“Now you tell me,” Todd said dramatically. “Why can’t we have this conversation when we’re alone?”
“We have.” Sally laughed. “And it got us into trouble. Come on…” As Sally wove through the parents and teachers in the auditorium, she knew she’d never been happier. She’d seen Todd each night this week. No dangerous people had been hanging around and no one seemed worried that four weeks ago, someone had tried to kidnap her.
Life had almost returned to normal. She opened the door to her classroom to show Todd the ‘almost’ part in her normal. “What do you think?”
Max was standing in the center of the room, surrounded by a dozen nine-year-old children.
Todd’s eyes widened. “What have you done to him?”
Max gave a very manly doggy woof. The purple bow tied to his tail bounced in the air.
Sally waved her hand toward Max. “Todd Randall, meet Eeyore, played by a very capable, Max the Magnificent.” The children in the room started clapping. Max took one look at the admiration on his little friends’ faces and started licking everyone.
The pre-play serenity in the room vanished. Max galloped around the children, catching the unlucky few who’d missed out on being slobbered over. His donkey ears slipped off his head, causing a second riot as the children tried to put them back on his head. Rachel and another teacher joined the madness, trying to calm the children down and keep Max from licking everyone.
Todd let loose with a sharp, shrill whistle. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at him, including Max. “Max looks very handsome, but I’d suggest you put his leash on him now. Once the door is open, he’ll disappear quicker than you can move.
Rachel clipped a purple leash to Max’s collar and breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, everyone. Time to check your hair and makeup, then we’re heading to the side of the stage.”
The children dashed across to the odd assortment of mirrors on the desks. They’d raided all of their parents’ mirrors and brought them in for their musical masterpiece. With lip-gloss, glitter, and hair gel in place, the children lined up in front of the door.
Max stood behind them with Rachel.
Sally looked proudly at her students. “You all look amazing. Do you remember the words to the songs?”
Their little heads nodded.
“That’s wonderful. Enjoy yourselves on stage. I’ll be with your moms and dads in the audience.” Max panted from the back of the line and a little girl giggled.
“Let’s go,” the teacher at the front of the line said. “Say goodbye to Miss. Gray.”
A chorus of goodbyes filled the room. The door opened, the children left with Max, and Sally smiled. She looked around the room before sliding her hand inside Todd’s. “Wait until you see Max on the stage. He’s adorable.” She pulled Todd forward. He stayed where he was. She looked around the room again. “Did I forget something?”
Todd’s eyes gleamed wickedly under the fluorescent lights. He closed the door and stood in front of her. “I’d like to show you something.”
Sally laughed. “We’re standing in a children’s classroom and there’s no lock on the door.”
“Are you trying to scare me?”
“Just saying.” Sally wound her arms around his shoulders and gently nibbled on the skin below his ear. “What did you want to show me?” she whispered.
“This,” he whispered back.
Todd’s lips nudged hers, his tongue dipped into her mouth and Sally forgot to breathe. “You’re bad for me,” she sighed.
“I’m a dieter’s dream,” Todd murmured as his lips slid along her throat. “You can eat as much of me as you like and you won’t put on any weight.”
“In that case I’ll have a double helping of whatever you’re offering.” Sally giggled as Todd’s fingers tickled her ribs. “You’ll get me into trouble with the principal.”
“Only if we get caught,” Todd whispered as his hands moved to a spot that wasn’t tickly at all.
Sally groaned and pushed against him. “Someone could walk in.”
Todd lifted her against his chest and she wrapped her legs around his waist. His breath caught as she wiggled into a more comfortable position.
“I’ve got a plan…” He walked toward the closed door and pressed her against it.
Sally smiled. “I like a man who can think on his feet.”
Todd grunted, then showed her just how effective his plan was.
***
Someone knocked on the front door to The Bridesmaids Club headquarters. Sally looked up from the box of letters she was sorting on the floor.
“I’ll get it.” Tess turned the iron off and walked across the room. Molly stumbled inside. “You look terrible. What’s happened?”
“I’ve got the flu,” Molly croaked. “But I’ve got exciting news. The gallery accepted my exhibition proposal. I’m going to Los Angeles in five weeks’ time.”
“That’s incredible.” Tess wrapped her arms around Molly and gave her a hug. “I’m so proud of you.”
Molly stepped away and held her hand up. “Don’t come close. I’ve got nasty bugs and you’re getting married soon.”
Tess waved Molly’s worries away. “The café is full of sick people. They come and see me for coffee after they’ve seen the doctor.”
Sally raced up to Molly and gave her a hug, too. “Your exhibition is going to be amazing. California won’t know what’s hit them.”
Molly smiled. “I hope so. But for now I need to sit down before I fall down.”
While Tess made sure Molly was comfortable, Sally walked across to the kitchenette and made her a hot lemon and honey drink. “Why aren’t you in bed?”
“I wanted to tell you the good news.” Molly pulled a handful of tissues out of her pocket and blew her nose. “I know it’s expensive to fly there, but if you’d like to come to the opening night, I’d love you to be there.”
Sally handed Molly a steaming cup. “You can count me in,” she said. “Drink this. It might make you feel better.”
Molly took the cup and smiled. “Thank you. What are you doing?”
Sally looked at the papers she’d organized on the floor. “Rachel has gone on vacation for a week. We had another fourteen letters arrive yesterday, so I’m sorting them into piles.”
Molly took a sip of her drink. “Do you need any help?”
“No, I’m okay. Some of them are companies advertising their products. We’ve even got a couple of conference venues letting us know what they can do.”
Tess picked up a pile of multi-colored folders. “Once we’ve sorted the letters into these folders it’s going to be easy. Rachel’s saved some standard responses to most of the queries. We’ll make up our own answers to the rest.”
“Then after we’ve done that, we’ll add the people’s names and addresses to a spreadsheet and we’re finished.”
“Sounds too easy.” Molly blew her nose again and looked at the floor. “Just don’t let your kittens see all of the paper, Tess. They’ll think it’s play time.”
Tess smiled. “They’re tucked up inside the laundry. Logan refuses to let them into the garage.”
“Pebbles peed on the Porsche.” Sally grinned at the tongue-twister. “Logan wasn’t happy.”
Molly snorted. “I bet he wasn’t.”
“Talking about Porsches,” Tess said. “You’ll never believe who I saw in Angel Wings Café the other day.”
Sally left a cup of herbal tea in front of Tess. “This is for you.”
Tess frowned. “What happened to my cup of coffee?”
“I’m helping with your stress levels. Chamomile is supposed to be relaxing.”
Tess held the cup of tea under her nose and sniffed. “It doesn’t smell too bad.”
“It’s good for you.” Molly sneezed, then looked apologetically at Tess and Sally. “I’m really sorry about this. I wasn’t coughing or sneezing when I left home.”
Sally shrugged her shoulders. �
��Don’t worry about it.” She picked up one of the folders Tess had left on the coffee table and kneeled on the floor. “I want to know who Tess saw in the café. If it’s got anything to do with expensive cars, they must know Dylan.”
Tess frowned. “He might, but I don’t think so. Have you ever met Gracie McKenzie’s brothers? Well, they’re really her half-brothers, but it works out the same.”
Sally tried to remember the names of Gracie’s brothers. “Alex Green is the bull riding champion, but I haven’t seen him driving around in a Porsche.”
“He doesn’t have one,” Molly squeaked. “I photographed him for my portfolio. He owns some old classic cars.” She grabbed her tissues and let rip with a huge sneeze.
“You sound terrible,” Tess said. “After we’ve finished talking about fancy cars, I’m taking you home.”
“I’ve got my car parked outside,” Molly said. “I can drive home.”
“I’m sure you can, but it’s not going to happen. Now where were we?” Tess asked.
“Gracie’s brothers,” Sally said. “Are you talking about Jacob?”
“Who isn’t,” Molly said dryly.
Tess looked at her friend. “I know he’s not your most favorite person, but he is our first home-grown billionaire.”
Molly took her tissues across to the kitchen and put them in the trash. “Money isn’t everything.” Before she’d made it back to her chair, she’d sneezed three more times. “Right at this moment I’d pay someone a billion dollars to get rid of my bugs.”
“Pick me,” Sally said with a smile. “I wouldn’t mind a billion dollars.”
“I love you too much to do that to you,” Molly said between coughs. “I think it’s time I went home.”
“Come with me.” Tess jumped to her feet and led Molly to the door. “I’ve got some home-made chicken soup in the freezer. We’ll take that as well.”
“I don’t want to be a nuisance,” Molly said. “You’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Sally put two letters in a yellow folder. “Don’t worry about us. You need to get well for your gallery exhibition.”
A wobbly smile filled Molly’s face. “I do, don’t I? I’m so happy that I could almost dance an Irish jig on your kitchen floor.”
Tess held the door open. “You can do the jig when you’re feeling better. You need to go to bed.”
“You sound like my sister,” Molly moaned.
“Maybe you should have listened to her.” Tess passed Molly a box of tissues as they walked outside. “I’ll be back in half an hour, Sally. Will you be okay until then?”
Sally nodded. “I’ve got plenty of work to keep me busy. When I’ve finished these letters, I’ll check our emails.”
After Molly and Tess had left, Sally picked up the next letter and smiled. Annie would be here soon with lunch. They’d catch up on how her catering business was going, unpack the box of dresses that had arrived yesterday, and have a relaxing afternoon.
Sally looked up when the door opened again. She smiled, expecting to Tess. “What did you…”
The arms carrying a large box didn’t belong to Tess.
“A special delivery for The Bridesmaids Club.” Dylan, Tess’ fiancé, grinned from behind the box. “Where do you want them?”
“Hi, Dylan.” Sally stood up and cleared a space on the kitchen counter. “You can put it here. What did you mean by, ‘them’? How many boxes are there?”
“Three. They just arrived.”
Sally groaned. Maybe the afternoon wouldn’t be so relaxing after all.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Todd unbolted a screw from the back of the porch swing. The contractors had finished painting the house a week ago. The old wooden siding looked as good as new, but the swing was a different story.
“Let me know when you’re ready to lift the swing off its frame,” Dylan said from the bottom of the steps. “I’ve only got one more container left to plant.”
Dylan had been filling half a dozen containers with potting mix and daisies. Sally thought they’d pretty up the front of his home. Todd knew they would, but he’d never been much of a gardener. Which was why Dylan was on landscape duties and Todd was fixing the swing.
Dylan stuck his hands on his hips and watched what Todd was doing. “Anyone would think you’ve got the nesting bug. What is it with the flowers and painting?”
Todd shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve done nothing to the house since I bought the property. It was time I tidied it up.”
“You’re not thinking of selling are you?”
Todd glanced over his shoulder at Dylan. “I’ve thought about it, but no. Moving won’t solve my problems.”
“What will?”
Todd looked back at the swing. “Depends on which one you’re talking about.”
Dylan snorted. “Start at the top and work your way down.”
“I will if you give me a hand to lift the seat off the frame.”
“I always knew there was a multi-tasking brain beneath that cowboy hat.” Dylan wiped his hands on the side of his jeans and stood at one end of the swing. “On three?”
Todd nodded. “Put it on the drop cloth beside me. One…two…three…”
They lifted the swing off the metal frame and frog-marched it across the wooden porch.
“Jeez,” Dylan said as they lowered it to the ground. “It may not be pretty, but man, it weighs a ton.”
“Built to last.” Todd looked critically at the seat. He didn’t know how he was going to get it painted and back on its frame on his own. He might have to make lunch for Dylan more often.
“What’s number one?”
Todd looked blankly at Dylan.
“Your problems. Start at the top.”
“Has anyone told you how annoying you can be?”
Dylan smiled. “All the time. Why do you think I’m in security? Clients don’t tend to argue with me when I’m protecting them.”
“Or shooting the bad guys,” Todd muttered.
“That too. Stop changing the subject.”
Todd picked up a sanding block and kneeled on the porch. “My first problem is me.”
“No kidding.”
“You’re supposed to be helping, not making me feel worse.”
Dylan picked up another sheet of sandpaper and started rubbing the wood. “I get what you’re saying. Self-doubt is a killer. Literally. You want to feel sorry for yourself, go ahead. But give me an idea of how you’re going to fix problem number one.”
Todd looked at the sanding block in his hand and started rubbing the wood. “I’ve already started. I visited Emma and Josh’s graves while I was in Worland.”
“How did that go?”
“I knew it was going to be hard. I hadn’t been out there since their funeral. I took Max. He’s a good listener.”
Dylan glanced across the porch at the browny-gray shape curled against the rails. “Did it help?”
Todd nodded. “More than I realized.”
Dylan finished giving the arms of the chair a light sand. “Are you going to paint or stain the wood?”
“Paint. There’s a photo of the ranch house in the public library. I’ve copied the colors the original owners used.”
Dylan looked around the porch and smiled. “They must have had quite a creative streak. White on white is so…”
“Boring?”
“I was going to say…easy. It’s crisp, clean, and goes with anything.”
Todd sanded a stubborn patch of paint. “You sound like Sally.”
“Is she problem number two?”
Todd shook his head and smiled. “She’s not a problem. She’s an opportunity.”
“Mmm…”
“What?”
“I felt the same about Annie and look where we ended up.” Todd watched Dylan’s face soften. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“You’re lucky.”
“We’re both lucky.”
Todd frowned as his cell pho
ne rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the caller display. “It’s Detective Munroe.”
Dylan stopped sanding.
Todd put the phone to his ear and wondered why the detective would be calling him. “Hello?”
“Todd? It’s Brian Munroe. I’ve got some news for you. You need to sit down.”
Todd glanced at Dylan. “I’m on my knees already. What’s going on?”
“The FBI arrested two men last night. They were attempting to cross the Canadian border with a shipment of cocaine.”
“What’s that got to do with me?”
Detective Munroe didn’t say anything for a few minutes. “They had information about your wife and son’s murder. Mitch Zambezi wasn’t involved.”
“What?”
“The man behind their murders wasn’t interested in whether you were testifying against Mitch Zambezi or not. It was a mistake. The men who killed your wife and son went to the wrong house. You weren’t their intended target.”
Todd sank to the ground. “Are you sure?”
“The man responsible was their boss. They kept evidence of what he’d been doing.”
He tried to process what Detective Munroe was saying. But all he could think about was the mistake that had cost his wife and son their lives.
“Are you still there, Todd?”
He took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m here.”
Dylan sat beside him, offering his quiet support for something he hadn’t expected to hear.
Todd stared at the porch swing, but didn’t see a thing. He tried to think clearly, to make sense of what Detective Munroe was saying. “If Mitch Zambezi had nothing to do with Emma and Josh’s deaths, why is he following me?”
“You uncovered the child smuggling ring he’d set up. He wanted you dead before you came to us with your evidence.”
Todd rubbed his eyes with his hand. He felt like he’d stepped into a bad nightmare that had just taken a dirty, twisted, turn. “What about Sally? Why did they try to kidnap her?”
“To hurt you.”
Todd didn’t know what to say or think. So he sat perfectly still, lost in four years of grief and despair.
“Todd?” Detective Munroe’s voice sounded worried.
Head Over Heels (The Bridesmaids Club Book 3) Page 21
