That Unexpected Kiss

by Tamara Ferguson

  They were quiet for the next few minutes until Christina said abruptly, “It’ll happen with one single kiss, you know.”

  Kiss? Shaking her head, Julie sat up and grinned. “Whaaat?”

  “You’ll fall in love,” Christina announced. “It’ll happen with one, single, unexpected kiss.”

  Julie began to laugh. “Where in the heck did that prediction come from? One minute we were talking about Indian Folklore and Dragonfly Pointe and next minute we were talking about love.”

  But when Julie’s eyes met hers, Christina remained solemn. “Really. I’m not kidding. You’ll know he’s the one from that moment on.”

  Suddenly, Christina grinned.

  Julie blinked. “You’re not serious?”

  “Yes, I am,” Christina answered, nodding weakly up and down.

  Julie giggled, clearing her throat. “Well, I’m not ready to be thinking about that yet.” And reaching out and grabbing Christina’s hand, Julie gave it a reassuring squeeze.

  It was weird. At the touch of Julie’s hand Christina instantly became serious again. “Someday you’ll be ready to know what happened with your mom,” Christina whispered.

  Julie stilled, holding Christina’s hand, as a multitude of emotions began running through her mind.

  Dan Callahan suddenly appeared at the entrance of the cave. “Hey, guys.” He looked at Christina. “Kate said Christina might need some help getting back to the bonfire?”

  “Sure,” Christina answered, hesitating. “Can we stay here for just a few more minutes? I’m feeling a little tired.” Christina’s eyes were nearly closed.

  Gently tugging her hand away, Julie tucked Christina’s hand under the blanket. She was sound asleep.

  Dan’s look was tender, staring down at Christina.

  “Is it the medication?” he asked Julie quietly.

  “Yep,” she answered softly as her eyes filled with tears.

  “Why don’t we switch places?” Dan suggested. “I’ll stay here so you can get over to the party.”

  When Julie nodded her agreement, Dan reached out with his hand, helping her to her feet.

  Moving through the opening that led outside, Julie looked back at Dan where he was sitting on the blanket beside Christina. “Make sure you tell her, Dan.”

  Dan’s eyes went wide. “What?”

  “You know what. I’ve seen the way you look at her.”

  Dan’s smile was wry. “You think?”

  “I do,” Julie said firmly. “If it were me, I’d want to know.”

  Dan was suddenly looking emotional.

  Julie took that moment to escape. It was hard to believe she’d been inside no more than twenty minutes speaking with Christine.

  Just as she looked upward, a shooting star flashed across the sky. God, the sky was so beautiful tonight, and Julie decided to make three wishes upon that unexpected star. The first was the most important—by some miracle Christina would live on. The second wish was yes, Julie would finally discover why her mother had disappeared. Both she and her father somehow felt lacking.

  And the third wish? That was easy. Someday both she and her father would finally be able to move forward without thinking about the past.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Ten years later...

  Dylan Nash strolled through the lobby of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, and after inquiring at the front desk, made his way determinately through the restaurant and breezeway, knocking at the door of Jake Loughlin’s office.

  “Come on in,” Jake called out.

  But Dylan was already walking through the doorway.

  Jake held a finger to his mouth when Dylan began to speak, motioning with his head toward the employee seated near his desk.

  “Oh, sorry.” Dylan shook his head in confusion. He wasn’t usually off his game as much as he was today, but he’d spent a long exhausting night on surveillance and hadn’t had a whole lot of time for sleep the week before. “Hi, Kevin. How are things going?” Kevin Wyatt was the second in command of security at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn.

  “Not so bad,” Kevin answered. “How’s everything with you, Dylan? Kate doing alright?”

  Dylan gave Kevin a rueful grin. “Yeah, as far as I know. I haven’t seen too much of her this past week.”

  Jake was standing up and reaching into his pocket. “You look like you could use some coffee?”

  Dylan nodded his agreement.

  Jake handed Dylan a key. “Why don’t you go upstairs to the apartment? There’s some coffee made. I’ll join you there in a minute.”

  “Okay, Jake. See you around, Kev.” Dylan gave Kevin a half-hearted salute as he left the office and shut the door behind him.

  Sending Dylan upstairs could only mean one thing; Jake had some sensitive information to share with Dylan, he assumed, unlocking the door at the top of the staircase and stepping inside.

  Supposedly, Jake and his wife had begun their life together in this apartment, and when Dylan had arrived in town, he’d holed up here for a few days discussing his special assignment with Jake.

  Dylan had maintained a pretty good cover in Crystal Rock. FBI Special Agent Jake Loughlin was Dylan’s only connection with his former life since arriving in town a few years back. But as a game warden who regularly patrolled the lake and nearby preserves, Dylan was having big-time trouble with his boss, Jim Dupree, who was making it difficult for him to do his job effectively, along with his undercover work.

  Dylan was pouring himself a cup of coffee when Jake entered the apartment through the doorway, locking the door securely behind him. He made his way across the living room and over to a door that Dylan had once assumed led into a closet. Boy, had he been wrong. Jake had a state of the art office behind that door along with costly equipment, computers and technology that someone who was tech savvy only dreamed of having access to.

  Jake could afford it, Dylan supposed. He was the owner of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, along with a slew of other hotels and business enterprises scattered around the globe.

  Dylan had once asked Jake, with so many things going on in his life, why did he still serve as a special agent?

  Jake had simply answered because I can. And I have no hidden agenda.

  That’d been exactly what Dylan needed to hear. Trusting people behind the badge had become a major concern for him as well. Especially since Dylan had a hidden agenda of his own for taking on this assignment, and Jake had been the ideal person to turn to.

  Jake walked out of his office with some printouts in his hand. “Sit down, Dylan. I’ve got a couple of things I need to discuss with you.”

  Dylan dropped onto the stool at the kitchen island, and after laying down the printout on the counter, Jake sat down beside him.

  “First, tell me how it’s going with Jim?”

  Dylan sighed. “Not so well. Something’s up with the guy, for sure. I have discovered he has a big-time gambling problem by keeping an eye on him this past week, but there’s no law against that.” Dylan hesitated. “There still has to be something more going on with him though. I’m getting sick of having my schedule constantly switched up. One week it’s morning, and the next week it’s evening.” Dylan rolled his eyes. “Which wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t always swapping it up last minute and screwing with my sleep.”

  Jake nodded, obviously concerned. “So—not much time for surveillance?”

  “Since I’ve been following Jim? Not for the guys I’m supposed to be checking out. Especially those of them living out of town. If I don’t have some consistency in my schedule, I won’t have time to keep running down the men and women on our list.”

  Jake grimaced. “Do you need me to dig deeper into Jim Dupree’s past?”

  “Couldn’t hurt,” Dylan answered. Closing his eyes, he rubbed his hand over his forehead. “The only solution I can come up with is to continue keeping an eye on him. Something’s really off there. I can see why a couple of his former fellow employees were worried. When I’m in the office
, I sometimes feel useless since Jim is so protective of his files. Even when I enter reports into the system, Jim’s already sterilized the info before he hands them over.”

  Jake appeared puzzled. “How’s that?”

  “It means that I rarely see details listed in the paperwork except for violations I’ve issued myself. When I do get out on the lake that is. I spend most of my time on the backlogs, since the computer system for our branch was only set up when I appeared on the job. Everything’s run pretty strange here in Crystal Rock.”

  “Maybe it’s because Jim has never shared the responsibilities of this branch with anyone else before?”

  Dylan became thoughtful. “Could be. He’s been on his own in this office for what—like ten years now? He used to work out of the county office with at least twenty other wardens. Right?”

  Jake nodded. “Yeah. The county decided we needed another office here once the inn began drawing a lot more tourists through town. From what I’ve heard, Jim had seniority, and he snatched the position once it became available.”

  “Maybe if I get this problem with Jim out of the way, I can get back into investigating the people on our list?”

  Jake grimaced. “At least we seemed to have curtailed the trafficking that was going on in the area.”

  When Jake Loughlin had returned to Crystal Rock, which had been his childhood home, he’d restored and remodeled the Dragonfly Pointe Inn after it’d been closed and abandoned for several years. During that time, a human trafficking ring had been operating in the area with their headquarters underground in the tunnels at Dragonfly Pointe.

  Jake’s fiancée’ had been abducted after a friend of hers had also been kidnapped and brutally assaulted. Even though the kidnappers and rapist involved had been captured and killed, Jake was determined to bring down every single member of the organization, which appeared to be worldwide.

  Dylan had been brought in by Jake to keep an eye on members of the community. There had to have been locals involved in the trafficking ring, otherwise it would’ve never kept operating as successfully as it had for the number of decades Jake suspected.

  “Even though I’ve been observing Jim during the past week, my problem is the security system he’s set up around his house.”

  “Need some help with that?”

  “Maybe. I’ll have to see where those cameras get their power from, first,” Dylan answered.

  Jake grinned. “Maybe we can arrange a little power outage?”

  Dylan grinned back. “Yeah. He has a generator, but I doubt the cameras hook up.”

  “I think Kevin will be able to take care of it for you,” Jake said, giving him a rueful grin.

  “Kevin Wyatt? Is he in on everything?”

  “Not yet. But maybe, eventually.” Jake hesitated. “No girlfriend. No family ties. I’m thinking about it.”

  “Well, I like the guy, if it counts.”

  Jake nodded, still seeming thoughtful. “Let him in on what’s happening with Jim, why don’t you, and tell me how it goes with his assistance?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Dylan answered, before slugging down the rest of his coffee.

  “Better get yourself another cup,” Jake said. “I’m not sure if the news I have for you is bad or good.”

  Dylan grimaced, standing up and strolling over to the coffee pot. Seeing Jake staring down at the printout on the table, Dylan peered over Jake’s shoulder. “What’s happening?”

  “The trail for this particular guy you’re looking for went cold in New Orleans, as well as in Michigan.”

  Releasing a ragged sigh, Dylan dropped onto his seat. Resting his coffee down carefully on the granite surface of the island, he asked, “So where does that leave us?”

  “There’s only one other place left that we haven’t checked out since you’ve been living in the area anyway,” Jake answered grimly, pointing at the printout. “After he killed your father, and took up a different identity, we figure he ended up here.” Jake circled a list of towns with his pen before sliding the printout over to Dylan.

  “Northwest Wisconsin.” Dylan didn’t bat an eye. “I knew it Jake. I think that’s why I accepted this assignment. For some reason, I’ve always sensed that he wasn’t far away from Lake Geneva. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was setting up another identity. He was out of town every single weekend, and it was never for work assigned by my dad.”

  “Well, now that we’ve tripled the amount of work we need to do, what do you suggest?”

  Dylan nodded decisively. “First, I’ll start doing some online research about business owners living in the area, and begin getting a list together after narrowing the parameters. I can’t see him making a successful living doing something that isn’t business related, like what he was doing in the past. Maybe I’ll even be able to group my list with men’s ages along with the time frame of my dad’s murder? Hopefully, he didn’t move on to a bunch of different identities during the years afterward, or I might never be able to find him.” He sighed. “I hate to have to wait, but we should be getting out on the lake more soon with the weather warming up, and then I’ll begin dealing with Jim then, I guess. I might be able to recruit some help from people around town, since it’s unrelated to our other two investigations.” He hesitated. “Besides, I’ve got another idea too, that could help identify my father’s killer.”

  “What’s that?” Jake asked.

  “Bringing my mom here. She’s chewing at the bit for something to do. I probably wouldn’t recognize the guy, since I was only ten years old at the time, and I only met him once or twice. But maybe Mom would. But she can’t just uproot herself from Lake Geneva at the drop of a hat. Plus, she’d have to have some kind of disguise, and maybe a job when she arrives in town.”

  Jake looked curious. “Your mom was the one who began this investigation, wasn’t she?”

  “She sure was. But she’s even more obsessed about finding my dad’s killer than I am.” Dylan hesitated. “I’d really love to see her move on with her life.” Dylan heaved a sigh. “Doing something besides continuously investigating this murder, that is.”

  Jake sighed. “I understand. But when it comes down to it, I can’t blame her. I’ve been kind of obsessed with finding these traffickers. It does take its toll on my relationship with my wife Danielle sometimes.”

  They both remained silent for a few more minutes, sipping their coffee.

  Jake finally spoke. “As I recall, there was something else you wanted to ask of me?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Dylan raised a brow, giving Jake a side glance. “Julie Thompson.”

  Jake looked puzzled. “What about Julie? Do you need her help with something?”

  “Nah.” Dylan gave Jake a toothy smile. “I just want Julie Thompson,” he stated matter-of-factly.

  The coffee Jake was sipping must’ve seized in his throat, and he began to cough.

  Still smiling, Dylan slapped Jake on the back. “You alright?”

  Jake finally quit coughing. “I think so,” he answered, clearing his throat. “I’m still not sure I’m understanding what you want from me here?”

  Dylan answered succinctly, “A job. For Julie. Here in Crystal Rock. At that school for special kids that you and your wife sponsor.”

  Appearing to be dazed, Jake shook his head. “Ohhh…kay. Uh…what about your girlfriend, Kate?”

  “Ah, well, we haven’t been a couple since I first arrived in Crystal Rock. She was tired of being hit on by employees. You can probably imagine what she goes through as a crew boss, since you used to work side by side with your own crew? And I was getting tired of being set up by my mom. She’s way too anxious to have me get married.”

  Jake was still looking baffled. But staring at Dylan and shaking his head, he suddenly began to laugh. “I guess you’ve always struck me as someone who knows what they want. Truthfully, I’ve been a little confused by your relationship with Kate, since you don’t seem to spend any time with her.”

  Dylan b
egan laughing too.

  “I know that half the girls in town are ready to fall all over you. But Julie’s always been a little different.” Jake smirked. “What makes you think she’s interested in you?”

  “Well, it’ll be up to me to show her she is.”

  Jake snorted. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  Raising a brow, Dylan grinned. “Damn right, I am.”

  “Didn’t you just tell me you’ve spent a lot of years avoiding the women your mom’s been trying to set you up with?”

  “I did,” Dylan admitted. “But that’s only because none of the women she chose for me was right!”

  Jake was still laughing. “I’ll talk to Danielle. It seems to me she mentioned Crystal Visions was going to hire a few more special ed teachers this year anyway. I assume Julie’s certified?”

  “Yeah, she is,” Dylan said smugly.

  “Let me guess. You did a background check?”

  “Nah. I didn’t have to,” Dylan answered. “Kate talks about Julie all the time.”

  “Has anyone ever told you you’re a cocky son of a…?”

  Dylan cut in. “Many times,” he answered seriously. “But not nearly as nicely as you just did, Jake.”

  Jake laughed loudly, scratching his head.

  CHAPTER

  TWO

  “You’re sure, Kate?” Later that day, Dylan Nash sat next to his former girlfriend, Kate Callahan, at the end of the dock, their bare feet dangling over the water. Of course, he wasn’t going to mention he’d been thinking about ending their charade for a while himself.

  “Yeah.” Kate dipped her toes into the water absentmindedly. “I’ve been a coward Dylan, hiding behind you these last few years.”

  Dylan grinned. “It’s been my pleasure.” But then he sighed, hanging his head. “At least it’s given me a reprieve from my mother’s continuous attempts at marrying me off. She’s going to really be disappointed, though. I’m pretty sure she thought we were headed to the altar.”

  Kate turned and looked him over from head to toe. “Somehow, I don’t think you’ll have any trouble replacing me. Every single girl who’s living here in town will be relieved to hear you’re back on the market,” she announced dryly.