker Tea Company, and I had a sudden craving for some of their strawberry lemonade tea, which I was out of. I was making a mental note to pick up some tomorrow when Mallory suddenly sighed.
“I wish I could stay here and help with the shelter. It’d be so much fun.”
I stopped in my tracks. My heart did a little tumble of excitement. “Well, why can’t you?” I asked, quite serious. “I’d love to have you move here. Both of you. You know I have the room.”
Mallory blinked, glancing from me to Willow. I could see her struggling with the idea and the many excuses I’m sure were popping up like bubbles in her mind. Finally, her green eyes widened with excitement. “Well, why not? Lucky’s happy here.” Her excitement grew as she peered into her bag at the sleeping puppy. “You could even keep Petey, since we’d be here to help take care of him. Willow, what do you think?”
Willow rested her head on my shoulder. I could feel the weight of her fatigue. “And leave Mom all alone? I’d feel too guilty.” She must’ve seen the same disappointment in Mallory’s face as I did. She quickly added, “But I don’t like the idea of leaving Darwin here alone with that fish-woman stalking her, either. So, let’s talk about it more in the morning, okay? When we’re all not too tired to think straight.”
Mallory nodded, satisfied. She gave me a hopeful smile.
I was thinking about Sandy as we rounded the outside wall of Darwin’s Pet Boutique—about how I might even be able to adopt her if my sisters lived here—when my sisters suddenly stopped in their tracks. I looked up.
There, waiting outside the townhome’s iron gate, was a sight that sent a chill of dread up my spine.
“Grandma Winters?” Mallory cried. “What are you doing here?”
She stood and eyed us all, her expression darker than I’d ever seen it. “It’s time for us to have a chat about your father, girls.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shannon Esposito lives in a magical gulf coast town with fluorescent sunsets, purple dragonflies and the occasional backyard alligator. Her mysteries transport readers to Florida without the hefty price of airfare. Although she knew from the age of five she wanted to be a writer, she briefly entertained the idea of being a scientist, until she found out it involved math, which gives her hives.
She shares this little corner of paradise with her husband, twin boys and dogs. If she’s not writing, you’ll find her coddling one of the above, hiding with a book or daydreaming with her toes in the sand. Visit her online home @ murderinparadise.com
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