“I’m not sure. We won’t know until later tonight when we question both of them. Taylor was on his way to pick her up when we left the scene. I’ll keep you updated.”
Aidan arrived as Detective Jordan was leaving. Savanna had texted him as soon as they’d pulled in the driveway.
In her comfy family room, Savanna was cozied up under her favorite throw between Fonzie and her boyfriend. She’d put I Love Lucy reruns on TV, the volume low; after the excitement of tonight, it was just too soon to jump back into her Columbo marathon. Dr. Gallager had insisted on re-checking her blood pressure, and it was perfect.
He gave his own version of the same speech Nick Jordan had given her, regarding putting herself in the middle of an armed car chase. “You’re sure you’re okay?” He pulled her closer and she leaned into him.
“My own personal doctor made a house call for me. I’m a thousand percent better than okay.” She smiled up at him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
True to his word, Nick Jordan stopped by Savanna’s house Friday after work with news. She let him in, motioning for him to follow her; she was in the middle of slicing strawberries for her get-together tonight. She handed him a glass of lemonade.
“We’ve fixed the screen,” she said, pointing at the kitchen window. “And my dad rewired the circuit for the alarm. I know which one it’s on, but I rewrote the labels and left it off—I should’ve been smarter about that. Perils of being a first-time homeowner, I guess.”
“I’m glad you took care of it so fast. I wanted to let you know, we have an airtight case against Dylan Blake, and we know now that he acted alone. The bullet casings from the unregistered gun he shot at you with matched the one that killed Libby.”
“Oh, wow! How do you know Miss Priscilla wasn’t involved? What did she say?”
“It was more how she reacted. We got a warrant to search their house and business, and we found items in Dylan Blake’s home office that were enlightening. Not only did he have professionally done plans for his expansion of the dance studio into the flower shop space, but we found a new purchase agreement already drawn up by a real estate agency in Grand Rapids. He also had a detailed spreadsheet with the revenue increase he expected once the dance school had double the space. With the extra classes and competition division teams he’d planned to add, he was anticipating more than a hundred percent increase in profits. Blake was likely just waiting for Anthony to either be sole owner of the flower shop he didn’t want, or better yet, be arrested for Libby’s murder. He’d also kept all of his bank deposit slips for an account under his name alone.”
Savanna narrowed her eyes. “How did that help you?”
“He’d been funneling money from the dance school, putting a portion of customer payments into his personal account. He had enough for a big down payment on the flower shop. It’s also a good way to hide small business income, for tax purposes—if he hadn’t been found out. The Kents’ fraud claim against the Blakes was spot on. Anyway, we brought Priscilla in for questioning. We had no evidence to tie it to her, and when we began laying all this out for her, her reaction was extreme. She didn’t have a clue what her husband was doing.”
“Good. That actually makes me feel better,” Savanna said. “I know she’s not a warm and fuzzy person, but I’ve known her since I was a kid. I’m glad to know she wasn’t involved in Libby’s death. How did Anthony and Rachel take the news? Uncle Max says he’s hardly seen either of them since last week.”
“I believe Anthony Kent is dealing with some guilt despite being cleared of murder. With all of this out in the open, Rachel knows now that her father tried to sell her mother’s shop. He didn’t entertain the Blakes’ first offer years ago, but I suppose everyone has a price.”
Savanna sighed. “It sounded to me like he was stressed about money. Maybe he thought he could convince his wife to sell for the big money Blake offered the second time. The shop was Libby’s passion, not his. But he didn’t kill her.”
Mollie and Nolan’s recital that evening went off perfectly, despite a conspicuously absent Miss Priscilla. Marcus Valentine stepped in and handled emcee duties; he thanked the audience for coming and shared that Miss Priscilla had been devastated upon learning what her husband had done. She hadn’t been up to being part of the event, but she and an overwhelming majority of the dance parents had felt the show must go on out of respect for the students’ months of hard work. Mollie executed her ballet and tap dances beautifully, just as she’d done in dress rehearsal. Nolan thoroughly enjoyed his theater skit onstage among his classmates, despite the full thirty seconds he forgot a line. He’d stood staring into the bright lights, even though most of the audience could see the theater teacher in the wings whispering it loudly to him. At bows after the finale, Nolan ran over to Mollie, took her hand, and marched the two of them to the edge of the stage for their bow, gaining extra applause.
Both families got a sweet surprise on the way out of the crowded auditorium. Finn Gallager was waiting just outside the exit, wearing a suit and tie and holding two beautiful bouquets of roses in his arms. Sydney spotted him first, but Mollie was right behind her.
“Uncle Finn! You came!” The little girl sprinted over and launched herself at him.
He laughed and caught her, shifting the flowers. “Of course I came!”
“But did you see me?” She pushed off his chest with both hands, scrutinizing him.
“I saw you in both numbers.” He set her down. “I even saw when you did that extra spin at the end of the tap dance. You were a-ma-zing.” He drew the word out and Mollie beamed up at him. Finn placed the pink roses in her arms. “These are for you, Mols.” He straightened up and met Sydney’s gaze.
Sydney had hung back near Savanna, letting Mollie bask in the attention from her uncle.
He murmured greetings to Aidan and his in-laws as he moved through the little gathering, but his focus was on Sydney. He handed her the bouquet of red roses. “And these are yours. Hey there, Syd.”
She’d seen him less than a week ago, and they’d talked every night. But now, Sydney felt like she would burst with happiness over him standing here in front of her. She was acutely aware of being in the middle of both their families. Despite the conversation and laughter, she swore she could feel her parents watching them. “I don’t understand,” Sydney said, keeping her voice low. “What are you doing here? You’d said your next trip home wouldn’t be until the end of June.”
“I wanted to meet your mom and dad. I want to meet your family. And I didn’t want to let Mollie down.” He grinned. “There was just way too much at stake.”
Sydney curled her fingers around the lapel of his suitcoat. She stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you. Do you have to go right back?”
“I’ve got until Sunday.”
“Oh, good! Sounds like forever.”
Finn leaned down and put his lips near her ear, sending a shiver through her. “I like the way that sounds.” He looked over toward Harlan and Charlotte on the opposite side of the gathering, and then back at Sydney. “Ready?”
She took his hand and smiled. “Come on. They can’t wait to meet you.”
The Shepherd and Gallager families gathered at Savanna’s house for post-show ice cream sundaes. She’d set up an assembly line across her kitchen counter with three kinds of ice cream, hot fudge, strawberries, flavored syrup, and a wide array of other toppings. She opened the French doors onto her deck, and the group drifted in and out, talking and enjoying dessert. It was a beautiful night, just warm enough, with a light breeze that brought the welcome lake air into the house.
Savanna joined Aidan on her deck, where he was talking with Harlan and her uncles.
“It’s definitely worth considering,” Uncle Freddie said to Max.
“What are we considering?” Savanna asked, late to the conversation.
Uncl
e Max’s eyes were bright with excitement. “Did you happen to see the ‘For Sale’ sign in Libby’s window today?”
“What? No, I didn’t! Anthony’s moving on, then. I guess that shouldn’t be a surprise.”
“And,” Uncle Freddie said, “we thought, what a perfect opportunity for a seasoned botanist to take over running the flower shop.”
“Oh!” Savanna exclaimed. “Oh, my goodness. Uncle Max, would you really do it? It’d be wonderful if Carson could still have its lovely Libby’s Blooms. You’d be a natural fit.”
Uncle Freddie put an arm around his husband. “I think it’s a great idea. I can see it now—two members of our family with successful shops across the street from each other.”
Max smiled. “I might be ready for a new adventure.”
“You and Sydney could run cross promotions!” Savanna exclaimed. “It’ll be fun! I’ll get in touch with my real estate agent first thing in the morning and ask him to call you.”
“Speaking of tomorrow morning...” Freddie said, looking at Aidan. “Are we still on for golf?”
The other man nodded. “Maybe we can convince the rest of you to join us?”
“Nope. I have the pleasure of babysitting my niece and nephew,” Savanna said. “Skylar and Travis have a breakfast date.” She was so happy Skylar was giving up a little control and letting her sisters help out.
Uncle Max shook his head too. “I wouldn’t subject you to my golf swing,” he told Aidan. “My brother-in-law here knows—he’ll tell you. It’s not pretty.”
Harlan shrugged. “It’s not all that bad. It’s about on par with mine.” He winked at Savanna.
“Ha ha,” she said, giving him a half smile. “Nice dad joke.”
“I aim to please. Besides, I’m taking my boat out fishing tomorrow morning. No time for golf.”
There was her opening. Savanna slipped an arm through Aidan’s. “Dad,” she began, “remember when you were teaching me to sail and I said that someday, I wanted a sailboat just like yours?”
“Sure I do.”
“Well, I now own half a sailboat. A beautiful thirty-five-foot Catalina. She’s amazing. Would you want to check her out tomorrow and leave yours in the slip?”
“I can’t tomorrow,” he said. “Darn it. If you’d just caught me a little earlier. Since I’ll be done fishing early enough, Dr. Gallager here actually just invited me out on his Catalina thirty-five-footer tomorrow afternoon.” He smirked at her.
She turned and stared at Aidan. “You could’ve stopped me anytime. You already told him?”
“I didn’t! I wouldn’t do that—you wanted to tell him. I’d planned for us to tell him on our boat tomorrow.”
“You can’t even sail!”
“No, but both of you can.” He grinned at her.
“The Catalina is Aidan’s very generous birthday gift to me,” Savanna said. “Well, my half of it anyway, along with the slip.” She leaned a head on his shoulder, smiling. “I tried to turn it down, but he wouldn’t let me.”
Harlan laughed. “Good man. You two are going to love it. One of the best decisions you’ll ever make.”
On Sunday morning, Savanna glanced at Mollie in the back seat of Aidan’s SUV. She raised one eyebrow at her and tilted her head to the side. “So let me get this straight. You know where we’re going, and your dad knows where we’re going, but neither of you can let me in on the secret?”
Aidan had asked if they could pick up Savanna for a Sunday drive, and of course she’d said yes. But Mollie’s whole cat-who-ate-the-canary demeanor was a giveaway that she and her dad were planning something. She giggled and put her fingertips to her lips and turned them as if turning a key in a lock. She held the invisible key out in front of Savanna, then tossed it out the window and crossed her arms over her chest.
Savanna laughed. “All right, I can see I won’t get anywhere with you.”
“Don’t even start on me,” Aidan warned her. “I’m forbidden to tell you anything.”
They were heading south. She had a feeling they might be taking Mollie for a sail on the new boat. “Did Finn leave today?”
“I think he had an early flight,” Aidan said, nodding. In another mile or so, he made a right into the marina, confirming Savanna’s suspicions. It was perfect sailing weather. She was so excited for Mollie to test out this fun new experience.
They greeted Gus as they passed Sweetwater Boats, Mollie’s small hand in Savanna’s larger one. Savanna spotted the dozens of balloons tied to the Catalina from two docks away.
“What is that?” She looked from Mollie to Aidan. “What did you two do?”
Mollie pulled on her hand, moving faster. “Come and see!”
The three of them climbed into the cockpit, and Savanna tipped her head way back, looking up at the balloons tied to the boom and side stays. “Wow! They’re so pretty.” The pastel-colored balloons against the blue sky were moving gently in the breeze.
“Mollie said there had to be balloons,” Aidan said. His voice was strained, different. She met his gaze, and then looked at Mollie, sitting on the bench opposite them.
The little girl held out a small white gift box wrapped with a big purple bow. “Ms. Shepherd, I made this for you.”
Savanna took it, puzzled. “Mollie, you’re so sweet! You made a gift for me?”
Mollie took a deep breath in, puffing her chest out. She looked at her dad.
“Go ahead, Mollie. You’ve got this,” he assured her. Savanna slid her gaze in his direction. “She’s been planning this for a while. We both have, but we had to get our ducks in a row. Right?” he asked his daughter.
She giggled. “I w-want to ask you something,” she told Savanna. “I want you to—” Mollie paused and frowned. She took the box back from Savanna’s open palm and untied the ribbon. “Here.”
Savanna slowly removed the lid to reveal a bit of tissue paper covering up something pink. “Should I look?” she asked Mollie.
The girl nodded, then took the tissue paper away herself. “See?”
Savanna gasped. Her eyes instantly filled with tears. She reached in and pulled out a braided pink-and-purple bracelet with a small pink bunny charm woven into the strands. “Oh, Mollie.” Her voice came out thick and quiet.
“This is Mrs. Fluffypants,” the girl said, excitement in her tone. “She’s just like mine and Daddy’s, see?” Mollie displayed the one like it on her own wrist and then leaned across Savanna and pushed up her dad’s sleeve, revealing a matching pink-and-purple bracelet. She took the bracelet from Savanna and painstakingly tied it around her wrist.
While she did, Savanna finally looked at Aidan sitting silently beside her. Her tears overflowed, and she didn’t even care. She had no words. He kissed her temple, and she closed her eyes, swallowing hard.
“So now you have the same one as us,” Mollie said. Savanna smiled at her and nodded, struggling to find her voice. Mollie patted her arm. “Could you please be part of our family now?”
Savanna nodded vigorously, smiling and unable to stop crying. “Yes, Mollie. Yes, I’d love to be part of your wonderful family. Thank you.” She folded Mollie into her arms and hugged her. Holy ever-loving cats. This little girl had just claimed her heart in the time it took to tie a bracelet to her wrist.
When Mollie let go, Savanna took a deep breath and turned, smiling, to Aidan.
“My turn,” he said, a small black box in the palm of his hand. “We wanted to do this a while ago, but it took some time to get this from storage in New York.”
Savanna forgot to breathe, watching him. She was completely overwhelmed. Her heart thumped at the base of her throat. She hadn’t expected this—any of this.
Aidan opened the box and took her hand. The ring was stunning, a large round transitional cut diamond in a vintage gold setting. “Savanna, that day on Caroline Carson’s front por
ch, when you tangled the poodles around my legs, was the luckiest day of my life.”
She laughed.
“I love you. I’m completely in love with you. So is my daughter. We need you in our life, now and always. Will you marry me?”
Savanna looked up at the balloons, blinking rapidly. Goodness, she wasn’t prepared for any of this. He constantly surprised her.
Aidan leaned toward her, worry furrowing his brow. “It was my grandmother’s ring,” he said. “But we can choose a new one if you’d like. And maybe this seems fast. I don’t know, maybe it is. But I know how I feel about you, Savanna. We can take any amount of time you want; I’m not going anywhere. Just please, say yes.”
Savanna cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. She had to before her heart raced right out of her chest. “Yes.”
The End
Acknowledgements
Writing the third book in the Shepherd sisters series was an experience I’ll never forget. Two weeks before learning that Hallmark wanted to continue the series with Still Life and Death, I was laid off from my home health RN position in the midst of the developing pandemic. I was grateful to be put on leave by my physician, who made the decision with my best interests in mind after I’d had a life-threatening lung issue a year earlier. This leave from my job marked the first time since I was fifteen—thirty-five years ago—that I’ve been unemployed.
But of course I wasn’t really unemployed. I was lucky to be able to immerse myself in the Shepherd sisters’ world for the third time in two years, and I don’t think I’m overstating it when I say they saved me. Savanna and her sisters and beau and the little town of Carson provided me with a sense of peace and calm during a time of uncertainty, fear, and upheaval. I think this story is infused with a little of the grace I felt while writing it—thankful to be healthy and surrounded by my family and knowing how truly fortunate that made me. The nurse portion of me firmly, painfully grasps this history-making, horrific time, while the writer portion is grateful beyond words to be here, drawing breath and sharing my stories.
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