by Lena Gregory
Gia left her menu sitting on the table and stared out across the lake. “This really is amazing, Savannah.”
“Just wait until you taste the food.”
“I can’t wait.” She dragged her gaze from the serenity the view offered and opened her menu. “What’s good?”
“I usually have the steak and lobster tails.”
“Is the steak tender?”
“Melts in your mouth.” Savannah closed her menu and dropped it onto the table.
Gia followed. “Steak and lobster tails it is then.”
The waitress arrived and took their orders, then disappeared with the menus.
Savannah stared out over the lake, her lower lip caught between her teeth. A sure sign something was bothering her.
Gia stayed quiet.
Savannah would talk in her own time and her own way.
Until then, Gia enjoyed the peaceful evening. She certainly couldn’t complain about the Florida weather in the winter. While New York was buried under a foot of snow, Florida boasted temperatures in the sixties with a soft breeze.
The waitress arrived with their drinks and set them on bamboo coasters.
Gia stirred her virgin piña colada, then took a sip. “Wow. Now this is the vision I had of what Florida living would be like.”
Savannah laughed, but it did nothing to disguise the hurt in her eyes. “Does that mean it goes in the plus column?”
Though the comment had been made in jest, the underlying pain in Savannah’s voice was undeniable. Maybe it was time to just be honest.
“It’s been a hard adjustment, moving down here.”
“I know. I remember when I moved to New York.” She sipped her drink. “I never did get used to living there.”
Gia didn’t know what to say. She’d never lie to Savannah, but she honestly didn’t know what the truth was. She had no idea if she’d stay in Florida forever.
“I’d understand if you decide to move back, you know?”
“I know you would.” Of that much she was certain. Savannah would stand by her side no matter what. Which would make hurting her all the more difficult. Gia forced a smile. “But tonight definitely goes in the plus column.”
This time, Savannah’s smile was genuine. She held up her glass. “To tonight, then.”
Gia clinked her glass against Savannah’s. “It’s not that I don’t like Florida. It’s just different. So different. And sometimes I get homesick.”
“Believe me, as much as I don’t want to, I understand. That’s why I brought it up. I want you to know it’s okay if you move back.” She set her glass aside and sulked. “Heck, if they close the café down, I can’t even say I’d blame you.”
Gia’s heart ached. She couldn’t deny her thoughts had pretty much followed the same track Savannah’s had, but she also couldn’t take seeing Savannah so disappointed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m not going anywhere yet, and I have no intention of letting anyone shut me down without putting up a fight.”
Savannah looked into her eyes, searching for something, her lime green fingernails tapping a steady rhythm against the tabletop.
Gia laid a hand on top of hers. “If I leave, Savannah, it will be because it’s the best choice for me, not because someone chased me away.”
“Good. Because as much as I love having you here, I wouldn’t want you to stay if it didn’t make you happy.”
Gia sat back. Something was bothering Savannah, of that she was certain. She didn’t doubt Savannah loved her and wanted her to stay close, but she’d never been needy, had always wanted Gia to be happy. Even when she’d known marrying Bradley was a mistake, she’d backed off and allowed Gia to figure it out on her own. Why now, all of a sudden, was it so important to her that Gia stay?
Gia shook off the thought. No matter what happened, as long as Savannah needed her, she wasn’t going anywhere.
Savannah twirled her glass in the ring of condensation on her coaster, staring deep into the swirling contents. “So…”
Gia waited.
A blush crept up Savannah’s cheeks. “Leo asked me to marry him. Again.”
“And? Did you say yes?” Savannah hadn’t told Gia about Leo’s numerous marriage proposals; Hunt had.
“No.” She looked up from beneath her lashes. “But at least this time I didn’t say no.”
“What did you say?”
She sighed and sat back. “I told him to give me a little time to think about it.”
Leo must have been in his glory. He’d been waiting years for Savannah to say yes. At least now she was one step closer.
“Do you love him?”
“Yes. With all my heart. You know, there was a time I even considered not going to New York to stay and marry him.”
“I could understand not wanting to give up your dreams, and Leo is an amazing man for putting your happiness ahead of his own, and then waiting for you to figure out what you need. But I don’t understand what’s holding you back now?”
She frowned. “My dad.”
“He doesn’t like Leo?”
“Oh no, quite the opposite, he loves Leo, thinks he’d be great for me.” She laughed. “And he wants more grandchildren.”
Yikes. Gia hadn’t considered Savannah might get married and have children right away. The thought of children seemed such a far-off idea for Gia.
“And we already know Hunt wants me to marry him, since he threatened to beat him senseless if he didn’t propose before I left for New York.”
Gia couldn’t help laughing. Hunt had told her that, but she hadn’t realized Savannah knew about it. “How’d you find out?”
“Oh, please. This is Boggy Creek. That incident kept the rumor mill churning for weeks.”
The waitress set their appetizers in the center of the table. “Can I get you ladies anything else?”
“Not right now, thank you,” Gia said, hoping Savannah would continue to confide in her despite the interruption.
The waitress smiled and left.
Savannah spooned a few melon balls onto her plate, and Gia was afraid it signaled the end of their conversation.
“So what does your dad have to do with you saying no to Leo?”
She speared a melon ball with her fork, then laid the fork on her plate without taking a bite and folded her hands on the table. “How long have you known me?”
“More than ten years.”
“And of those ten years, you’ve been my best friend for almost all of them.”
“Yes.” She and Savannah had taken an instant liking to each other, becoming roommates almost immediately after they met and living together for almost five years. Never mind best friends, they were sisters.
“And in that time, how many times have you seen my father?”
Gia couldn’t really remember. “Not more than a handful.”
“My mom and dad were married very young, right out of high school. Heck, they were already engaged when they graduated. They had my brother ten months later.”
She inhaled a shaky breath before continuing. “When my mother was killed, my dad fell into a depression. He used to be a friendly, outgoing man. Now… Well, now he barely leaves the house, just stays cooped up with his dogs, lost in memories of a time when he shared his life with the only woman he ever loved.”
Savannah looked up and stared Gia right in the eyes. “Leo is a cop, Gia. Granted, he’s a cop in Boggy Creek, but still… Bad things happen everywhere. Even here.”
“Oh, Savannah. I’m so sorry about your dad, but—”
“I don’t know if I can live like that, waiting every night for him to come home, never knowing for certain that he will.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and she swiped it away with her napkin. “I love him. With all my heart. I have since we were kids, but after watching my mother’s deat
h destroy a man I always thought of as a rock, I don’t know if I can handle being with him.”
Gia resisted the urge to reach out to Savannah while she struggled to regain her composure. Her hold on her emotions seemed so fragile that Gia didn’t want to do anything that would make her lose control. “Savannah, there’s no guarantee that anyone will come home at the end of any given day. I understand it’s much different when your spouse does something dangerous for a living, but in the end, isn’t it better to have shared your life with the person you loved, no matter what? Do you think your father regrets the years he was fortunate enough to spend with your mother?”
Savannah sort of smiled through her tears and shook her head.
Gia lowered her voice even more. “Besides, your father’s circumstances were a little different. It wasn’t only losing your mother he had to deal with.”
“No…” She sniffled. “It wasn’t. He also had to endure the suspicion cast on him by Captain Hayes. A man who should have been working to find out who really killed my mother.” Her jaw clenched as anger replaced some of the sadness.
“Have you talked to Leo about how you feel?”
“No. Leo has wanted to be a cop since we were little kids. His father was a cop. His brother is a cop. He’s never wanted to do anything else.” She inhaled deeply, finally gaining control, and met Gia’s gaze. “There’s nothing Leo wouldn’t do for me, and I’m terrified he’d give up his dream to be with me. When I wanted to go to New York to be a dancer, Leo sat and waited for me for five years. When I came back, he still waited. He loves me more than life, the way my father loves my mother. And that scares me to death too.”
The waitress arrived with their salads. She frowned at the uneaten appetizers. “Would you like me to take those?”
“No, thanks. We’re still working on them.” Savannah smiled. Though her eyes remained a bit red-rimmed from crying, no other outward sign of her sadness remained.
Gia had no doubt their conversation had just ended.
The waitress placed their salads in front of them and asked if they wanted anything else.
Savannah ordered water with lemon for both of them.
Gia’s attention wandered across the terrace to the dark silhouette of the woods surrounding the lake. So beautiful, and yet a little scary knowing she lived smack in the middle of woods like that. Dark. Dangerous. Teeming with life.
For the first time since Bradley’s killer had been apprehended, a chill crept up her spine, and the feeling of being watched overwhelmed her.
“You okay, Gia?” Savannah frowned. “You looked a million miles away there for a minute.”
She tried to shake off her unease. Maybe all Savannah’s talk about her mother had spooked her. “Yeah. Sorry, my mind just wandered.”
“No problem, now dig in. These melon balls are amazing.” Savannah popped one into her mouth and closed her eyes. “Mmm…”
Gia took a bite, but she barely tasted it as her gaze fell on a man seated alone at the far corner of the terrace. Though he remained shrouded in shadow, Gia was almost positive it was the same older man who’d been seated in the café earlier. The same man who’d made Captain Hayes pause.
He seemed to be staring into his water glass as he ran a finger around its rim.
She glanced away quickly, hoping he didn’t notice her looking at him, and leaned toward Savannah. “Don’t turn around yet, but when I start eating, look over your shoulder to the far corner of the terrace and see if you know the man sitting there.”
Gia sat up straighter, willing her gaze to remain on her salad, and took a bite.
Savannah waited a moment, then looked around as if searching for the waitress. “What man?”
When Gia looked up, he was gone.
Chapter 9
Gia hooked Thor’s leash over her wrist and got out of the car, bear spray in one hand, keys in the other. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to coming home to the darkness of the woods surrounding her small house, and the chill she’d gotten earlier at the restaurant had never fully disappeared.
She searched the shadows among the trees, while trying to keep an eye on the ground in front of her in case a snake decided to take a nap on her walkway. It was long past time to go through the junk she still had left in the garage from the move and get rid of it. If she hadn’t missed it by now, she probably didn’t need it. Maybe she’d just get a dumpster and toss it all in the trash. At least then she could pull into the garage.
Thankful she’d put the porch light on a timer, she turned the key in the lock, shoved the door open, and ushered Thor through as fast as she could. Once she slammed the door behind her and locked it, she took a deep breath.
Thor sat staring at her, used to the crazy routine of getting in the house, and waited for her to take his leash off.
“Good boy, Thor.” She petted his head and unhooked the leash from his collar. “Let’s get you out and ready for bed.”
It was much later than she usually came home, and she had to get up early in the morning to make it to the café in time to do some of the prep work she’d neglected in order to go out with Savannah. It was worth it, though. Despite the serious conversation that had started the night, they’d enjoyed themselves throughout dinner. It was nice to relax with a friend for a change.
She turned on every light as she strode through the living room to the kitchen. She turned on the back deck light and checked for wildlife, or anything else that might be lurking in the shadows, before opening the door and letting Thor out.
Hunt had helped her fence a section of the yard just off the deck, so she wouldn’t have to worry about Thor running off into the woods. Not that he’d ever wandered away, but still, better to be safe. While she waited for him to come back, she looked around the kitchen.
Her house definitely went in the plus column. Now that she’d unpacked and put everything away, it had become a home. Her very own home. A home she’d lose if the council managed to shut down the café.
She shook off the thought and filled the teakettle. She’d enjoyed a peaceful night, more or less, and she wasn’t about to ruin it now. She turned on the kettle, filled the infuser with peach tea, and dropped it into her favorite mug.
Thor hit the cowbell she’d hung from the back door with his paw, and she opened it and let him back in. Savannah had suggested the bell after he’d scratched up the back door, and he’d taken to using it right away. “Good boy, Thor. Come on. Time to relax.”
When the water boiled, she poured it over the infuser and left it to steep while she headed for the bedroom to put her pajamas on, anxious to get into bed with her tea and the new romantic suspense novel she’d started a few days ago. The first one in the series had been amazing, and she was looking forward to reading the second.
Thor followed. He snatched up one of the numerous stuffed animals he liked to chew on and headed into his crate. She didn’t bother to close or lock it. She rarely did anymore and had considered taking him out of it, but he seemed to like sleeping there, so she left it alone.
Someone pounded against the front door. She froze. In the middle of the night? In her experience, someone pounding on the front door in the middle of the night was never good.
Thor jumped up and hit the edges of the crate as he barreled through, barking, and ran toward the front of the house.
“Thor, wait.” She grabbed the phone from the charger, just in case, and ran after him.
The pounding came again.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she muttered as she reached the front of the house and peeked out between the living room curtains. As soon as she saw Hunt’s olive green jeep sitting in the driveway, she dropped the curtains and yanked the door open.
Thor shot between her feet, almost toppling her over, and nudged Hunt’s leg.
“You need to get a doorbell.” Hunt pointed to the side
of the door where a doorbell should be, then used the back of his wrist to wipe a trickle of blood from the side of his mouth. His bloodied knuckles left a smear across his cheek beneath his blackened right eye, which was swollen almost completely shut.
Gia gasped and put a hand over her mouth. “Oh my…”
“I’m fine, Gia.” He started to smile, then winced instead and patted Thor’s head. “You should see the other guy.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?” She took his arm, ushered him inside, and shut the door behind him and Thor, who stuck to his side like glue. “What happened to you?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
She stared at him and narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean you don’t want to talk about it? You show up at my house in the middle of the night, beat to a pulp, after you haven’t even called in who knows how long—”
“Now hold on, that’s not fair. I just called yesterday.”
Gia’s cheeks heated. “That doesn’t count.”
“Oh, no?” He took a step toward her, amusement flickering in the depths of the eye that wasn’t swollen too badly to see the deep brown iris. “Why doesn’t it count? Because you were hiding under Marcia’s bed?”
“No,” she bristled, “because you knew I was under Marcia’s bed.”
“Look, Gia.” He sort of grinned and started to move his hand toward her but stopped when he caught sight of his knuckles and, instead, let his hand drop to his side and sobered. “If I wanted a lecture, I’d have gone to Savannah’s. Right now, I just need a friend.”
It took more willpower than she knew she had to refrain from asking any more questions. But there would be plenty of time later to figure out what was going on with him and who he’d fought with. For now… The fact she’d wanted something more from him didn’t matter. When she’d needed a friend, he’d been there, treating her like family when she’d really been nothing more than a stranger to him. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.”