She’d never pegged her father as someone who would help her sell stolen diamonds, but he did just that. He drove to South Carolina and sold one diamond to a small jeweler who was thrilled to get it. She and her father stuffed the cash in a bank safety deposit box where they'd never done business before and decided they needed to learn more about Swiss bank accounts.
Since the hiding place had worked so well the first time, they bought a new set of self-adhesive, glow-in-the-dark stars. This time they glued them to the ceiling in her father’s attic. They figured Miller, Pop’s beloved German Shepard, might have discouraged Ajay and Elias from going near the house in the weeks and months previous.
As a plan B, they put a few of the diamonds in a separate safety deposit box with yet another bank.
The receipt she held was from an anonymous cash donation she made to The American Cancer Society. She would make many more over the coming years. Always anonymous because she knew she had to be careful about her expenditures. She couldn’t suddenly change her lifestyle without drawing suspicion. If Detective Boone noticed, the police would snoop.
When her phone rang, she answered right away.
“Hey Pop, everything okay?”
“Everything’s great, sweetheart. Just checking on you.”
“I’m good. Really good.” She wanted to ask him a slew of questions about his medicines and his exercise and his diet, but she couldn’t. She had to try to stick to their pact.
He had agreed to take care of himself according to doctors’ orders, and she had to let him be accountable for that. In turn, she had promised to take care of herself, too. That meant no more discounting her instincts. At all. Especially when it came to her own self-care.
Pop insisted she unpack all of her travel wish books and plan and book a trip. He made her put her business plan on paper, the one she had in her head for the new spa she had always wanted to run.
“Have you gotten to the hotel yet?” he asked.
“Almost.”
“Good. Well, I’ve got to scoot, I have a date tonight. Enjoy your trip to Greece—”
“Wait—a date?”
“Kris’ mom is still here helping her with the baby. I’m taking her out to dinner tonight.”
“Holy—”
“What?”
“Nothing. That’s—that’s great.”
Barbara touched the smile that pulled the corners of her lips. Her father was happy. He was ready to live again.
Excitement bubbled inside of her—she was ready to live, too. It had taken her some time to trust again. Funny how trust and her internal compass were so closely linked.
The key hadn’t been about trusting her gift like she had originally thought. It hadn’t been about forgiving David, although that was part of it. She hadn’t agreed with his choices but she understood why he made them.
Moving forward meant she had to trust guidance however it came to her. She hadn’t been wrong about David. She had seen that something was amiss. That he was lying. Hiding.
She knew that when she could accept what she saw, it was easier to make good choices. If she spent too much time doubting or just wishing the information could be different, she could lose herself.
The cab screeched to a halt and Barbara braced herself on the seat in front of her. The cab driver shook his fist and yelled in Greek at the man he almost ran over.
“Goodness,” she said when she saw him. She hopped out of the back seat and told the driver she needed her bag from the trunk.
“You’re here,” she said.
“I’m here,” Griffin said, breathless.
A moment hung between them and then he framed her face with his hands. He kissed her long and slow and she lost track of everything—where she was, what she was doing. It felt as if they were meant to be, as if that had never been a question, as if they had never been apart.
When he finally stepped back, his eyes held tears. “I wasn’t sure I would see you again.”
“I was afraid I might not see you again, either.”
He took her to the hotel terrace that overlooked the Mediterranean Sea and they toasted with champagne.
She pointed to his overnight bag that had a white sleeve hanging out of the zipper. “Looks like you packed in a hurry.”
He nodded slowly. “I was coming to see you. I couldn't wait another minute.”
“What about the excavation?”
“We’re doing really well. But being with you, holding you, sharing this with you, it’s all I could think about. I just needed to see you. I was hoping we could find a way to make it work.”
“I’d like that,” she said.
He reached into his zippered bag and handed her a white rectangular box.
Inside was a beautiful yellow gold necklace with emerald, garnet, and carnelian stones. “We’ve found quite a few pieces of ancient jewelry at the site. This one reminded me of you. So I took a photo and had this replica made for you.”
“It’s gorgeous.” She held the necklace to her chest and he fastened it at the back of her neck. Her fingers traced the smooth stones and the gold that was cool to the touch.
“How long can you stay?” he asked.
“As it turns out, my dad has a new lease on life these days. He’s energized and taking care of himself. He said it was time we both started living again. So, I’m here in Greece, where I’ve wanted to be for a long time. My schedule is a little open-ended right now.”
“That’s good news,” he said. “I know Greece pretty well, I could show you around if you like.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” he said and kissed her again. “Listen, I remember what I said about long distance relationships. But I’ll fly back and forth, I’ll take time off, I’ll do whatever it takes to give this a real chance. What we have here is different, it’s special. In fact, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to see this through.”
The waves crashed and the seabirds called from the air. The courtyard from her old condo seemed so far away, like another world. One whose door had closed to her forever.
She ran her hand along the outline of his face. Some smaller part of her thought it was too soon to feel the way she did and definitely too soon to tell him about it. But the bigger part of her, the happier part, the part of her that had grown the most in the last few weeks decided differently. “I love you,” she said.
His lips broadened slowly, until they formed a wide, honest grin. “I love you, too.”
When they walked hand-in-hand along the beach, he asked her where she was staying.
“I don’t know, yet. I only got as far as my plane ticket.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. Sold my condo. Haven’t even booked a hotel room. I’m as free as the birds.” The tide ran over her bare feet and she dug her toes into the wet sand, enjoying the feel.
“I’m staying just down the beach a bit, you’re welcome to stay with me. There’s only one bedroom, though.”
“Oh,” she said.
“And I don’t have any pajamas to share. Did you pack any in that bag of yours?”
“I think so.”
“Mmm. Too bad. How about a bathing suit?” His lips found her neck and her toes curled.
“I did pack a bathing suit.”
“Should be a full moon tonight, we could go swimming.”
“I love swimming under a full moon.”
“I know.” Griffin wrapped his arm around her waist. His hand, wide and capably strong, pressed against her hip. She leaned into him, enjoying the comfort of his solid warmth.
Griffin… She meditated on his name, in part to get closer to him. His mind was full of plans and dreams and visions of them always together.
The frothy white edges of the cool water washed over their pale feet. Her need to question and doubt settled, and was replaced by a peaceful acceptance of what was.
“Good. Then it’s a date,” he said.
“It’s a date,” she said.
&
nbsp; Also by Alyssa Richards
THE FINE ART OF DECEPTION SERIES
THE FINE ART OF DECEPTION, UNDOING TIME
SOMEWHERE IN TIME
LOST IN TIME
THE FINE ART OF DECEPTION, BOXED SET
THE ALCOTT MANOR SERIES
THE HAUNTING AT ALCOTT MANOR
A MURDER AT ALCOTT MANOR
A STRANGER AT ALCOTT MANOR
THE CHASING SECRETS SERIES
CHASING SECRETS
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Acknowledgments
With gratitude to…
…my husband for his encouragement and belief in me.
…G & G for their loving support.
…my editor Peter Senftleben, who is amazing.
Chasing Secrets Page 13
