“That’s why I fell in love with Horace first, because he didn’t kill Agnes.”
Margaret Kathleen ignored the hand Glenna held out, and grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. “Welcome to the family. I’ve always wanted a sister.”
And apparently that was all it took for his family to believe. Cats and dogs. If animals were involved then it must be true. He grinned at Glenna when she returned to the armrest.
“You never told me you wanted a sister,” Patrick’s mother said.
“I was afraid you’d have another boy, look at him. Even when he was young he was never little. He intimidated all of my friends or all my girlfriends fell in love with him.” She turned to Glenna. “It was awful. Either my friends wouldn’t come over because of Patrick or they only wanted to come over because of Patrick.”
“I know exactly what you mean, I have two brothers. Not as big as Patrick, but Tyler could be very intimidating and Matt was just cute.”
“God, you guys are making me feel like some kind of oversized freak.”
“Well you’re my oversized freak. Except I picture you more as a highlander in your family plaid. Bagpipes and all.”
“Oh, then you’re in for a treat. The valley has a Highland Festival they do every year. The Scottish Games, my da, Patrick, and Finn all dress in the Dughlas plaid, that’s Gaelic for Douglas, my mum is Scottish and my da has some Scottish relatives in Galloway.”
“All my fantasy’s coming true.” Then she must have realized the connotation, she swallowed and turned to his mother. “I have a thing for kilts. And I just meant…”
“Oh, I’m not so old that I don’t remember what it’s like.”
His mum pulled herself out of the chair she’d plopped in and came over to Glenna and gave her a hug maybe a little longer and tighter, by the slight bulge of Glenna’s eyes, than his sisters had been.
“We welcome you to the family, also.”
His da gently disentangled his mother from his fiancée and gave her a hug. “I can speak for myself. Welcome Glenna Beckett.”
“When’s the wedding?”
That was one question he hadn’t been prepared for, leave it to his sister to bring it up. Luckily, it must be a girl thing because Glenna saved the day.
“I can’t decide. But I am thinking next fall, or maybe a Christmas wedding. What do you think, Patrick?”
He raised a brow. Though he was only half joking when he said, “This Christmas?”
Glenna gave him a playful slap, Oscar performance in his opinion. “That’s only a few months away, no way could I have the huge wedding I want in that short of time.”
He chuckled for he knew that was payback, he hoped.
After his family left, all the energy drained out of him. He felt like a wimp. He was trying to decide how to let Glenna know he needed to rest without her turning all maternal on him when she solved the dilemma for him.
“I need to talk to Effie. I am not going to tell her about our engagement until you’re with me.” She paused leaned in and kissed him and when he was ready to haul her up in his arms and take her to bed, his injuries be damned, she pulled away.
“You know I think I like this plan of yours, more and more. Anyway, will you be okay here alone?” She straightened and frowned. “I can’t leave you. What happens if they come back?”
The moment when she’d kissed him and knocked his socks off passed in a heartbeat and brought reality bashing in. He reached for her and settled her back in his lap.
“Glenna, now is the time to trust that things will be okay. You can’t control anything in this world. You can’t worry about everything. They probably assume after the attack, that the locals are keeping a closer watch on the situation.” He didn’t see any of the worry lesson, so he added, “I’m sure they, meaning the local PD, are. Go have a latte. What was it that you liked? I need to remember. A skinny something or other.”
“A WMC on the skinny.” He must have looked confused. “White mocha chocolate.”
“As your new beau, yes my mum still uses that term, and I like it, I will have to learn all kinds of things about your desires.” He gave her a look.
She laughed and climbed out of his lap and chair. “It is hard for me to see that as a wicked look with two black eyes and a big white bandage over your broken nose.”
“Oh, yea I forgot about that for a moment. I hope it’s better looking by the Gala.”
“If it’s still green and purple, Jessica is pretty good with the make-up. We’ll just have to do what we can. Do you want me to bring you an iced coffee or something?”
“It will be warm by the time you get home. Why don’t you call when you’re on the way?”
“I can pick up Finn after school, and we’ll stop and grab something for dinner.”
“Sounds good, now I’m going to catch some shut eye.”
Glenna hesitated, he looked so vulnerable.
“Go woman.”
He hadn’t opened his eyes as he said, but he’d tried for a stern frown, but with his split lip it came out a little lopsided.
*****
Glenna felt the last of the armor around her heart she’d been struggling to hold on to slip away.
Her heart was officially his.
Chapter Sixteen
Glenna pulled to a stop in front of Effie’s Coffee Bistro and More. She’d wanted to talk to her friend, true, but mostly she wanted to walk through her shop, Glenna’s Surprisingly Vintage. She’d worked so hard to make it what it had become. As Beckworth had said, people came from all over to Calistoga to visit her shop. When a customer walked in with so much excitement claiming how far they’d traveled just to see her and her amazing treasures, she still had to pinch herself to remind herself it wasn’t a dream.
She glanced over at her poor forlorn building the yellow tape rippling in the breeze. Could she ever feel safe again? Now that she was here there was no way she could bring herself to walk across the lot and let herself in on her own. She longed for Patrick, his strong presence would have allowed her to do the few things she needed to do. She knew he wouldn’t like the fact she was there on her own. Especially since they’d planned to come together and start the clean up on Saturday.
Glenna had been so positive she wanted to walk through by herself the first time with no officers or chaos as it had been since she’d been home. Grieve for her friend. Be angry with those thugs, and though she’d never thought of art thieves as thugs before, these were. They were bullies and didn’t care who they hurt as long as they got what they wanted.
If and when she’d ever thought of an art thief an image of Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief flittered across her mind. No more.
A knock on her window startled her and she turned from her contemplation of her shop’s back door to find Effie standing at her window, which she rolled down.
“Are you going to just sit and stare? Come in and catch me up.”
Relief ran through her. “You scared me.”
Effie pulled the door open for her and then she followed her in, Glenna grinned as she watched the flowered skirt sway in the breeze. The green and white sock on her left foot and the pink and green sock on her right sort of matched some of the flowers in the pattern. Her bright orange shirt at least went well with the big poppies. Her hair as usual was a perfected mass of disarray.
What would she do without her friend? She hoped to never find out.
They settled in the corner table, their discussion table. A few moments later her usual WCM on the skinny sat steaming in front of her and her friend her usual a cold Chai.
“Well?”
Where to begin? There was so much. She took a sip and then went over the events since she’d seen her last. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to let her know about the couple thing or wanted Patrick with her when she told her about the fiancée part. She’d wait. There was a possibility one of the men would come in and chat her friend up for information. It would be critical that her
friend make it believable. And the only way for that to happen would be for her to believe.
Effie was a terrible liar.
“Wow.” Effie sipped her chai and for a moment she was silent, unusual for her friend. “Wow is all I can say. What intrigue, it sounds like something I’d watch on NCIS or one of those cop shows. So you’re leaving for New York next week? The Elders will be thrilled. They miss you Glenna, your Mom told me.”
“I know they do, I miss them too. But this is my home. I love it here.”
She let her gaze roam over the lot to her shop for the hundredth time. The safe feeling she’d worked so hard to find after what Danny had done had wavered. Thanks to Patrick it wasn’t completely gone and for once she was positive she’d be able to feel that safe again. It was weird to rely on a person so completely. It seemed she’d known him for years.
“Hey, what are you thinking?”
“I was thinking how hard I’d worked to feel safe and now this.”
Effie sat her drink down and gave her a hard look, which people wouldn’t equate with her friend. “Now you listen to me. You’re going to be just fine. I have a feeling there is more going on with that hunky agent than you’re letting on. I know he wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
Glenna just grinned. “Do you have some time you could walk over to the shop with me? I was going to do it myself, but I’m not sure I’m ready yet.”
“Of course, let me go tell the guys I’ll be gone for a while.”
Not long after Glenna unlocked the door and the smell hit them as they walked in. She left the door open and went through to the front and opened the door to let the breeze help air the place out.
“God. We need to figure out how to get that smell out or you’re never going to have any customers.”
“I know. I was going to clean up myself, mostly because I have so many breakables, but maybe I should call in a professional cleaner.”
“You could have them clean everything but the displays. They are mostly just dust left over from the police doing their fingerprint thing.”
“Patrick is coming back with me on Saturday, I’ll let him decide.”
Effie raised a brow but didn’t say anything.
Glenna’s phone jingled, her generic ring, she looked and saw it was Patrick. She’d thought he’d still be asleep.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.” He chuckled. “You’re not at Effie’s, it’s too silent. I figured you wouldn’t just visit with her. So how is the shop?”
“It looks and smells the same.”
“We’ll take a look at it Saturday…” She could hear the faint sounds of him moving, probably trying to get comfortable. “…you know the more I think about it, I don’t think I we’d be able to get the odor out of the place. Take some pictures of the place and tomorrow I’ll check around and see if we can hire someone to clean up the worst.”
How many times had he echoed her thoughts? More proof they were good together. She resisted the urge to break into a grin, somehow it felt wrong to be so happy standing in the room where her beautiful assistant and taken her last breath. Sadness filled her.
“Glenna, I understand how hard this must be for you.”
“It is.” She glanced around again, turned and returned to her office. “Patrick, I’ll take the pics but I’m sure I can call around tomorrow. You need to rest. I think Saturday is too soon for you to be up and around.”
“I’m already bored and want to get up and about. If my muscles didn’t remind me every time I got up to take a p… Sorry. Anyway, I need something to keep my mind occupied. I can find someone tomorrow. Then you and I can go over what we’re going to do in New York.”
She smiled into the phone. “Your mind has been busy. I’ll finish up here then I thought I’d stop at Calmart and grab some things at the deli for dinner before I pick up Finn.”
“What? You’re not getting pizza?”
“I figure something different would be healthier for Finn.”
He chuckled. “I was kidding. Let me know when you’re on your way. Take care.”
He disconnected and she turned to find Effie smiling at her.
“What?”
She wagged her figure under Glenna’s nose. “There’s something going on there.”
Glenna considered telling her but wanted to wait until Patrick was with her, it would be more convincing with him at her side. The want was so strong, she even opened her mouth to spill the beans. Then she reminded herself about Effie’s lying abilities in case she didn’t believe their engagement. Though more and more it felt like the real deal and not the take a one day at a time trial variety.
“I need to place an ad for an assistant.” Successfully changing the subject. “Do you think I need to place it somewhere other than the Calistoga Tribune?”
Effie perched herself on the edge of the desk. “Don’t think the discussion has ended. We’ll revisit soon.”
Glenna busied herself looking through drawers for the want ad sign she knew she’d stowed somewhere after she’d hired Alex. She heard Effie sigh and knew the discussion on her love life was only over for the moment.
“What are you looking for?”
“My help needed sign. I thought I’d place it up front again, after all that’s how I found Alex.”
She almost hadn’t been able to say her assistants’ name. How could she ask someone to work for her again?
“Glenna, you and Patrick will get the bastards who did this, you’re going to be safe as will whoever you hire to help.”
“How do you do that? How do you know what I’m feeling sometimes before I do?”
“Because we’re sisters of the heart. We’ve been there for each other.”
“I told Patrick.”
Effie stared at her for a full minute before she responded. She didn’t pretend not to know what Glenna referred to.
“You never told me.”
“You knew. I didn’t want to put myself through the scene again.” She dropped her gaze to her lap where her hands had come to rest. She felt the moisture gather in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Effie, I should have. Maybe then I wouldn’t have carried around these feelings of guilt, inadequacies, fear.”
“You’re right. I knew. You know you didn’t need to tell me. I was there for you to support you. The moment I walked in that door I knew what had happened.”
“I know. I wouldn’t have survived if it hadn’t been for you, my friend. Letting the words out, reliving that awful night freed what was trapped in me.”
“And Patrick?”
“Listened, held me, and promised me he wouldn’t go after Danny. He understood I didn’t want to dredge up everything after all this time.”
“He’s a good man, Glenna.”
“Yes. Now how did we get on this subject?” Before she burst into tears she started searching through her drawers again. “Now where in the hell is that sign.”
“You let me borrow it. I’ll go get it for you while you call the Trib. I think you should put it on the Chambers web site also.”
“Good idea. Thanks Effie.”
She powered up her ancient desktop. She had her laptop for serious computer work, but the old computer on her desk worked for what she needed at the shop. Unfortunately it took forever to boot up. Somewhere there was a list of local business that she hoped had the Tribune’s number.
Found it. She punched in the number, placed the ad and by the time she disconnected Effie had returned with the sign and the desktop was ready to place the information on the town site. She just hoped that people would actually apply after what happened.
“I put the sign on the front door. Do you have any idea when you’ll be open for business? You may want to print out some information to put up also.”
“The officers, Beckworth and Jones, called this morning and told me they were through with everything they needed here. The investigation of course will go until we find who did this. Hopefully, we’ll know after the Gala
. And when we return from New York I’ll reopen.”
“I wish you luck my friend. I better get back, it was starting to fill up with the afternoon crowd when I went in search for your sign.”
Effie gave her a hug and then left and silence remained.
Glenna pulled up a word doc and created a sign with the information about the reopen. She placed it next to the Help Wanted sign, made sure the front door was locked, and then skirted around the tape from the murder scene and left through the back door, making sure it was secure also.
She sat in the car a moment and contemplated checking on her little cottage and then determined two things, Patrick wouldn’t be pleased if she went alone. She also didn’t want to go alone, just in case she interrupted another search party.
She made a quick stop at the deli and then was on her way to pick up Finn. Her mind was so busy going over the events of the past month she almost flew by the school.
Good grief, she didn’t even remember driving how many miles? At least she had apparently not injured anyone, including herself.
Finn came out of the school not long after she parked in front to wait. His tall lanky body flowed as he walked. She smiled, he was so handsome. And the girls all paused as he walked by totally unaware of the stares. Patrick must have looked like that when he was young.
“Hey Glenna, how’s dad?” He asked as he climbed in the passenger seat.
“I left him sleeping while I went into Calistoga. He called though, so he didn’t rest as long as I’d hoped.”
“He’s stubborn.”
She grinned. “Yes he is. So are you ready for tomorrow night?”
“Yup, we’re going to kick some as... er butt.”
She didn’t have much experience with teenagers, should she reprimand him for his almost slip? Naw.
“I bet you are. And you know what? I cannot wait to see a future NFL star.”
“Now don’t get to excited. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m a contender. I enjoy football, but I really think I’m going to John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I’m pretty sure they don’t have a football team.”
Abandoned (The Beckett Series Book 6) Page 18
