“That would give anyone bad dreams,” Liam said.
Cedrick smiled. “Why warrior?” he asked Avery.
She looked her past in the eye and let it go. “Because it was better than survivor.”
Something flashed in his eyes for a moment, then was gone.
“Congratulations on your one-year pin, Mr. Palmer.”
“Thank you.”
Avery walked out of Tranquility Springs flanked by security and in a cloud of peace.
Liam took the back seat with her.
“What are we doing?” Cooper asked.
Sasha looked over her shoulder.
“You knew he was in there all the time, didn’t you?”
Sasha sighed. “No. Palmer’s name came up in Van’s tattoo parlor’s database with a description of the spider. The profile was exactly as you said. A young man with money who hadn’t been in since the tattoo was put on his arm. Palmer wasn’t on the police radar. No criminal activity. He did turn up on the dean’s list at his current college. There was a link to a term paper on drug addiction and recovery. Without a current address, it was safe to say he was still residing in a private rehabilitation facility. By two o’clock this morning our team narrowed it down to this facility or another one across town. This being the most likely.”
“You could have just told me.”
Sasha shook her head. “No. I could not give you what he just did.”
Avery closed her eyes.
“Babe?” Liam asked. “Are we calling Armstrong?”
She shook her head and leaned into his shoulder. “Take me home.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Armstrong answered Reed’s call as he was walking out to his car.
“Armstrong?”
“No bad news, please. My wife hasn’t seen me in a week.”
He heard Reed laugh on the line. “Avery is on her way back to California.”
“Thank God. We will eventually find this guy. Assure her of that.”
Again, Reed laughed. “I sent you an e-mail. The file is encrypted. Use it if you need to. Avery Grant wants to put this behind her at this time. She’s not going to pursue him.”
Armstrong leaned against the hood of his car. “Son of a bitch . . . you found him. How?”
Reed was silent.
“Yeah, you know what? I don’t want to know.”
“Enjoy your evening, Detective. If you’re ever in LA, drop me a call. We’ll grab a beer.”
“You’re on. Thanks, Reed.”
Armstrong looked at his phone, laughed, and shoved it in his back pocket before pulling out of the parking lot.
Sally was going to freak when he came home early.
Liam had his sister drop off a duffel full of his clothes and a few days’ worth of groceries while Avery was sleeping.
They’d returned to her condo after midnight, and at nearly noon, she finally emerged from her bedroom. The fact that Avery stepped from the shower with wet hair and a lack of makeup was a testament to where they were in their relationship.
Liam swiveled the stool he was sitting on by her kitchen counter and opened his arms for her to walk into. She sank into him like an extension cord into an outlet. “Good morning,” she said against his lips.
Such sweet words. Yeah, she could probably say anything and he’d call it something flowery.
He accepted her kiss and gave one of his own. “Good afternoon.”
He pulled her to sit on one of his legs, and she looked down at his laptop and what he was working on. “What’s that?”
“Invoices, paperwork. Things I’ve been slowly getting behind on.”
“Because you’re chasing your girlfriend around all over the country.”
He knew he was sporting a shit-eating grin. “You said girlfriend without stuttering.”
She placed a lazy arm on his shoulder and moved a strand of his hair more to her liking. “I’m evolving.”
“I approve of your evolution.”
She kissed him again, a little slower this time. “Thank you for being here. For chasing me. I rolled over a couple of times last night and felt you there, all I could think was you’re still here. You didn’t run away, even though I gave you an out.”
“You aren’t getting rid of me that easy, Princess.”
He sealed that promise with a kiss.
She smiled when she pulled back.
“How are you feeling about yesterday?” he asked. The trip home was void of all conversation about Cedrick Palmer.
“Resolved. I went to New York searching for revenge, and look how quickly I let it consume me. I stepped on the scale today. I lost eight pounds. That never happens when I want it to.”
Liam squeezed her thigh.
“I didn’t realize how dim everything felt until I woke up today. I saw the light coming in, heard you in here . . . and the shadows of the past were gone. Vanished. Then I looked at this and thought”—she lifted her arm with the tattoo and traced it with one finger—“I’m really glad I didn’t get anything bigger.”
They both laughed.
Her smile lit up her face.
“You can always have it removed,” he told her.
“No. I want it. A forever reminder to learn from the past and let it go. From my parents and the things they did to make me spend money on a therapy couch, to Cedrick’s walk on the dark side, where I was caught in the cross fire.”
“Past relationships that keep you from entering a new one . . . like your previous marriage?”
“Oh, hon . . . no. That has nothing to do with my resistance to all things relationships.”
Liam fixed her with a questioning look. “You were married. That had to have some impact on you.”
Avery placed a hand to the side of his face. “What’s my ex’s name?”
He opened his mouth to respond, closed it. “Mr. Grant?”
God, he loved her smile. “No. I never took Bernie’s last name.”
“Bernie?” What man had that name?
She slid off his lap and grabbed the phone on an opposite counter.
Who was she calling?
“Bernie. It’s Avery.”
Liam sat dumbfounded. She was calling her ex?
“Well, of course you know my voice. Everyone should remember the ex-wife’s voice.” She smiled at Liam as she spoke. “Listen, I don’t have a lot of time . . . no, no. I’m doing well, but thank you. Yes, I know.”
Had Liam ever heard an ex talking to an ex as happily as he was witnessing right now?
Nope.
Right on up there with never.
“I met someone.” She was silent for a beat. “No. Stop. He’s important to me, and I wanted you to meet him.”
Liam lifted his hands in the air and mouthed, What?
“Next week would be great.” Her eyes lit up. “Seriously? Congratulations. She’s not after your money—”
Liam felt he needed popcorn for the conversation he was witnessing.
“Okay, if you say so. But I can kick some ass these days.” She laughed. A wholehearted belly laugh Liam wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her do. “Perfect. I’ll see you then. I adore you, too.”
Avery hung up.
“What the hell was that?”
“Bernie’s getting married. I can’t believe it.”
Liam watched her pour a cup of coffee. “You set us up on a double date with your ex?”
“Sure did. Because as your girlfriend, I get to do that.”
“But your ex-husband?”
Avery leaned on her elbows across the counter and took a sip of coffee. “I married him as a means to get out from under my parents. He married me because he wanted a trophy wife and the confidence it gave him. He gave me money. I helped him find his backbone.” She took another drink. “We never slept together.”
“Holy shit, you really did marry him for his money. That wasn’t a joke.”
“Not a joke. Not a lie. He just asked me if I needed more. He is that guy. I t
hink you two will get along great.”
“This is surreal, you get that, right?”
“Yup. Even more odd is that you will meet him before my parents. Maybe he can convince you how they are so you don’t hold it against me when my mother disapproves.”
“Mothers love me.”
“If you look up pretentious in a dictionary, you’ll see her picture. So unless you’re hiding a couple hundred million somewhere, be prepared.”
“Can’t say I am.”
He paused and watched her drink her coffee.
“Is that going to be an issue?”
Avery narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“That I don’t have that kind of money.”
She lowered her cup from her lips and set it down. “Is it an issue that I do?”
He saw her point and smiled. “No.”
She released a sigh. “Good. Because I really don’t want to throw it away. In fact, I have some serious retail therapy to do as soon as the Brentwood project is tied up. If I still have that job, that is.”
“I’m sure a truthful explanation will keep you in good standing with Lankford.”
“We’ll see. What’s done is done. I’m not going to stress about it.”
He stood and moved to her side of the counter. “Now sit down and let me make you something to eat. I need to get some of that meat back on your bones.”
“Oh my God, you’re going to cook for me again? I feel like I hit the jackpot.”
He kissed her, hard, and pushed her into a chair. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Two weeks later Avery stood outside the Brentwood estate as the last of the Lankfords’ belongings were shipped off to Goodwill. Many of the estate’s treasures were at auction houses, sold, or now just given away. But outside of collecting a check when everything sold, Avery was done. Three weeks behind schedule, but that didn’t seem to matter.
“So that’s it?” Sheldon asked when he walked out of the empty house to stand by her as the Goodwill truck pulled out of the driveway.
“That’s it.”
Avery had heard a sigh like that from her own lips just a few weeks before.
“Sheldon.” She pulled her nerve in and lifted her eyes to his. “I found some pictures a while back, hidden in your father’s desk.”
He stared down at her, blinking.
He said nothing.
“I left his desk in the office, in case you wanted to see where they were. I removed them so they wouldn’t end up in the wrong hands. I’m not sure if you want to see them, or—”
“What kind of pictures?”
She picked up her oversize purse and removed an envelope and handed them over. “I think your dad had an affair.”
Sheldon seemed unfazed as he removed the old photographs and barely gave them a look. He turned his head and stared blankly at the disappearing truck.
He knew.
“I’m sorry,” she said, laying a hand on his arm.
Sheldon attempted to smile. “Don’t be. I always assumed he had other people in his life. He always had time for everyone other than me.”
It was sad to think the man went to his grave never changing his relationship with his chosen son.
Noise from the drive had her turning around.
Liam and two of his workers pulled up in trucks. When her boyfriend stepped out, she couldn’t stop her heart from reaching her smile.
“Liam is a lucky man,” Sheldon said.
“Thank you.”
Holding a sledgehammer, Liam climbed up the stairs. He dropped a quick kiss to her lips and shook Sheldon’s hand. “Good morning. Ready to get started?”
“Nope,” Avery said. “I have some shopping to do.”
Liam and Sheldon both laughed.
“We’re going to start the demo. Lots of noise, dust, and trash.” He offered the sledgehammer to Sheldon. “Some of my clients like to take the first swing.”
Sheldon immediately shook his head. “I’ll leave that to the profess—” He paused and accepted the tool. “On the other hand, there’s a desk I wouldn’t mind taking a hammer to.”
With that, he walked back into the house.
“First Wives Club meetings shall always include shopping, shoes, and champagne.” Avery lifted her glass to the other three club members as a toast.
“Cheers.”
Their club meeting was being held at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego.
“I needed this!” Avery exclaimed. “I can’t remember the last time I managed any serious shopping.”
Their bungalow looked out over the Pacific Ocean with endless sunshine. They sat on a private deck, enjoying the last rays of heat as the sun started to set.
“Wade and I did our share of damage on our honeymoon,” Trina told them. “I’ve never known a man who likes to shop more than him.”
“That’s because he’s loaded,” Avery teased.
“It’s because he looks good in everything he puts on.” Everyone turned to stare at Shannon.
“Is it possible the woman who seems impervious to the male species is finally starting to open her eyes?” Avery asked.
“I fall hard, and fast . . . and for the wrong men. You flitter from one flower to another until a Venus flytrap grabs your leg to keep you from running away.”
Lori tilted her flute glass Avery’s way. “She has a point.”
“So are you dating?” Avery asked Shannon.
“Not yet. Before you ask, yes, I’ve been going out a little more. I’m not sure I want to date in LA.”
“What does that mean? Where would you date?”
She shrugged. “I’m thinking of selling the house and moving.”
“What? Why?”
“Because Paul bought it for me.”
“That was part of your agreement,” Lori said.
“I’ll use the money from the sale to buy something else. Granted, he didn’t have much to do with the purchasing process other than writing a check, but it still feels like it’s part of him.”
“Hey, anything you can do to move on, sista.” Avery clinked her glass to Shannon’s.
“Where would you move?”
“I’m not sure. I like the beach.”
“Just don’t move too far,” Avery suggested.
“Hey, I moved to Texas,” Trina said.
“You fly here all the time.” Avery set her glass down.
“True.”
“So, Avery, how is everything going with Liam?”
“He is an unexpected pleasure in my world.”
“Has he told you he loves you?” Trina asked.
Avery knew her cheeks were blushing. “Yes.”
Trina did the smiling chair dance.
“And you him?” Lori asked.
Avery hid her answer in her drink.
“Excuse me, what was that?” Shannon asked.
“No. I can’t.”
“Do you?”
“Yes. Of course. He’s the best thing in my life. We laugh all the time, toss each other around in krav and in the bedroom. He keeps me grounded and safe . . . and I don’t know, settled.”
Lori moved away from the railing she was leaning on and sat in a chair. “So why not tell him that?”
“Because then he will move on to the next thing. It’s what he does. It started with insisting that we were dating when we weren’t . . . and the next thing I know I’m in a relationship. I erased all my dating profiles, my data dump of phone numbers gave my phone so much room it downloaded music all by itself just because it could.”
They were laughing.
“He has a drawer at my place—hell, he took half the closet. I even have a dog bed for Whiskey. His niece is already calling me Auntie Avery, and Michelle is calling me to arrange a family dinner so everyone can meet. I can’t do that, because I still haven’t taken him over to the Grant home for what will surely be the dinner from hell.”
“It could go well,” Miss Glass Half-Full told her.
; “Snowball’s chance, Shannon. Snowball’s chance.”
“What does he do when he tells you he loves you and you don’t say it back?”
Avery found herself smiling. “He tells me it’s okay that I don’t because he knows that when I do, I’m all in, that since the words aren’t easy for me, they mean more. He’s so damn understanding.”
“Sounds like the real thing.”
“I tell him I love him, and the next thing I know, you guys will be back buying more freaking bridesmaids’ dresses. My condo doesn’t work for the dog. I love my condo. And what happens if I get pregnant? I’m too young to be a mom.”
“You’re thirty-two,” Trina reminded her.
“Liam will be a great dad,” Lori added.
Avery thought about how he treated his niece, and smiled.
“You know what is killing me about this whole picture?” Shannon asked.
“What?”
“You know you love him. He adores you. Keeping that little word that means so much out of the mix is only prolonging what you know is going to happen. You want it to happen.”
“Do I?”
Shannon leaned forward. “Close your eyes?”
“What?”
“Humor me.”
Avery frowned and followed instructions.
“Fast-forward five years. Is Liam there?”
She smiled. “Yes.”
“Where are you guys?”
She saw his home, the one with the yard, or one like it. There were kids’ toys in the yard and a white fence. Damn, she was happy.
Avery unfolded herself from her chair. “Son of a . . .” Opened the door leading back inside.
“Where are you going?” Trina called after her.
“I have to call Liam.”
They started laughing.
Avery grabbed her cell phone from her purse and hid in the bathroom. Before she lost her nerve, she leveled the phone with her face and called Liam via FaceTime.
He picked up on the second ring.
Just seeing him made her smile. “Shouldn’t you be chardonnay drunk by now?” he teased.
“Probably.”
He was in his backyard, under the lights of his patio.
“Is that Auntie Avery?”
Liam smiled and turned the phone toward Cassandra. “Sure is. Say hi.”
“Hi, Auntie Avery. When are you gonna come back over so I can braid your hair?”
Chasing Shadows (First Wives Book 3) Page 25
