“I’ve been here all this time and I didn’t know? Why didn’t you tell me?” Presley pressed her lips together. She didn’t like Seth keeping secrets from her in the least.
“What would you have done with the information? Evan told you he would be checking on you. Would it make you feel more safe or less? Can you say you’re surprised?”
“I thought they trusted you to keep me safe?” Presley traced a pattern in the sugar spilled on the table.
“They do, but they wouldn’t be doing their jobs if they didn’t see you with their own eyes every now and then.”
Seth had effectively taken the wind out of her sails. He was right. She should have known they wouldn’t drop her in the middle of nowhere and never check on her. She hadn’t really processed Evan’s statement that night. She’d had other things on her mind.
The waitress refilled their coffees and bustled away. Seth looked around the diner and then leaned forward in his chair. “That was Evan on the phone.”
Her body stiffened in response. She’d almost forgotten why she was in this town. It was easy to forget as she became more involved in her new life and less enmeshed in the old. Tampa seemed very far away at the moment.
“What did he want?” She waited for the answer. Just when she thought her life was her own again, something came along to disabuse that notion.
“He said they’re ready to convene the Grand Jury. They’re ready to indict Simon. They need your testimony.”
This was why they were protecting her. She’d always known that fact. She sipped her coffee and tried to appear nonchalant. “When and where?”
Seth was gazing at her, his eyebrows raised. It was clear he wasn’t convinced she was as calm as she looked.
“Tampa Federal Courthouse. December tenth. He gave me the name of a hotel for us that will have their protection. We can fly you in and out quickly.”
She nodded. “They get what they want and I get my life back. It’s a fair trade.”
Seth fiddled with his spoon. “Evan didn’t say anything about you being released from protection.”
“Did you ask?”
“No,” Seth admitted. “I was busy getting the logistics for getting you in and out of Tampa.”
“Out? Evan said back out then?”
“He did.” Seth nodded. “I can call him back for you if you like.”
She shook her head, holding her coffee cup with both hands and letting the warmth of the ceramic seep into her cold fingers. “There’s no need. It sounds like he made things clear. It appears the plan is for me to come back here, at least for a little while. I just want to get this over with. I’m not sure I know anything that’s going to help them.”
Disappointment at having to come back to Harper warred with happiness at getting more time with Seth. When the time came, she had to admit she would miss him. She genuinely liked him and there weren’t many men she could say that about.
Seth sipped his coffee. “Did you see anything that made you wonder what was going on? Anything at all?”
Presley felt a flash of annoyance. If she said no, she was an oblivious idiot and if she said yes, it made her look foolish and weak. It was a stupid, no-win question and she didn’t like it at all.
“How do you want me to answer that, Seth? Would it be better if I was totally ignorant or if I suspected something but did nothing? Which is better to you?”
Seth scraped his hand down his face. “I’m not accusing you of anything, honey. It was just a question.”
“It was a trick question. Like if I asked you if my butt looked big in these jeans. If you say yes, well, then I have an oversized load and you won’t get sex for the foreseeable future. If you say no, well, do I have a big, fat ass and it just looks small in these particular jeans or do I not have a big butt? Either way? You’re not getting laid.”
That got a peek of a smile out of Seth. “I promise no matter which way you answer, I’ll have sex with you.”
She thought about kicking him in the shin but she wasn’t the violent type. “I don’t think I know anything. I clearly remember the invoices and emails, but I never saw anything that looked out of place. I’m going out on a limb here as I’m not a criminal, but I doubt they’d leave a paper trail of their illegal activities.”
Seth nodded. “I’ve found that criminals are rarely very bright but I’ve never dealt with something like selling arms to terrorists. How does one even do that?”
Presley shrugged. “I have no idea. Nothing I saw in email or paper even hinted at something like that.”
Seth stroked his chin. “I bet there were a lot of emails, though. It would be hard, if not impossible, to remember details like that months later.”
Presley pushed away her empty coffee cup. “I have a good memory, Seth. I didn’t see anything that raised any flags. Besides, the longer I worked there, the more Randall had me working on personal things. He was having his house renovated and he asked me to manage the project. It was practically a full time job. I wasn’t in the office much the last four months.”
She’d only worked for him for six. The fact was she hadn’t spent much time at all in the office learning the business.
Seth picked up his hat. “My job is to make sure you get to Tampa safe and sound, not to try and figure out this case. That’s Evan’s job, thankfully. Are you ready?”
Presley pulled on her coat and gloves. “Where are we going?”
“To the store to buy a turkey, then to Mom’s to tell her why we bought her a turkey.”
Presley felt her face get warm. “Why don’t you let me buy the turkey since it’s my fault and all?”
“No way, honey.” Seth laughed. “It wasn’t your fault. It was mine. I should have known better.”
He was taking the whole turkey hunting thing much better than earlier. “I still think you should let me buy the turkey.”
“I have another way you can pay.”
She heard the promise in his words and felt her body get very warm indeed. “Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?”
Seth leaned down and whisper raunchy, filthy suggestions in her ear. “Do we have time before your shift?” she asked.
He glanced at his watch. “If we buy a turkey, and visit with Mom for a little while, I’m thinking we’ll have the entire afternoon to explore those ideas.”
Presley grinned. “Let’s get this show on the road, Sheriff.”
She let Seth lead the way and watched the sway of his very fine ass in front of her. The day was turning out much better than it had started.
Chapter Eleven
Every member of the Reilly household was in attendance on Thanksgiving Day. Presley and Seth had shown up early to help Marion start dinner, or rather Presley had helped Marion while Seth had gone outside to chop some wood so his father wouldn’t have to. It was fun to be in the kitchen cooking and talking with Sarah and Cindy, the wives of Seth’s brothers.
Presley checked out the kitchen window to make sure Seth was still outside before turning back to the three women. “I was hoping you could help me figure out what to get Seth for Christmas.”
Cindy, a pert redhead, smiled and shifted ten-month-old Amie to her other hip. Amie was in a phase where she only wanted to be held by her mother. Even her own father sometimes made her howl in outrage. “Seems to me, Seth has been smiling more in the last month than in the entire ten years before combined. He actually has fun every now and then. I think you’ve already given him a gift. All of us, really.”
Presley waved off the praise. “He just needed someone to get him out of his routine. I haven’t done anything special.”
Marion shook her head and smiled. “You are special, Presley. You’ve worked a miracle with my son. You two are perfect together. He’s the exact right foil for your sparkle.”
“Sparkle? I don’t sparkle.” Presley wasn’t even sure what it meant.
Sarah nodded. “You do sparkle. Everything seems to light up around you. You’re fun, happy, and ea
sy to be around. People seem to be drawn to you. I wish I was like that. I never know what to say to people.”
Presley shrugged. “I never do either. That’s why I just let them do all the talking. It’s easier on me.”
Cindy laughed. “Is that the secret? Letting them talk? If it is, I’m in big trouble.”
Marion shook a spoon in Cindy’s direction. “We wouldn’t have you any other way, young lady.”
Cindy popped a piece of cheese from a platter into her mouth. “Does your family mind that you’re here for Thanksgiving, Presley? They must miss you. Will you be visiting them soon?”
Presley knew there would eventually be questions like this. She’d decided to stick as close to the truth as she could without telling the entire sordid story. “My parents are dead. Well, Mom is, and my real dad is somewhere, but I couldn’t tell you where. My stepfather passed away a few years ago so that just leaves my stepsister and unfortunately, we’re not close.”
Marion’s expression turned sympathetic. “I’m so sorry. Were you young when your mother passed on?”
“I was twenty.” She didn’t bring up how it was one more thing gone wrong in her life along with Oliver. Presley, or Katie, didn’t make great choices in her life. Presley was trying to do better.
Cindy shook her head. “So young, but there’s never a good age to lose someone you love. It’s too bad you’re not close to your sister. Are you near in ages?”
“She’s five years older than me. I think I frustrate her, honestly.”
Sarah popped the stuffing pan into the oven. “Why? You seem fine to me.”
It was hard to put into words. Nora had never said anything straight out. Neither had her mother or stepfather. It had simply been a feeling Presley had had. “I’m kind of the screw-up in the family. I didn’t do super well in high school, but my sister did. She’s really smart. When I went to college, I didn’t really know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was kind of directionless, to be honest. Eventually, I took a break from it thinking I would go back. I never did, much to my family’s disappointment. In the meantime, my sister got married to a successful attorney and started her own computer business. I just sort of drifted from job to job.”
She didn’t mention Nora’s subsequent divorce. Presley had liked Nora’s husband and always felt a little sorry for him. He let Nora boss him around terribly.
Marion smiled. “Then you drifted here. Thank goodness. I think we’ll keep you.”
Cindy sipped her iced tea. “I didn’t do that well in high school either. Frankly, I hated high school.”
Presley had loved high school. She’d dated every weekend, been Prom queen, and Student Class Vice-President. She hadn’t done very well academically.
“I’m not very ambitious.” Presley shrugged. “I think my stepfather wanted me to marry well. I remember him saying it didn’t matter how I did in school as long as I married well. I’m still not sure what that means, but I think he wanted me to find a rich husband so my failure in academia wouldn’t matter.”
Sarah stuck a fork in the potatoes to check if they were done. “Money isn’t everything.”
“I think that would be news to my family,” Presley said.
Marion opened the oven to check the turkey thermometer. “I’m glad you’re here today. We’re thankful you came into our lives.” Presley felt a warmth in the vicinity of her heart. She adored Seth’s family. Norman Rockwell couldn’t have found more wonderful people. “Now, as for what you should get Seth for Christmas, I have an idea.”
“Thank goodness. He’s the man who has everything.”
Marion wiped her hands on a dishtowel and joined her at the table. “He’s been complaining that the case he carries his bow in is worn out. He needs a new one.”
Presley remembered the case from earlier in the week. It had seen better days. “That’s a great idea. Can I buy it online?”
Marion pointed to the laptop on the far kitchen counter. “I can show you a really nice one online and you can order it, if you like.”
“That would be great. I don’t have my own laptop yet. I use the one in the office.”
Cindy laughed. “Now when Seth asks us what to get you, we know what to tell him.”
Presley shook her head. “It’s too expensive. I’ll get one soon.”
“What happened to your last computer?” Sarah asked, settling herself in a chair.
It was incinerated in a fire.
“It stopped booting up one day.”
That’s kind of the truth.
“Things just aren’t built to last anymore,” Marion said as she typed on the keyboard of the laptop. “Here you are. I think he’d love this one.”
Presley peered over Marion’s shoulder. The case looked sturdy and was reasonably priced. There was even an option to have his initials stamped into the leather.
“This is awesome. Thank goodness I asked you.”
Marion stepped aside. “You can use this to order if you like. You’ll just have to change who’s logged in.”
Presley nodded. “I have an account here.” Luckily, the store was one of Presley’s favorite online retailers. She clicked on the Buy button as Seth and his brothers were stomping in the back door. She couldn’t let Seth see what she was doing. It would ruin the surprise. She quickly entered her login and password so the screen with his present would disappear. A few hurried clicks later the transaction was done.
And not a moment too soon. Seth was right behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and kissing her neck. She slapped at his hands.
“Not in front of your mother.”
His chuckle was warm and deep. “I think my mother knows we hug and kiss. If we didn’t, she’d be pretty worried about us.”
Presley turned in his arms and looked up into his face. This morning when he’d woken her to make love, his jaw had been covered with stubble and his hair askew. His blond hair was still tousled from the wind but he was now clean-shaven and smelled of soap and toothpaste. She couldn’t decide which way he looked sexier. He was devastating to her equilibrium no matter what. It wasn’t fair men woke up looking so damn hot.
She tugged at the zipper on his jacket. “Your nose is red from the cold. Can I get you some coffee?”
Marion laughed and waved the spoon she was wielding in a pot of cranberry sauce. “Don’t spoil him, Presley. Make him get his own.”
Presley hated to admit it, but she loved spoiling Seth. He certainly returned the favor in a myriad of ways. He was, after all, protecting her with his life, although there’d been nothing to protect her from since she came to town.
Seth shrugged off his coat. “In the interest of family harmony, I’ll get my own coffee. I’ll even get Jason and Sam coffee.”
Sam shook his head. “None for me. I’m going to watch the pre-game shows.”
Jason grabbed a handful of cheese cubes. “I’m right behind you, bro.”
Seth gave her a pleading look and she shooed him away with her hands. “Go on. Go watch the game or whatever. The women will do all the real work.”
Cindy grinned. “We didn’t tell you? Reilly family tradition is the men do the dishes afterward.”
“I like that tradition.” Presley smiled at Seth, but he only grimaced.
“I’m going into the living room before I get roped into anything else,” Seth said.
Marion watched her son leave the room. She motioned to Sarah. “They’re all watching the game. It’s time.”
Sarah grinned and rummaged way in the back of the packed refrigerator before holding up a bottle of Chardonnay triumphantly. “I got it. You hid it really well this year, Mom.”
“We don’t want the men to horn in on this tradition. It belongs to the Reilly women alone.”
Presley started to move toward the door. She wasn’t really a Reilly woman, but Marion put her arm around Presley’s shoulders and led her to the kitchen table. The wine was opened and everyone’s glass was filled except for Sarah, wh
o was given iced tea instead. Marion raised her glass.
“As is the tradition, the oldest Reilly woman goes first. We tell each other one thing we regret and one dream. I regret not going back to teaching after the boys started school. I dream about George and me having a vacation in Alaska.” Marion drank the glass down before slapping it on the table. “Cindy?”
Cindy held up her glass. “I regret not going after Sam earlier. I dream about having six children.” Cindy knocked back the glass of wine quickly. “Sarah?”
Sarah raised her glass of tea. “I regret not telling my brother I loved him that day that he died. If I had known I’d never see him again, I would have. I dream of becoming a successful graphic artist.” Sarah drank the tea and turned to Presley. “Presley?”
Tears pricked the back of Presley’s eyes. She hadn’t really thought about it until this moment but she had so much to be thankful for. She raised her glass. “I regret not going back to college. That was a mistake. I let myself be intimidated.” She hesitated but the feeling was too strong not to verbalize. “I dream about becoming a famous writer someday.” She drank her wine down and smiled. She really and truly felt like a Reilly woman today. It was only temporary but there was no harm in enjoying it for a few hours. It wouldn’t hurt anyone or anything.
Except maybe her.
She would miss these women when she left.
* * * * *
Nora Shefflin pushed open the door of her office and settled behind the desk. She’d only planned a half day today due to the holiday yesterday but some things needed to be done. She reviewed projected revenue and current expenses every Friday morning and today would be no exception. Her computer consulting business wasn’t a gigantic money maker, but it did decently enough. She flipped open the laptop and opened the weekly reports but her concentration was jolted by a buzzing noise from the top of the file cabinet. Nora’s assistant, Diane, had plugged in Katie’s cell phone there. Of course, Diane had no idea it was Katie’s phone. She probably thought it belonged to Nora.
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