by Brenda Novak
“Go to sleep!” she ordered herself. But after another hour, she broke down and texted him.
I want you, she wrote.
His answer popped up almost immediately. Thought you’d never ask.
Relieved that he seemed be having just as much difficulty as she was, she smiled.
Is it safe to leave Alexa here alone?
If you lock up, she should be fine. I’ve never had any trouble out here. I’d come to you, but it might be awkward if she gets up during the night.
He was right; it had been humiliating when his mother walked in on them. I’ll be there in a minute.
He met her on the deck wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. “I thought I’d have to go all night without seeing you,” he said as he drew her into his arms.
“I was on my way in. You didn’t have to brave the cold.”
“I came to make sure you didn’t change your mind.”
She chuckled. “You have to be freezing!”
“I’m feeling pretty warm, if you want the truth. Somehow I always feel warm when I’m with you.”
Slipping her arms around his neck, she hugged him as tightly as she’d always wanted to. “God, I love you,” she whispered.
He pulled back to look into her face.
“Did I really say that out loud?” she said with a laugh.
“You did.”
“Well, so much for pretending you don’t really mean that much to me.”
His teeth flashed as he smiled. “I just want to know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Since when?”
Sophia could feel her pulse all the way to her fingertips. But what did she have to lose? This was potentially goodbye. “Since forever,” she admitted.
He ran a finger down the side of one cheek and over her lips before bending his head to give her the softest, sweetest kiss. “Good. One down, one to go.”
She felt like she was floating on air when she opened her eyes to look up at him. “One to go?”
“Now I just need to convince Alexa,” he said with a wink and led her into his house.
32
An hour later, Sophia knew what she had to do, but she was terrified to follow through with it, especially since she had a child depending on her. Alexa figured into every attempt she made to justify keeping the money. For one thing, Sophia would lose her job if she and Ted broke up, and that could happen well before she was capable of getting anything else.
But even then her conscience wouldn’t allow her to do what Chief Stacy had feared and suspected she might. She was finally in the driver’s seat of her own life, no longer had to kowtow to Skip’s wishes and demands. She had the opportunity to build her future on the basis of her own talent and ambition, not other people’s money, and she wanted to do that.
She shifted in the bed so she could see Ted’s sleeping face. To be honest, she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him, not for any amount of money. This time around she was going to hold out for love—and trust in his love—so that maybe they could spend the rest of their lives together. If that meant she had to take on everyone in Whiskey Creek whenever she left the house, so be it. She would stand her ground and fight.
“Why are you so restless tonight?” Ted asked sleepily.
“I have a lot on my mind.”
“You’re not thinking about my wine cellar....”
She laughed. “No.”
“Your mother or my mother?”
“No. And I’m not thinking about Skip, either, since we’re going down the list. Except to be glad he’s gone.”
“Then these are happy thoughts that are keeping you up?”
“How can a girl be anything but happy after what you just did to me?” she teased.
His hand curved around her breast. “There’s more where that came from.”
She rose up on one elbow. “If you broke up with me, would you fire me?”
“So you are worrying,” he said, amusement in his voice. “Let me see your fingers.”
“I haven’t been digging at them. I’m not worrying, exactly. Just planning. I’ve decided that when I save up enough money, I want to go to college.”
He pecked her lips. “I like that idea much better than hearing you talk about moving away from me.”
“Do you think I could get in?”
“You could start at a community college. If you do well there, you could probably get into a university. What would you like to major in?”
“Business. I want to own a dessert shop someday. I’m good at desserts, don’t you think?”
“I think you’re good at lots of things.”
“Like...”
“Like screaming my name when I make you come. And I love it because then I get to feel like a big stud.”
“Stop! I’m being serious.”
“Fine.” He pecked her lips. “You could be anything. And that’s the truth. But whatever you choose, I hope it includes having my baby.”
She squinted through the darkness. “Isn’t that a pretty big leap of faith? We just got back together.”
“We won’t do it until you have a year of sobriety under your belt, to make absolutely sure that you’re on stable ground. But...we’re not like your average couple. It’s been fifteen years or more since I wanted to marry you the first time. I think I’ve waited long enough.”
“I hate to tarnish the excitement, but...what about your mother?”
“She’ll come around.”
“She’s going to be mad.”
“Not if grandchildren are involved and, fortunately for us, we already have one of those to give her.”
“She’d better be a lot nicer to Lex than she is to me,” she muttered.
“I’ll make sure of it. I promise.”
She rested her chin on his chest and toyed with his nipple. “And I want one more thing.”
“You name it.”
“I want to sign a prenup.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Then no one can accuse me of marrying you for your money. I’ll make my own money. With my dessert shop.”
His fingers ran up and down her side. “In the end, you’ll probably be richer than me.”
“Then maybe you should sign a prenup, too.”
“I’ll sign whatever you want me to, as long as you’re finally mine.” He kissed her. Then he got up and started to put on his clothes.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m getting ready to walk you back to the guesthouse. I don’t want to leave Lex alone for more than a couple of hours, just in case.”
She considered asking him if he could love her daughter like his own. That was important to her. But she didn’t even need to ask. She knew him well enough to trust that he would. They’d been more or less living together for two months; she’d seen how he treated Lex. “Before we go, there’s something I need to tell you,” she said.
He put his leg down instead of pulling on his jeans. “Is it bad news?”
She heard the caution in his voice. “Depends on your perspective.”
“You definitely have my attention.”
“Remember when you said I should tell you if I stumble across a pot of gold lying around the house so you can spread the word?”
“Yes....”
“Well, I haven’t found a pot of gold exactly, but...I have come across $200,000.”
“Holy shit, Sophia!” He returned to the bed. “Where did you find that kind of money?”
“Remember when I went to the house last night?”
“Of course.”
She told him about the letter and her trip to the jeweler.
“This could’ve been your ticket out of town
,” he said.
“I realize that.”
He studied his feet for a few seconds before raising his head. “Why didn’t you take it?”
“Because you’re worth a lot more than money.”
He didn’t speak for a moment. Then he said, “Even when you’ve lost practically everything?”
She was nervous about letting go of the security the money could’ve provided; she had to admit that. But she knew she was doing the right thing. “Even then.”
He sat down beside her and took her hand. “Are you going to turn it over to Chief Stacy?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think I can bring myself to do that. But I am willing to call Agent Freeman.”
“Giving up that much money after...after what you’ve been through. That’s hard, babe.”
She put her head on his shoulder. “I can make it on my own.”
He slid an arm around her and kissed her temple. “You won’t have to.”
Straightening so she could look him in the eye, she said, “But I want to. I need to. For me.”
* * *
Agent Freeman wasn’t in. Sophia had to leave a message. Then she and Alexa started baking for Christmas. Alexa wanted to decorate sugar cookies for Royce, and Sophia wanted to try a new fudge recipe.
The call she’d been waiting for came when she was covered in flour, but she left Alexa to finish rolling out the dough—she figured it would be good practice for her, anyway—and washed her hands.
By the time she was able to answer, she was afraid she’d missed Agent Freeman, but that wasn’t the case. As soon as she managed to slide the bar that answered her phone, she heard his distinctive, deep voice respond to her hello.
“Mrs. DeBussi?”
She didn’t want Alexa to hear what she was about to say, so she carried her phone outside. “Thanks for calling me back,” she said as she closed the door behind her.
“What can I do for you?” he asked.
He was all business again. Sophia smiled at that. He came off as a hard-ass, but she knew he was more tenderhearted than he let on. “I have some exciting news for you and for Skip’s investors.”
“You do?”
She could hear the surprise in his voice. “Yes. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready.” His tone suggested he wasn’t used to having anyone act coy with him.
“I found my wedding ring.”
There was a slight pause. “And you’re calling me because...”
“It’s worth $200,000, remember? Get this, Skip was trying to liquidate it but, for whatever reason, that didn’t happen before our trip. Last night I came across a letter from a jeweler who has it. He even has a buyer lined up.”
Silence.
“Aren’t you excited?” she said.
“Mrs. DeBussi, I’m impressed that you made this call.”
Sophia wasn’t sure she’d ever felt so good inside. “Thanks.”
“And that’s exactly why I’m going to pretend I never received it.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I told you, if you weren’t in on the fraud you were the biggest victim of all, and I still feel that way. I know you’ve had one hell of a time. Now maybe you’ll be able to get by and care for your daughter. That’s more important than spreading that money out among hundreds of people so it really does no one any good.”
“You didn’t seem to feel I deserved anything before.”
“I was doing my job. But as far as I’m concerned, this case is closed. Merry Christmas,” he said and hung up.
Ted stepped out of the kitchen before she could fully absorb what had just happened. He’d joined her and Lex several times already. He said it was impossible to concentrate on his book when he’d rather be with them. “Was that the FBI agent—what’s his name, Freeman?”
“It was.”
“What’d he say?”
“He said the money’s mine.”
“No....”
“I swear. He said he was going to forget I ever even made the call.”
“Wow.” He stood behind her and slid his arms around her waist in an effort to warm her. Neither of them had bothered to put on a coat. “I’m sort of bummed about that,” he said.
“Why?”
“I like you better when you’re poor. Then I know you won’t be going anywhere,” he joked.
She glanced beyond him to see Alexa watching them through the window. When Sophia caught her eye, she blushed and ducked her head, but not before the sweetest smile Sophia had ever seen appeared on her face.
“I think my daughter’s figuring out that her mother has a boyfriend.”
Ted twisted around as Alexa looked up again, and her smile stretched from ear to ear. “Good,” he said. “Because I was planning to wait a few months before asking you to marry me, but that’s beginning to feel like a really long time.”
She let him turn her in his arms so they were facing each other. “We have to wait until spring,” she said. “We can make it that long, can’t we?”
“Why?”
“Because I want to type 80 words per minute by the time I get married.”
He started to laugh. “Seriously?”
“Stop! Yes. I have goals!”
“But now that you’re rich all on your own, neither one of us will have to sign a prenup.” He bent his head and whispered in her ear, “And if we get married right away, we won’t have to keep sleeping in separate beds.”
“Ah, now I see what you’re really after.”
“What can I say?” He nuzzled her neck. “Just looking at you drives me crazy.”
It felt so good to be loved and admired the way Ted loved and admired her. It was completely different from what she’d experienced with Skip. Ted didn’t hold her down; he buoyed her up. “There’s just one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m not keeping the money.”
He straightened. “What will you do with it?”
“I’m not sure.” She rose on tiptoe to rub her cold nose against his. “But I have some ideas.”
“So you’ll be broke again? I was joking when I said I’d rather you be poor.” He was joking now; he didn’t seem to care about her financial situation.
“Yes, but don’t worry, I’ll still be good in bed.”
“At least you know what’s important,” he said and drew her inside, where it was warm.
* * *
The money from the ring came in on Thursday. Even though it was Christmas Eve, Sophia spent the afternoon going down the list she’d asked Kelly to send, making out checks. After that, she was so excited it was hard to get through dinner. Since she wasn’t handing the money over to the FBI, she’d decided to tell Alexa about the situation. She thought her daughter should know why she was doing what she was doing, and she had been surprised by how well Lex had taken the news. She hadn’t complained, hadn’t asked if they could keep some or all of it; she agreed with what Sophia had planned and was eager to participate.
Fortunately, Ted was on board, as well. He’d finished his book, so he was in a great mood and ready to take some time off for the holidays.
“You all set?” he asked when he walked into the living room to see her putting on her coat. “We’ll be intruding on everyone’s holiday, so we don’t want to show up too late.”
She gestured at the Christmas cards stacked on the coffee table. “Considering what’s inside those, I think people will want to see us, no matter what time we come, but I’m ready.” She removed a scarf from her pocket, and tied it around her neck. They weren’t having a white Christmas this year—but it was cold, and she’d be getting in and out of the car for the next two hours.
Grabbing the ends of her scarf, he pulled
her to him. “You’re such an inspiration. You know that?”
“It’s nice to hear I have one convert.” She smiled as she remembered him telling her how beautiful she was, and how much she’d wanted him to say something more meaningful.
“I can’t help it if I’m smarter than everyone else.”
Alexa came hurrying in. “Okay, my cookies are in the car and I told Royce we’d drop them by.”
Sophia gathered up the stack of cards. Two hundred thousand dollars wasn’t nearly enough to be able to return everyone’s money, so she’d been forced to limit her payments to investors who lived in Whiskey Creek. Even then, she’d had to lay down some rules. Those who hadn’t taken anything from the house received twenty percent of what they’d lost. That meant Kyle would get $20,000, Noah would get $10,000, and ten other investors would each get $5,000. Those who’d come to the house and removed furniture and other goods would get five or ten percent, depending on the value of what they took—Reverend Flores, Eric Groscost, and eight others. Chief Stacy wouldn’t get a dime.
At first, Sophia hadn’t wanted to give anything to his girlfriend, either. She was afraid he’d benefit. But then she realized it wasn’t fair to hold Pam Swank responsible for her partner’s actions—that was exactly what had happened to her with Skip. So Pam was getting $15,000, which was half the remaining balance. The DeBussis would get the other half. That hadn’t been an easy decision, either, but they were Alexa’s grandparents.
“We’re not driving over to Jackson to deliver Pam Swank’s, are we?” Ted asked when he saw her name on the top card.
“No, I’ll mail that one.” She knew they might run out of time and would mail quite a few others, as well. Skip had had a lot of investors, even here in Whiskey Creek. But she wanted to hand-deliver as many as possible. It would be worth the effort to see the shock and excitement on the recipients’ faces. She was pretty sure she’d never feel more like Santa Claus.
Which reminded her...
“Don’t forget that Santa hat you wanted to wear,” she told Alexa, who ran to retrieve it from the kitchen.