Holiday Homecoming Secrets

by Lynette Eason

  Be careful. Yes, she would do that.

  She sniffed. Bacon and coffee. Two of her favorites. Bryce must be cooking. Now that was a man her mama would tell her was worth keeping. She smiled, then frowned. The problem was, she didn’t know if he was even interested in them having a long-term relationship outside of his desire to see Mia. She thought he might, but he held himself so distant most of the time, it was hard to tell. Of course his concern was touching, and he did seem to care about her like any friend would, but could it be more? The other question was...what did she want? Did she even want more?

  It didn’t take long to come up with that answer. She wanted a happily-ever-after—with Bryce. But the truth was, until they found the person who was trying to kill her, it was probably not the best time to think about it anyway.

  She checked her phone. A text from Heather. I heard what happened last night. Are you all right?

  Jade tapped her response. I’m basically in one piece. That’s a positive.

  Glad to hear it.

  Same here. How are you?

  I’m functioning.

  Jade frowned and dialed her friend’s number. She liked texting for short things, but not for this.

  Heather answered on the third ring. “Hey.”

  “Heather, I’m just going to get to the point. I’m worried about you.”

  “Well, that makes two of us.”

  “I’m going to come by and see you. Hang out a bit. Talk. Don’t talk. Whatever you want. I just don’t want you to be alone.”

  “I appreciate that, but I’m in the middle of painting and don’t want to stop.”

  “What are you painting?”

  “My next masterpiece.” She sighed. “Ah, Jade, I don’t know. I appreciate the offer, but I’m struggling and I don’t want to deal with people right now.”

  Hurt slammed her. “Deal with people? Heather, this is me we’re talking about. One of your best friends and partner. Since when did I get lumped into the ‘people’ category?”

  Heather’s silence confounded her. Jade tried to let the slight go. Her friend was hurting and not thinking clearly. One reason she wanted to go see her. “When’s his funeral?” she finally asked.

  “Lisa’s taking care of that. I told her I simply couldn’t do it.”

  The dead sound in her friend’s voice scared her. “I’m coming over.”

  “No. Please. Just give me my space. And time. Everyone deals with grief differently. You know me. You know how I deal with it.”

  Indecision warred within her. Would it actually help her friend to know that Frank had planned to call off the wedding? Or would it just devastate her even further? Make her question their whole relationship? Or would the anger she’d no doubt feel give her fuel to fight back? Or would she just be terribly confused and hurt and spiral into a depression she might never come back from? Jade just didn’t know. Just because she’d want to know didn’t mean Heather would.

  Then again...

  “Heather, did you know—” No, now wasn’t the time. If ever.

  “Know what?”

  “Nothing. Just...were you and Frank okay?” The question burst from her lips before she could pull it back in.

  “What?”

  “Were you guys getting along or were you having some problems?”

  “Why are you asking me that?”

  Jade bit her lip. “I’m just wondering.”

  “Did Frank say something to you?”

  “Not a thing.” Which was completely true. “Look, forget it. Go back to your painting and I’ll check on you tomorrow.”

  “No, I want to know why you’d ask me that.”

  Her phone vibrated. “I’ll have to call you back. I need to get this other line.”

  “Jade—”

  “Sorry, Heather, I need to answer this.”

  “Fine, but call me back and explain your question.”

  She hung up, her heart heavy. As much as she wanted to fix this for Heather, she couldn’t.

  Her phone buzzed for the third time. Not a call after all. It was Bryce texting her from the other room. Breakfast will be ready in ten.

  Then so will I.

  Ready to eat, then face another day of searching for a killer. And pulling her foot out of her mouth. She’d have to think about what to say before talking to Heather again.

  * * *

  Bryce set the food on the table, feeling very...weird—and wishful. Over the years he’d thought about his future, of course, and had always pictured himself married—but to someone who was like him and didn’t want children. At least, he used to think about it before losing part of his leg, but in the past five years, he hadn’t allowed himself to dream or hope that he would find someone.

  Until he’d seen Jade again. And then he’d learned about Mia and that’s all he could picture when he thought about the years ahead—having a life with them. He placed his hands on the counter, dropped his chin to his chest and closed his eyes. He had no business thinking that. She didn’t deserve a disabled man.

  Disabled? Maybe by the medical definition, but in his case, he could be honest with himself and say he was only as handicapped as he allowed himself to be.

  His jaw tightened as Titus’s voice floated through his mind.

  The familiar self-pity threatened to creep over him. “No, no, not going back there,” he muttered.

  “Bryce? You okay?”

  Jade’s voice snapped his head up. He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Just...thinking.”

  “Anything you want to share?”

  “Not right now, thanks. You hungry?” He pointed to the table. “We’ve got eggs, bacon, waffles and grits.”

  “Starving.” She studied him for a moment, and he wondered if she’d insist on him sharing his thoughts. She didn’t. Instead, she gave him a slow nod, walked to the coffeepot and poured herself a mug of the steaming brew before settling herself at the table. “This looks amazing. Where did you learn to cook like this?”

  The tension in the back of his neck eased a bit. “Thanks. I like to eat, so cooking became a matter of survival.” He smiled. “I found all of the food in your mom’s refrigerator. I didn’t think she’d mind me using it to feed you.”

  “Of course not. That’s what it’s there for.”

  “Your watchdog is out front.”

  She nodded. “I figured.”

  His phone buzzed. “That’s Lisa. She’s going to bring me the journal. I’m going to meet her at the interstate exit so she doesn’t have to come all the way into town. I’ll only be about thirty minutes or so. Will you be all right until I get back?”

  “Sure.”

  “You want to ride with me?”

  “I think I’m going to go see Heather.”

  “Not alone.”

  “No, I’ll take the officer with me.” She finished off the bacon and leaned back to sip her coffee. “She keeps telling me to leave her alone, that she wants to grieve her own way. On the one hand, I understand that. On the other, I think she needs someone there for her—whether she likes it or not.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  “Well, that’s a relief, because I really wasn’t sure it was a good idea.”

  He reached over and squeezed her fingers. “You’re a good friend, Jade.”

  As soon as the words passed his lips, he wanted to pull them back in.

  Her eyes shadowed, but she smiled. “A good friend, huh? Well, I try.” She slid her hand away from his and stood while Bryce mentally kicked himself all over the place.

  A good friend? A good friend? I’m an idiot.

  “Jade, you’re a good friend to Heather. That’s all I meant.”

  “So, not to you.”

  Heat crept into his cheeks. “Yes, of course you are. I simply meant—I didn’t mean...
Aw, man.” He stood, slipped his hands around her biceps and pulled her against him. A gasp whispered from her, but she didn’t pull away. “I’m glad we’re friends Jade, but—”

  “But what?”

  “But...this.” He lowered his lips to hers and gave her a moment to protest if she decided she didn’t want the embrace to continue. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, he deepened the kiss and realized how right it felt to hold her. Like she was supposed to be there. Her soft lips yielded and he explored gently, hoping his heart came through and she understood it without him having to put it into words.

  When he lifted his head, her eyes opened and she watched him. He saw the questions burning there and swallowed hard. Because he didn’t have the answers yet. He just knew he wasn’t ready to lose her. “I guess I need to get going.”

  “I guess I do, too.”

  “You’re more than a friend, Jade, but I—”

  “But you what?”

  “I’m not—” How did explain without sounding like an idiot? Again. “I can’t—” Nope. “I’ll talk to you later. Be safe.”

  She frowned but nodded. “You, too.”

  He hit the door not quite at a run, but pretty close to it.

  Once on the porch, he drew in a ragged breath. She was getting under his skin. He laughed. Who was he kidding? There was no getting about it. She was already there. So, what was he going to do? The honorable thing by letting her go so she could find someone without so much baggage attached? Or be selfish and try to win her heart? That kiss had told him a lot about what he wanted to do, but he could use help struggling with the issue of what he should do. And then there was Mia. He knew without a shadow of a doubt he wanted to be in his daughter’s life, but the uncertainty and insecurities strangled him.

  The indecision was killing him, but he had to meet Lisa and get Frank’s journal. Maybe there was a clue in there as to who killed him—or why he wanted to call off the wedding.

  If not, then Bryce was at a loss as to what to do next. He just wanted this mystery about Frank to be over. Because when it was over, he and Jade had a lot to talk about.

  FIFTEEN

  Jade watched Bryce’s taillights disappear around the curve in the long driveway, her thoughts on that kiss. Kind of surprised she could think. Because it had been a really good, mind-blowing kiss. Her heart still pounded, and she let out what little breath was in her lungs.

  Wow.

  Just...wow.

  The connection they’d discovered that day at the college wasn’t a fluke, and she found herself wanting to explore the possibilities of it more and more each time she saw him. But...while he was obviously attracted to her—and had definitely enjoyed the kiss—something was still eating at him, holding him back emotionally.

  The fact that she was the mother of his child? Or something else? Or a combination of the two?

  Whatever it was, she needed to figure it out—or simply ask him—before things progressed, because she was on the cusp of falling in love with him.

  Okay, it was too late. She was already there. The admission shook her, and she decided she needed to talk things over with someone. Usually, that someone would be Heather, but would that be completely insensitive, to talk to her friend when she’d just had her own happily-ever-after smashed to smithereens? Or would it be a small slice of old normal in the midst of Heather’s new normal?

  “Ahhh! Too much thinking, Jade. Just go over there and play it by ear. See what feels right.” The short pep talk helped.

  Her phone buzzed. A text message from one of the detectives involved in the questioning of the four people arrested with the drug ring.

  In spite of some pretty compelling incentives to roll over on their buddies—especially the one after Jade—none of the four prisoners had anything. And she believed they were telling the truth.

  Which left Jade terribly confused.

  Are you sure? she texted.

  Not a hundred percent, of course, but it’s my gut feeling.

  A gut Jade was inclined to trust. She sighed, grabbed a to-go coffee cup and filled it with the hot brew. She added two sugars and one cream and walked outside. Tom Williams leaned against his cruiser, tapping his phone screen. He looked up as she approached. “Tom, how are you this morning?”

  “I’m all right. How are you feeling?”

  “Beat up and very sore.”

  He quirked a small smile of compassion at her. “Sorry about that, but it could be worse.”

  “Much.” She handed him the cup of coffee. “How are the kids?”

  He smiled. “They’re great.” He waved the phone at her. “Just letting my wife know I won’t be home for lunch. Darryl plans to take over around two for me.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry you’re having to change your plans for me.”

  “It’s okay. It happens.”

  “I know that for sure. So... I need to go see Heather. I’m worried about her.”

  He opened the driver’s door. “And I get to be your escort.”

  “More like my chauffeur, if you don’t mind. I could drive my car, but if you’ll just take me, I won’t worry about it.”

  “Happy to do it.” He lifted the cup of coffee. “I take bribes.”

  “Be careful where you say those words.”

  “Aw, you know I’m kidding.”

  “I know. I’ll be ready in about ten minutes.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  True to his word, when she walked out ten minutes later, he was waiting. She climbed into the passenger seat and kept a watch on the mirrors while he drove.

  “That’s crazy about Dylan, huh?”

  “Yeah.” She really didn’t want to talk about it.

  “I never would have suspected it.”

  “I know. Me either.”

  “Are they any closer to figuring out what happened to Heather’s fiancé?”

  Another topic she didn’t want to discuss. “No, not yet. I know they’re interrogating the people from the drug ring that Dylan was involved with, but so far, no one seems to know anything—and if they do, they’re not saying.”

  “Yeah.” He fell silent. “I knew Frank a little.”

  “When’d you meet him?”

  “At the precinct picnic back in September. Seemed like a really nice guy.”

  “He was.”

  She fell silent, remembering the afternoon he was referring to. It had been a hot day with lots of food and laughter. She’d only been with the force for about six months at that point. About as long as Heather and Frank had been engaged.

  “You went to high school with him?”

  “Frank, Bryce, Heather and I were all best friends. We did everything together. People thought we were couples, but we weren’t. We just enjoyed hanging out.”

  “I was a couple of years ahead of you guys.”

  She remembered Tom from the football team and had always thought he was a handsome guy, but he’d been surrounded by cheerleaders and the popular kids. She was surprised he even knew who she was—other than being on the police force with him.

  Tom pulled to a stop in front of Heather’s house, and she blinked out of the memories. The windows and front door were open and Jade frowned. Then realized Heather had to be painting. But with what?

  She opened the car door.

  “I’ll be waiting,” Tom said.

  Jade hesitated. “I can get Heather to run me home so you don’t have to miss lunch with your family.”

  “And leave you unprotected?”

  Jade laughed. “I’m a cop and so is Heather. With her watching my back, I’ll be fine.” And it would be incentive to get Heather out of the house. “Seriously. I’ll just tell her she has protective duty.”

  He still seemed unsure.

  “Or stay here,” she said. “It never hurts to
have another pair of eyes.”

  He nodded. “I’ll just stick around.”

  “Fine.” Jade climbed from the vehicle and shut the door. She took a deep breath and headed for Heather’s open front door.

  * * *

  Bryce pulled into the parking lot of the gas station where they’d agreed to meet.

  The place was a beehive of activity, but he spotted Lisa parked to the side out of the way of the gas trucks and the traffic coming and going from the store. Sasha sat in the back, her head resting on Bryce’s shoulder. When he slowed, she lay down on the back seat, her eyes watchful and curious. “Stay here, girl. I’ll just be a few minutes.”

  He got out of his truck and walked toward Lisa, catching a glimpse of her through the driver’s window. Three steps closer and he could see she was holding something and crying. Two more steps and he could see the item was a small book. Frank’s journal, no doubt.

  He rapped on the glass and she opened the door to step out. “I got to thinking about what you said. That Frank may have left some kind of a clue about what he was investigating. I read a little more. He not only wanted to call of the wedding, he was concerned about Heather’s mental state.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Apparently when he told her he wanted to postpone the wedding, she went crazy. Yelled at him that he’d never loved her and that this was just the first step in backing out of the wedding. He wrote that he really hadn’t meant it to come across that way, but once she verbalized it, it hit him that she was right.”

  “But why?”

  Lisa shook her head and swiped a stray tear. “I haven’t gotten to that part—if he even put it in there.” She sniffed and handed him the book. “Maybe you can figure it out. I can’t read anymore. I wish I hadn’t read that. I’m sorry I’m such a wimp.”

  Bryce sighed and pulled her into a hug for a moment. “It’s okay, Lisa. Really. I’ll take it from here.”

  She nodded and scrubbed her palms under her eyes. “I need to visit my friend, then get back home. I left the kids with a neighbor who’ll probably be ready to give them back by the time I’m finished.”