“Bonding time?”
“I’m just dying to hear how all of this happened,” John admitted. “I’m not sure Mom has all the gory details correct.”
“You might be surprised,” Nick said. “She seems up on all the town gossip. She even put money in the pool to see when we would get together.”
John snorted. “I lost. I was way off. I thought you guys would fight it for at least another two months. I forgot to take your desperation into consideration.”
Nick shot his brother a look. “You were in the pool?”
“We all have to entertain ourselves the best way we can,” John said. “Now … drive. Now that I’ve mentioned eating down by the marina all I can think about is crab legs.”
Unfortunately for Nick, all he could think about was something that he probably wasn’t going to get … at least not tonight.
BLACKSTONE BAY is one of those small towns that has just about everything to offer – except progress. The storefronts are quaint, the side streets made out of cobblestone, and the water is expansive.
In addition to the huge lake, the hamlet also offered various rivers, ponds and other smaller lakes to entice the local population. The town was a coveted destination in the summer and a quiet place to snowmobile, ski, and ice skate in the winter.
It was a beautiful area, and one of the best spots to visit was Blackstone Marina. Most local denizens owned boats – even if they were small fishing boats – but a handful of the more affluent denizens rented slips at the marina for the summer months.
“I haven’t been here in almost two years,” John admitted, striding down the impressive fishing pier and scanning the regulars with a smile. “I used to love coming here when we were kids.”
“It’s nice,” Nick said, noncommittal. “I prefer the lake behind Maddie’s house, though. It’s more private.”
John arched an eyebrow. “What have you two been doing in the lake?”
Nick smiled. While sex had been off the menu, skinny-dipping had not. Nick had seen everything he was missing – on multiple occasions – and he was still annoyed it looked like he would be missing it again. He’d called Maddie, but she hadn’t picked up, so he’d been forced to leave a bittersweet message. He was hoping against hope she would go against her better nature and not understand. If she pitched a fit he’d have a reason to abandon his brother for the evening.
“That’s an absolutely adorable smile,” John said, studying his brother. “I’m guessing the lake has been serving as your personal playground – especially with it being so hot lately.”
Nick forced himself to return to the present. “We loved that lake long before we started dating.”
“I remember,” John said. “I kept sneaking down there in the hopes I would catch you two doing something. Even when I came back for summers when I was in college I was sure I would finally find you two … doing something. Usually, I just found you catching turtles and talking. You two were the most boring teenagers ever.”
“Thanks.”
“Poor, baby brother,” John said, reaching over and snagging Nick’s cheek. “You’re just so under appreciated.”
Nick jerked his cheek away. “I’ll have you know, we weren’t boring teenagers,” he said. “We had a great time together.”
“I know you did,” John said. “You were still geeks.”
“Don’t ever say anything bad about my Maddie,” Nick warned. “I don’t like it, and I’m going to have to beat you to a bloody pulp if you continue to do it.”
“You’re so happy it’s sickening,” John said, smiling. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you,” Nick said, averting his gaze. “I’m happy for me, too.”
“So, when are you going to propose?”
Nick shook his head, dumbfounded. “Seriously? We’ve been together for two weeks.”
“You’ve been in love with her for your entire life.”
Nick shrugged. “I’d propose right now,” he said. “She’s all I want. I don’t want to rush it, though. I want to be able to enjoy dating her. I want to enjoy moving in together. There’s no reason to hurry.”
“Are you afraid she’s going to run again?”
It was a serious question, and Nick had silently asked it more than once. The truth was, though, he wasn’t scared of that. He knew why Maddie ran the first time, and however misguided, she’d never wanted to leave him. “No. She’s home. We’re home.”
“Okay, if you’re not going to propose right away, when are you two going to move in together?”
“Soon,” Nick said, thinking back on his conversation with Maude. “That brings up an interesting topic, though.”
“Can I have your house?”
Nick grinned. His house was on the Blackstone River, and everyone in the family had been crestfallen when his grandfather left it to him after passing. It was a coveted house, and even though Nick loved it he knew his future with Maddie wouldn’t be spent there. “I’ll sell it to you.”
John was taken aback. “You will? Aren’t you two going to move out there? I was just joking when I asked for it.”
“No,” Nick said. “Maddie’s business is in her house. Maude is in that house, although she’s building a separate apartment in the garage. The lake is right behind Maddie’s house, and the woods that she loves are right there. We’ll be living there.”
“You’ve already thought this out,” John said, impressed.
“When you’ve been dreaming about something as long as I have, you figure things out quickly,” Nick said. “When I picture my future with Maddie it’s in her house. I’d like to keep my house in our family, so if you’re interested in buying it, I’m sure there’s something we can work out.”
“I love that house,” John said. “I definitely want to buy it. It might take me a few months to unload my house, though.”
“That’s fine,” Nick said. “Maude’s apartment isn’t going to be ready for another five or six weeks.”
“Are you going to ask her or are you just going to move all of your stuff in when she’s not looking?” John teased.
“We have to have a talk about it,” Nick said, serious. “She’s still sleeping in her bedroom.”
“And that’s a problem?”
“It’s tiny,” Nick explained. “There’s not enough room for her stuff in there, let alone mine.”
“Ah,” John said, realization dawning. “You want her to move into Olivia’s old bedroom.”
“I’d like to upgrade the bathroom first,” Nick said. “I’d also like to have the hardwood floors buffed and the room painted, but I’d at least like a firm commitment from Maddie where that room is concerned.”
“Have you talked about it?”
“Not about us moving into it,” Nick said. “I have brought up her moving a few times.”
“And?”
“She feels like she’s … displacing … her mother.”
“Olivia is dead, though.”
Nick couldn’t tell his brother that even though Olivia was dead, that didn’t mean she still wasn’t hanging around. He would never understand. “I know,” Nick said. “It hasn’t been that long. I’m going to talk to her.”
“Maddie wants to make you happy just as much as you want to make her happy,” John said. “You’re adults now. I think you’re going to find planning a life together to be a lot easier than you think it’s going to be.”
“I don’t care how easy it is,” Nick said. “I want it. We’ll make it work.” He tilted his chin toward the far end of the pier. “Let’s go talk to them. They’re regulars. If anyone saw something I’m going to bet it’s them.”
“Let’s go, Romeo,” John said, smiling. “See if you can charm them as easily as you charmed Miss Maddie.”
“YOU KNOW who you want to talk to? Raymond Jacob Kingston.”
Mildred Donahue was a regular fixture on the Blackstone pier. In addition to being one of Maude’s Pink Ladies, she was also the one woman in town who c
ould keep up with the local Knights of Columbus chapter when they decided to tap a keg. Unlike Maude, though, she liked to spend her afternoons fishing instead of stirring up trouble.
“Who is that?” John asked.
“He’s a local fisherman,” Nick replied. “He moved here about three years ago. He lives out on Cunningham Road.”
“He’s a pervert,” Mildred said. “If something bad happened to a young girl, he’s the one who did it. Mark my words.”
Nick frowned. “Define … pervert.”
“He has sexual inclinations that make me sick to my stomach,” Mildred replied. “He also has roaming fingers.”
“I understand what a pervert is,” Nick said, choosing his words carefully. “I want to know why you think Ray is one.”
“Whenever the young girls are on the pier he hits on them,” Mildred said. “He says stuff about wanting to bait their hooks. He’s also friendly with the butt pats.”
Nick made a face.
“How old is this Raymond Jacob Kingston?” John asked.
“He’s in his seventies,” Nick said. “He’s too old to be patting the butts of teenage girls.”
“Oh, he doesn’t pat their butts,” Mildred said. “Don’t get me wrong, if he was quick enough to catch one of them he would probably try. They always manage to evade him, though. He’s built up quite the reputation down here.”
“I don’t understand,” Nick said. “Whose butt is he patting?”
“He’s always trying to pat my butt and … trust me … no one wants that. It’s not even as high up as it used to be.”
John pursed his lips to keep from laughing out loud. “Where can we find Raymond?”
Mildred tilted her head to the side, considering. “It’s interesting that you ask,” she said. “I haven’t seen him in a few days now.”
“How many days?” Nick asked, interested.
“It’s been at least two,” Mildred said. “The only reason I even noticed is because he’s always here.”
John and Nick exchanged a look.
“Do me a favor, Mildred,” Nick said, pulling a business card out of his back pocket. “If you see Raymond, don’t say anything to him. Just call me.”
“You’ve got it,” Mildred said, pocketing the card. “I am sad to hear about that girl. I didn’t know her other than recognizing her from afar, but that’s a horrible way to die.”
“It is,” Nick agreed.
“Oh, before you go, I’m just desperate to know when you plan on finally going all the way with the Graves girl,” Mildred said. “I’ve got Sunday in the pool, so if you can hold off until then, that would be great. I’ve got my eye on a custom fishing pole, and the money will just about cover it.”
Nick’s neck burned under John’s studied gaze. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said stiffly. “Have a nice day.”
“I see we have a few more things to talk about,” John said. “You’ve been holding out on me.”
Nick desperately wished a hole would open up underneath him and swallow him whole. He so didn’t want to have this conversation.
Seven
“So, do you want to tell me why you’ve spent two weeks sharing a bed with the love of your life and you haven’t made a move yet?” John leaned back in his chair and fixed his younger with a serious look.
Nick had been dreading this conversation for more than an hour. After changing his clothes, John picked a local restaurant so they could eat and have a few drinks. Dinner conversation had been light, most of it revolving around the case, and Nick had almost managed to convince himself that John was going to let Mildred’s parting shot go unnoticed.
He wasn’t that lucky.
“I’m not talking about this,” Nick said.
“You’re talking about it,” John said. “When I thought the reason you missed family dinner was because you were spending the entire day in bed with Maddie I understood your actions. I don’t understand … this.”
“What’s to understand?” Nick asked, leaning back in his chair and sipping from his beer. “We’re taking our time.”
“Why really?”
Nick sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose to ward off the headache he was sure was coming. “Because she was … nervous … when I admitted I loved her,” he said. “She was scared.”
John furrowed his brow. “What was she scared of?”
“She thought I was going to get bored with her,” Nick said. “And if I got bored with her … .”
“Then you could never go back to what you had,” John finished. “I get it. Still … I would’ve thought you two would just do it that first night. You’ve had ten years of … need … building up.”
“I wanted her to get comfortable with me first.”
“I’ve never seen her anything but comfortable with you.”
“This was different,” Nick said. “I didn’t want her constantly thinking about that when she could be focusing on just … feeling. That’s why I put a moratorium on sex.”
John pursed his lips, amused. “For how long?”
“Two weeks,” Nick said. “I wanted time for us just to be a couple without anything hanging over us.”
“And?”
“And it was the best two weeks of my life.”
“When is the moratorium over?”
“Last night,” Nick said.
John barked out a hoarse laugh. “So, let me get this straight,” he said. “You’ve pined after Maddie Graves for a decade. You finally got her, but you put a moratorium on sex because you wanted her to be comfortable. The moratorium was finally over, and then she stumbled across a dead body. Am I getting this right?”
“Pretty much.”
John guffawed loudly. “You poor man.”
“Let it go,” Nick said. “I’m not going to sit here and let you make fun of me. I don’t care what you say. I have everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“You’re still missing one thing,” John pointed out.
“No, I’m not,” Nick said. “The only thing I need every night is her next to me.”
“You’re so sappy.”
“No, I’m happy,” Nick said. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I just care what Maddie thinks.”
“That’s probably why she’s been in love with you since she was sixteen,” John said. “And, yes, I noticed she was in love with you before I realized you loved her back. It took you longer than it took her.”
“It didn’t take me longer,” Nick corrected. “I’ve always loved her. I just didn’t realize the difference between loving someone and being in love with them.”
“That’s a good answer,” John said. “Why didn’t you tell her before she left for college?”
“Because she wasn’t ready to hear it,” Nick said. “She was … dealing with some stuff. I know how I acted when she left. I’m not ashamed to say she broke my heart because she did.”
“I know that,” John said. “Trust me. I saw you … crumble. Was it hard for you to forgive her?”
“I forgave her the second I saw her,” Nick said. “It took me a week to realize that I’d already forgiven her, but … it was like no time had passed. I saw her face and … I was just done. I fought my feelings because I didn’t want to forgive her. I thought it made me weak.”
“And now?”
“And now I know that she’s the one thing in this world that truly gives me strength.”
“You’re suddenly a poet,” John teased. “Still, it must drive you crazy knowing that the two of you wasted ten years.”
“I’m not sure we did,” Nick said. “Mom and I had a talk a few weeks ago. She knew why Maddie left all along. Olivia told her.”
“Why did Maddie leave?”
“I’m not telling you that,” Nick said. “It’s her secret.”
“Good enough,” John said. “What did Mom say to you?”
“She said that Maddie and I wouldn’t have survived as a couple then because we were too young,” Nick said. “S
he said we weren’t ready for life together, and by being separated then we made sure we were mature enough to love one another as adults now.”
“Do you think that’s true?”
“I was mad at first,” Nick admitted. “I thought she … robbed … me of something. She was right, though. I wouldn’t trade my life now for anything in this world.”
John grinned. “You’re so happy I want to puke.”
“Join the club.”
Nick jolted at the sound of the new voice, lifting his eyes to Christy’s expressive face and gracing her with a small smile. “What are you doing here? Is Maddie with you?”
“I thought Maddie was with you,” Christy said, grabbing the open chair between John and Nick and settling in it. “Why are you here, by the way?”
“My brother wanted dinner and a drink.”
“Ah,” Christy said, nodding and turning in John’s direction. “You’re the elusive John Winters. I’ve been dying to meet you.”
Nick smirked. Christy was known as something of a flirt, and the look she was giving John now was nothing short of scandalous. “Do you want a drink?”
“Sure,” Christy said, not moving her eyes from John. “I’ll have whatever you guys are having. I’m … easy.”
“That’s the word on the street,” Nick teased, rolling his eyes. “John, if you don’t remember her, this is Christy Ford. She graduated with Maddie and me.”
“I think I kind of remember you,” John said, smiling. “I definitely remember that red hair.”
Nick was starting to feel like a fifth wheel. Since John appeared to be charmed by Christy, Nick saw an out for himself, though. Another beer and these two would be well on their way to a comfortable evening of flirting. That would allow him the chance to sneak out and find Maddie. That’s all he could think about right now.
AN HOUR later Nick was starting to lay the groundwork for his escape. The problem was, Christy and John were so busy with their own conversation they wouldn’t let him get a word in edgewise. He was considering just leaving and then sending John a text once he was safely on the road. He was pretty sure Christy would make sure he had a ride home.
“Well, well, well. Look who it is.”
Grave Delight (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 3) Page 5