by Ashlyn Chase
“I love that store! I might actually do all my shopping there in the future.”
“You won’t, but I can’t tell you why not. Just know the sacrifice will be for the greater good.”
* * *
“Sweetie, it’s time for me to go home.”
“Gran, you’re still not a hundred percent, and what if you fall at home when I’m at work?”
“The Fierros are lovely people, but I can’t keep imposing on them. You know that’s not my way. It’s best for me to go home.”
“What’s this I hear about you leaving?” Gabriella walked into the guest room that Annette had, at last, been able to reach by the stairs, as long as she used her cane. Their hostess was holding a tray with tea and some delicious-looking cake that made Dawn’s mouth water. Yum. I don’t care how fast my metabolism is, I could gain ten pounds here, easy.
“You have been so good to me, Gabriella,” Annette began. “I just can’t put you out like this.”
“You are doing no such thing.” Gabriella set the tray down on the coffee table and rested her hip on the daybed beside Annette. Reaching for Annette’s hand, she held it between her own. “Annette, I don’t want you to go. I know I’m being selfish, but I want you right here.”
“Me?” Annette’s eyes widened.
“Now that almost all my kids are on their own, I have very little to do. It gets lonely, especially when Antonio is off visiting his old firefighting buddies. And that’s only part of it. Since you’ve been here, I can’t help but notice he’s a lot more thoughtful. Why, just this morning, he brought me my morning coffee in bed with a red rose on the tray. When I asked him what the special occasion was, he said just because. Now I know that was your doing.”
Annette blushed.
“And when Gabe had that silly disagreement with little Tony, you had a nice chat with them and smoothed things over.” Gabriella patted Annette’s hand. “You are so very special. I can see why Dawn is such an amazing young woman, because she was raised by her very wise grandmother.”
Annette’s eyes teared up. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll stay.”
“I would love to. Thank you.”
Gabriella wrapped her arms around Annette’s shoulders.
Dawn sniffed and wiped her eyes, moved by the love the Fierros had shown both her and her grandmother.
“Really? He brought you coffee in bed with a rose?” Annette asked. “All I said was how lucky he was to have you and I hoped he let you know it.”
“Yup. First. Time. Ever.” Gabriella opened her arms to bring Dawn into the embrace, and the three women began to laugh. When they broke apart, she said, “Now, let’s have some tea and cake.”
“In a minute.” Annette held up one hand. “I need to know more about this shape-shifter stuff.”
“You’ve heard of paranormal abilities? How there are a few individuals who are stronger, faster, and live longer than regular humans?”
“Well, no. To be honest, I hadn’t until now.”
“Ah. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Humans as a general rule aren’t allowed to know about it. But let me tell you what I know from my completely human point of view.”
Annette nodded for her to go on.
Gabriella explained about how she was able to handle her husband and so many of her sons being in a dangerous profession like firefighting because if the worst happened, they could reincarnate in fire.
She explained their extreme longevity and how they might reincarnate as many as a dozen times over their five hundred or so years on earth.
She even confessed her concern for Luca, since he could die by a bullet, and if no one was around to bathe him in fire, he might not come back.
That made a ball lodge in Dawn’s throat. “I—I kinda wish he’d become a firefighter now.”
“You and me both!” Gabriella said. “But Luca is Luca. He has always done things his own way.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Annette asked.
“Neither, really. I know the older boys and even my husband have accused me of babying him, but that has never been the case. If I wanted him to take the safe route, he’d make up his own mind and take the right route. Whatever that was for him. I’m so proud of my youngest. He’s no sheep, despite the nickname—blue sheep.”
“It never meant that,” Antonio said as he poked his head in the door. “It was just a joke about the family’s black sheep, because he chose a blue uniform.”
“I know that,” Gabriella said. “And by the way, that doesn’t help.”
Antonio laughed. “Well, I guess I’ll butt out as quickly as I butted in.”
As soon as he left, Gabriella said, “Now, where were we? Oh yes. Your concerns about my shape-shifting family.”
Dawn reached over for Annette’s hand, and they exchanged a smile.
“I don’t have any more concerns. Do you, Gran?”
“Nope. It sounds like you landed in a well-feathered nest.”
* * *
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I think so.”
In Dawn’s living room, Luca was lying with his head on her lap. “You’re amazing, you know that?” He reached up and caressed her face.
She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Why, Mr. Fierro, are you flirting with me?”
He grinned. “I mean it. You’ve had such a tough life, and you—you have such a beautiful heart. You’re the most caring woman I have ever met. I love you, babe.”
“I love you back,” she whispered.
Luca reached up and pulled Dawn’s head down to his lips.
“You know what?” he asked between kisses.
“What?” she whispered.
“I think I fell in love with you the first moment I met you.”
“You did not.”
He sat up and faced her. “No, seriously. I think I did.”
“You thought I was a freak. And you were pining after Lisa.” She said the name in a mincing voice, making him chuckle.
“Well, maybe I thought I was still hung up on her. But I figured out she wasn’t the girl for me once I got to know you.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I really dodged a bullet there.”
“In more ways than one,” she replied. “Imagine having Sergeant Butts for a father-in-law.”
“No thanks.” He shook all over as if a shiver had just passed through him. “So…” He grinned.
“So?” She grinned back.
“I think we should stay together. I’d say something like ‘We make a good team,’ but that’s lame.”
“I know what you mean. And yes, I agree.”
He smiled. “When did you realize you loved me?”
“Hmm…” She leaned in close and touched his lips with her fingertips. “I think it was the first time you kissed me.”
He kissed her fingertips. “I think we should celebrate our first kiss.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“How should we celebrate? With a kiss?”
“We can start with a kiss. Then maybe a surprise?”
“Oh, I love surprises,” Dawn said.
“Good, because I have one for you right now.” He rolled her onto her back and loomed over her. “Let’s smash.”
She giggled. “Such a romantic.”
“Yeah. I’m a chip off the old Fierro block.”
* * *
It was four in the morning, and Luca couldn’t sleep.
He glanced down at the gorgeous woman tucked in under his arm and couldn’t believe his luck. He was crazy about her. He kissed the tip of her cute nose and slipped out of bed.
An hour later, he had a pot of coffee brewing and a stack of pancakes warming, along with thick toast, bacon, and eggs.
“
Hey, what are you doing up so early?”
“I thought I’d make us a big breakfast before I drop you off at work.”
“You don’t have to do that. Aren’t you on the evening shift this week? You should be sleeping.” She wrapped her arms around his middle as he filled two plates full of food. He leaned back and kissed her.
He was nervous. Really nervous. “Let’s eat.”
“Yum.” She scooped up some scrambled eggs. “Mmm… You are so good to me. I think I’ll keep you around.” She winked at him as she popped a piece of bacon in her mouth.
He hesitated. Would she still want to be with him after he told her?
“Okay, what’s wrong?”
He read the concern in her beautiful gray-green eyes. “I have something to tell you.”
“This looks serious. Is it your parents? Annette? The gang? Butts? What’s going on?” Her face was in full panic mode.
“No, it’s nothing like that.” To reassure her, he reached for her hand. “I just—”
“What?”
“I quit my job.”
She gasped. “You quit?”
“Yes. I told them on Friday.”
“That was two days ago.”
“Yes, yes it was.”
“Why didn’t you tell me on Friday or even before you decided to quit?”
“I didn’t know I was going to quit until Friday. I just… I realized I don’t want to be a cop.”
She sat there in silence, and that worried him. He began to speak and then couldn’t stop. “I’m sorry. I should have told you. I was worried you would think less of me. That you’d think I was a quitter. After everything you’ve been through, I want to be the kind of man you can be proud of.”
“Are you kidding me?” She stood up and planted her hands on her hips. “How can you even say that? You are the most wonderful guy in the whole world. Never, ever think that I’m not proud to be with you.” She placed her hands on either side of his face. “I don’t care that you don’t want to be a cop. I care that you’re happy. You’re smart and brave, and you can do whatever you want with your life.”
“Whew. So you’re not mad I didn’t tell you?”
“I’m only mad you didn’t trust me enough to tell me. But I forgive you. Besides, I didn’t tell you everything right away, so let’s just call it even, and from now on, we’ll tell each other everything as soon as possible. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
She kissed him and he kissed her back, and he knew without a doubt that she meant everything to him.
Dawn sat on his lap and took a bite of his toast. “So why did you quit?”
He blew out a breath. “I hated being so constrained. All the petty politics. I guess working under Butts really tainted my experience.”
She giggled. “You said working under Butts.”
He laughed. “Come on. I’m being serious here.”
She cleared her throat. “Sorry. Go on.”
“When you and I both used our special abilities to make a difference, I think I realized my actual calling.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“So what are you going to do now? Become a firefighter like your dad and brothers?”
“I thought about it, but I don’t think that’s for me either. I want to try being a private investigator. What do you think?”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
“What do you think about working with me?”
“I think that’s even better. But how are we going to make money? I hate to worry about it, but we should be practical.” She made a face.
“It might be tight for a while, but I know we can make it work.”
“I can keep working at ScholarTech while you get us set up so we have some money coming in.”
“What did I ever do to deserve you?”
“I don’t know.” She grinned. “You’re just one lucky dude, and I’m nuts about you.”
“Can you believe it was only a few weeks ago that we met?”
Dawn took another bite of the eggs he’d made and thought for a moment. “It feels like a lifetime ago. So much has changed. Did you think we’d end up together when you first met me?”
“No, not that first time. I thought you were a freak, remember?”
“Hey!” She shoved his shoulder, and he burst out laughing.
“I figured it out pretty fast, though.” He leaned in and kissed her. “Mmm…egg breath is so sexy.”
“Aren’t you glad I have mouthwash?” It was good that they could laugh and tease. She was in a cheeky mood.
“You can’t believe how glad I am about that.” He grabbed another piece of his own egg and bit into it.
She glanced at him and asked the big question. “Are you worried about quitting your job and starting the PI biz? Is that why you couldn’t sleep?”
Luca shrugged. “Kinda. But sometimes you have to take a risk, right? Jack would probably give us a great reference.”
Dawn leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
“I was hoping you’d say that…but you don’t have to. I want you to follow your own dreams.”
“I am.” She sighed.
When she was younger, she had used her psychic abilities to help Ice and his gang get their drug deals made without interference from the cops. She hated where she came from, and she had hated her gift for a long time. But everything had changed.
“I have this ability inside me. A way for me to help make a difference. I want to keep doing that.” She looked up at those cobalt-blue eyes that made her breath catch in her throat. “I want to be with you. If it works out and we have a successful supernatural PI service, then great. If not, we can do something else.”
He kissed her, softly and sweetly. “We can always open up a pizza place, since we love it so much.”
“Deal.”
No matter where they ended up, they would be together, and that made her heart soar.
* * *
“Do you want to see the picture I drew of Mommy in heaven?”
“I would love to.”
Dawn sat on the princess coverlet as Mandy opened a pink notebook and flipped the pages past several drawings.
Luca was chatting with Jack in the kitchen. Jack had told them he and Mandy would be visiting Patricia’s mother for a few days and then moving to Rhode Island where Jack’s parents were. He had two sisters who both had daughters close to Mandy’s age. It would be good for Mandy to be around family. Jack’s dad already had a job lined up for him.
They would live with his parents for a few months while they settled in. Mandy was glad when he told her they would be moving. She didn’t want to leave Mommy alone. They’d buried Patricia in her mother’s home town of Rockland. Jack had explained that Grandma and Grandpa would be there and they would keep Mommy’s grave pretty. Also that Mommy wasn’t really in there. She was in heaven, watching over her. That seemed to help her—a lot.
“I like your pictures. The colors are so pretty,” Dawn said.
“Daddy said that too.” Mandy carefully put the notebook away. She looked up at Dawn, her big blue eyes filled with sadness. “Do you think Mommy can see them?”
Dawn nodded without hesitation. “I know she can. I know she loves your pictures and she loves you. Forever and ever.”
“I think I saw Mommy last night when I was sleeping.”
“Did she say anything?”
“She just sat on the bed and smiled at me.”
“How did that make you feel?”
“Happy and sad at the same time.” Mandy glanced at Dawn. “Is that okay?”
“Yes, that’s perfectly okay.”
“Do you see dead people?”
“I sense things. I feel other people’
s emotions. So who knows? Maybe one day, I will.”
“Maybe if you see Mommy, you can tell her I love her?”
“You can tell her yourself.”
“Do you think she can hear me?”
“I know she can.” Dawn tucked a curl behind Mandy’s ear. “Do you want to tell her now?”
Mandy nodded.
“Close your eyes and tell her how you feel.”
“Mommy? I hope you can hear me. I just wanted to say I love you so much. And I never want you to forget me, because I will never, ever forget you. I promise to take care of Daddy too. I love you, Mommy.” Mandy opened her eyes. “Did I do good?”
“You did great.”
* * *
Meanwhile, in the living room, Jack told Luca, “I can’t thank you enough. If it weren’t for you and Dawn, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“I’m just glad it’s all over and Mandy is back where she belongs.”
“I can’t believe that bastard Butts.” Jack shook his head. “To do that to his own niece. You know that Patricia and Craig Butts’s wife were half sisters, right?”
“Yeah, Captain Moore and my TO told me. Crazy.”
“Yeah, Patty’s dad had already been married once and divorced before he met Patty’s mom. We spent holidays together.”
“That is cold.” Luca realized Butts was a sociopath who wielded his power like an old-school mobster. “But it all caught up to him in the end.”
“I went to Butts,” Jack went on. “I asked him what was going on with the investigation and if he could tell me anything. He told me they were doing everything they could do. Can you fucking believe that? That same night, I got drunk, and then you found me passed out.”
“I’m so sorry. That guy was a bastard through and through.”
“Then he ends up crashing his car in the same place where he had my wife run off the road. I just feel bad for his wife. She’s a good woman. His daughter is another story. Butts spoiled her to no end. It all makes sense now. He was a dirty cop, and that was where he got all the money for his big house and fancy cars.”
“Well, he got what he deserved.” Luca left the part out about Karma and her own brand of justice, of course. Any mention of her existence to a human would have been met with instant and severe punishment. “The important thing is that Mandy is safe with you, and you guys can get on with your lives.”
