by Tara Randel
She blew out a sigh.
“I don’t know why you stopped wearing your contacts,” Brandy said, frowning at Eloise.
Today, Eloise had gone all official in her uniform, hair pulled back in a tight bun, glasses in place. What did it matter, really? Dante wouldn’t be here to witness her rise in rank.
Which was the other fact that burned her. When she finally decided she could sit down and have a rational conversation with him, he’d up and left. Took a leave of absence, without telling her. No one knew where he was.
Guess those promises of a partnership were a lie. The kisses meant nothing. It was all part of the operation.
Even though she’d hoped otherwise.
The police chief walked into the room and voices lowered. Eloise took her seat, watching Captain Brewer greet the crowd, then lead the rookies in the police officer oath. Once finished, he called Eloise up to acknowledge her promotion and receive her new badge as she swore to discharge her duties as a Palm Cove police sergeant. She should have been elated, but instead, she felt hollow.
Besides her fellow officers, no one was here to cheer her on. Her parents, well, she knew that wouldn’t happen so she hadn’t bothered to call them. She would have loved to have Martha here, but she’d already left for Ohio and her new life. As much as they promised to keep in touch, not seeing her friend every day would leave a big hole inside her. So here she was. Alone.
As she returned to her seat, she froze when she saw her parents a few rows back. Confusion overwhelmed her, but she quickly pulled herself together. Once the law enforcement presentations were completed, those not staying for the town council meeting left. Baffled by their presence, she approached her parents in the vast city hall lobby.
“What are you doing here?” she asked them.
“We could ask why you didn’t tell us about the promotion,” her mother said, the usual starch in her tone missing.
“We’re proud of you,” her father said, totally throwing her off balance.
“But...you’ve never liked my being a cop.”
“It wasn’t what we would have chosen for you...” her mother started to say.
“But you’ve done an excellent job and that’s all we could ask for,” her father finished. “We’ve missed you. We’ve missed having a daughter.”
Okay, she hadn’t drank anything strange before the ceremony. Why did she feel like she’d fallen down the rabbit hole?
“I’ve missed you, too. I’m just so shocked, but glad you’re here,” she finally said, deciding to embrace this change of attitude in her parents before they changed their minds.
“How about dinner sometime soon? We’ll catch up.”
Eloise blinked. Dinner? With her folks? “Sure. That sounds nice.”
Lieutenant Chambers came over to shake her hand and speak to her parents. The lobby began to thin out as her parents said goodbye.
“Wait.” Eloise stopped them. “How did you know? About today, I mean.”
“One of your coworkers called us.”
Odd. She hadn’t said anything about her strained relationship with her parents to Brandy or any other colleague. Only...Dante.
Shock walloped her. Had he called them?
Her mother craned her neck and pointed over Eloise’s shoulder. “That young man across the lobby.”
Eloise turned on her heel. Dante leaned against the far wall, dressed in a button-down shirt, sleeves rolled to midarm, and jeans. He nodded when their gazes met.
“We’ll talk soon,” her mother said as they left.
As they walked away, she panicked. She wasn’t ready to face Dante. Not yet. Noticing the new officers leaving by a side door, she ran to catch up with them before Dante could cross the lobby.
* * *
AN HOUR LATER, Eloise sat on a bench in Soldier Park, staring at a dazzling sunset. She’d managed to elude Dante, but once she got home and changed into a comfy sundress, restlessness made her stir-crazy and she needed to do something. She’d hopped into her car and driven aimlessly, finally pulling into the park where she’d wandered about before taking a seat to contemplate the beautiful vista before her.
The sky was brushed with streaks of orange and purple. The sun, perched on the horizon, burned brightly. The ocean waves hit the shore at a steady, soothing pace. Within minutes the stress of the day rolled from her shoulders and Eloise could breathe again.
How ironic that she sat before a gorgeous sunset, remembering Dante telling their neighbors at the block party that this was where Dan and Ellie had fallen in love.
Keeping her mind blank, she watched as the sun slowly disappeared before her eyes. Took solace knowing it would rise again tomorrow, even if she had no idea what would become of her. She might not have family to fall back on—the jury was still out on her parents—but she had police work and that would have to be enough.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the pounding of feet and the sound of heavy-metal rock music behind her. She whirled around, not daring to hope it might be Dante. She was disappointed to see a man she didn’t recognize run by.
“Get a grip,” she muttered as she resumed her seat on the bench.
True to her word, she contacted Tom Bailey once the excitement of the case was over and agreed to meet for coffee. It was awkward, on both their parts, and they decided to just be friends. Honestly, with Dante constantly front and center in her mind, no other guy would ever catch her attention at this point.
With a sigh, she continued watching the scene before her. A sailboat moved slowly in the distance. Wishing she were headed on an adventure, Eloise was startled when a person slid onto the bench beside her. She turned her head, swallowing her gasp. Dante rested one arm along the back of the bench, a satisfied smile on his lips.
“How’d you find me?”
“I went to the station and pinged your phone.”
She went rigid with outrage. “You did what?”
He shrugged. “What’s the worst that could happen? They give me permanent desk duty? Oh, wait, Chambers already did that.”
“Dante—”
He held up his hand. “Hear me out. Please.”
She pressed her lips together.
“I owe you an apology.”
Her brow rose.
“Okay, probably more than one, but mostly for jumping the gun when we were undercover. I told you I’d stay put and I broke my word.” He paused, then said in a quiet voice, “I don’t want to be that man.”
Her heart thawed a bit.
“I’ve done a lot of soul-searching since the hammer came down. Talked to my family. Came to a few decisions.”
“Was one of them calling my parents?”
He squared his shoulders. “You’re darn right. I called your dad. Spoke to him man-to-man and told him about your promotion. Suggested they make the ceremony.”
“Guilted them, you mean?”
He grinned.
A breeze blew over the water, lifting a strand of her hair. She pushed her glasses up her nose, trying hard to remain angry with Dante and not succeeding.
“How did you know about the promotion? You’d left by the time word came down.”
“Brandy texted me. Told me if I knew what was good for me, I’d get back here in time for the ceremony.”
Eloise’s heart squeezed a silent thanks to Brandy.
“Besides, I owe you.”
She sent him a sideways glance.
“Dylan told me you were the one to find information on James Tate.”
“I called in a favor.”
“Why?”
“When I heard you and your brothers talking about your mom, and Dylan said he had to wait on his PI friend to get back to town before learning more about the man, I decided to move the process along.”
“Thanks.”
“And your mom?”
“Things are okay for now.”
She nodded.
“But she can’t wait to meet you.”
Eloise’s eyes went wide.
“Yep. And to make that happen, one of my decisions includes quitting the force.”
She twisted in her seat. “What? No!”
Moving closer, he took her hand in his. Rubbed his thumb back and forth over her palm. “Yes. I’ll admit, I’ve enjoyed the rush of working undercover, but the rest? It was never really my passion. I went into the profession because of my father and brothers.”
“You’re a good cop.”
“But it doesn’t inspire me. And it should. Like it inspires you.”
She couldn’t argue that point. “What will you do?”
“I’ve saved up some money. My mom is going to invest in a mechanic garage with me. I miss working on cars, and the time spent at Rico’s made me realize I want to focus my energy on building a business.”
She tilted her head. “You know, I can see that.”
“I want to restore old cars. I’ve been doing it for a while, anyway. Have a knack for it.”
“It will suit you.”
“It will, but it won’t be the same without you there.”
She held her breath when she saw the desire and admiration in his eyes.
“I’d like us to be partners, Ellie. In real life. It’s not a decision I can make on my own, so I’m asking you to think about it.”
Her throat went dry and she had to clear it before speaking. “How do I know I can trust you?”
“By giving me a lifetime to prove myself to you.”
At his declaration, her heart melted a bit more. “Oh, Dante.”
He leaned in, his spicy cologne hijacking her senses. He brushed his lips over hers and she could swear she felt an eternity in that kiss. When he finally pulled away, she blinked, keenly missing his warmth.
Brushing a knuckle over her cheek, he said, “You keep fighting crime and I’ll take old cars and make them new again. Win-win for both of us.”
She bit her lip. She knew she loved him, but... Something Martha had said in their many talks came back to her. Love can’t be analyzed. It must be experienced.
As much as Eloise was always following the rules, a little of Dante’s instinctive way of looking at things had rubbed off on her. Life was too short to make a list of pros and cons when it came to a future with Dante. She was ready to jump in feetfirst right now. Besides, he’d had her heart since the day she met him.
“I love you, Ellie. Have ever since the day you took my challenge and raced through the mud right here in this very park. You hated every minute of it, but you showed me you had spirit, determination...honor.”
She swallowed hard.
“What do you say?”
She stared into his beautiful eyes. Saw the love shining there. Knew this was her chance for love, a family, a place in the world. And she wanted it all.
Her heart turned to mush. “You make a very persuasive argument.”
“And?”
“I love you, too.”
He blew out a breath. “I need someone to keep me on the straight and narrow, Ellie. You’re the only one capable of the task.”
“Sounds like a full-time job.”
He grinned and her heart melted for good. “I was hoping you’d see it that way.”
With only one thing left to do, she kissed him, with a promise that would last a lifetime.
* * * * *
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Nice to Come Home To
by Liz Flaherty
CHAPTER ONE
“WHY DIDN’T YOU ever come back here?”
They were the first voluntary words Royce had spoken since they’d left the Missouri hotel early that morning. She’d read for a long time with her earbuds in, eaten a drive-through lunch in sullen silence or monosyllabic responses to questions, then stared out at Illinois until she fell back to sleep.
Cass Gentry looked over at the half sister she sometimes felt she barely knew. “The orchard is where my mother and aunt grew up, not me. Mother and Aunt Zoey inherited it from my grandparents and when Mother died, she left her half to me.” How many times did she have to say this? Royce was sixteen, not six.
“Why didn’t you sell it and stay in California?” Royce looked out the passenger window again, at the seemingly endless fields of corn, soybeans and hay that filled this part of central Indiana. Barns and silos and old windmills, some of them in disrepair, sat spare and silent sentinel over farmhouses.
There weren’t as many fences as Cass remembered. Not nearly as many cows, either, which could explain the reduction in fences. A few miles from the highway they traveled, she could see the eerie moving silhouettes of a wind farm. She didn’t remember that being here before.
“There’s nothing here.” At the back of Royce’s disgruntled voice was a thread of fear. Cass recognized it. Remembered it. She wanted to say something sympathetic, but sensed it wouldn’t be welcome.
“I know.” People had been saying that eighteen years ago, too, when Cass had spent that utopian year in the little community that surrounded Lake Miniagua.
“This isn’t a place people move to,” her stepcousin Sandy had said as they’d kayaked around the lake’s six hundred acres. “It’s one they leave.”
That had been true then and probably still was. When the summer people left the lake, its population was sparse, its activities on the slim side. The bed-and-breakfasts and Hoosier Hills Cabins and Campground shut down between October and April. The closest supermarket, movie theater and department store were in Sawyer, five miles away from the lake.
But. “It’s the only place I was ever happy.” A sad truth speaking from the downhill slope of thirty-five, but a truth nonetheless. Memories of the childhood visits to the orchard and the year in the lake house had saved her sanity on more sleepless nights than she wanted to contemplate.
Royce’s expression was both disbelieving and disdainful. “Come on, Sister Smart One. You were married. You didn’t have to follow Dad all over the world with the army and make new friends every couple of years. There had to be some happiness in there somew
here. You had a life. You had choices.”
“I did my share of Dad-following, too, but I did have a life. You’re right. Let me change what I said. The year on the lake was the happiest I’ve ever been.” She’d had choices, too, and she’d too often made the wrong ones. She hoped this move wasn’t one of those.
“You chose to divorce Tony and let him keep most of everything you guys had.”
“It’s called a prenup.” And she’d given up more than she had to, just because she thought it had somehow all been her fault, but Royce probably wouldn’t understand that. Cass wasn’t sure she understood it, either.
“My mother told Dad he should come and help you, but he wouldn’t. He said you’d made your bed and you could lie in it.”
“She has always been very kind to me.” This couldn’t be said about all of Cass’s stepmothers. The one after her own mother had been determined to marry an army officer, regardless of the cost to anyone else. She’d had a handsy son who had made life difficult for the pubescent Cass. The next one had borne shocking similarities to all the stereotypes ascribed to a Barbie doll, a fact made worse by the fact that her given name was Barbara Ann and Cass’s father’s name was Kenneth.
Royce’s mother, Damaris, came into the picture when Cass was eighteen and married to Tony Moretti, and had been a friend from the very beginning—even more so after she divorced Cass’s father. That Damaris and Cass’s mother had become friends as well had made them into a quirky but workable family.
Royce snorted. “Until she foisted me off on you, right?”
“She’s deployed to Afghanistan. Not exactly her choice. Would you rather have stayed with Dad?” Cass heard the exasperation that laced her voice. Royce’s smirk said her sister heard it, too.
She supposed this was the good side to why she and Tony hadn’t had children. If they had, their progeny would be about the age of Royce, give or take a few years. Divorce had been bad enough as it was, when there hadn’t even been pets to decide the custody of. How would Cass have handled Tony’s defection and a harrowing battle with breast cancer at the same time if grumpy teenagers had been added to the mix?
She rubbed her arm absently. It didn’t hurt much anymore, but less than a year past chemo and radiation, she still expected it to.
