Hot Water

by Maggie Toussaint

  He didn’t want her.

  Uncle Buford was right.

  Love hurt.

  ****

  Ten days later, Laurie Ann dangled her tanned feet in the tranquil pool. She’d hobbled through every souvenir shop in Key West, bought trinkets for everyone back home. Eaten at every restaurant and dive. Drank her way through a boatload of margaritas.

  She’d carried her phone everywhere, even into bathrooms, not wanting to miss any calls. But Wyatt didn’t call.

  Damn him.

  She’d given her heart to him. Though they’d only been together eight days, she still reached for him in the night. She missed him so much it hurt.

  She couldn’t say his name without blubbering.

  They should have had more time.

  She kicked the water, hard, with her good leg. Time had been against them from the start. No matter how physically attracted people were, in the end, attraction wasn’t lasting.

  She had her life in Mossy Bog.

  He had his with the state arson office in Atlanta.

  She had to accept that Wyatt North was part of her past.

  Like Lester.

  And her house.

  Her home.

  Her dad had phoned yesterday, said he’d spoken with their insurance agent. Checks for her house and contents, along with his boat, were in the mail. She could rebuild if she wanted, or buy a new place and start fresh.

  A fresh start.

  She didn’t want to start from scratch. She wanted her familiar routine. She missed it terribly. She’d still have her job with the Mossy Bog PD—that was a comfort. The detective exam was still out there on the horizon. She’d get to that.

  Her phone chimed.

  She grabbed it.

  Another text message from Donna.

  Margarita time?

  Those things are killers she texted back. Lounging by the pool instead.

  I’ll drink yours. Miss me?

  She did. She missed Donna, and the chief, and her dad, and Jeanie, and Roxie. Everyone. She missed every last person in Mossy Bog. Her pets. Would Gabby and Pumpkin even recognize her when she returned?

  Miss you like crazy she replied.

  You’ll be home in time for supper tomorrow.

  She could face her family and friends now. She wouldn’t dissolve in a puddle of tears every time someone pitied her. During her time alone in Key West, she’d come to terms with who she was.

  A damned fine cop.

  A beloved daughter.

  A valued member of her police force and her community.

  Her people. Her place. Her life.

  Whatever life held for her, she could face it.

  Without Wyatt.

  She understood what her dad meant about letting the emotion out now. She’d cried for Wyatt. For the them that never was. But the ache hadn’t lessened. She would carry it to her grave.

  She’d also shed tears for her dead cousin, tears she didn’t want anyone to know about. Lester had lost his way. He’d hurt people and paid a terrible price for his crimes—his life.

  She wasn’t defined by her failure to see through Lester. He’d deceived everyone. She wasn’t defined by Wyatt’s lack of interest. He’d missed the opportunity of his lifetime.

  As for her housing situation, she had to make a decision. She studied magazines of house plans, trying to decide what she liked, but she liked the look of her old house best. Would it be possible to rebuild? Would the insurance settlement be enough money?

  Maybe if she didn’t buy any furniture.

  She snorted at the thought of sleeping on the floor. Not!

  ****

  Neve was full of small talk on the flight home. “Rudell and Noreen set a date for their wedding. Sloan’s officially opened a branch of Team Six Security in Mossy Bog. Your dad’s been helping out on the festival committee. Jeanie’s kids were sick again. Ear infections this time.”

  Laurie Ann grinned. “Same old, same old, eh?”

  “Yeah. A whole lotta nothing going on.”

  “Not by a longshot. It’s home, and I missed every single person.” She needed that connection to her community; she needed to feel a part of something bigger than herself.

  She needed it to live life to the fullest without the man she loved.

  She was living proof you didn’t die from a broken heart. You grieved, then you pulled yourself together and put one foot in front of the other.

  “We missed you,” Neve said, his weathered face beaming. “That Calucci fella’s gonna drive you home. I’ve got errands to run in Brunswick.”

  Not her dad as she’d hoped, but a ride was a ride.

  Despite the dull ache in her heart, she felt rested. Ready to get back to work. Ready to take on the world. She owed everyone for such a lovely time of rest and relaxation.

  At the airport, Josh Calucci finally looked comfortable in city cop blue. Hat in hand, he nodded politely at her. “Welcome home. We missed you.” He reached for her bag and the crutches she no longer needed.

  “I missed y’all. How’s my dad?”

  “He’s good. He couldn’t get away this afternoon, but he said he’d see you back at the house.”

  She’d have to see about a rental. She couldn’t bunk with her dad indefinitely, and no telling how long it would take to rebuild her home. But for now, her dad’s place was where she wanted to be.

  “Anything happening at work?” she asked after they were on the road.

  “Been interviewing for a cop to replace Harlow.”

  “Can’t say as I’ll miss him,” Laurie Ann said. “But I missed rolling through the streets of town. How’s Chief Tyler?”

  “Okay. I learned how to stay on his good side. I don’t feel like he’s breathing down my neck anymore.”

  “He does that to everyone when they start. Says our conduct reflects on him.”

  “Got that part.” He shot her a wry look. “Been thinking about that investigator test. Once I have enough time on the force, I’d like to take it too.”

  “You’d make a good investigator,” Laurie Ann said.

  “You will too.”

  She had a lot to do before she could focus on that exam again. “Someday.”

  The miles passed agreeably with news of home. Lil Miller had taken to walking around naked again. John Bartow had crashed his son’s Jeep into a pine tree. Minor injuries but his second DUI. The Boy Scouts had asked the city to send a police officer to their next meeting for show and tell.

  Soon, they crested the bridge over the Mossy River and the town’s familiar landscape welcomed her in faded grandeur. Nearly dinnertime and the streets were deserted, but she scanned the storefronts out of habit. Ben’s drugstore. Susie’s antique shop. Mr. Hal’s newspaper. Jeanie’s flower shop. The Leatherman’s bed and breakfast.

  She cracked the window to savor the familiar salt marsh smell. Oh, it was good to be home.

  “Looks the same,” she said, shaking her head in wonder. “Feels like I’ve been gone forever.”

  “You’ll be happy to know we haven’t had a single fire or homicide in your absence.”

  “Thank goodness. We had enough of that for two lifetimes.”

  The town faded into the rearview mirror as they continued out the highway and turned down Pine Hollow Road. Against the gathering dusk, a soft light glowed in Granny Dee’s kitchen. The blue flicker of a TV program illuminated Mr. Thom’s living room window. Cars were parked all along the road and in her Uncle Buford’s yard.

  “What’s happening at Uncle Buford’s place?” she asked.

  “Fisheries meeting,” Calucci said. “The state’s wanting to change the rules again.”

  “Gosh, you’d think they had it right by now.”

  Calucci parked the squad car in her dad’s front yard beside her dad’s truck. The porch light was on, but the house was dark.

  “Where’s my dad?” she asked, her cop instincts going on alert.

  “I’m sure he’s around here somewhere,�
�� Calucci said easily. “Come on, I’ll carry your bag inside.”

  She opened the car door. Her taped ankle was up to this short walk, easy. “I can manage.”

  “So can I.”

  Not worth arguing over who carried her bag, so she let it slide. It wasn’t such a big deal to accept help. Wyatt had shown her that. “Thanks.”

  The door was locked. Odd.

  “You have a key?” Calucci asked, stepping to the side.

  “Sure, but I can’t imagine Dad locking the place. He knew I’d be here.” She slid the key in, opened the door, flicked on the lights, and nearly fainted. Her dad’s house was packed tighter than sardines with friendly faces.

  “Surprise!” everyone yelled.

  Laurie Ann staggered against the joyful roar. When she caught her breath, she burst out laughing. “You sure got me. Lucky I wasn’t carrying!”

  Everyone surged forward to greet her.

  “We missed you, honey, but you look a world better,” said Donna, who wrapped her in a mama bear hug.

  “Don’t go anywhere,” Laurie Ann whispered. “I’ve got lots to tell you.”

  “You couldn’t pry me out of here with a crow bar,” Donna said.

  Well-wishers crowded in. The mayor, who Laurie Ann thanked profusely for the loan of his vacation house. The chief, who said he and the sheriff had an announcement to make. Her dad, who said she looked like a million bucks. Jeanie, brimming with maternal pride over her two kids.

  Laurie Ann took it all in, unconsciously scanning the happy faces, hoping against hope to see a certain arson investigator from Atlanta. But he wasn’t in the crowd. He wasn’t there at all. Smile frozen in place, she got through the hugs and handshakes, but the emptiness inside her wouldn’t abate.

  Would it always be like this?

  Would she always feel like part of her was missing?

  Chapter 56

  Someone handed Laurie Ann a lemonade. Grateful, she drained it and soon had a refill. Chief Tyler and Sheriff Parnell stepped forward and quieted the crowd.

  “You all know how proud we are of our Laurie Ann,” Darry Tyler said. “She solved a homicide and stopped a serial arsonist. She protected our community without thought to life or limb—”

  When he paused to take a breath, Laurie Ann piped up. “And I’ve got the taped ankle to prove it!”

  Everyone got in a good laugh, then Gator Parnell spoke. “What Darry’s trying to say is that Laurie Ann Dinterman is a credit to our entire police force, and with her permission, we’ve agreed that she’ll join my squad as a deputy effective immediately, assist the current investigators until she takes the exam, and then will be our county’s newest investigator.” He turned to face her. “What do you say, Laurie Ann, ready to leave city blue behind?”

  If Donna and her dad hadn’t propped her up, she would have fallen. As it was, she found it hard to say a word. The crowd waited expectantly.

  “I’m sorry,” she managed, trying to wave the tears and heat from her face. “I’m speechless. I don’t know where to start, what to say.”

  A man in the back of the room called out, “Say yes!

  Laurie Ann’s heart surged into triple time. She snapped her head around and craned her neck to look over the crowd, looking for the tall man of her dreams. Could it be? She held her breath, wanting Wyatt to be here so much she couldn’t think straight.

  “Who said that?” she asked.

  A murmur started in the kitchen. People edged aside, moved forward, pressed against her in accordion-like waves.

  “Come on, gal. Don’t leave me hanging. You want to work for me?” Gator asked.

  “I do,” she said, keeping her eye on the ripple in the crowd and the loud whispers.

  She heard Wyatt’s laugh and knew for sure. He’d come! She should be mad about his lack of calls. But she’d missed him too much to be mad.

  “I can’t crawl all the way there. She knows it’s me, folks. My goose is cooked.” Wyatt stood, ten feet away, giving her a sheepish grin, his dark eyes fixed on her.

  His thick hair had been shaved to accommodate his injury. An extra large bandage covered the spot. His face looked too thin. Looked like he’d lost weight too.

  He’d come for her.

  She started for him as he marched toward her, stepping around her uncle as they both zigged right and zagged left at the same time.

  “Miss me?” Wyatt asked with a smile when he finally reached her.

  Ignoring everyone, she threw her arms around him and held on tight. “Wyatt.” Nothing else would come out of her throat. A million words she’d saved up to tell him, and they couldn’t get past the logjam of emotion.

  “Wish I hadn’t come up with the idea for this party, now,” he murmured in her ear.

  “You did this?” she mumbled into his shirt.

  “Everyone did it. I just got the ball rolling.”

  She pulled back, caressed his clean-shaven face. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “I thought...I...thought...I didn’t know what to think.” She looked around, belatedly aware of those standing around and watching. “We need to talk and not in front of everyone I know.”

  “You’re right, beautiful,” he said.

  “Atta boy,” Uncle Buford hooted. “Butter her up good. You’ll thank me for that bit of wisdom in thirty years.”

  Wyatt turned to the crowd. “We gathered here to celebrate Laurie Ann being a hero, but I need to steal her away for a few minutes. Y’all mind?”

  “Hell, no!” someone shouted. Raucous laughter followed. Obviously people were feeling no pain.

  Wyatt waved down the ruckus. “Give us a few.” He laced his fingers between hers and led her outside, away from the noisy house and down to the floating dock. Crickets chirped. Stars twinkled faintly in the darkening sky.

  If she wasn’t touching him, this would be a dream. She’d imagined them having a lifetime of walks on this dock. Did she dare hope that was in her future?

  “What’s on your mind?” Laurie Ann asked. Her voice came out as feathery as dandelion fluff. She cleared her throat and tried again. Irritation flashed, lightning-bright. She wrenched her hand free. “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “The truth? My head injury was worse than I let on.”

  “Wyatt! You should’ve told me.”

  “I didn’t want you to worry. I made a mistake. Virgil kept nagging me to call you, but I needed my head to clear.”

  “Tell me about your head, your time in the hospital.” She lightly caressed his hair near the gleaming white bandage. “All of it.”

  “I had a severe concussion and some post-concussion symptoms. Aunt Barbara made sure I got the best medical attention, but it took time to heal. I couldn’t remember much, but I always remembered you. Thinking of you got me through some rough times.”

  Her fingers cupped his cheek. He’d been hurt. But he hadn’t thought enough of her to share the news, to let her sit with him and pray for him. “When you didn’t call, I thought it was over.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how much time passed until nearly ten days went by. I decided to make up for it in a big way, by organizing your welcome home party.”

  The barricade of emotion welling in her throat rumbled. “I needed to know what was going on with you.”

  “Again, all I can say is I’m sorry.”

  “You’d better be.”

  “I’m trying to make it up to you.”

  “With a party?”

  “By telling you I love you.”

  She wobbled. “What?”

  He held her gaze. “I realize now that when you love someone, it’s for the bad times as well as the good.”

  A thousand thoughts blitzed through her mind. “You love me?”

  He brought her hands to his lips. Kissed them. “I’ve loved you from the start, but I didn’t know how to tell you. Coming so close to death sealed the deal.”

  She tremb
led as his words touched her heart.

  He loved her.

  “Honest to God,” Wyatt continued, “I couldn’t think straight with you so far away, which is another reason why this got all messed up. I love you, Laurie Ann. I love you totally and completely, and I’m worthless without you.” He knelt before her on the rough wood planks, still holding her hands. “I’d love to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you be my wife?”

  She couldn’t take her eyes from his starlit face. His precious face. She squeezed his hand back, unable to utter a syllable.

  “Please tell me that means yes,” Wyatt said. “Or I’ll have to kneel on this dock until you change your mind.”

  She laughed, the gaiety bubbling up from deep inside. This was really happening. Everything she’d ever wanted. “Yes,” Laurie Ann whispered. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  “Hallelujah!” He drew a ring from his pocket, slid it on her finger, bolted up, and spun her in a circle. “We’re engaged!”

  Then he kissed her, really kissed her, the way she’d been longing and dreaming for. Luxurious. Tender. She clung to him. The night shimmered around her, around them, cloaking them in a private universe of two. This man. He was hers. Forever.

  “I love you, Wyatt.” Her fingers traced a familiar chain around his neck. Her medallion. He wore her touchstone. “Am I dreaming?” She stared at the large diamond glittering in the moonlight on her finger. “Are you for real?”

  He pressed his lips to her palm. “I am real. And there’s more…”

  “More?” Laurie Ann didn’t think she could take any more.

  “I quit my fire investigator job with the state arson control program.”

  “You did?”

  “They weren’t happy, but I’ll see them again in my new capacity. I accepted a job in Brunswick at the federal training center. I start teaching there in two weeks.”

  “Wow. You sure move fast.”

  “Had to. Couldn’t let the woman of my dreams slip through my fingers.” He stroked down her arm, the lightest of caresses. “I hope you want to rebuild your place. I thought we might rent the Busbee place temporarily, if that suits you.”

  Laurie Ann glowed, inside and out. “The Busbee place is perfect.”

  Epilogue