Cakewalk

by Claire Hastings

  “I have thought that. Lots,” he admitted. “Doesn’t change the fact that she lied. She should have told me.”

  “Yeah, probably,” Caulfield acquiesced. “And the lie hurts. I’m not saying it shouldn’t. But if that knock on the door this morning had been an alive husband there on the hunt for his wife who was running from him, would your reaction be the same as it is now? Know what? I’ll answer that for you. Your reaction would have been to beat the tar out of him and protect that beautiful girl. You would have understood that she did what she did because she was scared of him showing up like that, ready to hurt or even kill her. Then you would have taken her in your arms and held her until she felt safe again!”

  Fuck, he’s right, Holden thought. That is exactly what I would have done. But instead, I fucking abandoned her, right when she needed me the most.

  “Shit,” Holden muttered. “You’re right.”

  "I am quite often. Drives your father nuts,” his godfather boasted. Holden couldn’t help but smile and shake his head, knowing that his father was right there, probably giving Caulfield the finger in response.

  “I gotta figure out how to fix this,” Holden said, more to himself than his family on the other end of the phone.

  “First things first, put your pants on, and get down there and inform her that you’ve removed your head from your ass and that you’re sorry. That you love her and support her and you’re gonna help her prove she didn’t do this. Even if the bastard did have it coming.”

  “I’m already wearing pants, old man,” he quipped, looking down at what he was wearing. Why his godfather would assume he wasn’t wearing pants was beyond him, but now was not the moment to question it.

  “Then you’re one step ahead of the game.”

  28

  Gigi

  The creak from the rusty hinges on the jail cell door opening startled Gigi out of her half-asleep state. She had no idea what time it was or how long she’d been resting, but it seemed like forever and no time simultaneously. Sitting up on the little bed, she rubbed her eyes, trying to get her bearings. The small cell looked just like the ones did on TV—the only major difference being that there was a real door with a barred window rather than the stereotypical floor-to-ceiling bars. A single bed was built into the wall, complete with a plastic-covered mattress and lumpy pillow. There wasn’t a built-in toilet either, since the cell wasn’t built for long-term use, so Officer Nelligan had said she would need to alert one of them if she needed to use the restroom. Just what she needed, to ask permission to pee.

  Looking up over at the doorway, she found Officer Nelligan leaning against the doorjamb, a satisfied smile on his face. She hadn’t seen him smile all day, which had been rather disconcerting, since every other interaction she’d had with the man he’d always been grinning. He reminded her of so many of the guys she’d gone to college with, laid-back and affable, someone who was always fun to hang out with and never caused too much trouble. Maybe if you’d married someone more like him, you wouldn’t be sitting in this cell right now…

  “Well, Miss Gigi,” he said, his slight southern accent sounding more pronounced than normal. “We got some good news for you.”

  “Is that so?” she asked, disbelieving. This day had been filled with nothing but bad news piled on more bad news. She was highly doubtful that there was anything good to be had right about now.

  “Detective Ball just got off the phone with someone from the Georgia State Police, who have a Miss Myra Willis in custody.”

  “Who is she?”

  “The woman who confessed to killing your husband,” Officer Nelligan told her, a sly smile spreading across his lips.

  “The what?” Gigi exclaimed, popping up off the bed. Her sudden movements shifted the plastic mattress enough that it was mostly hanging off the far edge of the bed. There was no way she heard him correctly. The woman who confessed to killing Bradley? Oh Lord have mercy…

  “Yup. Detective Ball made the detective down in Georgia run through it a couple of times just to make sure, but this lady has confessed to the whole shebang. I missed a bunch of the details, and Detective Ball wasn’t exactly in a sharing mood, but from what I heard, Miss Willis was also having some sort of um….relationship…with your husband and found out that he and Miss Hatchette had faked your death to collect the insurance money after you disappeared. They were also planning to fake his death for the same reason.”

  “So, if he faked his drowning, how did he end up actually dead?” Gigi asked, trying to follow along. She knew that Lake Lanier was considered the “deadliest lake in America” since it had more deaths than any other in the country, so a drowning there would be a plausible story. But Officer Nelligan said they faked it. So was he not dead?

  “Well, that’s where this gets interesting.”

  Interesting? We’re long past “interesting,” Gigi thought, though she didn’t dare say it out loud.

  “Turns out, Miss Willis was under the impression she was the only mistress in his life. When she found out about the plan to fake his death and that they planned to run away together, she flew into a jealous rage and poisoned them both. I didn’t catch how she then got them into the lake, but with her confession, you’re off the hook for his murder.”

  Two mistresses? Gigi’s head spun as she tried to weave it all together. She sat back down on the bed, the metal platform cold even through the sweats she was still wearing. Slouching back against the wall, she drew her knees up to her chest, curling herself in a ball, and closed her eyes, trying to make it all make sense. But her thoughts were moving too fast with all this new information. Just what kind of trashy daytime talk show nonsense had been going on in my life?

  How did all this get so out of control? Having her suspicions fully confirmed was one thing, but twice over? He was cheating with two other women? And didn’t these women know what kind of man he was? Or did his temper not extend to them the way it had her? Part of her knew she shouldn’t be surprised—Bradley had always been the charmer, hiding his true self from people.

  Doesn’t matter now, you’re free of him, she reminded herself. Inhaling deeply, she let out a long sigh, thankful for small miracles. He was really gone, and it had nothing to do with her.

  “So I’m free to go?” she asked, not bothering to look at him. She could hear the hope in the question, even though that was still the last thing she was feeling. If he said yes, where would she go? All her stuff was still back at the house, and she was certain she was persona non grata there right about now. Not that she would even have a way to get back to the house to get her stuff, anyway. The thought crossed her mind that she could call Hunnie and hope that the friendship they’d created was ready to weather something like this.

  “Not quite. There is still the insurance fraud charge. They are still questioning the timeline of your death certificate, since it was dated so soon after you left. Wondering if faking your death for the money was part of your plan all along, even if you hadn’t planned on killing your husband,” he told her. Gigi shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing. Did they really think her this conniving? Today just kept getting better and better. She really just needed it to end. “But you do have someone who wants to see you.”

  Gigi looked back over to Officer Nelligan in time to watch him step away from the door and be replaced by a tall, dark, bearded figure. His piercing blue eyes caught hers right away, but it was his muscular arms crossed in front of his strong chest that called to her the most. Her entire body cried out as she saw him appear in the doorframe, fighting the urge to run to him and lose herself in his embrace.

  Holden.

  29

  Holden

  The sight of Gigi sitting on that metal bench, curled up like a frightened kitten, was like a punch to Holden’s gut. His stomach lurched as he watched her swallow hard, taking him in, like she wasn’t sure if she should reach for him or cower even more. Gone was the vibrant woman he’d come to know over the past few
weeks. In her place was the reserved, apprehensive one who had moved into his carriage house. He hated himself for having a part in her transformation back to this state. This was not who she was, and seeing her like this hurt more than any lie ever could.

  “Holden,” Gigi said, her voice just above a whisper. The sound of it stole all the air from his lungs. She looked at him nervously, as if she still had no idea why he was here and what he was about to say. She doubted him—and after his reaction this morning, how could he blame her? His actions didn’t reflect how he felt about her, and now they were both left facing the consequences.

  “Gigi,” he said, his own voice coming out rougher than he intended. Clearing his throat, he started again, wanting to make sure he got this right. “Gigi, I’m sorry.”

  “I didn’t kill him,” she sobbed, tears springing to her eyes.

  “I know, I know,” he said, rushing over to her. Kneeling down in front of her, he placed his hands on her hips and slid her toward him, until her feet were at the edge of the bench. The bench was low enough to the ground that with their difference in height they were almost face to face. He wanted nothing more than to wrap himself around her right now, but he had no idea how she’d react, so he settled for keeping his hands firmly on her hips, giving them a light squeeze to let her know he was there. “And not just because I talked to Detective Ball on my way in. I know deep down you didn’t kill him. That you didn’t do any of this. That there isn’t a single part of you that could ever even think of doing this.”

  “I was going to tell you about Bradley, I promise. I didn’t mean to lie, at least not for as long as I did. I…I just needed to get away. And it seemed easier to tell people he was dead. I thought that people wouldn’t ask questions that way. But then I met you…” she trailed off, her emotions overtaking her. Her body shook as she continued to cry, those gray eyes holding him captive.

  He felt his heart squeeze as another wave of guilt washed over him. Caulfield’s words rang through his mind again. Would your reaction be the same? Holden knew exactly what he should have done this morning, and now was the time to prove to Gigi that he was the man she deserved.

  “Sweetheart, it’s okay. I get it. You were trying to protect yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have reacted the way that I did this morning. I should have defended you, made sure you knew you were safe with me.”

  “But you were right! I should have told you! It’s not that I don’t trust you, because I do. I trust you more than anyone else in the world.”

  “I know you do, sweetheart,” he said, pulling her closer so their foreheads touched. As much as he loved hearing her tell him that she trusted him, he needed to find the words to tell her he felt the same and to apologize for not being that man when the moment came. “But I failed you. When the time came to be the man you need, the man you deserve, I wasn’t there. At least not in the way I should have been. You’ve spent so long being told you’re not important and that you’re not a priority. But none of that is true. You are important, and smart…and you are a priority. You’re my priority. All of you. Your safety, your happiness, and that wonderful mind of yours that keeps coming up with all these new ideas. I am so sorry that I didn’t do what I should have.”

  “Holden,” she choked out.

  “I can’t tell you how many times I thought to myself that it was a good thing that Bradley was dead, because if he’d been alive, I’d tear him limb from limb for what he did to you. For all those lies he told you. So maybe it was a good thing you didn’t tell me, because then I’d be the one in this jail and not the least bit sorry about it.”

  Gigi let out a small giggle through her tears, and just that little bit made his insides come alive again. Taking that as his cue, he moved up onto the bench and hauled her into his lap. Pulling her as close as he could get her, he drew in a deep breath when she wrapped both her arms and legs around him, holding on tight. He squeezed her hard, not caring who might walk in and see them. Right now he only cared about making sure Gigi felt safe, secure, and most of all, loved.

  “Gigi, you pulled me out of a darkness so consuming that I had resigned myself to never ever escaping. You helped inspire me and guide me back to my love of writing. You light up my life in ways I never could have imagined and that a few months ago I would have told you were impossible. You might have been running for your life, but you saved mine in the process.”

  Kissing her softly, Holden’s insides lit up as she wiggled in his lap, returning his kiss. Their lips moved together in sync, tenderly expressing everything they were feeling. She felt so good in his arms, like this is where she belonged. It felt like it had been days since they touched, instead of just hours ago.

  "Sweetheart, you waltzed right into my life, turned it upside down in all the best ways, and I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “Well, you wouldn’t have had to renovate your carriage house, for one,” she said, trying to make a joke.

  “As far as I’m concerned, you setting the place on fire was one of the best things that could have ever happened to me. It was the catalyst I needed. It brought us together and set this whole beautiful story in motion,” he told her, wanting to make sure she believed it. “You asked if you could borrow my muse, and I made a joke about not sharing, but that’s not the real reason. Gigi, you are my muse.”

  “I am?” she asked, pulling back, a look of surprise covering her face.

  “Yes, sweetheart, you are. You are the one who got the wheels turning in my head again. It started that day with the fire, but it continued every day after that with your smiles and your laughter. Your determination to learn new things and find your own way. Watching you be so hell-bent on figuring out your way around the kitchen was inspiring. Once you got going, you weren’t going to give up, and I knew that in order to be worthy of you, I couldn’t either.”

  “I love you, Holden.”

  “I love you, Gigi.”

  Gigi

  Gigi tightened her arms around Holden’s neck, nuzzling her face into his shoulder. She couldn’t believe just how amazing his touch felt. Moments ago she’d been so sure that this was something she’d never feel again—that the only words she’d ever hear come from his mouth were words of anger. Now, hearing him tell her he loved her, still after all this, was music to her ears.

  “I was going to tell you today. I didn’t want it to be a secret any longer,” she said, fighting back a new round of tears. “I want us to have a future together. I want to read by the fire together and listen to you laugh because I haven’t seen some movie. I want to be the first person to read your books, and to travel with you as you tour the country so I can brag about what an amazing author you are. I want to force you to try all my new cupcake recipes and for you to have to lie to me to tell me they’re wonderful even when they aren’t. I want snow days and trips to the beach. We can skip Thanksgiving, but Christmases with your family are nonnegotiable.”

  “Pretty sure they feel the same way,” he said with a laugh. “And we can figure out Thanksgiving. I think Hannah would want us to. Besides, we can’t have our kids being those weirdos who don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.”

  “You’re still open to that?” she said, her heart racing at the thought. When she’d woken up this morning, she’d wanted nothing more than to start a family with him. But that was before everything had fallen down around them. To hear him even bring up the idea made her want to melt into him even more.

  “Only if you are, sweetheart,” he said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “Gigi, you are my world. I don’t want you to ever doubt for a single second where I stand. I know that finding yourself and standing on your own two feet is important to you, especially after everything you’ve been through. But I need you to know that I will be by your side, no matter what. Marriage, kids, your own bakery, whatever crazy idea pops into your head, I’m here for it. We’re in this together.”

  Gigi let out a long breath, trying
not to start crying again. Only Holden would have the perfect words ready and waiting for her. He was everything she had always hoped for and so much more.

  “As long as I’m with you, then I’ll have everything I ever need, Holden.”

  “I like the sound of that, sweetheart.”

  They were silent for a moment, letting everything they’d just said soak in. Bradley was dead and gone from her life, and she was free to do whatever she wanted. And what she wanted was a life with Holden, here in Vermont. Colebury had become home these last few months, and she hated the idea of leaving. She loved the idea of opening her own bakery, a space of her own where she could experiment with all sorts of different flavors and ideas. She loved that idea almost as much as she loved the idea of a family with Holden.

  “I kinda need to get out of jail first though…” she said, hating to bring back the weight of the situation. “They know I didn’t kill him, but I guess whether I faked my death is still questionable.”

  “I already have the officers working on your bail. It should be posted here shortly.”

  “Holden, I can’t let you do that! I’ll pay you back. I have the money from my trust fund.”

  “Nope. It’s not up for discussion. It’s the least I could do after I failed you this morning. You’re also not touching that money until we prove that you had nothing to do with the insurance fraud.”

  “We?”

  “Yes, we. I told you, we’re in this together. I am going to help you fight this and prove your innocence every step of the way. I called Rita Kaplan on my way over and—”

  “Who?”

  “Rita. The intense brunette who won’t let anyone else sit on the peach couch at the Busy Bean. She’s a lawyer and business partner with May Shipley, who is Audrey’s and Zara’s sister-in-law. She agreed to help us with whatever you need. She said she has a huge network, so we can ask her to help find a lawyer who specializes in fraud. I don’t want to step on your toes, so if you want to do this on your own, just let me know. It’s your battle and I’ll respect that. But you don’t have to do anything all by yourself ever again, Gigi, if you don’t want.”