by Stacy Finz
“Of course I am,” she said.
“Right. I guess I’ll see you whenever.”
“Colt, you’re acting childish. I hoped we could have a real conversation about this, work something out.”
He let out a sigh. “You like the condo?”
“It’s beautiful.” But it wasn’t Glory Junction. In the year she’d lived in the little town it had become home. While the condominium was luxurious and conveniently located, it felt like a hotel. And without Colt—not to have him there every day—she would feel an enormous void. A void that would break her heart.
“Does it have good security? What kind of neighborhood is it in?”
“It’s safe, Colt. Would you like to see it? I could send you a link.”
“I’m driving, but yeah, send me a link.”
“You don’t want to tell me why you went to Portland? Does it have to do with work?” She assumed it had something to do with a criminal investigation.
He hesitated, then said, “To see Lisa. She had a show there.”
Delaney had trouble swallowing as she sucked in that piece of information. A lot of emotions hit her all at once. Jealousy being the predominant one. “Why?”
“I confronted her about the song.”
Delaney let out a whoosh of relief. It was good that he’d done that, part of the healing process. “Is she going to give you the credit you deserve?”
“I don’t care about that, Delaney. I just wanted her to know how I felt about it, what kind of person it made her in my eyes. It’s done now. I can move on.”
She wondered if moving on included them. Could he trust her with his heart? Too afraid to ask, she said, “How far are you from home?”
“About an hour away. I took my time, drove down the coast, stopped at Redwood National Park.”
“It sounds wonderful.” But how had he had the time? Her stomach dropped. “Colt, you didn’t lose your job, did you?”
“Nope. Not yet. Jack covered for me. When will you be back?”
“I don’t know yet. The business ... I have to get serious, Colt. I let things go too long. It’s time to take the reins.”
“Okay.” He sounded disappointed but at least he wasn’t being unreasonable. “I’ll see you when I see you.”
“Don’t say it like that. It sounds defeatist.”
“I say it like I see it, Delaney. I’ll call you tonight after I look at your condo link.”
He hung up and she suddenly felt lonelier than she ever had before. In a city of nearly four-million people, how was that even possible? But an emptiness spread through her, making her incredibly melancholy. Homesick, she supposed. For Colt Garner.
The front desk called, letting her know that Karen was waiting in the lobby. She took the elevator down and found her smartly dressed house manager on the phone. Karen gave her the one-minute sign and Delaney turned her attention to the small café in the lobby. She hadn’t had lunch and only a cup of coffee and half a muffin for breakfast. There hadn’t been time.
“That was Fran.” Karen dropped her phone in her purse. “She said the reviews from the Glory Junction show continue to dazzle. The press loved all three collections, but the adventure wear ... they’re crazy about it. We’re getting calls from buyers who want to stock it, stores that don’t even have adventure-wear lines.”
Given how much work Delaney had put in to making the pieces functional for outdoor sports enthusiasts, she thought it funny that retailers would sell them strictly as street clothes. Then again, look how fashionable yoga pants had become. Delaney called them the new mom jeans.
“I have to talk to TJ about that. My guess is that Garner Adventure is going to want exclusivity.”
Karen shot her a get-real look. “You know how much money we’re talking about here?”
“A deal is a deal. Can we eat, Karen? I’m starved.”
Karen glanced at her watch. “We’ve got thirty minutes until our appointment to see the building. In traffic, it’ll take forty-five. Your call.”
Just the memory of LA traffic gave her hives. “Fine. Afterward, though, we’re eating.”
“We’ve got an appointment with your warehouse manager at four and that’s clear across town.”
She missed being able to walk everywhere. “I guess I’ll just starve then.”
They walked to the front of the lobby and Karen gave the valet her name. While they waited for the car, Delaney peeked at her phone, hoping that Colt might’ve had time to look at the link she’d sent him. Maybe the condo and its ocean-front access to world-class surfing would entice him to see the benefits of a long-distance relationship. Of course she didn’t know when he’d ever get a chance to come, since he was stretched so thin as it was. And if her days were anything like they’d been this week, she’d be lucky to find the time to e-mail him. The reality was so depressing, she lost all enthusiasm over seeing the building. The building that by all accounts would be perfect and just happened to be available during a commercial real estate shortage.
The valet parked Karen’s car at the curb and helped both of them in. As Karen predicted, they barely made their appointment due to the stop and go on the freeway. An agent took them through the building, painstakingly showing them every inch of space. It needed work, especially the front facade and the lobby, which hadn’t been updated since the nineties. But it wouldn’t take much. Exterior paint and maybe a chic awning with her company’s logo. Yeah, she needed to get one of those, along with a name. She’d change the flooring in the reception area from marble to something a little warmer, maybe do a television wall where they could loop video of her various collections. Plenty of room for possibilities, she told herself.
But her heart wasn’t in it. It was too busy pining for Colt.
“What do you think?” Karen asked softly.
“It’ll definitely work.” So why wasn’t she more excited? The prospect of finally getting her act together should’ve been thrilling and not filling her with dread. “Everything’s moving so fast, though. Would it be terrible if I took a day or two to think about it?”
“I’d hate for us to lose it,” Karen said. “But you need to be sure that this”—she spread her arms wide to encompass the building—“is your vision.”
What was she doing? Of course it was her vision. The location was superb; the price was right. Just bite the bullet, she told herself.
“You know what? I’m being a wuss. Let’s do it, Let’s sign the lease and put down a deposit.”
“Okay,” Karen agreed, and went off to search for the agent.
Delaney wrote a check and the agent said he would send the lease agreement to her lawyer for signing. It was done. And tomorrow she’d make an offer on the condo.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Colt returned to work on Tuesday to find the Nevada County district attorney, a state deputy attorney general, and Ben in his office.
“What did I do now?” he joked.
None of them appeared amused, and for a second, a tremor of apprehension went through him.
“Looks like we’ve got us a Bell situation,” the DA, Mack Goodright, said.
When Colt returned a blank stare, Ben said, “That small city in Los Angeles County where the city manager and six other officials were convicted of graft and corruption for misappropriating funds.”
“Only in this case it’s just your mayor,” Mack said. Colt had known the DA for years and he was a straight shooter.
Colt looked from Ben to the deputy AG, whom he hadn’t yet been introduced to but knew by face. “How bad is it?”
“At least a hundred thousand as far as we can tell,” Mack said, and Colt let out a low whistle. “Your city manager noticed some discrepancies, told Rita Tucker and Ben. They called in a forensic auditor. Pond’s basically been using the city coffers as his own personal bank account, bankrolling work on his ranch, five-star vacations, a fancy country club membership.”
Colt didn’t have to pretend to be surprised—he
was. A hundred thousand bucks! When Ben had initially mentioned it, Colt thought it would be penny-ante stuff. The cost of a hotel room for one of his liaisons, a few unauthorized cab rides, a restaurant receipt that had nothing to do with city business. But this was huge. And bad. Glory Junction might be a wealthy town with its ski resorts, but an elected official ripping off taxpayers . . . the city would be dealing with this for years to come.
“Has he been arrested yet?” Colt figured they would’ve brought in the sheriff or state police since GJPD was under Pond’s purview and prosecutors wouldn’t want any appearance of impropriety.
“You don’t have anything to do with this,” Mack said. “Believe you me, we went over every city worker with a fine-tooth comb. So we’d like you to do the honors.”
“I’d be glad to.” Because arresting Pond would make his day.
The next few hours passed in the blink of an eye. He and Jack went to city hall, cuffed Pond, and read him his Miranda rights in front of a growing crowd of city workers and council members. A sheriff’s deputy carted his ass to Nevada City, where he languished in jail until his attorney bailed him out. News crews from as far away as San Francisco descended on Glory Junction. Pond’s ties to Silicon Valley made for an intriguing angle for reporters.
Colt spent lunch regaling his brothers, Carrie Jo, Hannah, Deb, Foster, and Boden with the look on Pond’s face when he and Jack told him he was under arrest.
“This means your job is safe,” TJ said.
“Hear, hear. Let’s drink to that.” Boden filled everyone’s glasses with the bar’s latest microbrew. Colt and Jack were still on duty, so they refrained.
“Yep,” Colt said, his thoughts wandering to Delaney, wondering if she’d made an offer on that condo. Swank place, he had to admit. At least according to the pictures. He’d scrolled through them after he’d gotten home from his road trip, tried to call her, but got voice mail instead.
He missed her and had stared out his window at her house much of the night, waiting for that obnoxious bright light in her studio to come on before she pulled down the shade. She’d left her car in the garage, leaving the easement space for him. He hadn’t parked in it once, hoping that the damn Tesla would magically appear.
“Ready to go back?” he asked Jack and Carrie Jo. They’d spent enough time yucking it up; there was work to be done.
“Let’s go.” Jack slapped Colt on the back, happy as hell to know they’d both dodged a bullet. Their jobs were safe.
More than likely Pond would be forced to pay restitution to the city and Glory Junction would get a new mayor, possibly Rita, who was already making noises that she was interested in the position.
It had been a great day and at the end of it Colt quit his job. Gave his notice in a neatly typed letter of resignation and hand delivered it to city hall.
* * *
Delaney took a red-eye to Reno and hired Uber to drive her the thirty-five minutes to Glory Junction. It was too late to call Colt. The trip had been impulsive and last minute and all she wanted to do was get home. Home, the best word in the world.
The driver got her carry-on out of the trunk and carried it up to Delaney’s deck. She thanked him, waited for the car to drive off, and unlocked her front door. Colt’s police car wasn’t parked on the pad, so she gazed at the top of his driveway. Not there either. Perhaps he’d been forced to respond to an emergency as he so often was. They’d been missing each other’s phone calls all day, giving Delaney yet another glimpse of life without him in LA. She pushed her suitcase through the entrance and left it in the hallway, too tired to carry it up the stairs.
The only incentive to climb them herself was a pair of comfy pajamas and her king-sized bed. Today had been excruciating, starting with the hour she’d spent in traffic while trying to get from her warehouse to the condo she wanted to buy. By the time she returned to the Biltmore, she craved a stiff martini and Colt. The hotel bar had been happy to accommodate her with the former. She’d been hit on by obnoxious men a dozen times while sitting in the lounge, sipping her drink. And then it struck her: she could go home. Wake up next to Colt in the morning.
Delaney let out a sigh of disappointment and called him again, only to get his voice mail. “Surprise! I’m home but you’re not. Don’t get all Chief Hottie from Hell on me, but I left the door unlocked for you. Wherever you are, stay safe and come back soon.”
She got in the tub, took a long soak, and put on the softest sleepwear she had. Five minutes after hitting her pillow she fell sound asleep. In the wee hours of the morning, something bristly rubbed the side of her cheek.
She swatted at it, murmuring, “Go away.” It was probably just a porcupine. The thought filtered through her muzzy head and then she jumped. Porcupine?
“Hey, hey, it’s just me,” Colt whispered in her ear. “Chief Hottie from Hell?”
She sat up, trying to get her bearings, then giggled, still sleep induced. “That’s what I used to call you.”
Two dark brows shot up. “Chief Hottie from Hell? That’s not a compliment, right?”
“It sort of is.” She looked at him to make sure he was in one piece. “Did you get called out on something bad?”
“Nah. Mr. Finkelstein’s car got stolen again.” Colt rolled his eyes.
“In Glory Junction? Really?”
“It wasn’t stolen. He lost it, but that’s a story for another day. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”
“Last-minute decision. Plus, I couldn’t reach you all day. It must’ve been busy.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” He pulled her back down, kicked off his boots, and cuddled her in his arms. “I arrested Pond Scum on public corruption charges.” Colt told her the details.
“A hundred thousand dollars?” She gulped. “Holy cow. Well, good riddance. After what he did to you, the jerk got what he deserved. Thank goodness your job’s safe now.”
“Yeah, about that ... I need to talk to you, Delaney.”
She turned on her side so she could face him. Running her fingers through his hair, she said, “You don’t want to wait until morning?” Truthfully, she was afraid of what he might say.
“Nope.” He took her hand away and held it. “I gave the city my resignation today.”
“What?” She popped up like a jack-in-the-box. “Why, Colt? You love your job.”
“That’s the thing, Delaney. I love you more.”
“You do?” The words stunned her because he’d never said them before, not even in the throes of intimacy. He didn’t even want anyone to know they were seeing each other. “This is a sudden about-face.”
“Not really. I think I’ve loved you since that first night you banged on my door with a pair of cargo pants in your hands.” He pulled her back down, tucking her head under his chin. “I’ll admit I’m not the best at expressing myself, or at relationships. I have trouble with trust, trouble with opening myself up, and trouble with compromise. But I’m working on it because more than anything in the world I want you and me to be together, and we both know how difficult that will be if we’re living clear across the state from each other.”
“But, Colt—”
“Let me finish. By leaving the department and working full-time for Garner Adventure I can make my own hours. TJ’s swamped with administrative work and this way I can help him, even telecommuting. I’ll have to come back to conduct tours, but at least I’ll be able to split my time between here and LA. Otherwise we’re doomed, Delaney, and I want to fight for this relationship. For us.”
A tear leaked from her eye and trickled down her cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb. “Tell me I’m not being presumptuous or making a fool of myself, here.”
She put his hand on top of her heart. “Feel that? It’s all for you. I love you, Colt. I love everything about you. The way you take care of this town, your family, and me. The way you cheered me on and helped me find my confidence again. But we’ve got a slight problem.”
He went
instantly rigid.
“I’m not moving to Los Angeles. It won’t work for me.”
“Where then?” he asked. “New York will be more difficult but—”
“Glory Junction,” she blurted. “I got my deposit back on the office building. I have this crazy idea that maybe I can run the company from here.”
He sat up and rested his back against the bed’s headboard, and she could see the wheels spinning in his head. “What about your warehouse and your employees?”
“My designers can work anywhere and Karen is willing to move. With the sale of the LA warehouse, I could afford to build one here, if I could find the right property.”
“But will it be good for your business?” He sounded dubious. “I don’t know, Delaney.”
She joined him in an upright position and wound her arms around his neck. “It’s going to be good for me and I am the business. LA doesn’t feel like home anymore. I hate the traffic, the smog, the crowds. This is where I feel most comfortable. Right here in Glory Junction, especially because it’s your home. Home for me is wherever you are.”
“I think we should take some time to think about this, not be rash. I don’t want your business to suffer because of a bad decision.”
She put her fingers on his lips. “Colt, the biggest thing I learned from living here is that happiness is more than a thriving business. I had that with Robert and I wasn’t happy. Not like how I am with you.”
He lay there for a while, pensive, then finally said, “If it’s what you want, we’ll make it happen.” Then he covered her mouth with his, and whispered against her lips, “I feel the same way about you. You’re my home, Delaney. But this Chief Hottie from Hell thing ... we’ll have to talk about that. Later.” And then he kissed her.
Epilogue
“What do you think?” Smiling, Delaney stared at the company’s new logo on her computer screen.
“You sure you want to go with that name?” Colt gazed over her shoulder as he rubbed her back.
“Of course I am. I picked it.” The new brand: Colt and Delaney. It was perfect because they were perfect. And in her heart of hearts, she knew Colt would never take her name.
