by Susan Harper
“Morning, beautiful,” he said, sliding into the kitchen. He inched his way behind her and clasped his hands at her waist. “Do I smell bacon?”
“Bacon and omelets,” Felicity said.
“So you’re a chef too?” he asked playfully and leaned over to kiss her cheek.
“I wouldn’t say that,” she said, elbowing him back so that she could finish the meal.
He made them some coffee and brought the mugs over to the small breakfast nook while she prepared some plates. “Do you like it here?” he asked as she sat down across from him, and she felt his bare feet playfully reach under the table to touch her ankles.
“You do have a beautiful home,” she said, taking a sip of coffee. “And the company isn’t bad either.”
Brian was acting quite playful that morning. He leaned forward in his seat, propping his chin up on his hand while he gazed at her. After a moment of staring happily in her direction, he took a bite of the omelet she had prepared him. “That’s it, you have to move in and be my personal cook!” he teased.
“Very funny,” she said, taking a bite and admitting to herself she had certainly nailed it as far as breakfast was concerned.
“Did you, um, enjoy last night?” he asked.
She smiled. “Of course I did.”
“Good,” he said. “You really are quite a remarkable woman. We’ve been together for almost four months now…and, I know it’s quite fast, but…well…” He started to dig through his pocket.
Felicity’s heart shot up into her throat, and she nearly choked on the bacon she had taken a bite of moments ago. “Oh my God, no!” she shrieked.
Brian’s face turned red as he placed a house key down on the table. He frowned. “What did you think I was going to ask you?” he asked.
Felicity kicked him from under the table. “You did that on purpose! I thought you were about to pull out a ring!”
“Good to know how that would have been received,” he said, but he laughed. “I wanted to give you a key to my home. And I was going to clear a closet space for you…” His face was still quite red. “And, if you reacted well to that, I was thinking about seeing how you felt about…maybe…moving in with me?”
“Oh!” Felicity said, her face turning just as red as his.
“Oh no, or oh yes?” Brian asked. He then added, “If you need to think about it, that’s fine. But I still would like for you to take my house key.”
She smiled at him. “I will definitely think about it,” she said as she reached over and took the key. “I’m sorry I just…well…freaked out for a second there.”
He laughed. “Honestly, your face was quite priceless.”
“Not funny,” Felicity said and decided to change the subject. “So, looks like I’m going to be the one hosting the New Year’s Eve party this year. Think I could get some assistance from you with the prep work?”
Brian suddenly got very quiet. “Oh…” he uttered. “That’s right…”
Felicity sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. “Did you forget?”
“Well, I—”
Felicity sighed. “What?”
“I’m flying out to D.C. on the twenty-ninth, and I won’t be back until the third. I’m interviewing a witness for a case I’m working on,” Brian said.
Felicity frowned. “How long has this been scheduled?”
“Um… Two days,” he said.
“I told you about this weeks ago,” she said.
“I’m so sorry,” Brian said. “I honestly completely forgot about it. I mean, it’s just a low-key get-together, right?”
“It’s a tradition,” she said. “One I was hoping to introduce you to.”
“I’m sorry,” Brian said again.
“It’s fine,” she huffed and wound up scarfing down the rest of her breakfast. She looked at her phone and sighed. “I’m going to use your shower, but then I’ve got to bolt.” She rose from her seat, snatching up their plates.
After her shower, she only gave him a quick farewell before heading out to go meet Jefferson at the shop. Brian’s home was a short three-minute drive to the square, even closer than her own. It would certainly be convenient if I moved in with him, she thought, but she was too annoyed to really think too hard about his offer.
Felicity arrived at the shop long before Jefferson, so she got right to work on packing up the event van. Once he arrived, they stored the cake in the event van’s fridge, finished packing up the décor, and headed out. “So, how was your morning?” Jefferson asked nonchalantly from the passenger’s seat.
“Good,” she said shortly, not wanting to explain to him that she had stayed the night at Brian’s. “Listen, are you going to be okay today? I’ve truthfully been a little anxious about this event since it’s your ex-girlfriend.”
Jefferson shrugged. “I mean, we had a pretty nasty break-up, but we’ve certainly moved on since then.”
“Out of curiosity, why did you two break up?” Felicity asked.
Jefferson rolled his eyes. “Oh, she cheated on me.”
“What!” Felicity exclaimed. “That’s awful! You dated for almost two years.”
“Oh, I know. Believe me, I was furious. But we were just kids, you know? I got a lot of apologies from both of them after it all went down. And I got to punch the guy in the face on his front lawn,” Jefferson said and chuckled slightly. “We were, like, fourteen. Just kids. There’s not really any ill-will there, like I said.”
“Well, I’m sure that relationship blew up in her face,” Felicity declared.
“Not really,” Jefferson said. “We’re kind of throwing a party for the guy today.”
“Oh my gosh, Jefferson! Are you telling me that the guy she cheated with is her high school sweetheart she was telling me about? The Navy guy? Nick?”
“Yup,” he said. “But, really, Felicity. I’m fine. Nick and Whitney…they were kind of a match made in Heaven. She was fourteen. I can’t be mad at her still. Especially if she is Dawn and Veronica’s friend. They’re a good judge of character… Well, Dawn is. Who would have guessed when she transferred out of our school, she would have wound up making friends with those two? Then fast-forward, what, nine years? I don’t know, I’ve lost count, and I count Dawn and Veronica to be some of my closest friends. Maybe it’s the universe telling me that Whitney and Nick can be my friends again too.”
“Maybe,” Felicity huffed, feeling quite defensive on Jefferson’s behalf.
They arrived at Whitney’s home; she lived out in Gay, in a neighborhood in which all the homes had a considerable amount of property. They stepped outside and felt the sun beating down on their shoulders.
“Apparently, we’re just skipping winter this year,” Felicity grumbled. “So much for a white Christmas. The joys of living in Georgia…”
“It worked out well, though,” Jefferson assured her. “Otherwise, a cookout wouldn’t have worked for Nick’s coming home party.”
Whitney was rushing out the door, all smiles, to greet them, car keys in hand. “The house is unlocked. I’ve got to get to the airport; his plane touches down in an hour! So glad you two were able to do this! It really took a lot of stress off me. The guests will start arriving in about an hour.”
“Sounds good, Whitney,” Felicity said, and bid the woman farewell so that they could get right to work.
Before she knew it, an hour had passed, and she and Jefferson were just finishing with the final bits of decoration. The guests started to arrive. The décor was mostly red, white, and blue with some lovely Navy memorabilia. It was a low-key party that anyone could have probably pulled off themselves without hiring an event team, but Whitney had appreciated not having to stress over the little details.
“She literally chose the smallest package we had,” Jefferson said as he strung up some paper lanterns out in her front yard.
“Well, it’s really all that was necessary. She just wanted friends and family at a fun little cookout,” Felicity said.
“
Geez, I know a lot of people here,” Jefferson griped.
“Is that a bad thing?” Felicity asked.
“I’m just seeing some old faces I didn’t really care to see,” Jefferson said. “I hope none of these people recognize me. Looks like Whitney still hangs out with our group of friends from school. After the breakup, most of our friends sort of picked sides. They all pretty much started hanging out with her and Nick.”
“I’m so sorry, Jefferson,” Felicity said.
He shrugged. “Eh, it was just a bunch of stupid high school stuff. I’m over it.”
Veronica, Dawn, Monte, Brian, and Jack all arrived, having been given invites by Whitney as friends or friends of friends. Jack had volunteered to man the grill; from what Felicity could recall, his father had been an excellent grill master back in the day, and Jack had insisted his father had taught him well. “Nothing like a cookout in December,” Brian said with a chuckle.
The group separated a bit once the party got going to give Felicity and Jefferson time to do all the finishing touches before Whitney arrived with Nick. The two of them carried the cake to the dessert table, and as soon as it was set down, there was a loud screech. “Oh my gosh, Jefferson!”
Felicity turned to see what appeared to be a miniature version of Whitney darting in their direction. The young girl leapt up and wrapped her arms around Jefferson’s neck. He blushed and gently encouraged her off him. “Hey, Brittany,” he said and smiled at her. “Long time no see.” Jefferson looked to Felicity, waving her over. “Felicity, this is Whitney’s little sister, Brit.”
Brittany, a nineteen-year-old version of her sister, smiled and shook Felicity’s hand. “This party is rocking,” she said and turned her attention back on Jefferson. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you since… Ooh, since you punched Nick in the face! Ha! Still my favorite story to tell at Thanksgiving. I wouldn’t try that now, though. He’s gotten pretty buff. The Navy’s been good to him.”
Felicity giggled slightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Brittany.”
“Please, call me Brit,” she insisted and then elbowed Jefferson in the side. “Between you and me, my sister picked wrong.” She winked at Jefferson, and he rolled his eyes.
“Listen, if you wouldn’t point out to anyone that I’m—”
“Hey!” Brittany shouted into the small crowd forming around the table to take a peek at the cake. “Dad, look who it is!”
“Aw, man,” Jefferson winced.
Felicity frowned, starting to think that booking this party had been a terrible idea. An older gentleman wearing a Navy Veteran t-shirt hobbled over with a younger man by his side. “Is th-that J-J-Jefferson S-Scotts?” the man asked with an intense stutter and then reached a hand out to shake.
“Always a pleasure, Mister Lull,” he said.
The younger man standing by Whitney and Brittany’s father peered around him and chuckled. “Whoa,” he said. “I bet you don’t even remember me, do you, Jefferson?”
“Kristopher,” Jefferson said and smiled. “Good to see you.”
“So…what are you, the hired help?” Kristopher teased.
Mr. Lull laughed and clasped Kristopher’s shoulder. “I-I-I feel like I’m having-having fl-flashbacks seeing you-you-you two next to one a-another. So you’re an ev-vent planner now, J-J-Jefferson?”
“Yes, sir,” Jefferson said and looked at Kristopher. “What do you do, Kris?”
Mr. Lull answered for him. “Kri-Kri-Kristopher is in the-the Navy with my s-s-on-in-law. He ju-just got home a couple of couple of w-weeks ago. A-about to get his of-officer ra-ranking!”
Kristopher seemed to blush slightly at Mr. Lull’s bragging. Felicity noticed Britany roll her eyes at this. The girl spoke up, “You know, Dad, Nick is doing pretty well for himself too.”
“Wh-whatever you-you say, hon,” Mr. Lull said. “Now, I sm-smell hamburgers, and this-this man is st-starving!”
Kristopher gave Jefferson an awkward nod before following Mr. Lull to the front porch. “Everything okay, Brittany?” Jefferson asked.
“Yeah, you seemed a bit annoyed,” Felicity added.
“I’m pretty sure my Dad wishes that Whitney had married Kristopher. They have a really weird friendship. I don’t know. He tried to set me up with a date with him once,” Brittany said with an eye roll. “I actually almost considered it just to try to one-up Miss Perfect. Whatever. BT Dubbs, Logan is here, and it looks like he’s making a beeline for you.” Brittany giggled slightly, spun around on her heels, and pranced off.
“Great,” Jefferson wailed slightly as he turned around.
Felicity looked in the direction that Brittany had pointed to see a young man Jefferson’s age headed straight their way. “Who is Logan?”
“He was my best friend when we were kids,” Jefferson said. “Like, we went back to pre-K years.”
“You two don’t talk anymore?” Felicity asked.
“Whitney had been cheating on me for a year, and he kept it a secret for her. After the breakup, he was worried about losing his friendship with Nick and Kristopher and kind of fazed me out,” Jefferson whispered as Logan grew closer.
“Jeffrey?” Logan asked cautiously.
“Logan,” Jefferson griped. “Good to see you.”
“You don’t really mean that, do you?” Logan asked, frowning. “Just wanted to say you did a great job with this party. Kristopher told me you were here… Thought it wouldn’t be right for me to not say hey.”
“I would have preferred you didn’t,” Jefferson said, and Felicity elbowed him to remind him to remain professional.
Logan dipped out quickly, catching on to the fact that Jefferson certainly didn’t want to talk. “Maybe you should go?” Felicity suggested. “I can tell you’re starting to get a little uncomfortable.”
“No, no, it’s fine. I just really didn’t want to see Logan out of everyone, you know? Whitney was just some girl I casually dated, and Nick and Kristopher just guys I hung out with because they were friends with Whitney. Logan… He was my friend. That one kind of stung,” Jefferson took a deep breath. “Besides, I can see Whitney’s car approaching. Might as well say hey to Nick too and just wrap up this whole reliving the past party, right?”
“I’m proud of you,” Felicity said. “I think I wouldn’t be able to handle this as well as you.”
Whitney pulled up, and she and Nick exited to loud shouts of “Surprise!” and “Welcome Home!” Nick was in uniform, and he was all smiles as he shook hands and thanked his friends and loved ones for coming.
Soon the party was underway. There was music and a little bit of dancing, and Jack’s burgers were quite a hit. Felicity did get a chance to speak with Nick, and he complimented her on the amazing party she had thrown. Just when Felicity was really starting to enjoy herself, she spotted Jefferson standing along with Veronica, Dawn, and Whitney—and he and Whitney were bickering. She could see his fists clenched at his side, and Whitney was going off on him while Dawn and Veronica awkwardly stood to the side.
Felicity watched Jefferson storm away toward the house, but she met him halfway. “Jefferson, is everything okay?”
“I think you were right,” he said. “I shouldn’t have come. You know what? I was going to keep my mouth shut to Dawn and Veronica, but I wonder what they would think if I told them that before they met Whitney, she was a little cheating tramp?”
“Jefferson!” Felicity exclaimed. “Don’t be childish! You were just telling me earlier today it was all water under the bridge, remember?”
He took a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Just…give me a minute, I need to cool off.” He headed inside the house to avoid the crowd.
Felicity sighed, hoping that she would be able to smooth things over with Whitney, seeing as how she was a customer. I should have never taken this job…or at least told Jefferson that I could handle it myself so he wouldn’t have to come here, she thought.
Whitney stepped into the middle of the lawn, shouting tha
t she wanted to give her husband a toast. The crowd formed in a circle around the couple. Nick smiled happily at her. “Nick—” she began, and then there was the sound of a gunshot from the house.
The crowd shrieked. Felicity ducked, and people scattered. Once all was quiet, Felicity looked up to see Nick lying flat on his black, his white navy uniform stained red.
Chapter 3
The police arrived within minutes of being called, as did an ambulance. Much to everyone’s relief, Nick was alive though unconscious and losing blood fast. He was immediately rushed to the hospital; Whitney left with Nick, riding in the back of the ambulance with him. As far as Felicity could tell, Nick had been shot in the neck.
“What happened?” Felicity heard Jefferson just behind her. She spun around to see a pale Jefferson standing there looking quite befuddled.
“Where were you?” Felicity asked.
“I was inside blowing off smoke,” he said. “I heard a gunshot, and I come out here and everyone is freaking out. Then I saw Nick lying there. I think I’m going to be sick. Is he okay?”
“Maybe,” Felicity said. “If they get him to the hospital in time. He was shot in the neck.”
“By who?” Jefferson asked frantically.
“I don’t know,” Felicity said. “That’s what the police are trying to find out.”
There were about seven officers all armed and preparing themselves for an active shooter situation. They searched party guests and escorted everyone away from the house. The next thing Felicity knew, she was standing arm in arm with her friends and party guests staring a good distance away toward Whitney’s home as the police rushed the building. Jack, though out of uniform, stood with the crowd on behalf of his brothers in blue to ensure everyone stayed back.
Felicity waited with extreme anxiety, expecting to hear gunshots as soon as the police entered the house. Several minutes ticked by. She stared at the house, noticing an open window up on the second floor. That’s probably where the shooter had been standing, she thought. He would have gotten a perfect shot of Nick from there.
