“Thanks,” Mia muttered. “I’m going to ICU to drop these off.”
“Let me take these from you,” Paul said. “Pretty. Who are they for?”
“Oh, uh, Officer Gordon,” Mia stammered, sticking her visitor’s badge to her summery yellow blouse.
“Good. That’s where we’re going. We wanted to thank him and say goodbye,” Paul told her.
“Great!” Mia managed a smile as a brilliant idea hit her. “Then you won’t mind taking Officer Gordon those flowers. I mean, you’re already carrying them, right? Gee, thanks, I appreciate it.”
Before Corwin could protest, Mia turned and practically ran to the elevator. Luckily, one was just opening and Mia threw herself in. Pushing the button to close the door, she ignored the sound of Agent Brown shouting for her to hold the elevator. But once she was admitted to ICU, Mia had to ask herself why she’d acted like such an idiot.
And there was Charlie Gordon, sitting up in bed and looking right at her through the window. There was nothing for it now but to go inside the room and make the best of the situation. Shrugging her shoulders, Mia decided to grin and bear it. What was so awful, anyway? He was just a guy. A family friend. No need to be nervous.
Pasting a smile on her face, Mia marched into the room, her head held high.
“Mr. and Mrs. Gordon. I should have known you’d be here. I just stopped by to bring Officer Gordon some flowers …”
Everyone was looking at the very feminine pink roses. Not the kind of thing you brought to a guy. An officer shot in the line of duty yet.
“Ms. Broderick. You left these behind,” Paul Corwin said from the door. “I believe you said these were for Officer Gordon.”
“Goodness me, yes,” Mia tittered. “Mom always said I’d lose my head if it wasn’t attached to my shoulders.”
They were all still looking at her, Mia realized, probably because she was babbling like an idiot.
“I’ll just take these roses to Jane Doe,” Mia said, dashing out the door.
“Since when has Mia Broderick been such a scatterbrain,” Laurie mused. Then she realized that the girl was nervous around Charlie because she was beginning to be attracted to him and she didn’t even know it. That could be a very good thing both for her son and her own grandmotherly yearnings.
Mia forced herself to walk slowly and put a pleasant smile on her face. Most likely Ashley and her grandmother would be with Julie and she looked forward to visiting with them both.
“Hey, Ash, Mrs. Caron. How’s it going?”
“Mia, how nice of you to stop by. And please, call me Juliana.”
“Thanks,” Mia beamed. This was more like it. “And I brought these flowers for … um …”
“You may call me Julie, dear.”
Mia nearly dropped the vase she was holding when she realized it was Jane Doe speaking.
“Ash, does this mean what I think it means?”
“Yes. It certainly does. A few days on the right meds, good food, and …”
“Good family,” Julie said.
“I don’t know what to say,” Mia whispered, her throat choked with tears. “It’s a miracle.”
Mia couldn’t help herself. She put the flowers on the bedside table, leaned down and hugged Julie gently, kissing her softly on the cheek.
“Oh, don’t do that, Mia,” Ashley protested. “I mean, it’s okay. It’s just that we’ve already cried our eyes out a dozen times and now here we are blubbering all over again.”
“Check,” Mia laughed. “Next time I’ll bring a box of tissues instead of flowers.”
They all laughed, except for Julie who’d fallen asleep.
“She does that a lot,” Juliana murmured. “She’s really been through quite an ordeal. But then she’s really quite a gal.”
“Has she been able to tell you anything about her life?” Mia asked.
“A bit here and there. As I said, Julie tires easily. She’s made a remarkable recovery, but she still needs to regain her strength.”
“There you are, Ms. Broderick,” Kevin Brown said, startling her. “Agent Corwin and I were just leaving and wanted to say goodbye.”
“You mean leaving leaving? Not just the hospital but going away?” Mia asked.
“Yes. Back to our field office. But rest assured, if there is any change in the case, we’ll be back.”
“We certainly appreciate everything you’ve done, Agent Brown,” Juliana said, extending her hand to shake his.
“I’m glad things turned out well for you, Mrs. Caron,” he replied, nodding toward Julie’s bed.
“Ms. Broderick, the Gordons are going to grab some coffee and wondered if you would sit with their son for half an hour.”
“Of course,” Mia said firmly, forcing a smile to her face. Charlie Gordon is just a guy. Just a family friend. She could handle a simple visit without making a fool of herself.
Mia watched the agents gliding down the aisle in that smooth, quiet walk she was sure they practiced in front of a mirror. Mia could just imagine them silently stalking their prey.
And what’s that all about, Mia chided herself. Since when did I become a fanciful idiot who can’t act normal around attractive men?
“Let me know if you need anything,” Mia said abruptly, startling Ashley and Juliana. “Duty calls!”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mia ran into Laurie and Charles Gordon coming out of their son’s room.
“How’s he doing?” Mia asked, keeping her voice down.
“Great!” Charles grinned. “He’s doing really great.”
“They’ll be moving him to a room soon. That’s why we thought we’d sneak away for a coffee and maybe even a bite to eat,” Laurie explained. “We haven’t really eaten much since it happened.”
“Yeah, well, you know … hospital food,” Charles explained. He didn’t want anyone to know just how sick with worry he’d been.
“I certainly understand,” Mia said, thinking of her father’s grave injuries and their own vigil at the hospital, never leaving his side until the end. “You go on and take your time. I’ll stay with Charlie until they come to move him or until you get back.”
“Thanks, Mia,” Laurie smiled, thinking what a wonderful daughter-in-law the girl would make.
When Mia stepped into Charlie’s room, her expression was sad. She still missed her father and often wished she was still a little girl that her daddy would swing up into his strong, safe arms whenever she was hurt, or lonely, or just needed the comfort only a father could give.
Mom was wonderful, of course, but everyone knew that there was a special bond between dads and their little girls.
Mia was glad her mother had found happiness for a second time with Chief. She loved Chief herself. But a girl only ever had one daddy and sometimes she thought she would never get over her loss.
“Mia, are you alright,” Charlie asked gently, holding out his hand.
With thoughts of the many times she’d felt the strength of her father’s hand curled around her much smaller one, she reached out and grasped Charlie’s hand like a lifeline.
At first, Charlie was startled that Mia had actually trusted him enough to hold his hand. That was wonderful, and to feel that small, soft hand in his … Uh, but the hand wasn’t exactly either soft or fragile. Mia had spent the last ten years breaking boards and probably other things with those hands. Not only was there a ridge along the side, but there was a lot of strength in those fingers. Much more than he had available right now, especially since his right arm was pretty useless.
It was Charlie’s grunt of discomfort that brought Mia back to reality. Dropping his hand, her mouth dropped open in an O of surprise.
“I’m so sorry, Officer Gordon,” she croaked, dropping his hand like a hot potato. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“No. I’m fine. Just a little dry.”
“I’ll pour you some water,” Mia volunteered. Filling the cup, she bent the straw and held it up to his lips.
“That’s b
etter,” he sighed, leaning back against the pillows after he’d drunk every drop. He’d sure needed it.
While Charlie stared at the ceiling, Mia stared at the floor, neither knowing what to say.
“I … uh …,” Mia began at the same time Charlie said, “You … uh … know …,” But they were both saved by the sound of Mia’s phone ringing. Caller ID told her it was Anna.
“I’ll just take this in the hall, shall I?” Mia murmured. Not waiting for an answer, she turned and walked the few steps to the hall.
Charlie lay in bed, cursing himself, cursing his helplessness, cursing Mia for not being able to see that he was crazy about her. And while he was at it, he cursed the unknown person now talking so easily to Mia.
“Charlie, Charlie, Charlie,” Mia breathed, all but skipping into the room. “I can’t believe it. That was Anna, my realtor, you know. I mean, our realtor, of course. Me and Ash and Jess. It’s ready. I mean in two days it will be ready. But you don’t know, do you? Stay right there. I’ll be back. You know I promised …”
Before Charlie could open his mouth to ask a question, Mia was out the door and running down the hall. But out of the disappointment that he’d been excluded from whatever was going on came a huge smile. She’d called him by his name. Not once, but three times. There might just be hope yet.
* * *
Two days later, the three women stood on the wide front porch of the Victorian, surrounded by boxes and bags.
“Well, ladies. Shall I?” Jessica grinned, holding up the keys.
“Oh, god, yes,” Ashley laughed, bouncing up and down like an excited puppy.
But Mia merely nodded, her lips curled inward. It was too wonderful, too overwhelming.
She forgot about Mikey and Cindy and Chief. She forgot about Charlie Gordon and the seniors and Julie. Nothing mattered but this moment. The dream she’d held for so long was becoming a reality, right here, right now.
COMING SOON BOOK 2 IN THE
VICTORIAN HOUSE MYSTERIES
A FAILURE TO PLAN
Mia and her friends have a plan. A wonderful plan. They are going to rent the old Victorian house in downtown Joseph and live there and open their businesses there. But what’s that saying about the best laid plans?
As they deal with setback after setback, it’s becoming obvious that someone wants them out of the Victorian, but they have no idea of who or why.
And the case of the lost and found seniors is anything but over as evidenced by another dead body on the property where they’d been held hostage and where Officer Charlie Gordon had been shot.
With a killer on the loose, and a connection to the abandoned seniors and the Victorian, Officer Gordon is assigned to guard the house and its occupants, among them, Tae Kwon Do black belt, Mia Broderick. Will she throw Charlie’s heart for a loop while he works to keep her safe? And will the killer find his way into the house despite Charlie’s presence and the FBI to back him up?
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COPYRIGHT
Copyright 2019; Margaret Lake, Jobree Publishing, all rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part (beyond that copying permitted by U.S. Copyright Law, Section 107, “fair use” in teaching or research. Section 108, certain library copying, or in published media by reviewers in limited excerpt), without written permission.
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