Tj Jensen Cozy Mystery Boxed Set 2: Books 6-10

by Kathi Daley

  “You’re pregnant,” Ashley accused.

  “What? No, I’m not pregnant.” Come on, girl pull it together. Honest and direct, I reminded myself to remember Jenna’s advice. “Kyle and I are getting married.”

  My announcement was met with dead silence.

  Eventually, Gracie spoke. “Married? When?”

  “We just got engaged and haven’t set a date, but it won’t be for a while. Maybe next summer.”

  Gracie looked confused but not angry. I couldn’t help but notice that Ashley had curled into a ball totally blocking me out.

  “Is Kyle going to move in here with us when you get married?” Gracie asked.

  “No dummy, Kyle isn’t going to move in with us, Tj is going to make us move in with him,” Ashley spat.

  Gracie teared up. “But what about Papa? And Grandpa? What about Pumpkin and Crissy?”

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Pumpkin and Crissy will move with us out to Kyle’s place. Snowball too,” I referred to Ashley’s cat. “And we’ll still see Papa and Grandpa all the time. As often as you want.”

  “Will Grandpa still make us breakfast?” Gracie was sobbing by this point.

  I remembered Jenna’s counsel to be honest and direct. “No. But I can make you breakfast just like Grandpa does now.”

  “Great, I always wondered what it would be like to have food poisoning,” Ashley said in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “Hey, I can cook and am perfectly capable of making breakfast.”

  Ashley raised a brow.

  “Okay, so maybe I won’t be able to make pancakes quite as good as the ones Grandpa makes, but Kyle can cook. Maybe he will want to make you breakfast.”

  “It won’t be the same,” Gracie sobbed.

  I pulled her into my lap and gave her a good hard hug. “I’m so sorry I upset you. I guess I didn’t handle this as well as I could have. I love Kyle, and I want all of us to be a family. And I know you love Kyle as well. We were happy when we all lived together on Gull Island,” I reminded Gracie.

  “But Grandpa was there. Doc too.” She smashed her face into my shoulder and sobbed.

  I glanced at Ashley, who sat quietly with a look of contemplation on her face. I expected that Gracie would be the emotional one, but I expected that Ashley would have raked me over the coals with her sharp tongue by now. Instead, she hadn’t said a word since the food poisoning statement. “Ashley,” I said. “Do you have any questions?”

  She narrowed her gaze. “So since you are our sister, but also sort of like our mother, if you marry Kyle, will he be sort of like our father?”

  Okay, where was she going with this? “Yes. I guess so. But you know Kyle. He is really easy going. It’s not like he is going to start bossing you around or anything.”

  Ashley smiled a tiny little smile that barely lifted a corner of one lip. “I know he won’t boss me around, but I can ask him about things that I currently ask you about. Right? And his opinion will matter? He won’t have to check with you before answering my questions, or making a decision? Like a real father,” she emphasized.

  I narrowed my gaze. “Yeah. I guess. Did you have something specific in mind?”

  Ashley’s grin grew bigger. “No. I was just establishing the boundaries of the new relationship we will share with Kyle.”

  “So you are okay with Kyle and me getting married?”

  Ashley shrugged. “I’d like to talk to Kyle first. In private. Then, I’ll let you know.”

  Oh lord, what did that girl have up her sleeve? I turned my attention back to Gracie, who had stopped sobbing but still looked far from happy. “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Okay, so what has you the most worried?”

  “Grandpa.” Gracie wiped a hand across her eyes in an attempt to dry them.

  “Are you worried he won’t be around to make your breakfast and that you will miss his good cooking? If so, we can figure that out.”

  Gracie shook her head. New tears pooled in the corner of her eyes.

  “Okay, so then if you aren’t worried about missing out on his good cooking, what is on your mind?”

  “Grandpa needs us. He told me that making breakfast for Ashley and me is the main reason he is so happy to get up each morning. Papa has Rosalie, but Grandpa only has us. If we move away, he won’t have anyone to make pancakes for. He won’t have anyone to be happy for.”

  I had to hand it to Gracie; she did make a good point. A point I hadn’t considered but should have. After my grandma passed away, taking care of me had given Grandpa purpose. He’d told me often that I was the bright spot in the center of his world. I’d eventually grown up and moved away, and I did remember that he’d lost the smile I’d always associated with him once I was gone from his everyday life. But then, the girls came along, and I moved back to the resort, and I guess we gave him a reason to get out of bed each day because his smile had returned. He seemed like a whole new man since they’d come into our lives. And when I’d took off for the east coast while dealing with my own personal issues, he’d packed his bags and followed. Gracie realized what I’d failed to consider, Grandpa needed us even more than we’d needed him.

  I pulled Gracie close and hugged her tight. “You’re right. I’ll talk to Kyle and to Grandpa. We’ll figure this out, I promise.”

  After I tucked the girls in for the night, I called Kyle and filled him in on the situation.

  “Don’t worry about Ashley, I can handle whatever she has planned, but I am concerned about Gracie. She has such a tender heart. There aren’t a lot of kids her age that would pick up on the fact that perhaps a grandfather needed the granddaughter as much as she needed him.”

  “She is a pretty special kid, and her concern is a real concern. I should have realized how our moving would affect Grandpa.”

  “I have a huge house, so maybe he can move in here with us,” Kyle suggested.

  “It would be worth having a discussion with him. He might feel like a third wheel unless we can convince him that we really need him. Maybe we can make a case that we are both so busy that having someone to help out with the cooking and whatnot would be a big help.”

  “It would be a help, but I also think we need to be honest with him when we speak to him. He will see through any subterfuge, and I don’t want him to feel like we are making the request for him to move in with us out of pity.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “That would only hurt him. Let’s have dinner with the girls tomorrow and see if we can get a feel for where they are after they’ve had a chance to think things over. They want to go to that new steakhouse.”

  “I think that is a wonderful choice. Perhaps we should bring them by the house first to talk things through. I’m not sure a public restaurant is the best place to try to talk about something so emotional.”

  “Okay. I think Ashley has plans with Kristi tomorrow. I’ll check with her in the morning and figure out the best time to bring them over. In the meantime, I’ll come by early so we can work on digging through the information you find this evening relating to the bombing and rebuilding the town’s infrastructure. Have you managed to get into the computer?”

  “Not yet, but I’m working on it.” Kyle yawned. “To tell you the truth, I am exhausted. I think I’ll turn in soon and take another stab at this in the morning.”

  “Okay. I’ll call you after I check with Ashley and Gracie about their plans.”

  Chapter 13

  Sunday, November 12

  “I dropped the girls off with Jenna, and plan to pick them up at three,” I informed Kyle after arriving at his home the next morning. “We have a dinner reservation at five-thirty, so that will give us time to talk to them about whatever is on their minds. I have no idea what Ashley is up to, and while I know that Gracie adores you, it is very clear that she is having a
lot of anxiety about moving into your house full time.”

  “How do you feel about moving into this house full time?” Kyle asked.

  I wrinkled my brow. “Honestly. I feel conflicted. I love you so much, and I can’t wait to spend my life with you. On the one hand, the idea of sleeping in your arms every night and waking up with you next to me every morning is so incredibly wonderful that I can’t believe that it will soon be my reality. On the other hand, except for a few years between high school and the girls coming to live with me, I have lived at the resort for my entire life. Not living there, not waking up to Grandpa’s pancakes or Dad’s inquiry about my plans for the day is going to seem odd.”

  “I get that. And I don’t want to pressure you into anything. We can have a long engagement or a short engagement or whatever sort of engagement you want. I want you and the girls to be comfortable with the move once you finally make it.”

  I leaned forward and kissed Kyle on the lips. How on earth had I managed to earn the love of such a totally fantastic guy? He’d loved me through all my moods, all my ups and downs, and all the other relationships I’d had along the way. Of course, I wanted to marry him, and I wanted it to be sooner than later. Now all I had to do was to convince my sisters that living here with Kyle was what they wanted as well.

  Once we had settled on our plans for the day, Kyle went into his office to check on the progress of the program he had left running, which he assured me would eventually break the passcode on Harriet’s computer, and I went into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee. Once the coffee had brewed, I poured two mugs and took them into Kyle’s office. “Any luck?” I asked as I handed one of the mugs to him.

  “Actually, yes. I’m in. Now, I just need to find the file where she kept the information relating to the blog. It’s not in any of the obvious places. She may even have uploaded the information to the cloud.”

  “If she did, will you be able to find it?”

  “Eventually.”

  After two hours of trying to be quiet while Kyle worked, I headed over to Jenna’s to pick up my sisters. I quickly filled her in on their reaction to the idea of moving to Kyle’s and, while Jenna was sympathetic, she did remind me that I needed to be strong and stick to my guns if I didn’t want to find myself permanently single. I knew she was right, but when I thought of Grandpa and Gracie’s concern for him, my heart broke.

  After we left Jenna’s, we stopped by the resort so the girls could pick up the dresses they’d wear that night, and then we headed toward Kyle’s place. Gracie wanted to bring Pumpkin since Echo was hanging out with Trooper, so I told her that was fine and grabbed his leash and a few toys for the drive. I had to admit I was a lot more nervous about the next few hours than I would have liked. Maybe trying to work out the terms of my engagement to Kyle while we already had so many other things to deal with was crazy. He wasn’t going anywhere. Perhaps we should have waited.

  Gracie gave Kyle a sincere yet somewhat restrained hug. I wasn’t sure if she was being careful of his ribs or if she was protecting her heart. Ashley held up her hand for a high five, and then immediately requested to speak to Kyle in his office. I watched the two of them leave the room with a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach.

  “Do you know what Ashley wants to talk to Kyle about?” I asked Gracie after they were out of sight.

  “No. She didn’t say. Did you talk to Kyle about Grandpa?”

  I nodded. “Kyle and I are going to talk to Grandpa. We know you love him, and we do too. We’ve discussed a few options, but I really feel I should talk to Grandpa about those options before we discuss the matter.”

  “Does one of those options include us staying at the resort?” Gracie wondered.

  Did it? I supposed that having Kyle move in with us would alleviate Gracie’s concerns, but the house was already pretty crowded, and Jenna had been right about the queen bee thing. “No,” I finally answered. “I don’t think that all of us living in the same house would work. Papa and Rosalie are going to be getting married next month. They are going to want their privacy.”

  “Are you and Kyle going to want your privacy? Maybe Ashley and I should just move away so we won’t bother you.”

  I hugged Gracie. “You are not a bother to either of us. We love you very much, and if you move away, I’m going with you. We are a team, you, Ashley, and me. Kyle doesn’t want to replace anyone; he just wants to join the team. Instead of the three musketeers, we can be the four musketeers.”

  Gracie crossed her arms over her chest. She was frowning, but I could see by the look on her face that she was thinking things through as well. Gracie loved Kyle, and I really hadn’t expected push back from her, but I suppose that the change I was asking of my sisters was a big change and they’d need time to process it.

  I managed to talk Gracie into heading out onto the deck so the dogs could play on the snowy beach. When she saw how much fun Pumpkin was having, her mood improved significantly. The two of us decided to make snowballs and throw them for the dogs to chase. Since they tended to break into a million pieces once they hit the ground, the dogs’ reaction to chasing a ball, only to have it disappear, was hilarious.

  By the time we went back inside, Ashley and Kyle had returned to the living room. Ashley didn’t look angry or even sad, but the look of self-satisfaction that she’d arrived with seemed to have been replaced with a look of contemplation.

  “So were you able to ask Kyle the questions you wanted to?” I asked Ashley.

  “I did.”

  “So are we good?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe.”

  I looked at Gracie. “Would you like to talk to Kyle alone?”

  She looked surprised by my question, but after a moment of hesitation, nodded that she would. I felt my stomach tense once again. Who knew something as simple as getting engaged would be so hard?

  “So did your talk go well?” I pried after Ashley and I were alone in the room.

  Ashley looked at me, tilted her head, and lifted one shoulder. “It was fine. We are still negotiating, but I think we will be able to come to an agreement.”

  “Negotiating? About what?”

  “It’s personal. I’m going to run upstairs and change into my dress. I’m starving, and Kyle said I could order anything I wanted.”

  Personal? Suddenly, I felt totally out of the loop, which was a feeling, I was not fond of in the least.

  Chapter 14

  Monday, November 13

  “You’re up early,” my dad said when I entered the kitchen a good two hours before I had to get up. Dad had always been an early riser, so I wasn’t surprised to find him drinking coffee at the kitchen table.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” I said as I poured myself a cup of the strong dark brew Dad specifically ordered for the resort.

  “Can I help?” Dad asked as I sat down across from him.

  I wrapped my hands around my coffee and looked across the table. After I moved out, I was really going to miss the early morning conversations we sometimes had. “Perhaps,” I answered.

  Dad sat quietly, waiting for me to begin.

  “Kyle and I are engaged.”

  Dad expressed shock first and then joy. “Congratulations. Kyle is a great guy. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather welcome into the family.”

  “Thank you. It’s pretty new, and we haven’t told many people. I want to talk to Grandpa, so I would appreciate it if you didn’t mention it until I have a chance to do that.”

  “Of course. I’m sensing that your inability to sleep is tied into this new development.”

  I nodded. “I spoke to Ashley and Gracie about it. I knew it would be a difficult conversation, but I didn’t know how difficult. They both love Kyle, but neither are really thrilled with the idea of moving, which I totally understand. It was hard on them when Mom died, and now they are settled in here
. You have welcomed them and made them feel at home. They feel safe and comfortable. I’m concerned about upsetting the equilibrium we’ve managed to establish.”

  “I can understand that. Change, even change you welcome, can be difficult. Has the prospect of moving made the girls angry? Sad? Scared?”

  I wrapped my hands around my mug. “Ashley seems to have turned the situation into some sort of negotiation. I don’t know everything that happened during her private conversation with Kyle, but I have a feeling that she is negotiating for a raise in her allowance, a later bedtime, or any number of privileges she feels he may grant whereas I have not. I’m not totally sure what she was after, but she specifically asked me if Kyle would be able to make decisions without having to check with me if she were to go to him with a question or problem.”

  Dad chuckled. “That’s our Ashley. Always working an angle.”

  The corner of my mouth quirked up in a half smile. “Yeah, I really shouldn’t be surprised. Ashley does like a good negotiation, but Kyle can handle himself, so I’m not overly worried about her walking all over him, but Gracie… Gracie is really worried about Grandpa.”

  My dad leaned back in his chair. “I see. What exactly is she worried about?”

  “She told me that Grandpa would be sad without us. That it is taking care of us that brings a smile to his face and gives his life meaning. She didn’t use those exact words, but that was her concern, and I know she is right.”

  Dad nodded slowly. “Yes, I would agree with that. After you graduated and left home, he decided his job here was done, and he moved out as well. He told me that he didn’t want to be a burden, which was ridiculous since the house that we all lived in is the same house he built with his own hands. When I pointed that out, he told me that he’d passed the resort and the house on to me, and he no longer considered it his home. He moved into that little apartment in town, and to be honest, I was really worried about him. He seemed to be sad and lonely much of the time, but then your mother was killed in the auto accident, and you and the girls moved in with me. It was a really tough time in all our lives, and we really needed Grandpa’s help. He knew he was needed, so he called me and told me he was happy to come back and pitch in for as long as we needed him. He’s been a different man since the girls have been here. I don’t think that Gracie is wrong to worry about how the move will affect him.”