Incognito
Page 18
She glanced at Tim. Still with the cop stare.
“Is he okay?” She asked Ro.
“Oh, he’s fine. Just fine.”
“Then what?”
“Sister hold on to your ass. He’s moving back home.”
Home. Lucie dropped her gaze to her lap and let out a gasp while Tim slid to the edge of his seat. “Luce? What’s wrong?”
Everything.
“Luce?”
She couldn’t look at him. Not now. Not when her insides were coming apart. He’s moving back home. The words looped in her mind.
“Luce,” Ro said, “you there?”
“I’m…here. Hhh…how do you know?”
“He called last night. I told you.”
Right. She had said that.
Six months ago, Frankie announced his move to New York for a job with ESPN. He’d even asked Lucie to go with him, but they’d been broken up at the time and, well, her days of dropping everything for Frankie had ended when Tim came into her life. Still, the move, the final proof that her relationship with him was over, had rocked her emotionally.
Lucie gave up on her lap and faced Tim. Rock-solid Tim who’d never disappointed her, who’d supported her in every possible way.
He leaned in and squeezed her hand. “You okay?”
No.
She nodded. “What happened with the job?” she asked Ro.
“I don’t know. I guess he’ll be covering games all over the country now, so they’re letting him move home.”
Okay then. “Ro, thanks for letting me know.”
“Of course, girlfriend. You know I love you. I couldn’t let you hear it from someone else. Are you all right? You’re not gonna, you know, have a freak-out are you?”
Yep. Sure am. “No. It’s fine.”
“You can’t talk.”
“Exactly.”
“If you need me…”
“I know. I love you. Bye.”
She hung up, let a few long seconds pass while her stomach decided whether it wanted to twist or heave. Frankie. Home. More than likely moving back into the house he still owned two blocks from her office which was just yards from Petey’s luncheonette and Frankie’s favorite meatball sandwich.
God. She’d have to see him.
A lot.
“Luce?”
Finally, she looked up, pasting on a way-too-enthusiastic smile. “So, that was Ro.”
“I got that. What happened?”
She waved it off. “Nothing big. Turns out Frankie is moving back.”
For a few seconds Tim didn’t react. Just sat there with the soothing sounds of ocean waves and the morning sun glimmering off his red hair that would be strawberry blond by the end of the week.
“Interesting,” he said.
So not the reaction she’d expected, but she’d roll with it. “Apparently, he called Joey last night. He’ll be covering games nationwide so he’s moving home.”
“From a travel perspective, it makes sense. He’ll be closer to the West coast.”
Only Tim could be so casual about this. “Good point.”
“Luce?”
“Yes?”
“You’re upset.”
Yes. Should she say it? Admit it and risk hurting him? After all, he loved her, brought her on an amazing vacation, and had just days ago told her he wanted a life with her. And here she was melting down over her ex-boyfriend. By now, Frankie should be a non-issue.
“I’m…surprised,” she said. “That he’s back so soon.”
Tim shrugged. “I’m not.”
“Why?”
“He’s coming back for you.”
Lucie shook her head. “I doubt that.”
“It’s true. I told you he talked to me when he was home last. That night you had the party for Ro at the office.”
“I remember. But that was a while ago.”
And then he did it. Instead of raging about Frankie and flying into a jealous fit, Tim moved from his chair to hers and hit her with a toe-curling lip lock that she’d think about until three a.m. rolled around again.
He pulled back, nipping at her bottom lip as he went. “Just so you know,” he said, “Frankie doesn’t scare me. I’m not going anywhere unless you send me packing. Whatever he wants, he’s not getting it without a fight.”
She’d be crazy to leave this man. Absolutely insane. She grabbed his cheeks, kissed him hard. “I love you. You know that, right?”
“I do.”
“Good. Nothing will ever change that.”
The dive-bombing seagulls returned, squawking and looping overhead. Tim stared up at them for a minute, then came back to her. “Now, we’re going to finally enjoy our vacation.”
A Note to Readers
Dear reader,
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Adrienne
The Lucie Rizzo Mystery Series
Dog Collar Crime
Knocked Off
Limbo (novella)
Boosted
Whacked
Cooked
Incognito
Romantic suspense books available by Adrienne Giordano
PRIVATE PROTECTOR SERIES
Risking Trust
Man Law
A Just Deception
Negotiating Point
Relentless Pursuit
Opposing Forces
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUES
The Prosecutor
The Defender
The Marshal
The Detective
The Rebel
JUSTIFIABLE CAUSE SERIES
The Chase
The Evasion
The Capture
CASINO FORTUNA SERIES
Deadly Odds
JUSTICE SERIES w/MISTY EVANS
Stealing Justice
Cheating Justice
Holiday Justice
Exposing Justice
Undercover Justice
Protecting Justice
Missing Justice
STEELE RIDGE SERIES w/KELSEY BROWNING
& TRACEY DEVLYN
Steele Ridge: The Beginning
Going Hard (Kelsey Browning)
Living Fast (Adrienne Giordano)
Loving Deep (Tracey Devlyn)
Breaking Free (Adrienne Giordano)
Roaming Wild (Tracey Devlyn)
Stripping Bare (Kelsey Browning)
Enduring Love
STEELE RIDGE: THE KINGSTONS
Craving Heat (Adrienne Giordano)
Tasting Fire (Kelsey Browning)
Searing Need (Tracey Devlyn)
Striking Edge (Coming Soon)
Burning Ache (Coming Soon
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my dear friend Cindy Palmer for helping me brainstorm ideas for Paradise City. It’s always a hoot when we put our heads together.
To Tony Iacullo, thank you for walking me through the legalities of real estate fraud. Any mistakes I’ve made are my own, but I’m hoping I got it right. Misty Evans, thank you, thank you, thank you, for your evil plotting mind when I get stuck. Love you, sister! To my editors, Gina Bernal and Elizabeth Neal, your attention to the finer details is so appreciated! I’d be lost without your guidance.
A huge thank you to Lyndsey Lewellen for crawling inside my head and giving me another fantastic cover. Your talent astounds me. Thanks also to Amy Remus, my friend and beta reader, for taking an early pee
k at this book and giving feedback.
As usual, thank you to my guys who make my world a happy place. I love you.
Finally, to my awesome readers who encourage me to keep crafting stories with Lucie and her gang, I’m so grateful for your support. Muhwah!
About the Author
Adrienne Giordano is a USA Todaybestselling author of over twenty-five romantic suspense and mystery novels. She is a Jersey girl at heart, but now lives in the Midwest with her ultimate supporter of a husband, sports-obsessed son and Elliot, a snuggle-happy rescue. Having grown up near the ocean, Adrienne enjoys paddleboarding, a nice float in a kayak and lounging on the beach with a good book.
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For more information on Adrienne, including her Internet haunts, contest updates, and details on her upcoming novels, please visit her at:
www.AdrienneGiordano.com
Incognito: A Lucie Rizzo Mystery
Copyright © 2019 by Adrienne Giordano
ISBN: 978-1-942504-28-3
Cover Art by Lewellen Designs
Editing by Gina Bernal and Elizabeth Neal
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