“We knew he would be, Drea. Just breathe. Tomorrow, this ends.”
Which should make me happy. Because we know he’s on our list. We know the police will put the final pieces of the puzzle together. Which means tomorrow is also the day I have to say good-bye to Mia, Spencer, and Jay. Tomorrow I go back to LA. To a job that’s brought me comfort in the years since losing Sam, but I have a feeling will now be a constant reminder of her death. A reminder that there are bad people in the world. Some that stand out and others that blend into the crowd. People you would never suspect to be dark and dangerous are lurking among us all the time.
Like right now.
In this very bar.
Somewhere in the crowd, is a killer.
A man who stole the life of my best friend.
Who wanted someone so he took her. And when she didn’t want him back, killed her.
“Tomorrow can’t come soon enough,” I mutter, though I’m certain he can’t hear me as I turn my back to him and walk to where our friends are still laughing without a care in the world.
All laughter comes to a halt when I silently slip onto the empty stool, Jay sliding up behind me and wrapping his arms around my shoulders.
Spencer and I share a knowing look.
One that says I’m ready.
We’re ready.
We’ve figured it out. The missing piece.
And I pray it’s enough to finally put this to bed. Enough for justice to reign true.
All he does is nod, returning his attention to Brandon and Ruth Royal.
“Are you enjoying your stay?” I hear Brandon ask. When I look away from Spence, I notice his attention is now focused on me.
“Yes. I love what you’ve done with the place. How long ago did you remodel?” I ask, attempting to make conversation even though I’d rather not.
“Gosh, it’s been about what? Five years? Six?” he asks, his question directed at Ruth.
“Something like that. Those few months are kind of a blur. Every time someone picks up a hammer, I have flashbacks of you and Ben fixing up the place.” Ruth shudders at the thought even though she’s giggling. “I’m just glad it’s over.”
“Well, you did a great job,” Jay pipes up. “Really. It’s the nicest place to stay in town.”
“I appreciate that,” Brandon says, offering Jay his hand.
Mia changes the topic to Ruth’s amazing culinary skills, reminding me how hungry I am. Jay waves over a waitress, orders us a few drinks and some food. As she rushes off in a frenzy, he picks me up, steals my seat, and places me in his lap. His movements don’t go unnoticed by anyone at our table, all eyes falling to us.
When I chance a glance in Mia’s direction a few minutes later, she’s grinning at me from ear to ear. All I do is shrug my shoulders and smile back at her. There’s no hiding it at this point.
Things will change again in less than twenty-four hours.
I have no idea what happens next, so I’m going to live in the moment and being close to Jay is exactly where I want to be. It’s where I was meant to be.
Chapter Nineteen
When Mindi takes the stage and taps the mic, silence descends around us. She’s been known to steal the show a time or two when jumping on stage to sing karaoke but tonight isn’t about her belting out a classic Reba song or shaking her ass to the latest pop fad.
It’s all about Sam.
And as much as I’ve held it together for the past two days as I’ve listened to person after person talk about what Sam meant to them and how she touched their lives, I have a feeling Mindi’s words are going to bring me to tears.
Jay must know as well because he tightens his hold on me.
“First off, thank you all for being here tonight. I’ve known most of you since I moved to Great Falls twenty years ago. This wasn’t my destination of choice. I was planning on stopping for the night and moving on the next day. My car had other ideas, and I’ve been here ever since, helping you drown your sorrows with our friends Jose and Jack.”
The crowd laughs even though I suspect Mindi’s statement is true.
“I have had the pleasure to watch so many of you grow up into upstanding members of the community. You’ve worked your way through college, started businesses of your own, taken over for your parents, and been loyal patrons of Riley’s for years. Sam was no different. She was only four or five years old when I first met her. I’d just rolled into town and needed a pick me up. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the Java Bean and was greeted by a child standing on a step stool behind the counter, taking orders for her mama.
“Her energy and zest for life was obvious even back then. She was animated and excited to help. Her smile lit up the room, but it was her large, brown, doe eyes that captured my attention. For a little girl, she saw more than she should have. She asked me if I was okay and sounded genuinely concerned. When I told her my car was giving me problems, she told me it was a sign I was meant to be here. That Great Falls was my new home.”
Mindi pauses and looks out over the crowd. Someone close to her waves a tissue over their head, and she takes it, dabbing at her eyes.
“I told myself I wasn’t going to cry but I should have known.” The crowd chuckles. The only time I’ve ever seen her cry is when she’s angry. I was warned my first day to run the other direction if her tears ever made their presence known. “I had the pleasure of watching that beautiful young girl grow into a woman, face every challenge in life head on, and do it with her chin lifted in defiance. Nothing was going to bring her down. Bumps in the road only made her stronger.
“Honestly, I believe she had the right attitude about that. Because every time she stumbled, she stood back up, determination in her eye. Every time life tried to push her down, she pushed back. She was a fighter, a warrior, stronger than any other woman I’ve ever met. I was proud to call her my friend. I’m proud to have known her. To have been close to such a vibrant, young woman who had big goals in life I have no doubt she would have achieved. But she didn’t share those goals with you. I was her confidant and kept her secrets. Until today. I think she would have wanted you all to know where she would be today if she had been given the chance.”
Mindi pulls a well-worn piece of paper from her apron and slowly unfolds it.
“Sam wrote this a few days before she died. All her friends were graduating, and she knew her last year of college meant making life-changing decisions. These were her dreams. Her goals. What she was planning to accomplish after graduation.” She reads over the list before clearing her throat and sharing Sam’s words with us. “To find a man that loves me and only me. For who I am and who I want to be. To teach at Great Falls Elementary and inspire young minds to be themselves. To one day take over the Java Bean so my mom can relax for the first time in her life. To travel the World: California, New York, Paris, and Italy first.”
Mindi keeps reading but I zone out. Sam never shared any of this with me. When I would ask her about what she wanted to do with her life, she’d say teach. Anytime we talked about traveling the world, she said she’d go wherever as long as the adventure was epic.
Her life still seemed up in the air most of the time, as if she was afraid to make plans. To make decisions.
From the way Mindi makes it sound, she started making plans while we were all gone on vacation. When she was here alone. Because she knew in only a few short months, she would be on her own.
Of all the things on her list, the one that sticks out the most to me is the first.
To find a man that loves me and only me.
No interpretation necessary. She knew how Jay felt about me.
“Lastly,” Mindi says, her voice cutting through the guilt that’s slowly beginning to settle in the pit of my stomach, “she wanted to have a family. Sam loved kids and she wanted an entire soccer team. She wanted to show them the love she had felt her entire life. From this community. From her friends and family. Mostly, from her mother. Summer may have raised Sam by he
rself, but she didn’t do it alone. We all had a hand in raising her. We all kept our eyes on her when Summer wasn’t around.
“She impacted each and every one of our lives. Her smile brightened even the darkest of days. Her spirit was contagious. And I’ll be honest with you,” Mindi states, her voice suddenly less upbeat, “I feel like we let her down. We failed Sam. The one time she needed us most and we weren’t there. I feel personally responsible for her death and so should each of you.”
Shit!
This is not good. Angry Mindi is rearing her ugly head and there’s no telling what will happen next.
“And what’s worse, no one wants to accept responsibility for their actions. Whoever you are, you’re hiding in shame. Because this entire town deserves an apology. Summer deserves an apology, and Sam deserves to rest in peace. So, if you’re in this room, as I suspect you are, show yourself, you fucking coward.”
Okay, someone needs to take the microphone away from her. This is only going to get worse.
“Let this town rest. Step forward and be accountable!” Tears are freely flowing down Mindi’s face as she screams, the microphone no longer necessary to hear her, her voice laced with pain and sorrow. I can only imagine she’s kept those very feelings pent up like I have and now the dam has broken.
The room is silent as heads turn left and right, scanning the crowd as they wait for someone to confess their sins. It doesn’t happen, and Mindi eventually steps off the stage, the music comes back to life, but the energy in the room has changed.
“That was hard to watch,” Mia says, sliding off her stool. “I’m going to go check on her.”
Nodding in agreement, I silently follow Mia across the bar to the kitchen entrance. When we push through the doors, two cooks and a waitress, eyes wide with fear, point toward the back door.
“I thought you quit,” I state, placing my hands on my hips as I stand in front of Mindi.
She’s sitting on the cold concrete, resting her head back against the building, cigarette in one hand and a bottle of Jack in the other.
“I’m not smoking,” she snorts, flicking the cigarette, causing the ash to fall.
“Then what are you doing out here?” Mia asks, stepping up next to me.
“What’s it look like?”
Mindi’s a hard-ass. She doesn’t talk about her feelings. She’s normally the one offering her shoulder to cry on, but right now, the roles need to be reversed, as much as she’s going to hate it.
“It looks like my friend is in desperate need of a hug. It looks like the strongest woman I know is falling apart with good reason. It looks like …” I pause and wait for her to lift her eyes to mine before I continue. When she doesn’t, I kneel down to her eye level and lift her chin. “It looks like you’re hurting as much as the rest of us, maybe more, because you’ve kept these feelings bottle up for five years.”
“I should have been here that night,” she whispers, tears glistening in her eyes.
“We all wish we’d been here that night. We all feel responsible because we loved her. It doesn’t change what happened, and blaming yourself won’t bring her back.” Keeping my eyes trained on hers, I try and alleviate the pain, even just a little. “We will find him, Mindi. We will get justice for Sam. I promise you that much. And when we do, you get first crack at him.”
That brings a smile to her face. I can only imagine what she would do to him if left alone in a room without a camera. I doubt he’d be able to walk after she was done with him.
Taking the cigarette from between her fingers as I stand, I drop it to the ground, stomp it out with my foot, and extend my hand to her.
“I need a minute.”
“Take all the time you need. I’ll jump behind the bar and fill in until you get back,” I say, repressing my smile.
“The hell you will,” she roars as she pushes herself off the ground and takes a swig of Jack. “You don’t even know how to properly mix your own drinks.”
She doesn’t resist when I pull her into my arms. Or when Mia wraps her arms around both of us. We stand like that for a few minutes before walking back into the bar as silently as we left it.
The place has emptied out a little, more than likely because of the absence of the bartender. Or maybe people were trying to avoid the rage they expected to see on her face when she returned.
“All good?” Spence asks as Mia and I approach.
“No, but good enough for now,” is all Mia says as she steps between his legs and wraps herself around him.
Spencer holds her tight, his eyes focused on me. I watch them in awe. Their love is as strong as I’ve ever seen. They survived the worst of the storm. They’ve fought to stay together, to stay here, to face Sam’s death head on. To find justice when it appeared all hope had been lost.
“We’ll get him,” I say to Spence after a few beats.
“I know, Andi. The alternative isn’t an option anymore. I need this. You need this. Most of all, the town needs it.”
All I can do is nod as Jay reaches for me, pulling me to his side and wrapping his arm around my shoulder. Pressing his lips to my temple, Jay whispers, “Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah,” I say, letting out a sigh. “What time is it?”
“A little after eleven.”
My body stiffens. We missed our chance. He was here. He’s more than likely gone now. If he went through the park, if he visited the scene of the crime, where Sam took her last breath, we will never know. All we have to go on is the profile and my gut.
“We’re gonna get going. Noon tomorrow?” Spence asks as he pulls me in for a hug.
“Yeah. We narrowed the list down to ten potential suspects. I plan to deliver the profile and then I’ll hand over the list. If he’s on there, you’ll know right away. Listen to your gut, Spence. Trust your instinct. You know this case better than anyone.”
“How confident in the profile are you?” Holding me at arm’s length, Spence stares me directly in the eyes, looking for any hint of doubt.
He won’t find it.
“It’s spot on. Everything points in one direction, to one person. All you have to do is put two and two together and you’ll have him. I promise. I just wish I could be here when you arrest him.”
“I thought you said you’d stay until he was caught?” Mia asks from next to me. When I chance a glance in her direction, she’s resting her head against Jay’s chest, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. I’ve never seen her this insecure.
“There’s no reason for me to stay at this point,” I reply, my eyes leaving hers and finding Jay’s. “Spence will find him. The next time you see me will be when you are walking down the aisle.”
I imagine Mia rolling her eyes at my comment, but I can’t pull my attention away from Jay. His eyes are dark and stormy, the deep blue specks disappearing behind the darker hue. His intentions are clear in the way his eyes are devouring me, causing my skin to prickle and desire to pool deep inside of me.
“I’m holding you to that,” I hear Mia say as she wraps her arms around me.
I’m going to miss her and Spencer. It’s been hard seeing them again. This entire trip was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Still, in the end I’m glad I came. I’m happy I was able to reconnect with them. And I think Spencer was right.
Celebrating Sam’s life was healing. I couldn’t have done that alone. We fell apart together, and we needed to heal together.
I feel stronger than I have in years. I’ve smiled more in the last two days than I have the last two years.
And my heart no longer feels like it’s caught in a vise grip, tightening at every turn.
“I’d like to come with you tomorrow,” Jay says as he shuts the door to my room behind us.
“You’re more than welcome. It’s not going to take long. Twenty minutes maybe. Then I need to come back here and pack. My flight leaves at four,” I explain, not wanting to think about the fact I’m leaving him in a little over twelve hours.
&nb
sp; Unsure of when the next time I’ll see him.
Knowing I love him and always have but also aware of the fact we have two completely different lives to get back to, on opposites sides of the country.
“I have to get on the road by one o’clock. How about I drive us to the station and then I’ll bring you back here on my way out of town?” he suggests, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it across the room as he’s become accustom to.
Not going to lie, I like it. Not just the way he looks without a shirt on. Or his tattoo that gives him a bit of an edge I wasn’t aware he had.
No, I like the way his muscles flex as he pulls his shirt off. The way they tighten when stretched over his head.
Most of all, I like the way my heart skips a beat as it happens. And the wicked smile on his face that always makes its presence known, as if he knows the dirty thoughts running through my mind and agrees with every single one of them.
“That’s fine,” I state, reaching out and tracing the outline of his abs with my pointer finger.
“You keep doing that and you’re going to get yourself in trouble. I have other plans for us tonight,” he says, taking my hand in his and pressing it flat against the center of his chest. I can feel the pounding of his heart against my palm.
“What did you have in mind?” I tease, raising an eyebrow at him as I stare deep into his hazel eyes. They’ve softened since the bar, or maybe it’s something else reflecting in his stare.
“I want to hold you, Drea. I want to know what it feels like when you fall asleep in my arms. I want to see the look of content on your face as my body wraps around yours.”
“That’s all you want?”
“For tonight, yes. More than anything, I want you to feel my love wrapped around you. Tomorrow, when we say good-bye, I don’t want there to be any doubt in your mind that it’s only temporary. That we were meant to be together and we’ll find a way. Because I’m not giving up on us. Five years didn’t change the way I felt about you, nothing ever will.”
A Moment Too Late Page 17