by Ava Miles
“I see it differently, Vander,” she said, finally releasing his hand. “I’m sorry about the burned cake we left for you.”
He’d thought it a fitting metaphor for where his relationship with Shelby stood right now. “It’s why I love her. She doesn’t mince words.”
“Not often, no,” Louisa said. “Please come to dinner on Sunday. I’d invite you to church, but Shelby tells me you don’t attend—which doesn’t bother me in the least, I want you to know.”
He studied her. “I believe you mean that last part.”
She nodded. “I do. Well, I should let you get on with your day. Vander, I…thank you again for not holding a grudge against me and for trying to do right by Shelby and my family.”
The pressure in his chest seemed to increase the longer her green eyes rested on him. He didn’t know if he’d ever see this woman again. That would be up to Shelby. He hoped he would, though. “Thank you for coming, Louisa. Most people wouldn’t have thought to, especially after the day you had yesterday.”
“God doesn’t want us to let our bad behavior stretch out,” Louisa said as they walked to the door. “Mine had already lasted way too long. Have a good day, Vander. Don’t give up on my daughter.”
“I don’t plan to,” he told her.
“Good,” Louisa said. “What’s your favorite meal, by the way?”
He thought about it for a moment, knowing why she was asking. “Fried chicken, corn, and mashed potatoes and gravy. Nothing better than that, if you ask me.”
“We’ll have that this Sunday,” Louisa said. “I’ll expect to see you there.”
There she went again. “Louisa.”
Her smile was the first easy one he’d seen. “I have faith in you two. Plus, I’m doing a lot of praying, and my prayers are usually answered.”
“When aren’t they?” he quipped, opening the door.
“When love isn’t at the root of the matter,” she said, making his hand fall to his side. “That’s not the case with you and Shelby. Goodbye, Vander.”
“Goodbye, Louisa,” he said, and then jumped an inch when she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.
“Don’t worry,” she said, smiling wider now. “You’ll get used to it. Rye, Clayton, and Jake have, and they’re all as tough as you are.”
She walked off before he could compose a reply. Charlie popped her head out of her office.
“You okay?” she asked, looking in the direction of Louisa as she headed down the hall for her meeting.
He shrugged. “I have no idea. Go back to work.”
His current case files didn’t distract him. All he could think about was Shelby, and what he could do to make her see reason. She was stubborn, but under that, she was hurt. He needed to make her believe in him again. In them.
Light flickered on the ceiling, reflecting something from outside. It seemed to dance across the room like liquid gold. Suddenly it hit him.
He knew how to win Shelby back.
Chapter 40
Shelby’s intent to wallow the day away proved futile. J.P. called her to share his perspective on what Vander had done. That’s what her brother had the audacity to call it. She’d cut him off and told him she needed to make up her own mind.
Not too long afterward, her mama had called as well to tell her she’d swung by Vander’s office—holy heavens alive—and ask for his forgiveness regarding her actions, which he’d given without hesitation. While she was reeling from that information, her mama had informed her she was making Vander’s favorite meal—fried chicken and all the fixings—this coming Sunday, and Shelby had better make sure he was present to enjoy it.
When her mama had finally let her get off the phone, Shelby was fit to be tied. How dare her family interfere like that and tell her what to do! Had they all learned nothing?
Being with Vander was her decision, not theirs. For once, they needed to butt the hell out.
Then Gail called, and Shelby was certain Vander had enlisted her help somehow. Yet her boss was all business—she had insisted she needed to see Shelby ASAP to go through the profit and loss balance statements for all her businesses since she’d had a brainstorm the night before about opening up a new business—a juice bar on the Vanderbilt University campus. Gail thought it would require little overhead and sell like gangbusters with the more affluent, health-conscious crowd. Shelby agreed to swing by after lunch, not seeing another choice.
When she arrived at Gail’s, the security gate seemed to take forever to open, and she realized she was feeling surly. Her boss didn’t know why she was in a bad mood, and she didn’t need to lead with it. If Gail sensed something was up, she’d pounce on her like a mad terrier until she spilled her problems, and Shelby wasn’t ready for Gail’s kind of leopard-print couch therapy. The woman would probably swing her white feather boa around as Shelby talked about her daddy.
She parked her car in the circular driveway. After grabbing her purse and valise, she made sure not to slam the door. The fountain was gurgling, and Shelby turned her head to look at it. The cherubs seemed to be frolicking in the spray like usual, and suddenly the magic and playfulness of it made Shelby grind her teeth.
She really should throw a coin in the fountain. Heavens knew, she had plenty of wishes to request right now, but the last thing she wanted to do was throw a coin in that fountain today.
When she thought about all her dreams—the ones she’d had about finding her daddy and being with Vander—they seemed so foolish now.
Vander was right. It was stupid to wish for anything. It was even stupider to throw coins into a fountain. What a waste of good money.
Shelby turned around and started up the brick path, struggling to ignore the pain in her heart.
“Aren’t you going to throw a coin into the fountain today?” she heard a familiar voice ask.
Turning her head in the direction of the sound, she watched Vander materialize from behind one of Gail’s white Plantation columns and head down the steps. He held two white cloth bags in his hands, and for the life of her, she had no idea what was in them.
Not that she cared.
She told herself not to care he was here either—or that there was a look of intense longing in his beautiful eyes. It was best to take a step back and shut this down right now.
“I was just thinking you were right,” she told him. “I was stupid to think it worked.”
Her heart broke saying it, but in truth, her heart was breaking all over again just from seeing him.
“I’m sad to hear you say that,” he said, reaching her. “I was just thinking how right you were. In fact, I have some catching up to do. Would you help me?”
“With what?” She glared at him. “I’m not going to change my mind.” But she was softening, dammit, hearing him talk like that, seeing him look at her like he always did.
“Your prerogative,” Vander said, thrusting out a bag, which jingled suspiciously, and fitting it in her hand. “But I would like your help.”
When she took the bag out of reflex mostly, her shoulder wrenched, and she realized what was inside. “You brought a bag of coins?”
He started walking to the fountain’s edge. “No, I brought two. Come along. I need to get started, or I’ll be here all day.” Dropping the bag, he opened it and drew out a handful of coins. There were quarters and dimes and nickels and pennies inside. Hundreds of them from what she could see.
“You’ve plumb lost your mind,” she said, her aloof waning.
“Don’t the poets say love makes us all a little crazy?” he quipped, his mouth tipping up. “Now, for my first wish. Please don’t critique me. It’s my first time, and I’m nervous enough as it is. This is a big moment for me.”
There was no playfulness in his voice now, and she watched as he selected a quarter in his right hand.
“I’m starting with this coin since it’s the biggest I have.”
Their eyes met, and she couldn’t look away.
“My first wish is
to watch the woman I love grow old and to have her smile at me until her teeth fall out,” he said, tilting his head to the side as if gauging her reaction.
“Do I know her?” she made herself ask, and even to her ears, she sounded like a bitch.
His face fell, but he threw the coin in. Then he selected another. A dime this time. “My second wish is for her to forgive me when I ask and to never hold a grudge, knowing I love her and would never hurt her intentionally.”
Pain radiated in her bones. “That’s a low blow.”
His chest lifted like he was struggling to breathe as much as she was. “Doesn’t make it less true.” He threw the coin in. “Maybe this isn’t the right approach.”
Lifting the bag of coins he’d set on the ground, he approached her and extended his hand. She stared at him, trying to decide if she should give it to him. If she did, it would mean she’d forgiven him like he’d asked.
“The coins, please?”
She shook herself. He hadn’t wanted to hold her hand. When she thrust out the bag, the coins jingled again. He grabbed it and took off for the fountain, both bags making a pleasant music as the money danced inside them. At the edge, he undid the top of the other bag and then hefted them up into his arms again. He leaned forward, and suddenly she understood what he was going to do.
“Stop! You can’t throw in all those coins. You’ll clog up the fountain.”
He turned back and looked at her. “So what?”
“Don’t you understand? Jeffries will kill you, and God knows what Gail will do to you. That fountain cost over a hundred thousand dollars. It’s Italian!”
“But these are all the wishes I have for us,” he said, dumping the first bag into the fountain without a qualm. “And Gail thinks what I’m doing is the most romantic thing she’s ever heard.”
Her heart rapped against her chest, and she felt tears burn her eyes. “Damn you.”
His mouth twisted, and she knew he was fighting emotion too. “Don’t say that. Shelby, I love you.” He waited a beat and swallowed thickly. “Seems I need more wishes. Good thing I brought more coins.”
Hefting up the other bag, he dumped in all the coins, shaking the bag for good measure to dislodge the last few.
“These wishes are for our life and our happiness,” he said, sitting on the edge of the water.
The afternoon sun caught the aqua in his eyes as he gazed intently at her. Her heart was taking flight, the heavy weight of pain being transformed by the love he was offering her.
“Shelby, I have so many wishes for us. You’ve made me believe in them again. You make me believe every wish I have can come true.”
Suddenly she couldn’t see through the tears in her eyes, and she couldn’t choke out a reasonable reply. She dropped her valise and dug into her purse for her wallet. She marched over to the fountain and opened her coin purse. She shook all the coins she had into the fountain. When there were none left, she wiped her tears and looked at him.
“I don’t have as many coins as you do, but the ones I just threw in there represent all the wishes I have for us too. Dammit, I love you!”
He pulled her to him, and she went into his arms so hard and fast they toppled into the fountain.
“Hey!” she cried out, feeling the water soak her suit all the way up to hip level.
“Sorry about that,” he murmured, kissing her cheek. “I think I took the worst of it, what with you being on my lap and all.”
She flicked water at him. “You’re an idiot,” she said and took his face in her hands. “But I love you. Even when you piss me off.”
He touched her cheek, his eyes serious. “But do you forgive me?”
She gave her best pout. “So long as you promise to never, ever keep anything from me again.”
He wiggled in the water like he was trying to get more comfortable. “Sorry. There’s a pile of coins under my ass. Yes, Shelby, I promise to never, ever, ever keep anything from you ever again. Is that enough ‘evers’ for you?”
“Yes,” she said, fitting herself on his lap better, trying to maintain some sense of decency even though she was sitting in Gail’s fountain like it was an everyday thing. “You’d be wise to expect that I’ll come up with a punishment you won’t be able to endure if you do it again.”
“I couldn’t endure losing you,” Vander said, tracing her cheek with a wet fingertip. “That’s the worst punishment you could ever dish out.”
“I guess that’s not happening now since I have such a forgiving nature,” she said, linking her hands around his neck. “You’re an idiot, but a romantic one, it seems. I can’t believe you dumped two whole bags into this fountain—and then somehow managed to dump us in with them. You usually have such good balance.”
He looked away, biting his lip. Off in the distance, she heard Gail’s unmistakable cackle.
“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”
He shrugged. “I figured you wouldn’t run off and ruin your leather seats if I got you wet. I had more things I wanted to say to you, and sometimes you…well…blow hot and cold.”
Maybe later she’d give him a hard time about his allusion to her changeability—but only because she loved to banter with him. He saw her as she was and loved her, and it didn’t get much better than that.
“So it was a strategy. You’re devious,” she purred. She knew how his mind worked too.
“And you like it,” he said, leaning his head down until his mouth was inches away.
She pressed her lips to his, completing the journey.
They kissed in the fountain, their wishes for each other all around them.
Epilogue
The downtown alley where Vander’s daddy had been murdered made the hairs on the back of Sadie’s neck stand on end. The brick walls were cracked from floor to ceiling, and two overflowing dumpsters were wafting a horrible stench.
She reached for Mama’s hand and felt a reassuring squeeze.
“What are y’all doing here?” Shelby asked in a shocked voice.
Her sister was standing beside Vander, who seemed to be curled into himself somehow, not standing as straight as normal. In his hands was a silver flask with the initials JM on it. He looked over at them.
“We thought you might like some more support today,” Sadie said, glad the idea had come to her in prayer time. Thankfully, everyone else had agreed to attend. “To honor Vander’s daddy. Being that it’s the twenty-fifth anniversary and all.”
J.P. put his arm around Tammy and nodded to Vander. Jake did the same, his hand to Susannah’s back. Dale delivered a heartfelt smile from his position beside Mama. Clayton gave him a chin nod, and Amelia Ann made an attempt at a smile.
“Family supports each other,” Mama said, and that had Shelby wiping away tears.
Mama truly meant it, and Sadie felt tears well in her eyes too. When she and her siblings had told Mama they’d decided to move Me-Mother into an assisted living facility, she’d told them she was proud of them. She might not be on speaking terms with Lenore, but she’d assured all of them she was okay with them having a relationship with their grandmother. The relief they’d felt was tremendous.
“Thank you for saying that, Louisa,” Vander said in a hoarse voice. “This…it’s always a difficult day, but somehow being here with Shelby…and now all of you…it isn’t so hard.”
“I’m here too,” Charlie said, putting her hand on her hip as she came forward. “Hopefully you won’t fire me. Sadie assured me of my job security.”
“But I didn’t say that…” Sadie said before she saw the woman’s smile.
Vander rolled his eyes. “I think you’re safe, Charlie.”
When Charlie had told her Vander had never let her come to the alley with him on the anniversary, Sadie had almost changed her mind. But she’d pressed on, knowing it was the right thing to do. He’d been there for them during the worst of times. They could do the same for him. He was Shelby’s man now and that meant he was family.
&
nbsp; The smell of garbage touched Sadie’s nose, and she put her hand under it, hoping to offset it a bit.
“I usually…” Vander coughed to clear his throat. “I say a few words and then take a drink of my dad’s favorite bourbon. His grandfather gave him this flask when he graduated from the police academy.”
“Go on,” Shelby encouraged. “Just say whatever you would normally say if we weren’t here.”
He barked out a painful laugh. “In the early years, that might have shocked the ladies present.”
Another tortured sigh filled the silent alley as Vander gathered himself.
“This is…a little weird for me,” Vander said. “I’m not used to having people here. Charlie knows why I come here. My mom would never understand. In fact, she would think I was crazy if she knew. Some of you might think it’s a little crazy too, and that’s okay.”
“Don’t apologize,” Jake said. “You honor those you’ve lost in the way you need to.”
Vander nodded in his direction. “Thank you. I’ve come here every year since my freshman year at Vanderbilt because I wanted to remember who my dad was and what had happened to him. This alley…” He coughed again. “This stinking alley… My dad didn’t deserve to be murdered here in cold blood. He didn’t deserve to have his killer escape justice. I…I’ve been trying to help the people of Nashville like my dad did. It’s why I became a private investigator.”
Shelby wrapped her arm around him when he paused and hung his head.
“I’ve been trying to make peace with what happened to my dad, to make peace with how he was taken from me when I was just a kid.”
Sadie felt tears roll down her eyes, and she noted she wasn’t the only one crying.
“It wasn’t fair,” Vander continued. “And it wasn’t right. There was no justice in it. But I can help people make things right. I can help people find justice.”
Sadie saw Clayton glance at Amelia Ann. Her honorary sister was obsessed with helping people find justice too.