His heart plummeted, understanding her implication. Sighing, he said, “You know I won’t be back at Careway. I have to report to headquarters tomorrow…there will be more work I need to do to finalize the case against the ones arrested.”
Nodding slowly, she said, “Yes. That’s what I thought.”
“This doesn’t have to be the end of us,” he pleaded, his heart aching. “Lots of couples do long-distance…”
Her lips curved in a sad smile, her chest heaving with a sigh. “I fell in love with a man who lived near me, in a simple camper, who understood that I wanted a place by the beach. A man that showed me I didn’t have to depend on myself all the time, he would be there for me. What happens the next time you have to go undercover, Hunter? Where will you be then?”
Unable to give her an answer, he sighed and shook his head slowly.
She stepped up to the front door, her hand shaking as the key turned. Twisting her head to look at him again, she added, “I understand why you did what you did, and I promise you, I’m not angry about it. But I don’t see how this can work. You know me now. You know what I want…what I need. Someone to be there for me… And you can’t do that. You have a job to do two hours away and I have one as well, that’s here. Both important with many other people dependent on us.” A tear slid down her cheek as she said, “I wish you well, Hunter…you’ll always have a part of my heart, but I don’t see how we can move forward. Goodbye.”
He stood, his heart aching as he watched her door shut firmly and heard the lock click into place.
24
“Nurse Gunn!”
Belle walked into the room of Carlotta Martinez and smiled broadly at the scowling woman. “What can I do for you, Mrs. Martinez?”
“You can help me find my necklace.”
She observed the older woman as her arthritic hands rummaged through an old jewelry box.
“My Charlie gave it to me on our first anniversary and I wanted my granddaughter to have it for her wedding day.”
After gaining a description, she searched the jewelry box to no avail and then widened her search to Mrs. Martinez’s drawers.
“It’s rose gold with two C’s entwined around a heart.”
Unable to locate the necklace, a sliver of unease began crawling along her spine. “When did you have it last?”
“I wore it on my anniversary last month. Charlie might not be here any longer but I still remember him and wore it to honor him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure,” the older woman snapped. “My daughter made a comment about it when she saw my picture.”
“I’ll have the housekeepers look for it as well, Mrs. Martinez.”
Hurrying down the hall, she stopped by Mr. Weldon’s secretary, greeting her before saying, “Please let him know as soon as he has a chance, he and I need to meet. There’re some things we need to go over.”
“You can go on in, Belle,” Roberta agreed. “He just got in from meeting with the PR company.”
Settling in the chair indicated, she observed Mr. Weldon, seeing the deeper creases next to his eyes, knowing they were no longer just laugh lines. Hesitating for a few seconds, she plunged ahead, “I know you’re just coming up from the Linda fiasco, but we never got back to talking about the item stolen from Mr. Rosenberg that ended up in the pawn shop. You said you would speak to the police and I wanted to know if they found anything.”
She watched two spots of pink appear on his cheeks and he dropped his eyes, but replied in the affirmative.
“Yes, yes, of course I reported it. They said they would check on it, but to be honest, I haven’t thought about it with everything else going on.”
“Oh…okay. I just hate to think that we have an ongoing problem with thefts. Now, Mrs. Martinez is missing a necklace.”
“The last thing we need,” he said, his voice clipped, “is another scandal. And as far as she goes, her memory is not very good.”
“I agree, but—”
“How is everything else going?” he asked.
“Fine,” she answered, uncomfortable with the change in subject. “The residents appear to be resettled after the events of the past couple of weeks.”
“Good, good, that’s what we need.” His smile was now wide and beaming toward her. “You’ve had a great deal to do with that and I appreciate your dedication more than you can know.”
She nodded, then observed as he glanced at his watch. Taking the cue, she stood and walked back down the hall to her small office. Taking over for Linda, she had an office of her own, connected to the nurses’ station. Sitting at her desk, she rubbed her head, willing the burgeoning headache to abate.
The last few weeks had proven to be difficult, but not impossible. The gossip from the staff centering around Linda had finally eased and they had rallied around Belle in her new position. Mr. Weldon and she had worked with the state’s Department of Health, to devise new policies for the receiving of pharmaceuticals. Matrix Pharmaceuticals was also creating new policies for their drivers and customers. She knew he was facing scrutiny from the families of the residents, but life seemed to be returning to normal at Careway.
She loved working on the changes, but still made sure she spent time on the floor with the residents every day. Deciding she needed a break, she headed out the side door to the courtyard. A smooth walkway offered the residents a chance to move easily between the flower beds, tables set up with umbrellas, and the small water fountain. Several crepe myrtle trees provided shade and a brick, outdoor grill gave the chef a chance to have a few barbeques during the warmer weather.
She was pleased to see that the courtyard was empty and she strolled past the flowers, choosing to sit on a bench underneath a tree by the fountain. Closing her eyes, she allowed the sunshine to warm her, easing her headache.
“Surprised to find you taking a break.”
Opening her eyes at the voice, she smiled at the man in the wheelchair, rolling toward her.
“Mr. Rasky, how are you?”
He stopped his chair in the shade, putting on the brakes. “I’m an old man, how do you think I am?”
A giggle slipped out as she caught his grin.
His eyes never left her face as he said, “But I think the important question is, how are you?”
“I’m fine.” She caught his raised eyebrow and she hastened to add, “I admit the job change has taken some getting used to and, certainly, the reason for the change was unexpected—”
“Not to me,” he quipped.
She jolted slightly at his words and her eyes widened. “I’m sorry?”
“Linda was nice enough, but she never looked me in the eye when she talked to me. Always thought that was odd. I don’t trust someone who doesn’t look me in the eye.”
She opened her mouth to speak, then, snapped it closed, uncertain what to say as her mind cast back to Linda’s behavior prior to her arrest. After a moment, she said, “Yes, well…uh…I just thought she was an excellent nurse…I guess that shows how much I know about someone’s character.”
“I’ll tell you something I said to Mr. Simmons one time—once you get an idea about someone, it’s hard to let it go.”
She dropped her chin and sighed heavily, before peering at him in the eyes again. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not just talking about Linda?”
He settled his wise gaze on her and added, “I’m a good judge of character and I thought he was just the type of man you needed in your life.”
“He…we just…well, he’s gone now.”
“Must have been a disappointment to find out that he was an undercover cop.”
Blinking, she stammered, “No, uh…not a disappointment. Just…surprised.”
“Some surprises are good,” he quipped. “Keeps life interesting. Takes us out of the ordinary. Gets us thinking…dreaming…hoping.”
The weight on her chest, just as heavy, pressed in. “Yes, but Mr. Rasky, some surprises kill our dreams.”
“Maybe,” he replied, flipping the locks off his wheelchair before wheeling backward. “But, then again, new dreams can always take their place. You just have to be willing to give them a try.” With that, he deftly turned his chair and wheeled away.
She stared at his back, wondering if she had refused to consider the idea of a new dream.
Belle walked into the Baytown Police Station and smiled at the indomitable receptionist. “Hello, Mrs. Score,” she greeted.
“Why, Belle, hello! I haven’t seen you in forever. How are you?”
Giving the requisite response that hid her heart, she said, “Fine, just fine.”
“Whatcha need?”
“I was wondering how to find out if a police report had been filed.”
Before Mable had a chance to respond, Mitch walked from the back, his gaze landing on her.
“A report?” he asked, walking closer. “Come to my office, Belle.”
His concern was warming and she appreciated his interest. She followed him into his office, only slightly bigger than hers and even messier. She remembered when his father had been the Police Chief and even further back, his grandfather.
Taking the chair he indicated, she said, “It’s just that I discovered a theft from one of our residents and the director was going to report it to the police, but…um…” Her voice trailed off as she realized that she was implying Mr. Weldon had not done his duty.
“Was it at the nursing home?” Seeing her nod, Mitch explained, “That would have gone through Colt and the Sheriff Department, since the nursing home is not in the town limits of Baytown.”
Blushing furiously, she said, “Oh, how stupid of me. Of course.” Jumping up, she blurted, “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine, Belle. Please, sit. I haven’t seen you in a while, so please…”
She slid back into her chair, the heat of blush still on her face. “I don’t know why I never thought about the location of Careway.”
Chuckling, he said, “It’s easy to forget. Plus, Colt works with us on a lot of cases, so it makes it even easier for others to blur the lines.”
They sat in silence for a moment before he asked, “How is Careway? I heard you were now the head nurse. Congratulations.”
“Thank you…and things are okay. We’ve had to work closely with the Department of Health to make sure that none of the patients’ health was compromised with Linda’s actions. They weren’t, but as you can imagine, all i’s needed to be dotted and t’s crossed in the reports.”
“I’m sure it hasn’t been easy.”
She nodded politely and smiled again, “It’s better.”
“And you?”
Her eyes widened but before she could think of a response, he continued, “About you and Hunter…I know it hasn’t been easy.”
Heart pounding, she swallowed deeply. Having poured her heart out to the girls, including his wife, Tori, she was sure he must know the depths of her hurt. Before she stopped herself, she blurted, “To be honest, it hasn’t. I’m really proud of him but, well…kind of feel like I was blindsided by it all. And now, he has his life in Richmond and I have mine here.”
He appeared to want to say more, but instead, just nodded. “Well, you should go talk to Colt about your concerns with the nursing home.”
Standing, she clasped his outstretched hand and thanked him. Walking out, she looked over her shoulder as he called out, “Sometimes lives change, Belle. You never know.”
Tilting her head, she simply nodded before passing Mable and walking back into the sunshine.
Sitting in Colt’s office, she recognized the similarities to Mitch’s, but it was significantly bigger. In fact, the entire Sheriff’s Office was larger, considering the size of North Heron County compared to little Baytown.
Colt was tall—probably as tall as Hunter, but had lean muscles, instead of Hunter’s bulk. Inwardly grimacing, she wondered if she were now going to compare every man to Hunter, and find them lacking.
“Ms. Gunn?”
Startled out of her musings, she blurted, “Sorry, Sheriff Hudson. My mind is…everywhere. And, please, call me Belle.”
Colt smiled, his outward demeanor of an easy-going cowboy in place, but she was sure that image was a mistake to anyone who crossed him. She explained what she had found at the pawn shop and her subsequent confusing conversations with Mr. Weldon.
He tilted his head and turned to his computer. After several clicks, he shook his head. “Belle, there hasn’t been a report filed about anything to do with Careway, Mr. Rosenberg, or a missing pocket watch.”
Blowing out her breath, she leaned back in her chair. “But why…why…”
“Would you like me to look into it?” he asked. “I can drop by the pawn shop and nose around.”
“I don’t know,” she replied, honestly. “I mean, I don’t know what the protocol is. Maybe Mr. Weldon has just been so overwhelmed that he forgot and then didn’t want me to know he’s forgotten.”
“Has there been anything else missing?”
“Well, yesterday, another resident seems to be missing a necklace. To be honest, when I left here I was going to go to the pawn shop and just see if it happened to be there.”
“No, don’t,” he warned. “Let us do the checking.” Taking down the description of Mrs. Martinez’s necklace, he said, “I’ll have one of my deputies go take a look.”
“I would feel better if Mr. Weldon was doing this himself, but I know he’s so busy.”
He nodded noncommittally, but assured her that he would check into it. Thanking him, she stood and walked to the door, when he called out, “Have you heard from Hunter?”
She looked over her shoulder, wondering how long everyone was going to be asking her about him, and shook her head. “No.” His expression was intense but as she stared, he just nodded.
“I’ll let you know what I find.”
Walking out, she pondered the meaning behind his question…and the look he gave her.
25
Belle sat in her car outside Mitch and Tori’s beach cabin, uncertain that she wanted to go inside. She knew all of her friends would be there, but dreaded the uncomfortable silences as they danced around the subject of Hunter and passed shared glances between each other, unaware that she noticed.
Pressing her lips tightly together, she dropped her head to the steering wheel for a moment, steeling her nerves. I’ve lived through worse. She knew the thought was true but in the three weeks since Hunter had left, she had cried rivers, her heart aching. Nights had been hard, but sunrises were worse. Now when she peered out on the dawn, she wondered what the new day would bring, no longer excited about the possibilities. Finally, she bolted from the car, angry that she was allowing the situation to keep her from having fun.
Walking out onto the back deck, she surveyed the activities, so familiar to her. Callan, Ginny, and Brogan playing volleyball with a few of the Coast Guard servicemen. Tori, Katelyn, and Jillian setting up the food while Mitch, Colt, and Grant manned the grill. Aiden was flirting with a woman Belle did not recognize and assumed she was a vacation fling. Jade and Lance were around the fire pit with Zac and Madelyn.
The scene was exactly like the many times she had come to the beach parties single. All normal…and yet, not so, now that she was alone again. Why did being single not bother me before Hunter? With no answer to that question, she threw a quick smile at her friends before deciding to take a walk along the beach. With her shoes in her hand, she wandered past the volleyball game and down to the water.
Hunter stepped out onto the deck, his gaze scanning the gathering, quickly assessing who was there and who was missing. Belle was the only one he did not see. Moving to the grill, he greeted some of the others just before Zac spotted him.
Hustling over, Zac called out, “Good to see you, man. Didn’t expect to see you here today.”
The other men welcomed him as well, but he noticed the women’s smiles aimed at him did not reach their eyes.
“Still got my camper here and had some vacation time accrued, so I wanted to come back. I know we’ve got an AL meeting and another youth game coming up.”
“Good,” Mitch replied. “The kids will be glad to see you.”
He accepted the beer Zac handed to him and stayed on the deck, noticing that no one mentioned Belle. The women had moved to the tables, huddling around and he had no doubt he was being discussed.
Turning to Zac, he asked quietly, “How is she?”
Zac rubbed his chin and sighed. “Don’t know what to tell you, Hunter. I haven’t seen her in weeks until today. I will let you know that she’s down on the beach somewhere. Madelyn says Belle hasn’t been around town much and hasn’t gone out with the girls at all. Seems she’s been buried at work ever since…well, you know.”
His gaze shot toward the beach, scanning, until he spied her in the distance, her blue sundress fluttering in the breeze. Her long hair was braided, tied with a blue ribbon.
He turned to step off the deck, but his arm was caught by Zac’s hand. He tilted his head to the side, the unasked question heavy in the air.
“Look, man, I have no idea what’s going on between the two of you, but she’s hurtin’. She tries to hide it but it shows.”
“Don’t plan on making it worse,” he said, his voice rough.
“Your plans and what actually happens might be two different things.”
The retort died on his lips as he sucked in a quick breath.
Zac continued, “So, is Baytown your vacation town now?” Throwing up his hands, he quickly added, “Hey, if it is, that’s fine. Lots of part-time residents here and I’ll be glad to see you whenever you can make it back.” He hesitated, then, continued, “It’s just that I have no idea where that’ll leave you and Belle.”
Waiting for Sunrise: Baytown Boys Series Page 19
