“I’ll do it,” Gia inserts, wrapping her hand around my arm, and I look down at her. “I’ll do it. I have nothing to hide.”
“I don’t believe you did it,” Chad conveys softly. “But I want to clear you as a suspect so we can get on with the case and find who did.”
“This is still bullshit,” I growl, still pissed off.
“Watch it, Colton,” Nick warns, and my eyes swing around to meet his.
“You dragging an innocent woman though this bullshit is fucking bullshit,” I repeat, looking him in the eye. “She could have died. Her grandmother could have fucking died.”
“When do I need to take the test?” Gia asks, coming to stand in front of me, pressing her back to my front and forcing me to take a step away from Nick.
“Tomorrow.” Nick pulls his eyes from me to look at her.
“I work tomorrow, but I get off at five. Will that work for you?”
His face softens. “I’ll make it work,” he tells her, and I see her head bob up and down once.
“What’s this all about?” Turning, I see Ned heading our way looking pissed off. “Did I just hear Colton say you’re investigating Gia?” he asks, getting close, and Chad presses his lips together while Nick shakes his head.
“Ned, this doesn’t concern you,” Nick tells him.
“I beg to differ, since Gia is family to me and Nina,” he retorts, and Gia stills once more and I know it’s for a completely different reason. “She had nothing to do with that fire, so I suggest you go about figuring out who did.”
“We don’t believe she had anything to do with the fire, but we have to be sure,” Chad says, and Ned’s eyes turn to him.
“So you do think she had something to do with it,” he mutters. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be asking her to take a test to prove she’s innocent. Way I see it, you’re wasting taxpayers’ dollars on this nonsense. I think the people of this county would find that information useful when election time rolls around in a few months.”
“Ned, it’s okay. I’ll take the test. It’s not a big deal,” Gia says, and Ned shakes his head, looking down at her.
“It’s not okay, darlin’. They shouldn’t even be asking you to take a test to prove you are just what you say you are, innocent of any wrongdoing.”
“We gotta do our jobs, Ned,” Nick sighs.
“Yeah, and that job does not include dragging a woman in to take a test when she has been here, working herself to the bone to take care of a woman who doesn’t even remember who she is. Doing that shit while smiling like it’s a gift, just to spend time with that woman, and almost dying because of it. That shit is not okay. Go back, start over, and then come up with another suspect,” he rumbles, and I fight back a smile when both Chad and Nick glower at him.
“Miss Caro, I’ll see you at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow. Just come into the station and ask for me,” Nick instructs, and Ned huffs as a growl vibrates my chest and he continues. “Until the test is taken, this home will be considered an active crime scene and no one will be allowed in.” He heads for the front door with the roll of “Crime Scene” tape and slaps it on the door before walking across the lawn to his car without another word.
“I’m sorry, Miss Caro,” Chad mutters, and he does look sorry, but fuck that; this is still bullshit. “We’ll speak on Wednesday.”
“Sure,” Gia agrees quietly, watching him head for his truck.
“I cannot believe this,” Ned gripes, watching both vehicles pull away.
“It will be okay,” Gia says softly, looking up at him. “Thank you for stepping in and defending me.”
“Anytime, darlin’.” He rubs her shoulder. “Call Nina and set up a day to come over for dinner. She misses you.”
“I’ll do that,” she promises, giving him a soft smile before turning to look at me.
“I’m going to go see Grandma. Don’t bother your dad or Tide with boarding the house up.”
“Are you good to drive?” I ask, studying her, ignoring her comment. She seems okay, but I’m sure what just happened fucked with her.
“I’m good,” she says, giving me a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“See you when you get home,” I reply, seeing something flash in her eyes on the word home before she pulls her eyes from mine and turns to head for her Jeep.
“Boy, what the hell are you waiting for?” Ned asks after Gia backs out of the driveway.
I turn to look at him. “Pardon?”
“I’m asking what the hell are you waiting for? Why the hell have you not made a move on our girl?” he barks.
I like that he called Gia “our girl,” and I like it more, because she needs good people in her corner looking out for her, and as far as I’m concerned, the more the merrier.
“She has a lot going on right now. I’m trying to give her time to deal with all of that before adding something else to the mix of shit for her to deal with.”
“You better get on that, son. Her grandmother is not doing well, and the way Nina and I see it, she won’t be on this earth much longer. When that happens, Gia’s gonna be out of here… unless she has a reason to stick around.” Fuck, he’s right. “I see you know I’m right.” He claps me on my shoulder. “Don’t wait too long.”
Watching him walk away after that final blow, I shake my head then pull out my cell phone, call my dad, and ask him to bring down some tarps and wood from his place not giving a fuck if it is a crime scene. Then I tell him everything that went down, not surprised when he’s just as pissed as me. When I get off the phone with him, I call Tide to let him know we’re going to need his help, and before I even get off the phone with him, he’s on his way.
~**~
Stretched out on the couch, I lift my head when I hear Gia’s Jeep pull up and watch her walk into the house a minute later, with Loki right behind her.
“Hey,” she says softly when her eyes come to me on the couch.
“How was your visit with your grandma?”
“All right.” She takes off her boots and coat then comes to sit down on the couch at my feet.
“Just all right? What happened?”
“Nothing happened.” She shrugs. “She didn’t talk, didn’t even acknowledge I was there. She’s slipping away, and I feel helpless against it. I don’t know what to do anymore,” she murmurs, and I sit up, which puts me closer to her.
Taking hold of her chin, I wait until I have her eyes to speak. “You being there with her, even if she doesn’t acknowledge you, is important. She might not understand it, but she can still feel that love and understand in some way that you are looking out for her,” I tell her, and her chin wobbles. “Don’t give up on her, baby.”
Her eyes close. “The hospice nurse was there when I got there, and she told me that, as hard as it would be, I need to prepare for her to go.”
“She’s right. I know that’s not easy to think about, but you need to think about it. Especially if she’s slipping way. But that doesn’t mean you pull back. It just means you get your heart ready to let her go when that time comes.”
“I know,” she agrees, pulling her eyes from mine and looking at the TV.
“Did you eat?” I ask, letting her chin go, and she shakes her head.
“No, I’m not hungry.”
“Gia, you need to eat,” I growl in frustration, and she looks at me once more.
“I will eat. I’m just not hungry right now.”
“We’re going out. Put your boots back on.” I stand, but she doesn’t move to get up. She just stares at me with wide eyes. “Come on.” I take both her hands and pull her up off the couch.
“Colton, I’m really not hungry.” She tries to pull away, but I don’t let her.
“Too bad, you’re going to eat.” I drag her to the door, where I hand over her coat and boots. Putting on my shoes, I listen to her complain under her breath about how annoying I am, as she puts them on. “Let’s go.” I hold the door to the garage open for her o
nce she’s ready, and she stomps past me, then continues to stomp over to the passenger side door of my Suburban. Once we’re both in, I hit the garage door opener on the visor, turn on the engine, and back out.
“Can I ask you where it is we are going?” she snaps, and I don’t smile like I want to.
“You have two choices. We can grab a pizza and bring it home to eat, or we can go to Lawd’s and eat BBQ. Your choice.”
“Oh, now I have a choice?” she asks, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Thank you, oh great one, for bestowing that privilege upon me.” She places her hands together like she’s praying. “I don’t know what to do with that kind of power.”
“Okay, three choices Dimples.” I stop at the end of the driveway and look at her. “Pizza, BBQ, or you keep being a smart ass and I kiss the fuck out of you.”
“Colton,” she warns, but that warning sounds thick with arousal, which causes my jeans to suddenly become too tight.
“What’s it going to be?” I prompt, and her eyes drop to my mouth.
“BBQ,” she whispers, staring at my lips.
“You sure that’s what you want?” I question, and she licks her lips once more before looking away.
“Yes.”
Hitting my turn single, I pull out onto the road and drive us to town.
When I pull up and park outside of the restaurant I shut down the engine and get out. Meeting her at the hood I take her hand and lead her inside where we are seated immediately.
“Hey, Colton. How’s it going?” our waitress greets as soon as she arrives at our table.
“I can’t complain,” I say, and she smiles then looks at Gia.
“What can I get you to drink, darlin’?”
“Diet Coke if you’ve got it.”
“I do.” She beams at Gia before she looks at me once more. “What about you?”
“I’ll take a Bud.”
“Got it.” She jots both orders down on the notepad in her hand. “Do you need a minute to look over the menu, or are you ready to order?”
“We’re ready,” I reply, and she looks at Gia again.
“What’ll it be?”
“I’ll have the pulled pork sandwich with curly fries,” Gia says, closing her menu.
“What about you?” she asks me again.
“The same, but add an order of fried pickles.”
“Be back in a minute with your drinks.” She smiles at both of us and takes our menus before walking off.
“Do you know everyone in town?” Gia asks, looking around while taking off her coat and tucking it into the booth next to her.
Looking around myself, I notice there are a few people looking at our table, trying to make it look like they aren’t doing just that. “I grew up here, and my family has always lived here. I don’t know everyone, but I know a lot of people.”
“Small town,” she says thoughtfully.
“That’s part of it.”
“What’s the other part?”
“Right after college, I joined the Marines. Six years in and my second tour overseas, I was shot. It was bad. I couldn’t walk. When that happened, my mom held fundraisers to make some money for my recovery. People who didn’t know me knew of me after that.”
“You couldn’t walk?”“Nope.”
“God, I’m so sorry.”
“I’m here now,” I tell her, and the waitress comes back, giving us our drinks before taking off once more.
“What happened with you and Lisa?” she asks out of the blue, and I feel my muscles get tight. The last thing I want to do is talk about Lisa, but I know that if this is what I think it is, I need to be upfront with Gia about that part of my history. “You don’t have to tell me. Forget I asked,” she backpedals, dropping her eyes.
Grabbing her hand, I wait until her eyes meet mine. “We were together in high school. I asked her to marry me when I got home from my first deployment. Six months after that, I got orders overseas again, so we decided to wait to get married until after I got home the second time around, only that didn’t happen. I was shot. I was sent to New York for recovery, and the doctors thought I wouldn’t walk again. Lisa couldn’t handle that idea, so she ended things with me when I was laid up in the hospital.”
“That bitch,” she whispers, and I find myself smiling, because that’s the first time I have heard her curse.
“I’m glad I found out who she was before I tied myself to her, gave her my name, and had kids with her,” I reply honestly, and she shakes her head.
“I get that, but seriously, who does something like that?” she asks, but doesn’t let me answer before she answers herself. “Never mind, she’s a bitch, so she would do something like that, and obviously did. I only met her once and knew then she was not nice.”
“You’re right; she’s not nice. I didn’t see it before, but I see it now, and I want nothing to do with her,” I tell her straight, because I know Lisa. I know that even though she is only guessing that something is happening between Gia and me, she will try to put an end to it. She will try to scare Gia off, and if that happens, I won’t be as nice as I have been. “I don’t even like breathing the same air as her. There is no coming back from what she did.” I squeeze her hand. “Ever.”
“Good,” she retorts, before looking over my shoulder and saying quietly, “Food’s coming.”
Letting her hand go, I lean back, taking a pull from my beer and watching her take a sip from her soda.
“I hope you two are hungry,” our waitress singsongs, setting our food in front of us and the fried pickles in the middle of the table, along with a stack of napkins.
“I’m starving,” Gia tells her, looking at her sandwich and mound of curly fries.
“You won’t be when you leave.” The waitress grins.
“So you’re starving?” I ask with a raised brow when the waitress disappears.
“Whatever.” She rolls her eyes, cutting her sandwich in half and taking a big bite. Laughing at that, I dig into my own meal and spend the rest of dinner just enjoying her company.
“Thanks again for dinner,” Gia says as I hit the remote for the garage, opening the door.
“Anytime.” I pull inside and shut down the engine. Opening my door, I hear her do the same then her feet hit the concrete when she jumps down. I wait for her to reach me before I open the door to the house, and then smile as Loki greets her with his tail wagging.
“Hey, boy, I brought you something,” she tells him, walking into the house and opening the paper bag she brought in. Giving him what’s left of her sandwich, she laughs when he swallows it down in one gulp. “You should slow down to enjoy it.” She rubs his head, and he takes a seat, looking at the bag on the counter. “Sorry, that’s all I brought.” She takes off her coat and boots, carrying both to the door where I’m still standing.
“You want to watch a movie?” I ask, and she looks at me, the TV, and then the couch before deciding.
“Sure, I’m just going to change first,” she answers, heading for her room.
Watching her go, I kick off my boots then run up and change before coming back down and finding the remotes for the TV and DVD player.
“What do you feel like watching?” I ask when she comes back out wearing a T-shirt and sweats, both too big on her.
“What is there?”
“Not much. I have a few scary movies and a couple comedies.” I show her the DVDs I own and she looks them over.
“This looks good.” She hands me one of the scary ones before tucking in near the arm of the couch. Putting the movie in, I start it up then take a seat next to her. She doesn’t say anything about me sitting so close, something I’m thankful for when the movie starts to get scary, because when that happens, she curls herself into my side and hides her face in my chest. Which means I get to wrap my arm around her and smell her hair, the source of the vanilla scent I’ve recently become obsessed with.
“I’m going to have nightmares,” she tells me, leaning back to look at me
when the movie comes to an end and the credits start to roll. “It didn’t even have a happy ending. Everyone died.”
Smiling at her, I mutter, “Dimples, you picked the movie.”
“I know.” She shakes her head. “Why on earth did you let me do that?”
Chuckling, I pull her farther into me and kiss her hair. “If you have nightmares, I’m right upstairs.”
“Like I will ever be able to sleep after that,” she mumbles, looking worriedly over my shoulder toward her bedroom door while nibbling on her bottom lip.
“Right.” I lay down, dragging her with me as I go, and then adjust her so that half her body is on mine and her face is resting against my chest.
“What are you doing?” she asks, sounding stunned.
“Since you won’t be able to sleep in your bed, we’re going to sleep here.”
“Colton.”
“Gia,” I answer, grabbing the blanket she put there off the back off the couch and putting it over us.
“I think—”
She tries to push off me, but I don’t let her go. I just hold her tighter. “Stop thinking so much, Gia.” I run my fingers through her hair at the side of her head.
“Is this even comfortable for you?”
“I’m good,” I whisper, and she lets out a long breath. I can’t tell if it’s an annoyed or relieved one.
“Colton,” she murmurs, and I dip my head down to look at her when I feel her raise hers.
“Yeah?”
“I….” She pauses, looking unsure. “Never mind,” she mumbles, lying her head back down on my chest and tucking her hand under her cheek.
“Gia.” Running my hand up the side of her neck and her jaw, I wait for her to lift her head and look at me. Once I have her eyes, I wrap my fingers around her chin and lift my head while bringing her mouth to mine. The kiss isn’t wet or deep. It’s nothing more than our mouths meeting in a soft touch. “Sleep,” I say against her lips. After tucking her face back against my chest, I reach forward, grab the remote, and turn off the TV.
“Night, Colton.”
Falling Fast Page 10