Emma bit her bottom lip. “He’s not the only one who is doting. Between you and Ally, I feel spoiled for the first time in my life.”
“I haven’t done anything,” Mandy said evasively.
“Finn says you’re the one who came up with the idea of expanding the apartment upstairs at the security building,” Emma pointed out.
“That was a great idea,” Sophie said. “That allows Emma and the baby privacy, but it also gives her help when she needs it.”
“That was a great idea,” Ally said. “I wish I had come up with it.”
“It’s only until they get a house,” Mandy said. “Finn is desperate for that kid to have a yard. It’s kind of cute. I told him you could bring the baby over here and use our yard when it’s time.”
“I’m kind of excited to get the baby in the pool,” Ally admitted. “How fun is a baby going to be in the pool?”
“Very,” Sophie said.
“That’s like a year away,” Emma said, laughing.
“So? How fun is next summer going to be?” Ally enthused.
“It’s a lot to deal with,” Emma admitted. “Finn has been great, though. Every time I come up with a problem, he immediately fixes it – even if he has help when he does it.”
“It was an obvious answer,” Mandy said. “I like the idea of you being in that apartment. It’s a happy place.”
“You and James were very happy there,” Emma agreed. “Still … it’s like we’re stealing something from you.”
Mandy stilled. “Stealing?”
“That’s your home.”
“This is our home,” Mandy corrected. “We were very happy there, but it was a stopgap. It’s going to be a stopgap for you and Finn, too. It can be a great home for you until you find your dream house.”
“It still feels like it’s yours,” Emma countered.
Mandy considered the statement. “You know what we should do?”
Ally was one step ahead of her. “Paint.”
“Absolutely,” Mandy said. “That place needs a spruce, and while we have construction people working, you should pick the colors you like.”
“That doesn’t seem right,” Emma hedged.
“That’s not our home, Emma,” Mandy said. “This is our home. That is going to be your home for years to come. Plus? I hate that gray in the living room. I never told James, because it seemed inappropriate, but that is the most boring color.”
“I think we should paint it eggplant,” Ally suggested.
“Emma gets to pick the colors,” Mandy chided. “You’re a paint whore.”
“I know.”
“I like eggplant,” Emma said.
Ally clapped her hands together. “Finally! Someone agrees that I should be able to pick paint colors. Emma is definitely smarter than you.”
Mandy scowled. “I still maintain that the blue you picked for the kitchen was ugly.”
“And I still maintain that your house would be so much better if you’d let me pick the colors.”
Mandy yanked Ally’s hair playfully. “You drive me crazy.”
“You drive me crazy,” Ally shot back.
“You both drive me crazy,” Sophie said.
“I just love you all so much,” Emma said, bursting into tears.
MANDY managed to escape from the upstairs studio ten minutes later, abandoning Sophie and Ally to Emma duty as she begged off with food-preparation excuses.
“What’s going on up there?” James asked when she hit the main floor of the guesthouse.
“Emma really loves everyone.”
Finn sighed. “Hormones?”
“She’s fine,” Mandy said. “Sophie and Ally are hugging her.”
“You’re still free after work tomorrow, right?” Finn asked pointedly.
“What’s happening after work tomorrow?” Grady asked.
James shook his head, pressing his finger to his lips. “It’s a secret.”
“I can keep a secret,” Grady protested.
“We’re not keeping it from you,” James said pointedly.
Jake balked. “I don’t tell anyone anything.”
“You tell Ally stuff,” James said. “And this secret is something for Emma.”
“I wouldn’t tell Ally.”
“Oh, please, you fold like a towel where my sister is concerned,” Finn said.
Jake shrugged. “She’s got powers of persuasion. They are varied, and fascinating.”
James extended his index finger in Jake’s direction. “Stop talking dirty about my sister.”
“Your sister is the dirty one,” Jake countered.
“My sister is an angel.”
Jake cocked an eyebrow.
“Okay, my sister is a filthy little minx,” James conceded. “She’s still my sister. She doesn’t have sex in my world.”
“Fine,” Jake grumbled.
“I mean it.”
“I said fine.”
Mandy rolled her eyes, scanning the room. “Where did Sheila go?”
James made a face. “She got bored and went back to the house. She’s probably stealing our silverware.”
“Our silverware is a hodgepodge of crap,” Mandy said, moving to the front window of the guesthouse. The patio was empty. “What do you think she’s really doing?”
“She’s probably seeing if there’s anything she can steal,” James said, checking the stairs to make sure Emma wasn’t within earshot. “Thankfully, we’re insured, and all of the jewelry is in the safe.”
Mandy scowled. “I’m going to go and get the stuff for the grill. I’ll check on her. Finish your game and meet me on the patio.”
“Why? We’re happy out here,” James protested.
“You’re grilling,” Mandy said. “If I have to entertain that woman, you’re doing the cooking.”
“Admit it, you just don’t like to cook.”
“Do you want sex later?” Mandy threatened.
James paled. “I love to cook. I can’t wait to grill.”
“Ten minutes.” Mandy wagged her finger in front of his face before giving him a quick kiss. “I can’t guarantee she won’t be dead if you’re gone for a minute longer.”
James smiled. “Since prison would put a crimp in my hot-tub plans tonight, I promise we’ll be there.”
THE kitchen was silent and empty when Mandy entered the house. She cocked her head, listening. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve assume the house was empty. She knew better.
Mandy collected the tins of skewered meet and vegetables and carried them out to the grill. When she returned to the kitchen, she found Sheila descending the back stairs from the second floor.
“Oh,” Sheila said, clearly surprised. “I thought you were out back.”
“We’re ready to start grilling,” Mandy said. “I just came to get the food.”
Sheila collected herself. “I hope you don’t mind, but I just wanted to see the rest of the house.”
Mandy pursed her lips, shaking her head as she regarded the woman with faux innocence. “It’s fine. There’s nothing up there but offices and bedrooms.”
“You’ve done a wonderful job decorating. I’m an interior-design buff.”
“We’re a work in progress,” Mandy said.
“Well, you’ve made a great start.”
Mandy waited, but Sheila didn’t expand. “Why don’t you join us out on the patio? Dinner is going to be good. I promise.”
“Of course,” Sheila said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
Mandy didn’t believe her for a second.
Sixteen
“I don’t know,” Finn said, biting his lower lip as he regarded the two rings on the counter in front of him. “Which one do you think she’ll like better?”
Mandy cocked her head to the side, torn. “They’re both beautiful.”
“You’re supposed to be the one who knows what she’s doing.”
“They’re both great, Finn,” Mandy said. “They both have certa
in … strengths.”
The clerk behind the counter had been more than patient, but Finn could see boredom starting to wear on her. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just want this to be right.”
“It’s fine,” she said. “An engagement ring is a big deal. Take your time.”
“Which one says ‘I love you’ more?” Finn asked, holding up the two rings so the clerk could get a better view.
“Honey, if a man gave me either of those rings I would be his sexual slave forever.”
Mandy snorted. Finn had spared no expense when it came to picking out a ring, and she admired his enthusiasm. He was so excited to get something tangible in his hand that Mandy was having a hard time reining him in.
“Okay,” Mandy said, exhaling heavily. “We’re down to an emerald cut and a princess cut.”
“What do you have?” Finn asked, clearly out of his depth.
“I have an emerald cut,” Mandy said.
“Why did you pick that?”
Mandy shrugged helplessly. “I saw it in a magazine when I was a teenager. It was just what I always wanted.”
Finn faltered. “You dreamed about your engagement ring for more than a decade?”
“That’s what girls do, Finn.”
Finn looked to the clerk for confirmation.
“It’s true,” she said.
“What if Emma has a dream ring?”
“We can’t ask her without tipping her off,” Mandy replied.
“But … .”
“Finn, I’m going to be honest, even though it’s probably not what you want to hear,” Mandy said. “I think … I think Emma’s childhood dreams probably didn’t include rings.”
Finn sobered. “You’re right.”
“Was she a circus kid?” The clerk was deadly serious.
“No,” Mandy said, shooting her a look. “Emma was worried about surviving. I don’t think the idea of happily ever after ever entered her mind.”
“So, what do I do?”
Mandy shrugged, conflicted. “What does your gut tell you?”
Finn furrowed his brow. “You said one of them was a princess cut?”
The clerk nodded.
“Which one is that?”
The clerk pushed the ring forward. “And this is platinum, right? Why do we want platinum instead of gold again?”
“Yellow gold is ugly,” Mandy said. “It’s a throwback, but it’s still … gross.”
“Emma will think that, too, right? That’s not just something you and Ally dreamed up?”
“Emma is a model, Finn,” Mandy said. “She knows what’s attractive.”
“Let’s go with the princess cut,” Finn said decisively.
“I think it’s a good choice,” Mandy said. “Can I ask why you picked that one?”
“Because Emma is my princess.”
Mandy smiled, love for her brother-in-law bubbling up. “You’re such a good guy.”
Finn scanned Mandy’s expressive face. “I love her.”
“I know.”
“I love you, too.”
Mandy impulsively hugged him. “I love you, Finn Hardy. You’re going to make the best husband.”
“Better than James?”
Mandy stilled. “You’re both good men. You’re also different men.”
“Meaning?”
“James is a hothead,” Mandy replied. “He flies off the handle, and he loves completely. You’re the patient one. You’re the thinker. You never fly off the handle – that whole cheating thing notwithstanding.
“You still love with your whole heart,” Mandy continued. “That’s a Hardy thing. You all bury yourselves in love. That’s why you’re special. You’re going to be the best husband Emma could ever dream of.”
Finn’s eyes clouded with tears. “I want her to be happy.”
“She will be,” Mandy said.
“You’re happy, right?”
“I never knew this much happiness existed before your brother, Finn,” Mandy said. “I had a happy childhood, and yet your brother gave me … everything. Emma never knew happiness, and you’ve give her more than she’s ever imagined.”
Finn nodded, lowering his gaze.
“You’re her Prince Charming,” Mandy said. “You picked the perfect ring, and you’re going to have the best life. Just believe in yourself. I believe in you. James believes in you. Emma is going to get the fairytale, and you’re giving her that.”
“Thank you.”
“You doubt yourself too much, Finn,” Mandy said, fighting to hold back tears. “That’s your weakness. You have more strength than Emma could ever need. Now you just need to give it to her.”
“You have strength, too,” Finn said. “A man could never want more from a sister-in-law.”
“Buy the ring,” Mandy said. “I’m going to start bawling if you don’t.”
“WHAT do you think?” James asked.
“I think I’m glad you installed that detection software on your home computer,” Grady said.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know,” Grady said. “I … this is bad.”
James shifted, fixing his attention on Jake. “Can you think of any other reason someone would try to access my home computer?”
“The easiest answer is usually the right one,” Jake replied.
“I know,” James said. “I just need you to tell me that I’m not jumping to the wrong conclusion.”
“We all know it’s her,” Jake said. “We suspected her from the beginning. There’s no other explanation.”
James sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Dammit!”
“She didn’t get anything,” Grady said. “The firewalls held.”
“That’s not the point,” James said.
“We all knew that Sheila was up to something,” Grady said. “This just proves it.”
“What does it prove?” James asked. “It just proves that she tried to get on my computer during the barbecue. She’s a liar. She could say she was trying to check the weather or something.”
“We don’t have to tell Emma anything yet,” Grady said.
“I hate this,” James admitted. “Emma is so … sweet. Whatever her mother is up to, it’s not good. Especially given what the background check has yielded.”
“We can’t say anything until we have facts,” Jake said. “That’s the last thing Emma needs.”
The three men stilled when the front door of the office opened. An excited Mandy and Finn entered moments later.
“Mission accomplished?” James asked.
Finn held up the jewelry bag as confirmation. “Now I just need to plan the perfect night.”
“The perfect night for what?” Grady asked.
“Don’t worry about it,” James shot back.
“I’m going to ask Emma to marry me,” Finn said. “What? Even if he did tell Sophie, she wouldn’t say anything. She wouldn’t want to ruin Emma’s big surprise.”
“Congratulations,” Grady said, beaming. “That’s great. Why are we keeping this a secret?”
“We’re not worried about Sophie,” James said.
Four sets of eyes shifted to Jake, who held up his hands in protest. “I won’t tell Ally.”
“You tell her everything,” Grady countered.
“I tell her everything she needs to know,” Jake corrected. “She doesn’t need to know this. And, yes, I know she won’t be able to keep this to herself. This won’t hurt her. She’s actually going to be really excited about it.”
“Are you sure you can lie to her?” James queried.
“It’s not a lie,” Jake said. “I’m just not volunteering information. She’s not going to ask me if Finn is going to propose to Emma.”
Finn didn’t look convinced.
“I would never ruin this for you,” Jake said. “I can keep this from Ally. It won’t be as hard as you guys seem to think. I’ll take as much joy from Ally’s reaction when she finds out as Emma will probably take.”
/> “He won’t tell,” Mandy confirmed. “It’s not in his nature.”
“What about you?” James pressed.
“I want Emma to get a great proposal,” Mandy said. “I don’t want to tell because it will ruin the best moment of her life.”
James smiled. “Was my proposal the best day of your life?”
“Until that moment? Yes.”
“What’s your best day now?” James was honestly curious.
Mandy tilted her head, considering. “The day you took me on the shark tour.”
Her answer surprised James. “Really? Why?”
“Because you gave me what I’d always wanted.”
“Sharks?”
“Love. You booked that tour because you knew I’d love it. You didn’t care about it. You got joy from watching me.”
James smirked. “I did,” he said. “You were so excited that day.”
“Ugh, do you want us to leave you two alone?” Grady asked.
James shook his head, regaining his composure. “We actually have something to share.”
“What?” Finn asked.
“Someone tried get on our private server at the home office on Sunday,” James said, keeping his voice purposely neutral.
“How do you know that?” Mandy asked.
“We set up traps,” James said. “Just in case. It was a security measure.”
“Well, that was smart,” Mandy said. “It’s obviously Sheila.”
“There are no other suspects,” James confirmed.
Finn balked. “But … shit.”
“We don’t know what she wanted,” James cautioned. “Maybe she was just trying to get on the Internet.”
“Mandy’s office would have been the more obvious choice for that,” Finn said. “There aren’t the same security measures on her home computer.”
“I know.”
Finn growled. “What could she possibly hope to gain from our computers?”
“It’s anyone’s guess,” Grady replied. “We knew she had an end game. We still don’t know what that is.”
“There’s more,” James said. “We got some additional information from the background check. It’s still running, but we got an interesting blip.”
“Just tell me,” Finn said. “I can’t form a plan until I know what’s going on.”
“It seems that Sheila Pritchard changed her name in Ohio,” James said. “She went back to her maiden name there. She kept the name Archibald in Florida and Texas. She changed her name again in Nevada.”
Deadly Addition (Hardy Brothers Security Book 9) Page 12