“I never said that it did, Mrs. Theodore. I am truly sorry for your loss. Here is my card if you can think of anything else. I really do just want to help you. I owe that to your husband. Thank you so much for your time.” I stood and let myself out. Peirce was obviously involved in something much bigger than anything to do with Joanne’s wedding. The question of how much his wife knew about it remained. Maybe it was time I paid his accountant a visit.
I stepped outside and shivered as I walked to my car. The temperature had dropped considerably, as was the case in upstate NY in the fall. Fishing out my keys, I unlocked my bug and reached for the door handle. A body pushed me up against the door, my cheek pressed to the roof, my arms trapped at my sides. The hard confines of the much bigger form pressed snugly against my backside. My heart began to race and my stomach jumped into my throat. Had someone been watching and waiting to attack Linda, only to wind up attacking me instead? Why hadn’t I paid more attention in self-defense class?
I could hear my pulse beat in my ears and squeezed my eyes shut. “Wh-what do you want,” I asked. I tried to think about what to do, but my mind went blank.
The form didn’t say anything, it just pushed into me harder, letting me know I was vulnerable and he was in control. Finally, he spoke. “Have you had enough? Are you ready to listen to me now?”
I gasped. “Mitch?” I squeaked out, nearly wilting in relief.
“Dammit, Tink, this could have been anyone!” Anger vibrated through his pores. “Now do you see why I’m so worried?”
The tension eased out of my every cell immediately, my pulse returning to normal and my breathing finally regulating. No matter how angry he got, he would never hurt me. “Mitch, oh my God, you scared the heck out of me.”
He turned me around to face him and nailed me with an icy gray glare. “My point exactly. When are you going to learn to use common sense and leave the police work to me? Jesus Tink, you are going to be the death of me yet.”
I sucked in a breath as he leaned into me, trapping me against the car. “Wh-what are you doing?”
“Making a point.”
“Oh, I got the point. Felt it with every ounce of my being.” My grin came slow and sweet.
“This isn’t funny, Sunny,” he said in a soft but deadly tone. I could feel all of his hard body pressed intimately against mine. As much as I wanted him, I knew he was serious. “Someone could have done a whole lot more to you than kill you. In the end, death might have been preferred.”
My smile faded. “I’m not laughing, Mitch. You caught me off guard, but it won’t happen again. I know what I’m doing.”
“Do you?” he ground out. “I could have been someone else. You aren’t supposed to be anywhere near this case. Not to mention, we made a commitment to each other.”
“Did we?” I asked, dying to know why he hadn’t said he loved me since that fateful day so long ago. The day I’d asked him to take it slow. The day I’d said no to marrying him. The day I’d regretted ever since.
“Yes, Miss Meadows, we did. When I moved in, I assumed that meant you would do me the common courtesy of letting me now when you wouldn’t be coming home. Do you know how worried I’ve been? I called the hotel an hour ago, and your mother said you’d already left. Yet you didn’t bother to call me and tell me where you were going. Why is that? I don’t ask for much, Sunny.”
“I know, and I didn’t call you because I knew you would stop me,” I said honestly. I blew out a breath. “I knew you would be worried and you would come after me and you would make me go home. It’s my mother, Mitch. I can’t help but want to be involved in this case. I need to know she’s going to be okay. I need to know I’m doing all that I can. I need to clear her name before it’s too late.”
“And I need you to trust me to do my job.”
I reached up and cupped his face with my hands. “I do trust you.” I pressed my lips softly against his. “I just need you to trust me, too. I can be a help to you. Please let me.”
He dropped his forehead to mine and tried to control his breathing. “Goddamn this is hard.”
I bit my lip, afraid to ask, then finally said, “What? Working with me or living with me or just being with me?”
He raised his head and answered point blank. “All of the above.”
“Oh, I see,” I said in a quiet voice and dropped my hands.
“You don’t see anything,” he ground out, stepping back from me and pacing the driveway.
“Then tell me. I might be psychic but I can’t read your mind, Mitch, or haven’t you figured that out yet. You’re grumpier than ever these days.”
He stopped pacing and nailed me to my car with just a look from his stormy gray eyes. “You want to know why I’m so grumpy?”
“Y-Yes?” I asked, suddenly second guessing if I really did or not. He looked like he was on the warpath and I was his target.
“I—I—oh, hell,” he said, then picked me up to straddle his pent-up frustration as he pushed me back against my car and his lips slammed down on to mine and his body pressed tightly against me.
He kissed me with all his emotions flying raw and at the surface. I tasted Morty driving him crazy, Granny Gert underfoot, my obsession with Jo and Cole’s wedding, my insistence on clearing my mother’s name, and just exactly how much he had missed me. By the time he tore his lips from mine, I felt ravaged and raw and oh-so-wanted.
“Awww, honey, why didn’t you say so,” I said, stroking his cheeks and pressing tender kisses all over his face.
He closed his eyes and his lips tipped up a hair. He turned his face into my palm and kissed it softly. “You’re going to be the death of me yet, Tink.”
“Nonsense,” I said in a breathy voice. “I’m going to be the thing that makes you finally start living. Now take me to the nearest hotel room and love me forever, baby.”
He blinked. “Seriously?”
“Yes, detective. I seriously need some alone time with my boyfriend, and something tells me you need alone time with me as well. I say it’s time we put each other before everything else for a change.”
“You’re boyfriend, huh?”
“Um, hello, we are living together.”
“And taking it slow.” He eyed me carefully.
“Slow, yes. A step backward, no. I miss you, Detective Grumpy Pants.”
“I miss you, too, Tink. And I say making love to my girlfriend has never sounded better.”
Chapter 6
“Isn’t this just the bees’ knees?” Granny Gert hummed, as she lit the small fireplace in the corner of the kitchen in my ancient Victorian house.
She set the tea kettle atop the gas stove that had replaced the old coal burning stove that used to sit there years ago. Next she set dessert—a big plate of cookies, of course—in the center of the long wooden harvest table. Out in the formal dining room there was a fancy large, round dark wood table with pedestals, but I preferred the coziness of the kitchen with its old-fashioned root cellar and scullery where the servants ate once upon a time.
The charming house had come fully furnished with overstuffed chairs, oriental rugs, draperies in heavy fabrics, and all sorts of knickknacks. As much as I wanted privacy with Mitch, I honestly didn’t know how I would keep up with taking care of Vicky by myself. On Mondays Granny cleaned, on Tuesdays she tackled the laundry, on Wednesdays the ironing, and Thursdays she baked for the weekend’s entertainment, leaving Fridays for herself and all the fads waiting to be discovered in the magazines at the hair salon. Everyone at Pump Up the Volume Salon and Spa loved her. Granny Gert loved being needed, and I wasn’t too proud to admit I needed her in a big way.
Mitch and I had invited Sean and Zoe as well as Cole and Joanne over for dinner. My parents had refused to step foot in the house with Morty under the roof. Besides, my mother was busy calling in every favor owed her from various lawyers and judges back in the city, while my father was reaching out to a few contacts of his own. Meanwhile, none of us had said much throug
hout dinner, and I’d barely even tasted the delicious smelling pot roast, and that was a downright shame.
“It’s wonderful, Granny.” Jo’s tone was thankful and appreciative, but her smile didn’t quite reach her red-rimmed, puffy eyes.
Sean and Mitch had talked Cole into coming to his senses and going home with Jo on their wedding night. But it was clear that Cole still harbored many doubts. He was here, but not present. Married, but holding back. Physically sitting right beside Jo, yet mentally and spiritually so far away. It was hurting her. The dark circles under her eyes bespoke of sleepless nights, and she looked exhausted. I knew hurting her was the last thing Cole would ever intend to do, but in trying to save her from harm, he was harming her more than anything else ever could.
“Oh, you’re welcome, sweetie. But land sakes, you hardly ate a bite.” Granny tsked. “A newlywed needs to keep up her strength.” Granny snickered.
Jo humored her by smiling, but her eyes still looked so sad and hopeless. “I’m sorry. It really is delicious, I just don’t have much of an appetite today.”
Cole’s worried gaze shot to her. “You okay?”
“As good as can be expected, given that somebody was murdered at our wedding and then my husband spent our wedding night on the couch.” She glared at him, revealing a shadow of the Amazon we all knew and loved. “Why bother caring now?”
“You know I care, Jo,” he said softly. “You also know why I spent the night on the couch. If we don’t consummate our marriage, it will be easier to annul. Trust me, you’ll want to once you’ve had a chance to think about it. I’m cursed. The last thing I want to do is saddle you with that and make you be a part of my life forever.”
“Too late, you numbskull.” She threw down her napkin.
“What are you saying?” he paled. “That you’re cursed now too? The last thing I ever wanted to do was ruin your life.”
“Consummation or not, it doesn’t matter. You’ll always be a part of my life, but you’re right. You did ruin everything when you walked away from me, from your vows, from what we had. I was going to wait to tell you until after the honeymoon, but since that isn’t likely to happen, I might as well tell you now. I’m not cursed, Cole, I’m pregnant. But don’t do me any favors. You’re free to leave because guess what…I’m the one who doesn’t want you anymore. Not now, not ever.”
All sorts of commotion happened next. Granny dropped a tray of cookies, Mitch jumped up to help Granny, and Morty hissed at him. Jo burst into tears and stormed out, leaving Cole speechless and frozen to his chair with his jaw hanging wide open. Sean stood but Zoe stopped him, telling him if he was friends with Cole, then he was no friend of hers, and then she stormed out after Jo. Cole whispered, “What have I done?” And a pounding headache hit me hard right behind the eyes.
***
I couldn’t believe Jo was pregnant. Married, pregnant, yet so alone. I sat in Smokey Jo’s Tavern, having guessed that would be where I would find her. Sunday nights weren’t busy to begin with, and she was supposed to be gone on her honeymoon, but this was as much a home to her as her new house. This was her first born.
“Seriously, are you okay?” I asked, then reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her from rubbing the varnish right off her rich mahogany bar. Soft seventies folk music filtered out of the speakers in soothing tones, and warm amber lighting cast a pleasant glow of ambiance, making Smokey Jo’s a hit with most people in town.
She sniffed and blinked, but she refused to cry any more. “No, I’m not alright. Do you know how long I waited for this? I’ve dreamt of my wedding day and reception and honeymoon for half my life, but I never really thought it would happen. When Cole asked me to marry him, it was like a dream come true. I should have known it was too good to be true. I pushed him too hard to get over his first wife and move in with me and play house with Biff. If he wasn’t ready for any of that, then he certainly won’t be ready for a baby. What have I done?” Her voice hitched despite her best efforts.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Jo.” I squeezed her hand before letting it go. “And I don’t believe for a second that Cole didn’t want this or isn’t ready for it. I think he’s running scared because he loves you so much. He doesn’t care about his own well-being. He is petrified of making another mistake and putting your life at risk. All because of some silly superstition that his life is cursed.”
“Well, he can’t afford to be silly.” She thrust her chin in the air. “He’s going to be a father, whether he likes it or not.”
“Did you mean it when you said you didn’t want him anymore?” I asked gently.
She burst into tears. “No!” she wailed. “I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone. I don’t want to live a single day without him. I just can’t seem to stop crying.”
“It’s the hormones,” I said and couldn’t keep my lips from tipping up at the corners ever so slightly. “You’re a hot mess, you know that?”
She laughed despite herself and eyed me as if she knew something I didn’t. “You just wait until you’re in this condition.”
I sobered at that thought and crossed my arms over my front as if that would somehow protect me. “Um, yeah, that’s not likely to happen anytime soon.”
“Oh, please. Mitch has already proposed once, and he’s living with you, for Pete’s sake. All I can say is be ready for a little payback from me when you become a blubbering fool. Like it or not, it’s going to happen, and soon if I’m not mistaken.” She started restocking the glasses behind the bar.
“Whatever you say,” I responded almost numbly. The thought of having a baby had never crossed my mind, yet marrying Mitch had. What if he wanted children? I had never thought to ask. Probably because I didn’t even know if I did yet. My parents certainly weren’t the best role models. Who’s to say I would be any good at it? All I knew for certain was that I couldn’t imagine my life without him.
“Earth to Sunny.” Jo waved her hand before my face.
“Huh, what? Sorry,” I muttered with a sheepish expression on my face. I was the one who was supposed to be giving her advice, yet Jo was always in counseling mode when behind the bar. It was one of the things she did best.
“I said, how are things going with you and my favorite detective?” She looked at me as if she could see straight into my soul.
“Everything’s fine,” I answered automatically. “The last thing you need to worry about is me.”
“Trust me, I need to focus on someone’s relationship other than my own at the moment. So fess up, okay? Don’t make me think I’m alone in this insane thing called life.” She rubbed her aching back and leaned on the bar for a moment.
“Okay, okay.” I sighed. “Honestly, I’m not sure how things are going between Mitch and me.”
“Why?”
“Well, for one, he hasn’t said he loves me since he proposed and I told him to take it slow.”
“Um, can you blame him?” she said gently.
“No. And I regret not saying yes right away. I wanted to. I guess I just wanted him to be sure. Mitch is an all or nothing, black or white kind of guy. My life is far from black and white. I wanted to make sure he could handle the gray area in between.”
“Gray area meaning Morty and Granny?” Jo popped the top on a beer for me and a root beer for her, coming around the bar and sitting on a stool beside me.
“Precisely.” I took a grateful sip before continuing. “They’re not exactly easy to live with, but they are a part of me. I know he wants me. He proved that the other night, several times.” I blushed. “But can he live with all of me?”
“That is the question, isn’t it? Same question Cole has to decide. I know he thinks he’s saving me from himself, but it’s not just me he has to worry about anymore. Our baby deserves a father, but if he doesn’t get his act together soon, I won’t have him. I’m a strong woman. I don’t need a man to complete me.”
That gave me pause, and suddenly, I realized I didn’t need a man to c
omplete myself either. “You know what, you’re right. I don’t need Mitch to complete me, either. If he doesn’t get his act together soon and realize Morty, Granny, and I are a package deal, then it’s his loss.” Now that I had said the words that had been buzzing about in my mind for weeks, I suddenly felt free.
“I hear that.” Zoe came to a stop beside us, and Jo and I both jumped. Neither one of us had heard her come in.
“Men! They’re all more work than they’re worth.” She plopped down on a stool with a glass of wine already in hand. “Your bar-back has officially driven me to drink, and I don’t even really like alcohol.” She took a dainty sip. It was clear she was starting to get tipsy, yet she still looked as stylish as ever in her Sunday best. She finished with, “But it’s growing on me I must say.”
“What’s Sean done now?” Jo asked.
“What hasn’t he done?” I laughed.
“Taken me out on a proper date, for one.” Zoe shook her head in disgust. “And then he has the nerve to freak out over the word baby and sputter, ‘You’re not pregnant, are you?’ I mean, seriously?”
“He did not,” I said, my jaw falling open.
“Oh, yes he did.” Zoe scoffed.
“How did you respond?” Jo asked, a spark of curiosity and something more than depression entered her eyes.
“I told him considering I’ve never been with any man, my baby would be truly blessed. Can you say Immaculate Conception? To which he freaked out even more. I guess me being pregnant would be less scary than me being a virgin. Ugh. I repeat, Men! Way more trouble than they’re worth.” Zoe took a hearty sip this time.
Kari Lee Townsend - Sunny Meadows 04 - Perish in the Palm Page 5
