“No,” Maddie murmured. “I was just … resting my eyes.”
Nick smirked. “I think you were asleep, love,” he countered. “I can’t say I’m unhappy you tried to wait up for me, though.”
“I wanted to know what happened,” Maddie said. “Granny yelled at me about missing her performance for two hours after we got home, but Christy videotaped it and made me sit through it so Granny eventually forgave me.”
“I’m sorry I missed that.”
“You have to watch it tomorrow morning before she’s going to forgive you,” Maddie supplied. “She’s still angry about losing to the Conway girl. She claims she cheated.”
“Isn’t the Conway girl a piano prodigy?”
“And that’s exactly why she won,” Maddie replied. “She’s going to use the prize money for college. Granny finished second, by the way, although she might have lost the crowd when she tried to get Harriet to climb into her magic hat so she could make her disappear. Should Caroline Conway not be able to perform her duties, Granny will take over.”
“That means she gets to ride on the float, right?”
“Yes,” Maddie confirmed. “Harriet didn’t make the cut for the float, so Granny is happy. She’s still kind of ticked off at me, but I figured I’ll bribe her with blueberry pancakes in the morning and watch the pageant again to get her off my back.”
“That sounds like a great way to spend a morning,” Nick said, rubbing the back of Maddie’s neck as he held her. “David Bennet has been released, by the way. Cassidy met him at the police station. They didn’t look lovey-dovey when they walked away from the building, but they weren’t fighting either.”
“That’s a relief,” Maddie said. “I was worried Cassidy was going to go back to being a pain.”
“After seeing how deranged Monica is, I’m starting to rethink some of my bad feelings about Cassidy,” Nick admitted. “She’s not perfect, but she’s not crazy.”
“What’s going to happen to Monica now that she’s confessed?”
“She’s going to prison for a long time,” Nick answered. “We picked up her brother, too. He offered testimony against his sister in exchange for a deal. We’re letting the prosecutor figure that one out.”
“What about Rick Johnson?”
“He showed up at the station about twenty minutes after we got there,” Nick said. “He hugged Chelsea … and cried when he found out what happened. He feels guilty and responsible because he’s the one who brought Monica into their lives. I felt for him. Monica asked if he was going to visit her in prison and then proceeded to declare all men to be worthless when he didn’t answer.”
“I think she’s crazy, Nicky.”
“She’s definitely got a screw loose,” Nick conceded. “That won’t keep her out of prison, though, because she knew what she was doing was wrong. Don’t worry about that.”
“Do you have to go into the office tomorrow?”
“I’ll go in for a few hours in the afternoon, but then I figured we could take a picnic down to the lake and spend the entire night together,” Nick replied. “How does that sound?”
“Absolutely perfect.”
“Good.” Nick kissed Maddie’s neck and sighed. “We need to talk about you wandering away tonight.”
“I had no idea that was going to happen!”
“I know, Mad,” Nick said, refusing to let her pull away from him when she tried to lift her head. “Next time you need to come and get me before you go off on an adventure like that. I need you to promise me now so we don’t get in a fight tomorrow. I’m too tired to argue with you tonight.”
“Is this you showing me your belly?” Maddie teased.
“This is me … loving you enough to know that you can’t help who you are, but still trying to keep you safe at the same time,” Nick countered.
“I promise not to do it again,” Maddie said, solemn. “I was going to get you before we went to the auto shop classroom, but everyone was watching the show and I didn’t want to interrupt. I figured if Chelsea was right and the car had been there all summer, we were going to be safe.”
“I don’t want to talk about that right now,” Nick said. “You’re safe. Chelsea is safe. She and her father can start healing now. I absolutely refuse to get into another fight because my poor heart can’t take it.”
“I’m going to help Andrea Johnson say goodbye to Chelsea tomorrow so she can pass over,” Maddie said. “I’m meeting Chelsea at the lighthouse at noon. I hope it helps both of them.”
“I’m sure it will,” Nick said, kissing Maddie’s forehead and then releasing her so he could roll onto his stomach.
“What are you doing?” Maddie asked, surprised.
“You’re in trouble,” Nick reminded her. “You have to massage me to get out of it.”
Maddie rolled her eyes but climbed onto his back, straddling his waist with her thighs. “Is this how I’m going to have to get myself out of trouble from here on out?”
“For the rest of your life, love,” Nick replied, his voice muffled as he rested his face against the pillow. “Make sure you really get in there. I’m sore.”
“And then what?”
“And then I’m taking you up to bed so you can finish out the rest of your punishment,” Nick replied, not missing a beat.
“That sounds like the perfect way to end the night.”
“No, Mad, it sounds like the perfect way to spend the first night of the rest of our lives,” Nick corrected. “Now … rub me. We need to get this pesky punishment stuff out of the way so we can get to the fun stuff.”
“I love you, Nick Winters.”
“I love you, Maddie Graves. Now … rub!”
Maddie didn’t argue. She knew there was no place she would rather be, and nothing she would rather be doing. They had time and happiness on their side, and for that she would be forever thankful.
Want more? Sign up for my mailing list. It’s for new releases only, no spam.
http://eepurl.com/bLFbgz
Acknowledgments
I’m a romantic at heart. A true romantic. I love the idea of a happy ending, so much so I have trouble writing a sad one. The world is sad enough. I like escaping in fiction. That’s just me. I like sarcasm and snark – but I’m not sure a sad ending is in me. If you’re looking for an edge like that, you’re probably looking in the wrong place. Just FYI.
As a heads-up, Ivy Morgan’s witchcraft growth will be coinciding with her relationship growth. That means she’ll be learning more about her powers and beliefs at the same time Jack does. I hope you enjoy their romance.
If you’re interested in upcoming releases, follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I do not spam. I don’t believe it and, as a reader, I find it annoying. Only new release information and special sales promotions will be posted.
This book is available for lending. Please do so.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Books by Lily Harper Hart
Hardy Brothers Security
Deadly Intentions
Deadly Intuition
Deadly Illusions
Deadly Proposal
Deadly Prospects
Deadly Ever After
Deadly Honeymoon
Deadly Questions
Deadly Addition
Deadly Vacation
Deadly Secrets
Deadly Storm
Deadly Dealings
Deadly Christmas
Deadly Desperados
Deadly Arrival
Deadly Rivalry
A Maddie Graves Mystery
Grave Homecoming
Grave Insight
Grave Delight
Grave Misgivings
Grave Concerns
Grave Discovery
An Ivy Morgan Mystery
Wicked Days
Wicked Dreams
Wicked Times
Wicked Places
A Harper Harlow Mystery
Ghostly Interests
Ghostly Issues
Grave Discovery Page 20