“Will you film the show in Denver?”
“I don’t know yet. The nitty-gritty details are still being hammered out. More than likely, I’ll travel and do interviews in people’s homes, Barbara Walters style. Some work in a New York studio.” I yawned.
Claire rose and put a hand on my shoulder. “Is there another way? I mean, you’re already short on time. This won’t help on that front.”
“At the moment, this is the best offer.”
She shivered. Was she cold, frightened, or downright pissed?
“Let’s get you back in bed.”
Silently, we made our way upstairs and past Ian and Mia’s bedrooms. We peeked in on both, each cozy in bed. I circled an arm around Claire’s waist.
In bed, she curled up with her head on my chest.
“Just so you know, I didn’t have a drink. But I poured the wine down the kitchen sink. I’m sorry. I thought it’d be best that way.”
Claire supported herself on one arm. “I don’t give a damn about the wine. It’s you I care about.” She ran her fingers through my hair. “Is it just the show that has you wound so tight?”
I held her close. I was going to have to share some of my worries, but not the biggest. “No, it’s not. Can you keep a secret?”
Chapter Sixteen
After the much-needed heart-to-heart, the next morning, Claire and I snuggled in bed. The sun hadn’t officially welcomed the new day, and we only had moments before Mia stirred and Ian trudged downstairs to stream his favorite cartoon, SpongeBob SquarePants.
“Maybe we should try to focus on some good in our lives. Have you given any thought about a date?” Claire asked.
“You still want to marry me?” My head rested on her chest, and my eyes were closed.
“More than ever.”
“Because I’ll be the Dr. Phil to the stars?”
She thumped my back, laughing. “Because you’ll do anything for your family.”
It was true.
“How about October fifteenth?” I teased her nipple with my fingertips.
“That’s this Wednesday.”
“I know. A quick trip to the courthouse. Boom. Done.” I buried my nose in the crook of her neck.
“That’s how you picture our wedding?” Her voice teetered between humor and incredulity I could be so cavalier.
“Hey, it’s taken me decades to get to this point. Don’t think for one minute that I plan to give you too much time to slip away from me again. Twice was two times too many.” Repositioning to support my body with both arms hovering over her, I gazed into her eyes.
“I see. And because it took you this long to get your act together, you want to shortchange me.”
“Shortchange you?” I peeked around our master bedroom that was twice the size of my first apartment in college.
Claire, picking up on the sweep of my eye, slapped my arm. “Even though I’m not a spring chicken, this is my first and last wedding, and I want the whole nine yards. Not ‘boom, done.’”
I collapsed into my pillow face-first, groaning. How in the world would we afford a wedding with everything else? “Geez, I haven’t gotten a paycheck from Hal, yet.”
“You aren’t the only one with a job. Besides, my parents want to chip in. They still have money set aside for my wedding.” She massaged my shoulders. “They never gave up on me.”
“No one in their right mind would give up on you.”
“I’ll keep the wedding simple. I promise.” Her fingers dug into a knot in my left shoulder. “Can you include a weekly massage therapist in the Hal deal?”
“That would be nice, but I prefer having your hands on me. They’re able to heal me in more ways.”
Claire sat up, exposing her nakedness. “Just my hands?”
I flipped over, wrestled her back onto the sheets, not meeting any resistance, and lay on top of her sleepy-warm skin. She quirked an eyebrow as if calculating whether we had enough time before the typical weekend morning mayhem started. I nodded confidently and kissed her full lips. She welcomed my tongue, and her hands pulled my body into hers.
Not wasting time, my mouth began its trek southward, pausing briefly at each nipple, saying hello before moving further down her creamy skin, leaving a pathway of kisses, leading me to the heart of my life’s mission—loving Claire.
Her breathing hastened. My desire grew a hundredfold. Time had become our enemy as of late, and early-morning weekend romps had become almost extinct.
My teeth skimmed along her belly button to the hairline, slowing down to take in the sheer beauty of being able to make love to the woman I was meant to be with ever since the first moment when I stared into her eyes and said, “I’m JJ. Nice to meet you.”
There was love at first sight, and then there was what Claire and I had. It was hard to put into words, but I showed her the true meaning every time we made love. It took us ages to reach domestic bliss. A long fought victory made it all the sweeter, and all the lost years made us almost desperate to make up for all the lazy mornings we could have spent together.
I parted her lips with my tongue. Claire sucked in a breath while fisting the sheets with one hand and gripping the back of my head with the other.
My cell phone vibrated, but Claire flicked it off the nightstand with a lightning quick motion she’d mastered recently. I tasted her from the inside.
Both of our bodies tightened with anticipation.
I slipped two fingers in, and we moved rhythmically together. My tongue teased, concentrated, and then teased some more. Claire sucked me further inside, and the urgent gyration of her hips beckoned me to increase my speed and depth.
I plunged in as far as I could, while my tongue circled her clit with a ferocious hunger. Claire’s back arched. My senses were on high alert. Working together, we brought her to climax. Leaving my fingers inside, I snaked back up to capture her mouth, not wanting the connection to end.
My phone rang again. Ian’s bedroom door opened, and Mia let out a howl. Claire and I stared into each other’s eyes, promising to resume when we could, many hours from now.
I levered off the bed and donned a robe. “I’ll get Mia.”
Claire hoisted the bed covers off. “I’ll start breakfast, and by that I mean pour cereal into bowls and pop two frozen waffles into the toaster for Ian.”
Before leaving the confines of our bedroom, I snatched my phone off the floor and saw I had two missed calls from an unknown number.
Janie?
***
Ian was settled at the table, enthralled by SpongeBob and Patrick’s latest misadventures on his iPad as he finished off a glass of orange juice. I padded barefoot into the kitchen with Mia on my hip. She couldn’t decide if she was still hungry or if she should close her eyes once again now that she had been changed, fed, and cuddled. All signs were pointing to the possibility Mia would never be a morning person.
Claire, in the seat next to Ian, with a half-eaten bowl of Cheerios, scooted the Saturday edition of her paper to the side, watching me with a look of wonder. “There are my girls,” she said in the sweetest voice. The glow on her face wasn’t solely the result of our bedroom activities. “Ian and I decided we should head to Denver early and spend the day at the zoo before having dinner with your mom and dad. Take advantage of the Indian summer. You game?”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll ring the parental units and see if they want to join. Pops loves the reptiles.” I shrugged. “Go figure.” Sports and snakes didn’t go hand in hand in my book.
“Is that how he raised a chameleon?”
“So funny.” I handed off Mia, after Claire spooned in her final bite of cereal, to pour myself a bowl of Cheerios and a cup of coffee.
Claire motioned she required a coffee refill, stat. “Ian, honey, run upstairs and get ready. I want to be on the road by nine.”
He flew up the stairs. Claire, with the coffee cup practically glued in one hand and Mia on
her opposite hip, followed.
My phone vibrated again, and a furtive peek confirmed my suspicion. Someone, who I didn’t know or who didn’t want me to identify them, wanted to get a hold of me and soon. Yet, whoever it was, hadn’t left a message.
***
Ian gripped Pops’s hand as he guided my elderly father through the reptile house. Both had been captivated by the cold-blooded creatures, while I did my best to conceal my heebie-jeebies.
Claire, Mia, and my mother waited outside at a table in the shade. Mom’s hip had been bothering her off and on for the past year, and Claire jumped at the chance to keep her company. Claire and creepy-crawlies—not going to happen.
We exited the Tropical Discovery, and I had to shield my eyes to spy Claire thirty feet away waving her arms. Pops, stooping slightly, smiled at his wife, who held their grandchild, and he flashed a proud smile in my direction. My parents probably had secretly given up hope that I, an only child, would ever settle down with children. Now they had two amazing grandchildren to dote on.
“Anyone want hot dogs?” Pops rubbed his hands together. His cholesterol numbers weren’t great, and Mom had him on a strict diet, except for when we visited.
It was half past one, and I was amazed he’d waited this long to propose junk food.
Mom started to object, I think, but Ian pounced on the offer by nodding vigorously as if his muscles were made of rubber. No grandmother could refuse. Ian took the seat next to Claire. He was much too old and big to fit comfortably in her lap, but since we’d brought Mia home, he’d stuck closer to Claire, who I think missed the cuddling days of her firstborn.
“I’ll go with you, Pops,” I said.
In line, I asked, “Who’s your pick for the World Series?”
His knowing smile conveyed he knew I didn’t really give a hoot. My father lived and breathed anything athletic, so my lack of interest didn’t stop him from elucidating for five minutes who he thought would win and why. Considering Tiny Tim recently signed after Pops and I had treated him to box seats at Coors Field, I was so grateful to my father and would watch a marathon of highlights of past World Series with him, not uttering one complaint.
After paying for the dogs, fries, salads for Mom and Claire, and drinks, we made our way back to the table. A dark-haired woman across the quad caught my eye.
Ian spotted her a second after I did and shouted, “Avery!” before darting toward my assistant.
Claire met my eye and raised a brow. I shook my head surreptitiously, meaning I hadn’t told Avery we planned on going to the zoo, especially since our decision had been spontaneous. Claire shook her head, smiling. We’d joked in the past that Avery had been, or still was, an operative of the CIA. Her uncanny ability to track me down and to know things never spoken aloud only confirmed our suspicion. I’d never been able to determine without a doubt if she was following Cora’s orders.
Avery and Ian, holding hands and talking rapidly, rejoined our group near the Northern Shores area, where the polar bears lived, of course.
“Coke?” I handed her mine, which I hadn’t touched yet, and she readily accepted. “What brings you to the zoo?” I asked as innocently as possible, attempting to convey I didn’t want to talk shop in front of family.
“The baby hippo,” she said with amazing spy-like skill. Since Oscar’s birth, our website, with the zoo’s permission, has had a live cam starring momma and son.
“That was our first stop today. Isn’t he cute?” My mother, God bless her, believed Avery and never for one second thought the young woman capable of deceit.
“I haven’t been there yet.” She met my eye.
“Shall we go see him again?” I posed the question to Ian, even though I was asking Avery if she needed to speak with me urgently.
“Not until you finish your lunch.” Claire’s expression was adamant, and Avery didn’t seem overly flustered by the delay. Had Kung Fu Avery really come to see the baby hippo?
Ian bolted his hot dog and took a long swallow of Sprite. “Done!”
“Anyone else want to join?” I asked, knowing the answer.
Dad, still eating his hot dog, shook his head, unwilling to forego his chance of breaking his diet, and my mom pointed to her hip. The couple of hours she had wandered with us was the max for the day. However, she hated missing out on family outings and seemed perfectly content spending time people watching with Claire and Mia.
Claire gave me her stern glare, which I knew meant You better not take your eyes off my son. Usually I wasn’t afraid of Claire, but when her momma bear side reared her ugly head, I took heed. Did she suspect Avery’s true mission and think I’d become so wrapped up in work I’d forget about Ian?
Ian walked in the middle, clasping one of my hands and one of Avery’s. Without verbalizing the agreement, she and I swung him like a monkey, making slow progress to our destination. Avery, not too much taller than I, was much stronger and did most of the heavy lifting without breaking a sweat. As we made our way, Ian pointed out the different animals: giraffes, hyenas, African wild dogs, and one of my faves: the common warthog that was anything but common.
“I heard from…” she paused, “about project GK.”
“This morning?” I gathered she was using my nickname for Janie and Grassy Knoll’s search for Mean Heather.
Again, we swung Ian, who was oblivious to our work conversation. Lately, it seemed most of my talks with Avery were overly mundane so as not to raise suspicion from my family, aside from Claire, who chose to ignore it.
“Just an update about a couple of developments.”
“The letters C and E?” I prayed they had found evidence about the earlier alphabet cases Janie suspected had already occurred. Not a new victim. I didn’t know where Janie had set up her computer lair, but considering the monumental task of fishing through never-ending internet pages, I hadn’t expected an update for many more weeks. These types of investigations could take months.
Avery nodded crisply. “E.”
My tennis shoe crunched on an empty peanut shell. She had said developments, and Avery never misspoke. “But not C. Does that mean…?”
Avery didn’t deny or confirm, which meant yes.
“What number are we on now?” I meant letter.
“Seven. Oh, I noticed your SUV in the lot. Your back tire is a little low. You may want to check your spare.”
That was why she’d “stumbled” upon me at the zoo. To hand off another binder from Janie. Considering I worked from home some days, it made sense for Avery to track me down while I was in Denver. She couldn’t do it in front of my family, and she didn’t want to leave a message on my phone. Janie had been adamant about that.
“I will. Thanks.” I’d been keeping a spare set of keys to my vehicle at work since I’d been losing things as of late. She must have procured them and stashed the binder with my spare tire. How had she found me? Through my credit card? Or did she have a tracking device on me? I stifled a laugh.
Ian spied an ice cream vendor and squealed, “I want one.” He was so innocent with his blond hair and indigo eyes. Janie’s cousin hadn’t been much older than Ian when she took her own life. How a killer could prey on children made me queasy.
And extremely angry.
“After we see Oscar, we can get ice cream for everyone. Pops will love it.” I ruffled the top of Ian’s head. My mother most assuredly would give me an admonishing look, but I couldn’t help myself. At the moment, I wanted to make everyone in my life happy. Who knew what evil lurked around the corner, and I wasn’t referring to the male lion dozing under a tree to my left.
“Did you call earlier?” I posed the question to Avery once Ian’s attention switched from ice cream to a gathering of elephants. It’d be difficult to miss the majestic beasts, not simply by their size but by their smell. I wondered how much crap each one deposited every day. From the way my nose twitched, the number was off the charts.
She looked
me directly in the eye and shook her head.
“Must have been Cora, then.” I wasn’t sure if I said these words to throw Ian off the scent or if the white lie made me feel safer. Avery’s scowl nullified any and all good feelings I had.
I had no idea how Avery ended up working for Cora before moving to Denver with me, when both of us were still employed by Beale Media Corp. I’d asked Cora many times since then how she’d come to know her, but I’d only received the vaguest of answers. Cora had a way of recruiting people with special skills.
“What do you know of GK?” I asked.
Her only reply was stony silence, reinforced by her stiff posture and averted eyes.
We had made our way to the new hippo exhibit, and a pool of water was on our right. Ian eyed the baby hippo with awe. Nearby a black rhino shuffled about in his pen.
Back in May of 2015, Bertie, the oldest hippo in North America, had passed away at the Denver Zoo. For the first time in decades, the baby in the water wasn’t his, and he’d fathered twenty-nine hippopotamuses in his lifetime. Why Bertie’s demise infiltrated my mind while watching mother and son wasn’t hard to fathom. “I have a feeling MDD is in for a rough time.”
Avery slowly turned her head to me as if I was watching a scene in a movie in slow motion to highlight the importance of what was about to happen. “It’s not going to be pretty.”
That confirmed two things. Avery knew way more than I did, which I didn’t like, and this plan had been in the works for some time without my knowledge. That left me vulnerable.
“Will you join us for dinner tonight? Mom’s cooking.”
Avery smiled, knowing I wasn’t asking to be polite. “Of course.”
***
“What do you mean no pie?” grumbled both Pops and Ian at the dining room table, a place hardly used since my parents preferred using TV trays so my father could watch sports. Ian pushed his dinner plate to the side so he could prop his chin on folded hands, his eyes imploring.
The Fall Girl Page 14