by Tina Folsom
“What was not smooth?”
“You changing the subject.”
“I wasn’t changing the subject.”
“We were talking about old sweaters, and I asked you a question, which you didn’t answer. Instead, you’re asking me about my job. I’d call that changing the subject, wouldn’t you?”
“I thought men liked talking about their jobs.” She chuckled. “Or talking in general.”
Manus clutched his heart. “Direct hit! I’m wounded.”
Kim rolled her eyes and laughed.
It was the first time he’d seen her truly relaxed and carefree, the first time he realized that there was more to her than just external beauty. She had a glow that radiated around her. A warmth that came from a fire deep inside her. A heart that was full with love and grief, with compassion and pain. A heart so vulnerable it hurt him just thinking of what he could do to it if he ever allowed himself to do more than just flirt with her. Because that’s what they were doing: flirting. And that’s where it had to end because he wasn’t capable of being more than a fling, a one-night stand. That’s all he’d ever been to anybody: a man for one night. A man incapable of allowing himself to love because all love ever got him was pain.
Still, he couldn’t get himself to end the evening yet. Hell, it was still Happy Hour, so he ordered another Scotch. Kim needed an evening to relax and have fun, and fuck it, he needed the same. But what he didn’t need was get drunk and do something stupid that he’d regret later. So, despite the fact that he liked his Scotch, he drank slowly. Happy Hour turned into evening, and a few bar snacks later, it was time to take Kim home.
From his observations, Manus knew that she’d moved out of her mother’s house and back into her condo. The building was in a nice part of town but not pretentious. Manus took Kim’s keys to unlock the door to her apartment, then pressed them back into her palm.
“Thank you for the great company,” he said, ready to turn on his heel and leave.
A hand on his arm stopped him. “Why don’t you come in?” Kim took a step toward him, her body almost brushing his in the narrow doorway. Her lashes fluttered, and her hand moved up his arm.
Manus swallowed hard. “Uhm, Kim, I, uh…”
She put her index finger over his lips, stopping his protest. And, hell, why was he protesting in the first place? His pants were already tight across his crotch, his cock hardening at the thought of what Kim was offering him. A night of sex, of passion. Hadn’t he wanted that the first time he’d laid eyes on her in that coffee shop? So why was he hesitating now? Why was he having scruples?
“Manus,” she murmured, her head drawing closer. Her lips were red and plump, her cheeks rosy.
He dropped his gaze in order not to have to look at the temptation her mouth represented. It was a mistake he realized too late: the view he got of her cleavage was more than any man with a heartbeat should have to resist. He ripped his eyes from the lovely sight and collided with her gaze. Immediately, he knew it would have been better to keep staring at her breasts because trying to resist being drawn closer by her eyes was harder, much harder. It was a battle he couldn’t win.
“Fuck!” Manus cursed. It was the last thing he said before he sank his lips onto hers and kissed her.
There, standing in the doorway to her condo, he pulled her against his body and crushed her lips with his, sliding his tongue between them, finding no resistance. She welcomed him without restraint, pressing her body to his, moving her hands over his back, down to his ass, grabbing him in a way that left no doubt in his mind as to what she wanted from him. Which was exactly what he wanted from her.
He pressed her back against the door, grinding his cock against her soft center. Her moan vibrated against his lips, and her breath engulfed his tongue. He tasted the red wine, and it reminded him of the amount of alcohol she’d had. If she wasn’t drunk, then she was at least tipsy. In any case, she wasn’t in a state to make a decision. He had to make it for her. Or tomorrow, she would regret what had happened.
Another minute of this, and he wouldn’t be able to stop, but he knew he had to, so he ripped his lips from hers.
“I’m sorry.” Manus avoided looking at her. “We can’t do this.”
He felt Kim’s stare on him but was already turning.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured too low for her to hear because he was already walking away. “I wish I could make love to you.”
But it wouldn’t do either of them any good.
7
Kim attached the file to the email and pressed send. She was sure her editor wasn’t too happy about her being late on yet another article, but she couldn’t help it. Besides, what did it matter if her exposé on corruption in the city’s utility department ran a day later than anticipated? The online news outlet she’d been working for during the last few months wasn’t exactly on the cutting edge of journalism, but the job afforded her more flexibility. Of course, now that her mother’s murder was solved, she could try to get a real job with a newspaper or a TV station again—if somebody hired her.
However, today, she didn’t really want to have to think too hard. While she didn’t have a hangover, she wasn’t exactly on top of her game. Just thinking of how the previous evening had ended made her cringe with embarrassment. She’d thrown herself at Manus, a total stranger, and he’d rejected her. She should be glad that he hadn’t taken her up on her offer of sex. Instead, she felt embarrassed. She’d acted like a hussy, like a two-bit floozy who slept with anything on two legs.
This wasn’t like her at all. Why had she acted that way? Certainly, the wine had lowered her inhibitions, but that wasn’t everything. Too much had happened in the last three months, and the knowledge that she wasn’t going to see true justice done because her mother’s murderer was already dead, had been the last straw. Everything she’d done in the last few months had been for nothing. All it had served was to delay the inevitable: to deal with her mother’s estate, to sieve through the memories in her mother’s house and feel the grief crashing over her.
Maybe that’s why she’d thrown herself at Manus, to delay even further. But she couldn’t shirk her responsibilities any longer. It was time to deal with reality. And forget the handsome private investigator once and for all.
When the intercom buzzed, Kim rose from her chair. She wasn’t expecting anybody. Maybe a delivery? She walked to the entrance door and pressed the speaker button.
“Yes?”
“Kim, it’s Todd.”
She took a breath and stalled for a moment. Should she tell him that she was busy? “Yes, Todd?”
“Can I come up for a moment?”
“Uh…”
“It won’t take long.”
“Okay.” Against her better judgment, she pressed the button to open the door to the building.
Moments later, Todd stood at the entrance to her apartment, a hesitant smile on his face. “Hey, mind if I come in?”
Kim stepped aside and let him enter, then closed the door and followed him into the living room. “What’s so important that you couldn’t call?”
Todd turned to her. “I heard that they found the guy. That it was a burglary after all.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I found out only yesterday. How did you—” She stopped herself. “Of course…”
He shrugged. “Too many contacts in the police department. Comes with the territory.”
Kim nodded. Working for the district attorney’s office did have its perks, such as getting police officers to share information that wasn’t public yet. “They connected the guy to Mom’s murder. He had her bracelet on him. And her address. But you probably already knew that.”
His facial expression confirmed that he did. “I thought I’d come by, see if you wanted to talk or something.”
“There was no need to come.”
“I thought you might need someone now, since it’s all over.”
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other while tilting
his head to the side, a slow smile playing around his lips. She’d once fallen for that smile, thought it charming and non-threatening. But it wasn’t working on her anymore. She knew what was behind it, an attempt to get her to come back to him now that her mother’s murder was solved.
“I mean now that you realize you were wrong about all that supernatural stuff, I figured I could—”
“You could do what? Rub it in?”
His smile vanished, defense moving into its place. “No, of course not. You know I’m not like that. I just thought that now that this thing isn’t between us anymore, we could mend things. Get back together.”
“This thing?” Kim shook her head. “You think that me believing that my mother’s murder had a supernatural explanation was the only thing that drove us apart?”
“Well, yeah, of course. I mean… wasn’t it?” Todd stared at her, confused.
“If you have to ask that, then you’re more clueless than I thought.” She sighed. “We weren’t meant to be a couple, Todd. We tried, but it didn’t work out. Mom always knew it.”
He gasped. “What? I thought your mother liked me. Did she turn you against me before she died?”
“No, my mother was too classy to do such a thing! In fact, I think she loved you like a son. She wouldn’t have loved anything more than you being part of the family. But she also knew that I didn’t love you the way a bride should love her husband-to-be. I’m sorry. You were like a comfortable sweater. And I need more than that.”
“A sweater?”
She shook her head. Of course, Todd didn’t understand. Manus would have understood. She motioned to the door. “Please leave before we both say hurtful things. I wish you the best. I wish for you to find a woman who truly loves you as much as you’ll love her.”
Disbelief in his eyes, Todd shook his head and turned. He marched past her and left, slamming the door on the way out.
It was best this way. What woman could truly remain friends with her ex-fiancé after telling him she had never really loved him? Jennifer would probably agree with her.
Kim reached for her cell phone and dialed her best friend’s number.
“Hey,” Jennifer answered. “Sorry I haven’t replied to your text yet. You done with your article?
“Yep. I’ve got time to talk now.”
“So, they solved the case after all, huh?”
“Yeah.” Kim sighed.
“I’ve just cleared my schedule for the rest of the day.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know that, but what are friends for? So, what do you want to do now? Get drunk?”
The thought of more alcohol brought back memories of her evening with Manus. “Better not.”
“Really? I figured after that kind of news, you’d want to dull your senses a bit.”
“I kind of did that last night.”
“You drank alone? Why didn’t you call me last night? I could have cancelled my date and come over.”
“I didn’t drink alone.”
“Who were you with?”
“Uh…”
A gasp at the other end of the line. “Oh, no, you didn’t! You said you weren’t getting back with Todd. Did you fall off the wagon? Oh, Kim, why? Why?”
“I wasn’t with Todd. Why would you even think that?” she interrupted. “Though he showed up here just now. Somebody at the station told him about the case being solved.”
“What did he want?”
“To gloat, probably!” Kim huffed. “And get back together.”
“What an idiot. I hope you tossed him out on his ass.”
“I did.”
“Good for you!”
Jennifer’s confirmation felt good. At least one person was on her side. A person who wasn’t bringing up the fact that Kim had believed in supernatural forces being involved in her mother’s death. She’d been proven wrong—however, she still wasn’t sure about the air conditioning and pressure system explanation Manus had given her. Not that it mattered anymore.
“You still there?” Jennifer asked.
“Yeah, sorry. I spaced out.”
“So, if you weren’t with Todd, who were you drinking with last night?”
“Oh, uh…”
“Come on, if you can’t tell me, whom can you tell?”
Jennifer had a point.
“That guy, you know, from the forum. The PI. Manus.”
“The hottie you called an idiot?”
She cringed at the recollection of it. “Yeah.”
“How did that happen? Did you call him? Did he call you?”
Kim let out a breath. Of course, now Jennifer wanted details. “It’s really not that interesting.”
“It is for me.” Jennifer clicked her tongue. “Come on, spill.”
“Fine. But not on the phone. Do you feel like meeting me at my mom’s house? I need to start going through stuff there, cleaning out things. You can help me, and we can talk.” At least then she wouldn’t have to be there on her own. It still gave her the chills to walk into the living room and see the spot where her mother had died so violently.
“Wow, you’re really gonna make me work for it this time, aren’t you?”
“Gossip isn’t cheap.”
“Don’t I know it? See you in about forty-five minutes?”
“That works.”
“Cool.”
A click in the line, and Jennifer was gone.
8
“You kissed him, and he rejected you?” Jennifer dropped onto the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table. “What’s wrong with that guy? Is he gay? Or impotent?”
“Well, he certainly isn’t impotent,” Kim replied.
“How do you know that if you didn’t sleep with him?”
Kim felt herself blush. If only she hadn’t blurted out the first thing that had come to her mind. “Well, you know, he, uh, he was… he had a…”
Jennifer laughed out loud and almost spilled her wine. “He had a hard-on?” She could barely get the words out amidst her laughter.
Kim sank farther back into the cushions of the overstuffed armchair. “Either that, or he was wearing a codpiece.”
“A codpiece?” That caused Jennifer to have another laughing attack. “Unless he’s a football player, I doubt he’d be wearing a codpiece. Oh, no, hon, I’m sure what you felt was a hard-on. And why not? You’re a gorgeous woman.”
“Clearly not gorgeous enough, or he wouldn’t have rejected my advances.” Kim shrugged though the rejection had stung. “Just as well. It’s another complication I don’t need in my life right now.”
Jennifer chuckled. “That’s exactly the kind of complication you need. And I would call it a distraction, not a complication.”
“Talking about distractions… How about you help me with going through Mom’s stuff?” Kim rose and pointed to a stack of folded moving boxes and trash bags. “Old magazines and newspapers, recipes, and whatever go straight in the trash. If you find anything that’s worth donating to Goodwill, put it in a box. Anything you’re unsure about, just put it on the dining table, and I’ll go through it later.”
“Yes, slave driver!” Jennifer said and got up.
“You’ve got your gossip, time to pay up,” Kim said, turning to the stairs. On the second step, she stopped and looked back at Jennifer. “Thanks for doing this with me. It’s hard, you know.”
Jennifer gave her a kind smile. “I know, hon.”
Upstairs, Kim went to work, starting in her mother’s bedroom. Looking through all the closets, cupboards, and drawers felt like invading her mother’s private space. She had to remind herself that she wasn’t snooping around, looking for Christmas presents like she’d done as a child, but was instead sifting through her mother’s personal effects in order to decide what to keep and what to throw out.
She couldn’t keep all of it, as much as she wanted to. The house had to be sold, and her own condo wasn’t big enough to hold even a portion of her mother’s prized
possessions. Much of it would have to be sold at an estate sale. She made a mental note to ask her mother’s assistant at the museum where she’d worked whether she knew anybody reputable to take over that arduous task. Kim neither had the stomach nor the eye for it.
She was in the middle of looking through the boxes on the top shelf of the closet when she heard a sound at the door to the bedroom. She turned on the stepstool, careful not to lose her balance.
“Didn’t you say that the police showed you your mother’s bracelet?” Jennifer asked, walking into the room.
“Yeah, and they kept it in evidence for now. I’ll get it back when they’ve officially closed the case.”
Jennifer furrowed her brow. “Well, then I’d like to know what this is.” She stretched her hand out, palm open.
Kim stepped down from the stool and walked to Jennifer, her eyes zeroing in on the item in her friend’s hand. Her heart started pounding instantly. Instinctively, she reached for it. “That’s impossible.” It was her mother’s bracelet, the very same the detective had shown her only the day before. “Where did you get this?” She lifted her head to stare at her friend.
Jennifer motioned toward downstairs. “I was going through the living room cupboard and dropped that bag of antique marbles your mother loved so much. The bag’s fabric ripped, and some of the marbles rolled under the cupboard. So, I got on my hands and knees, and guess what I found behind there, stuck in a crack?” She pointed to the bracelet. “That.” She braced her hands at her hips. “I thought the bracelet is a one-of-a-kind.”
Kim nodded. “It is. She’d had it made after a drawing she’d seen in one of her antiques books.”
“And she never had a second copy made?”
“No. Why would she?”
“In that case, I think we have a problem.”
Slowly, Kim nodded. She knew exactly what Jennifer was thinking. “The police lied to me. They didn’t find my mother’s bracelet on that dead guy. They planted a replica on him.”
Jennifer nodded fiercely. “And I can guess why.”
“To close the case. They figured I’d never stop asking questions, so to get me off their backs, they made it look like they solved the case.”