by Amy Reece
“Unlock the goddamn door!” Cara screeched as she pounded on the security screen, which had been so recently installed after the break-in.
Nina stepped over Gordy’s splayed legs to flip the lock and let Cara in.
She pushed past Nina to stare down at Gordy. “What the hell is going on? Who is that?” She glanced from the body on the floor to Nina. “Shit, girl! Give me that!” She took the gun from Nina’s shaking hands.
“Did I kill him?” Nina’s voice was calm, but she couldn’t stop the trembling in her hands and legs.
“Hopefully.” Cara reached for her cell phone and dialed 9-1-1. She told them she had interrupted a home invasion and they needed to send police, paramedics, and an ambulance. Then she called Finn. “Okay.” She hung up and turned to Nina. “Sit down and give me the quick version before they get here.”
By the time Nina finished her story, they heard sirens approaching. Gordy hadn’t awakened and she feared she might truly have killed him. She didn’t want to be responsible for his death; she wanted him to live and go to jail for the rest of his life. Cara kept the gun trained on him anyway. Once the sirens sounded near, Cara laid the gun on the counter, far away from Gordy, saying she didn’t want to be shot when the police came in.
The ambulance was close behind the police and Nina was relieved to learn Gordy was still alive. The paramedics were treating her for shock when Finn and Chris arrived. She had barely finished giving her statement to the police when Seamus burst in.
“Nina!”
She stood and ran to him, pushing a paramedic out of the way. The only place she wanted to be in that moment was in his arms. As he pulled her close, she finally gave way to the tears that had been threatening to burst forth all afternoon.
He led her to the sofa and wrapped her in a blanket, holding her while Finn told him what had happened. “Where is he? Where’s Gordy?” Seamus bit the words out.
“On his way to the hospital. Don’t worry; he’s not going anywhere. Nina clocked him good with a bowl of some sort,” Finn said.
“My Fiesta ware fruit bowl.” She sat up and reached for a tissue on the side table. “I broke my beautiful Fiesta ware fruit bowl on his fucking face.”
Seamus pulled her back against him and kissed the top of her head. “Good job, hon. I’ll buy you another fruit bowl, I swear. God, it was him all along?”
“Apparently,” Chris said, entering the room. She handed a bottle of water to Nina. “I got hold of your mom. She’s going to keep the girls until you’re ready for them. She said she’ll keep them all night, if necessary.”
Nina nodded and opened the water. “When can I clean up the kitchen? And I need a shower in the worst way.” She stared down at her silky blouse, now spattered with Gordy’s blood.
“I’ll clean up the kitchen as soon as they let me,” Cara said. “You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Thanks, sis,” Seamus said. He turned to Nina. “We can go get the girls as soon as everything is finished here. I know you want them close.”
“I do.” She capped the water bottle and looked up at him. “But I want you here too. Please stay.”
“Always.”
Epilogue
Seamus
“You sure it’s warm enough for you?” He reached for her hand, which was ice cold.
“It’s fine. It’s so gorgeous; I don’t want to go back inside yet.”
They stood on the beach, gazing out on Tomales Bay, an hour and a half north of San Francisco. Nina was on spring break and they’d decided to take a short vacation, just the two of them. Her parents had taken the girls to Disneyland, and Seamus and Nina had grabbed the opportunity to leave town as well for a few days. The months since Gordy’s arrest had been stressful and they needed to get away. He’d been arraigned and was being held without bail until his murder trial, but Chris told them he had also been charged with treason and would likely stand trial for those federal charges first. Treason carried a possible death sentence, so the likely life sentence for his murder trial in New Mexico would be moot. It serves him right, but shit! A death sentence? Seamus shivered at the thought and pulled Nina close. He didn’t want to think about betrayal, murder, and death here in this beautiful place.
Kira had surprised them all by turning up on Nina’s front porch two days after Gordy’s arrest. Finn and Chris had discovered the life insurance check ripped into tiny pieces in Kira’s trash can.
“I didn’t want his money,” she explained over coffee. “I had no idea he took out an insurance policy; he never told me.”
“But why did you leave so suddenly? We thought—”
“I know, believe me. The police showed up at my mother’s house in Poughkeepsie with guns drawn. I just needed to get away. It was all too much, and I couldn’t take it anymore.” She broke into sobs and buried her face in her hands.
Seamus exchanged a bewildered glance with Nina as she awkwardly patted Kira on the back.
“I still don’t understand why you left, Kira. You ripped up the insurance check. Why?”
Kira lifted her tear-stained face, mascara streaming from her eyes. “Because I don’t deserve it. I cheated on Neal! I was having an affair! That’s the kind of person I am!”
“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. We all make mistakes. I wish you’d chosen someone other than Gordy though.”
“Gordy? Gordon Sanderson? Why would you think I had an affair with him? Oh, my God! Did he tell you that?”
Nina nodded, apparently dumbfounded.
“He wishes! He came on to me soon after Neal and I started dating, but I would never sleep with my boyfriend’s best friend. Correction: supposed best friend.” She shrugged. “I met Dan at the hospital. He’s a surgeon.” She stood and carried her mug to the sink. “I’m in love with him. I was going to tell Neal, but it was so hard. I might not have loved him anymore, but I certainly didn’t want to hurt him. When he died, I thought he’d found out about Dan and killed himself.” She poured the dregs of her coffee down the drain and turned to them, fresh tears streaking through the black makeup. “I’m so sorry.”
Seamus had expected Nina to rail against her, but she’d blown him away by gathering Kira in her arms and holding her as she cried. When would he stop being surprised by the depth of Nina’s heart?
He had finished the arson academy a few weeks before Izzy had her baby, a boy she and Mac named Benjamin David. He was beginning to settle into his new job, and although he missed the camaraderie of the station, he loved the new work and the more normal hours that went along with it. Being home with Nina and the girls nearly every evening was awesome, and he was eager to make the situation permanent.
“I can’t believe you found this place.” Nina slipped her arm around his waist. “It’s perfect.”
He’d asked around at the office and had liked the sound of this out-of-the-way resort situated right on the water. Their room had a small kitchenette and a patio they’d been enjoying in the cool evenings, sipping wine they bought at local wineries in Sonoma and Napa while watching the sun set over the waters of the bay. It was still early enough in the season that the resort was sparsely populated, and both were enjoying the peace and quiet. “I’m glad you approve. Does this look like a good spot?” They’d come down to the beach with a picnic dinner of local oysters, fresh sourdough bread, cheese made on a nearby farm, and a chilled bottle of sparkling white wine they’d found earlier in the day.
She nodded and spread the blanket she carried on the sand. “I don’t want to leave tomorrow.”
He grinned at her. “Me neither. I do miss the girls, though. I hope they like the sweatshirts we found for them.”
“Of course they will.” She twisted the wires from the wine and popped the cork. “Here.” She handed him a glass of the bubbly wine. They’d borrowed the glasses and other utensils from the cupboard in their room.
He took the wine and sipped. Then he cleared his throat. “Nina, I want to ask you something.” He’d pla
nned this a hundred different ways and hadn’t been satisfied with any of them. It had to be perfect; Nina deserved no less. He’d almost asked a half dozen times but couldn’t quite get the words out. Now they were on their last night and he was out of time.
She paused mid-sip and gazed at him. “Okay.”
He set his glass on the blanket and reached into his pocket for the small pouch, which had been burning a hole there all week. His hand got stuck. His attempts to dislodge it caused his glass to tip over on the uneven ground, spilling wine all over his jeans. Shit. He finally wrestled his hand from his pocket and tried to open the drawstring pouch. The strings had tangled, of course, and he cursed as he struggled to undo what chaos theory said couldn’t be undone.
“May I help?”
“Nope. I got it.” He didn’t have it. “Damn it, Nina.” He chuckled ruefully. “This was supposed to be perfect. I’m sorry.”
She arched her delicate eyebrows. “What was supposed to be perfect?”
“This proposal. I’ve been trying to find the perfect moment all week to ask you to marry me, but now we’re out of time and I can’t manage to get these effing strings undone!” His fingers had become useless sausages, fumbling with the tiny silken threads.
She smiled and reached for the small bag. “Let me try.” She took the bag and had the knot undone in a few seconds. “Small fingers.” She winked and returned the pouch. “Carry on.”
He smiled and rolled his eyes. “Yes, ma’am.” He pulled her to her feet and lowered himself to one knee.
“The whole nine yards, huh?”
“Of course.” He cleared his throat. He had no idea why he was so nervous. He’d basically moved in to her house, after all; they were living as a married couple already. “Nina Braden, I love you with all my heart. I love your daughters like they’re my own. Would you make me the happiest man alive and do me the honor of marrying me? I promise to spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy.”
She smiled as a tear tracked down her cheek. Then she knelt in front of him and leaned forward to kiss him. “I love you with all my heart and soul, Seamus. I always have. Can I see the ring?”
“Oh, yeah.” But he dropped it in the sand and buried it when he lunged for the tiny piece of jewelry. They spent nearly three minutes scrabbling around, sifting sand through their fingers.
“Ah ha!” Nina held it up triumphantly, blowing sand from the crevices.
Seamus peered at it. “No, that’s not it. Keep looking.” But he was laughing, the ridiculousness of the situation finally winning.
“Sweet. I get two.” She handed the ring to him. “Put it on.”
He grinned and took her hand, fitting the diamond solitaire on her slim finger. “You haven’t answered me yet.”
“I didn’t? Oh,” she said with a laugh. “I guess I didn’t. Of course I’ll marry you.”
“Whew. Great.” He pulled her close and kissed her soundly. “I’m glad that’s out of the way. Sorry I muffed it up so badly.”
She laughed and pulled his head back for another kiss. “It was certainly unique. Why were you so nervous?”
“I don’t know.” He stared into her luminous green eyes, willing her to understand. “But it’s the most important question I’ve ever asked, and I wanted it to be perfect. You deserve the best, Nina.”
“So do you.” She grinned and looped her arms around his neck. “Would it be indelicate to ask when you want us to get married?”
“I’d marry you tonight if I could. You name the day and I’ll be there.”
“Hmm. I don’t want a big wedding unless you do.” She glanced up at him through her lashes. When he shook his head, she continued. “How about right after school lets out for the summer? I’m not teaching a first session summer class, so I’ll have time. Getting stabbed used up all my sick days, but I should be able to take a week of vacation around then.”
“Sounds good to me. Listen, Nina. We could probably have the reception in my parents’ backyard. Finn and Mel did that, and it was really nice. Do you, uh, mind if we have the ceremony in church, though? My mom is pretty traditional.”
She smiled. “I don’t mind. Do I need to become Catholic before then?”
“You’d do that? I know you’ve always been Protestant.”
“It’s important to you. Besides, I haven’t gone to church in years.”
“Well, I don’t make it to mass nearly as often as my mother would like.” He kissed her again and tucked a fly-away strand of hair behind her ear. “What do you say we eat this picnic before the oysters desert us and head back to the ocean? I don’t think I spilled all the wine.”
“I’m starving, so I say yes. Besides, oysters are an aphrodisiac. Did you know?”
“I had no idea.” But his grin told her he was lying. He pulled her across the blanket and fell back, causing her to sprawl across his chest. “I really don’t think we need an aphrodisiac, do you?”
She arched her eyebrows and smirked. “Prove it.”
He loved her feisty spirit. “You got it.” He rolled, pulling her body under his and lowered his mouth to hers. She tasted of the fruity wine and he swept his tongue in to taste her more deeply. He found the edge of her sweatshirt and pushed his hand underneath to cup her breast, teasing the nipple until it was a hard bud. He kissed and caressed her for several long minutes, then rolled away. “That’s all for now, you naughty minx. I don’t want to get arrested for having sex on a public beach.” He rooted inside the picnic basket. “Let’s eat these oysters, then I’ll take you back to our room and see how well they work.”
The End
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Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Lacey, who spent so many hours—many of them in the hot tub—helping me talk through the plot and decide who Neal’s killer really was. Thanks also to my amazing writing group, Maslow’s Ding Dong. You guys rock and continue to keep me honest and humble.
As always, I must give a shout out to my editor extraordinaire, Toni Rakestraw, who polishes and shines and pushes me to be a better writer. Thanks also to the whole team at Limitless Publishing for the opportunity they’ve provided, and the enormous amount of care and work that goes into each and every book.
About the Author
Amy Reece lives in New Mexico with her incredible husband and two ridiculous mutts, Greta and Sodapop. When she’s not writing, she’s teaching high school English and social studies or maybe wandering through a thrift store in search of the next lucky teapot for her vast collection. She is an unrepentant bookaholic and has overflowing bookshelves in nearly every room of her house. Her favorite authors include J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and C.S. Lewis–must have something to do with initials! She loves to travel and is hoping to need many research trips for future writing projects.
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