The man stepped forward. He didn’t look apologetic; he didn’t look defensive—nothing about him said combative, but the way he moved to the microphone in a room full of armed officers said little provoked this guy because he was in complete control of a given situation. And that hiked Seth’s appraisal higher yet.
He faced the commanders, and his first words set the stage. “Six people died in a bridge collapse downstate four years ago. Three people lost their lives when a creek bridge was swept downstream in the Adirondacks. And last fall’s flooding of Kirkwood Lake’s southern basin undermined two local bridges, putting them at critical risk.” He tapped a remote control and a large screen behind him lit up. “The bridge leading from Old Water Road to Upper Lake Road will have to be closed. The bridge from Lower Lake Road to Log Cabin Road will also have to be closed, which means traffic will have to be detoured across the interstate.”
Across the interstate meant that people who wanted to circle the lake for the various points of interest and festivals would have to drive many miles out of their way during their busiest tourist season.
Seth and Zach exchanged glances. Nikki and Maura moved closer to Seth’s side. “Of all the stupid, lamebrained, last-minute—”
The bridge guy’s gaze zeroed in on Nikki. He stood there, silent and square shouldered, then hiked one brow. “Did you have a question, Officer?”
“Deputy,” she shot back. “It’s nearly March. When were you expecting to let us know? When the barricades went up? It didn’t occur to the suits in Albany that we might actually have lives to live on this side of the state? Because this goes beyond inconvenient. You’ve pretty much put a death sentence on half of the bicentennial functions.”
“I think this meeting answers that question, Deputy.” He answered her with a calm demeanor, but something in his stature said he understood her question and her anger, even if he didn’t necessarily like her methods. “The state ordered the immediate closure as of seventeen-hundred hours yesterday. I drove straight here because my investigation showed this was a rough time to be making these choices, but that decision is out of my hands. Making the bridge safe again?” He swept the room an honest look. “That’s my job. And we’re researching some temporary alternatives on at least one of the bridges, but it might take a few days before I can assess their feasibility.”
Nikki bristled alongside Seth. Maura put out a restraining hand, reminding Nikki to think before she spoke. For once it worked, and Seth breathed a little easier, right until Drew spoke again. “Seth, Zach, Nikki and Maura. Can I put you four on a committee with Mr. Gallagher to come up with an alternative plan?”
Seth hadn’t become a decorated deputy by refusing commands. “Of course, sir.”
“Certainly. Is tonight convenient?” Zach asked.
“Yes.” Gallagher flicked off the PowerPoint screen. “I’m staying at the Comfort Inn in Clearwater, so we could meet in their first-floor conference room. Four o’clock?”
Four o’clock meant Seth would be calling Gianna to see if she could keep Tori longer. If she couldn’t, his parents would be free to pick up Tori by then. Seth nodded as some of the gathered officers moved toward the door, ready for the shift change. “Sure.”
“We’ll be there.” Maura answered for her and Nikki, then rolled her eyes at Seth. “The two hours will give Nikki time to calm down,” she whispered, but made sure Nikki would hear. “With enough caffeine in her system to keep her from getting snippy.”
Nikki scowled, then sighed. She faced the window for a long, drawn-out moment, then turned back to Seth and Maura. “I’m fine. And I won’t shoot the messenger. This guy’s just an underling doing the bidding of morons at the top, so I’ll cut him some slack.”
“Nice of you, Deputy.”
Nikki froze in place.
Maura looked as if she wanted the floor to drop open and swallow them whole.
Seth met Gallagher’s gaze and indicated the clock on the wall above the door. “We’ll be there at four, Mr. Gallagher.”
“Rye.” He leaned in and extended a hand to Seth. “Thank you, Deputy.”
He moved out the door with a lumbering roll to his shoulders and his gait, and Seth was pretty sure if a bridge required it, this guy could probably hold up one end on his own, Atlas-style.
“Shoot me now.” Nikki stared after the bridge engineer, dismayed. “When will I learn to just shut up? Smile and nod? Say ‘Yes, sir’ and mean it?”
“Soon,” Seth suggested as the sheriff sent Nikki a look of unmasked displeasure. “Let’s hope it’s soon.”
* * *
“Tori? Your dad’s here.” Carmen bustled into the living room. Seth followed her, but when he opened his mouth to apologize for the late hour, Gianna silenced him with one hand up.
“Shush, it’s fine. We’ve got something to show you. Come over here.”
“Two things, Dad!” Clearly pleased with herself, Tori pointed to the laptop screen. “Check out this test score.”
“Ninety-eight percent?” He leaned closer and saw that the test covered multiple properties of sixth-grade math. “Tori, that’s wonderful.”
“Gianna found this site, and it moves you along as fast as it thinks you can go. We started on some really lame fifth-grade stuff around three o’clock and—”
“And we haven’t left the site for more than a quick bite of supper, and by quick I mean she inhaled her food,” Gianna told him as Tori’s grin widened. “And a bathroom break. So tomorrow she can move to the next sixth grade unit. If she barrels through these online lessons the way I think she will, she’ll be up to grade level by the end of the year. Or before.”
“Definitely before,” Tori told them. She stood, stretched and yawned, then hugged Seth quickly. “I never knew it was so easy to find things like this online. And Gianna knows everything about math and science.”
“Well.” Gianna pretended humility with a teasing face and an exaggerated shrug. “I don’t like to brag, but math and science were my forte. I went to Rutgers determined to be a biochemist and discover cures for grave illnesses, thereby saving the world.”
“What happened?” Tori stared up at her, wondering. “Did you drop out?”
Gianna shook her head. “Nope. I took a couple of costume design electives in their school of the arts and—”
“Sewing won your heart.”
Seth’s easy summation was spot-on. Gianna sent her grandmother a look of shared empathy. “I love the creative side of fabric. The be-my-own-boss inventiveness. And while I was in college I got a chance to intern in New York, on Broadway. By my sophomore year, I’d realized what I wanted to do. So I did it.”
Tori hugged her impulsively. “I’m glad you did,” she whispered. “It’s important to follow your dreams, right?”
One of the babies took aim at Tori’s right arm, and the girl stepped back, laughing. “I got kicked!”
“It’s like housing Rock’em Sock’em Robots these days,” Gianna replied. Then she took Tori’s left hand and placed it on her rounded belly. “Leave your hand here for just a minute.”
Tori’s eyes grew round a few seconds later. “Something’s nudging me.”
“Yup. Bony, right?”
“Yes.”
Seth’s face said he wanted to feel the baby move, too, but didn’t dare ask. Gianna reached out, took his hand and placed it just above Tori’s. Then she waited until his eyes went round. “I think he high-fived me.”
“The boy, huh? It couldn’t have been the girl?”
He slanted a very serious look down to her. “It was a distinctly manly high five.”
She laughed as Tori moved back. “Does it hurt when they kick?”
“Not really. More like feels odd.” She made a face that said explaining it was hard. “But it’s getting crowded in there.” Gianna s
ettled her hand at the top of her curved belly. “And we’ve got over three months to go, so it will be interesting. Right now they think they’ve got room to move. My body is not in full agreement with their theory.”
Seth’s phone buzzed. He picked it up, glanced at the readout and let the call go to voice mail.
“Not important?” Tori asked as she tugged on her jacket and grabbed her backpack.
“Nikki. We were caught up in a meeting tonight, and I’m sure she wants to touch base on a few things. Nothing that can’t wait.”
A date with Nikki. Working with Nikki. A meeting that held him late at work with Nikki.
Gianna had a trusting nature, but she wasn’t born yesterday, and she had no intention of being caught in the middle of some small-town police triangle of dating one woman while kissing another one senseless. Not gonna happen.
“Gianna, thank you!” Tori hugged her again, eyes shining. “And thank you for letting me come over here to hang out and work. It was so much fun!”
“I’m glad.” She put a gentle kiss on the girl’s cheek and swung the door wide. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Yes. Bye!”
“And I’ll be over to finish the room once Tori’s on the bus,” Seth promised as he turned to follow Tori out the door. “Thank you, Gianna.”
“No problem, but I can do the room myself, Seth. In fact, I’d rather do it myself. You understand, I’m sure.”
He turned her way, puzzled, and he studied her face in that cop way that made her crazy wondering what cops saw or thought they saw. Tori yelled for him because he had the house key. He paused, clenched his jaw, waved to Carmen and repeated himself. “I’ll be here by seven-thirty. Coffee would be nice.”
He turned and strode up her driveway to road level, then angled his way to his place across the road.
Carmen came up next to Gianna and reached out to shut the door. “It’s getting cold,” she explained. “I’m heading off to bed, dear. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“It’s early,” Gianna protested, but Carmen waved a hand.
“My day started earlier than usual today. As did yours,” her grandmother added as she slipped into her room.
It had. Funny, she hadn’t felt a bit overtired with Tori here. Or when Seth had strolled in to pick up his daughter. But now a different weariness grabbed hold of her, based on ornery, jealous emotions that should have no place in her life or her heart.
She turned out the lights and dragged an overstuffed recliner to the living room window overlooking the lake. Another clear night, still wicked cold, but the higher sun had shifted and melted more ice today. The moonlight draped a path across the elongated body of water, and the swath of light danced with the movement of ice and wind.
She sat there, watching the ice bob until her eyes grew tired. Stretched out in the recliner, sleep claimed her as she worked to put thoughts of Seth and Nikki out of mind. Just before she dozed off, her phone vibrated an incoming text. The sound jerked her awake, but the text—and the sender—made it much easier to fall asleep once she’d read the message.
Nikki is a friend and a cop. We work together. You’re being silly. And btw, I’ve never kissed Nikki Peters, but I can’t stop thinking about kissing Gianna Costanza again. Soon, I hope. Sleep well.
He’d read her like an open book. And it felt good. More than good, it felt wonderful, like a quiet kiss good-night.
She tucked the phone on the table next to the big easy chair and dozed off, peaceful.
* * *
“The room looks great, Seth. Thank you.”
He finished scrubbing dots of yellow from his fingers and glanced over his shoulder as he dried his hands. “You’re welcome. Stay off ladders. If you want something done requiring a ladder, ask me. I’ll take care of it.”
“I’m not sick. I’m pregnant. And I’m not big on asking for help.”
“I get that.” He rehung the towel, rolled his shoulders to ease the stiffness and then made himself another cup of coffee from their brewing system. “But if you’re willing to help me with Tori and that whole after-school fiasco, why can’t I expect the same in return?”
“I hate sensible men.”
He laughed, and his expression said he didn’t believe her. “There’s nothing wrong with independence. But insisting on doing everything yourself can be self-defeating. Isn’t that why we live in communities? To support one another?”
“You have never been raised—wait, let’s change that to smothered—by a big, fun, intrusive Italian family.”
“They can’t be that bad.” Seth’s doubtful look deepened. “Family’s family.”
Carmen laughed out loud from the living room and came into the kitchen. She shook a finger at Seth as she pulled on her wool tweed jacket. “You are wrong, but you will see the error of your ways when they arrive en masse. And you’ll understand that while I love my family, they are worse than a bunch of clucking hens when things happen. Everyone with an opinion and running from house to house, talking, yapping.”
She pulled on the bright red scarf that had become her signature around town and leaned down to kiss Gianna’s cheek. “I’m going to Tina’s to have my afternoon tea. She and I like to talk about things, and I think I might just ask her about a certain Campbell boy named Max.”
Seth grimaced. “Watch your step. Max is one-of-a-kind and a sore subject with Tina, I expect.”
“I’m not so sure that’s true.” Carmen smiled at him. “Brave, strong, true, honest, ambitious. I’d say it’s a family trait.”
“Thanks, Carmen.”
She swung open the kitchen door and breathed deep, delighted. “Do you smell that?”
“What?” Gianna turned, puzzled.
“Spring. I smell spring.”
The March day had warmed considerably while they’d painted inside. The clear blue sky had lost the thin shade of winter, and the sun shone with a strength they hadn’t felt in long, dark months.
“I’ll leave the door open,” Carmen said as she left. “Let some fresh air in.”
“It feels good.” Gianna stood in a sunbeam and stretched, catlike. “Like you could soak it into your bones.”
“So when are they due back?”
Gianna winced inside. She was pretty sure he’d get back on topic, but she was less sure how much she wanted to say. Or not say. “My family?”
He didn’t answer because of course that was what he meant. She poured a glass of water and sat down at the kitchen table opposite him. “The end of April.”
“That’s a long time yet.”
She didn’t really need help with the math, so she nodded, waiting.
“Which means living a lie for almost two more months.”
She’d eyed the calendar that very morning, wondering why she was waiting this long. What would her mother say? How hurt would she be that her only daughter didn’t trust her enough to be honest with her? And how upset would she be with Carmen, her mother?
Mother and daughter were cut from a different cloth, but they loved each other. Keeping her mother out of this early on had made some sense because Gianna knew she couldn’t handle the weight of countless opinions, half of which would think she was crazy and would doubt her ability to handle things. She’d already proved that wrong.
But now? What was the sense now?
“You’re afraid to own up.”
She stared out the window, then put her head in her hands. “Putting off the inevitable, I guess.”
“Man up, Costanza.”
He didn’t sympathize, didn’t cajole. He challenged her, and she liked that about him. “I have to, don’t I?”
He flexed his upper arm again and she stood up, rounded the table and put her hands on his shoulders. “Hold still. I’ll rub that sting out for you
.”
“I won’t refuse. I messed up that shoulder playing football back in the day and when I overextend it reminds me. Nothing major. Just—” He stopped talking as she kneaded the muscle beneath her hands, and then he sighed, chin down. “That’s beyond wonderful.”
She laughed. “Good. It’s the least I can do for you. I love how the room looks, so bright and cheerful. And I know when my family returns, they’re going to want to throw a shower for me, so I don’t have much to put in the nursery yet, but it’s nice to know it’s ready.”
“I think Piper picked the exact same color,” Seth told her. “Zach had a spot of it on his wrist the other day. I was so jealous when I heard they were expecting. Happy for them, but jealous because Tori was gone and I had no way of contacting her. Seeing her. Making sure she was okay. And now?” He leaned back, stretched, and his more relaxed smile said his shoulder felt better. “I feel blessed beyond words. She’s here, and yeah, she’s got issues, but I can deal with those, step-by-step. It was the not knowing that was killing me.” He sent her a look that said more. Much more.
“You want me to tell my family.” Which meant telling Michael’s mother, as well.
He stood, grabbed his Carhartt jacket and didn’t hesitate. “I think you want to tell them. It’s the honest thing to do, and you don’t want your grand opening overshadowed by your conscience. So get going.”
He was correct. She was making things worse by waffling. She pointed to the door. “Go home. I can’t make a phone call like this with anyone around.”
He didn’t kiss her, or hug her. Instead he cupped her shoulders in those two big hands and gently bumped foreheads with her, a total guy thing. “‘When our women fail in courage, shall our men be fearless still?’”
“You read Anne of Green Gables? Why do I find that odd?”
He laughed and chucked her on the chin. “Didn’t read it, but my sister Addie had that on her wall growing up. My parents adopted her when she was almost five years old, and she said later it was like coming home to her very own Green Gables. Except with a lot of smelly boys.”
Loving the Lawman Page 13