CHAPTER 18

  BRITT

  Sgt Durango’s head is shaped like a lemon.

  Sitting in front of my computer, I pinch my nose to keep from laughing at Aiden’s text as I reply, Now I’m craving candy.

  I’m craving you.

  Heat flashes through my stomach, and I chew my lip as I glance around the office to see if anyone notices. You’re on duty, Sheriff

  I know a utility closet no one visits…

  A tickle is in my core, and I smile at Doug leaning against the wall beside Holly’s desk eating a donut. She’s going on about something her prized pig Myrtle did. Myrtle is as smart as a dog, Holly likes to remind us daily.

  Gran is holding a pamphlet, her brow furrowed as she reads.

  All week, the courthouse has been a frenzy of activity—and not the crime-solving type. I’ve never been on the organizational side of the Founder’s Day festival, but I have a lot more appreciation for all the details and minutiae that goes into it, not to mention the work keeping all the participants safe.

  Aiden’s been in and out meeting with the president of the Lion’s Club and the adjutant for the American Legion. This morning, he had a meeting with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department. With our recent “crime wave,” he wanted to have backup deputies on call.

  Apparently the sergeant has a lemon head.

  I bite back another grin, returning my eyes to my computer screen where I’ve been reading an essay on reflected, transmitted, and absorbed light at a crime scene and how they impact photography.

  Scooping up my phone, I tap quickly, I feel the need to break a law.

  His reply is swift. Then I’d have to cuff and stuff you.

  Heat flashes through my core, and the image of me in handcuffs being stuffed from behind by Aiden tightens my nipples.

  I can’t resist pushing us further. You might have to chase me.

  Then I can hold you down.

  I almost lose it, but my grandma glides up to my desk. Placing my phone aside, I get serious fast and hope my face isn’t as flaming as my insides.

  She places a pamphlet on my desk for the third-grade Little Sunbeam Pageant, and I look it over, shaking my head. “I’m glad they didn’t have this when I was a kid. Eight is awfully young to find out you’re not pretty enough to be a sunbeam.”

  “Birgitte Brewer Bailey, that is not what the Little Sunbeam Pageant is about.” Gran gives me a scolding look. “It’s about community service. We pick three different winners over six categories ranging from poise, talent, public speaking, and a town project. Appearance is only a small part of it.”

  Gran has also spent the week meeting with leaders from the different town groups. I had no idea there were so many social groups in Eureka. We have a beautification society, a conservation club, a women’s foundation, and of course, the Little Sunbeam Pageant that raises money for the Little Sunbeam Park.

  “Appearance is still a part of it, and that’s a lot of disappointed little girls.” My phone buzzes, and I glance down to see another text from Aiden.

  You’re hotter than a sunbeam. Pressing my lips together, I glance around the room, but I don’t see him. Where is he?

  Gran narrows her eyes at me. “What are you reading?”

  “Nothing.” I lower my phone to my lap and quickly reply, All this reading material has me overheated.

  A rustle from the hall, and I look up to see him walking in looking like sex on wheels and acting very serious and focused. Not at all like we’ve been sending naughty texts all morning.

  He stops at Holly’s desk with his back to me, and I study the way his biceps stretch the short sleeves of his brown uniform shirt. His dark brown pants hug his butt just right, and I wish I needed groceries or a burger or just a ride around town.

  He lifts his phone and studies the screen. Then he glances over his shoulder, and when our eyes meet, his full lips curl into a smile. Heat flashes all the way to my core, and I bite my lip to keep from exhaling a swoon.

  “Can I see you in my office for a minute?” Gran’s voice startles me, and when I look up, I realize she’s been watching me watching him.

  “Sure!” I stand quickly, shoving my phone in my pocket and doing my best to act casual.

  Doug has been working with his own groups, the library and the high school, on their assorted fundraisers. The library is repeating its very popular dunking booth, and when I pass his desk, Doug holds up a poster that reads Dunk Deputy Doug.

  “3-D,” he announces. “Get it?”

  It’s a little corny, but I point both fingers at him. “I don’t need glasses to dunk you.”

  His laugh shakes his shoulders, and he nods. “Oh, I know it!”

  “You need to work on your heckling game.” Aiden’s deep voice makes my stomach squeeze. “Get people riled up so they’ll try harder to sink you.”

  He walks over to where we’re standing, and Doug shakes his head. “I don’t have to do much to get people to want to sink me. They show up ready to go.”

  “Are you still planning to attend the festival with Owen and me?” Aiden looks down at me, and I want to reach out and slide my hand into his.

  “I am.” My voice is quiet, and I smile up at him. “Do you want to meet here at the courthouse?”

  “Sure. I can pick you up after lunch?” We’re speaking softly, and I don’t realize we’ve drifted closer together until my hand brushes his. It’s a little shock of bliss.

  Doug clears his throat, and I step back, glancing at him. He’s studying his 3-D flier intently with his lips pursed, and I’m pretty sure he’s fighting a grin.

  I motion to Gran’s office. “I’d better see what she wants.”

  “Owen has lacrosse practice, so I’m headed out. They’ve been going all week.”

  “Okay.” I want to say I miss you, but I settle for, “Tell him I said hey.”

  “He’ll be here tomorrow afternoon.”

  “I’ll bring Edward so they can finally meet.”

  We linger a bit longer, my fingers longing to touch his. Our eyes hold, and words hang unspoken in the air between us. My grandmother calls, and with a little sigh, I turn away.

  Gran is sitting behind her desk when I enter. A black binder is open in front of her, and she’s holding a pen, sliding it down the list.

  “I know it’s your first time working here, and you’re only with us on a contract basis…” My throat tightens, and I’m pretty sure she’s about to bring down the hammer on Aiden and me. “But I think it would be nice if you’d take one or two of these honorary positions, since Aiden, Doug, and I can’t possibly cover them all.”

  Relief whooshes through my lungs, and I step closer. “I’m glad to help. What do you need?”

  “The different groups always ask for one of us to serve as a judge or to present the ribbon for the best cow or pig or whatnot.” She turns the binder so I can see the requests. “I’m serving as a judge in the pageant, not that I expect you’d want to do that.”

  “I didn’t mean to dump on the pageant. I just—”

  “I know what you meant, dear. Take a look and see if any of these interest you.” She points with her pen to a few in the middle. “These are the afternoon events. Presenting the livestock awards only takes about twenty minutes. Starting the fun run is simply blowing an air horn.”

  “What’s this Doggy Dash?” I glance up at her. “That’s new.”

  “Have you met Harold Waters?” I shake my head no, and she sits back in her chair. “Harold moved here from Chicago a few years back and opened the Popcorn Palace on Beach Road towards Hilton Head. He wants to try this 40-yard dash for dogs, benefitting the kennel club.”

  “He expects dogs to run in a straight line for forty yards?”

  “I think it calls for teams. One person holds the dog, and the other has some lure to draw it to the finish line at the end of the track.” She shrugs. “He thinks it’ll be funny. I think it’ll be utter chaos, which will also be funny. It’s a fundraiser, so it doesn’t really matter.”

  “I see Mom has her tarot reading tent.” My lips twist into a frown, and the secret she lured me into keeping for her burns in my chest.

  The only good part about Aiden being so busy this week is I haven’t had to face him knowing I have this potential bit of evidence, and I’m sitting on it.

  For my mom.

  “She’s always a huge money maker, and it all goes to the women’s shelter in Charleston.” Gran studies my face, misinterpreting my displeasure. “Your mother helps a lot of people with those readings. You helped a lot of people when you worked with her.”

  “I only did it because I wanted to be close to her.” Taking the pen, I quickly put my name beside the livestock awards and the fun run kickoff. “I wanted her to let me in, which I now know she’ll never do.”

  I’ve always been a distraction in my mother’s ongoing obsession with finding my dad’s killer, a theory with no evidence or merit.

  Andrew Stone, Aiden’s dad, was sheriff at the time, and he did a complete investigation at the scene. He ruled it a fault in Dad’s equipment, which my mother never accepted.

  Aiden’s dad then called in a detective from Charleston to try and convince her, but nothing was ever good enough. Dad was murdered, and it was up to her to expose who did it.

  I was only ten, and I believed every word she said. I learned to read cards, thinking I could be her helper in finding the man who killed my dad. I dreamed I would find him, and she would be so proud of me, she’d hug me and smile. The deep lines of sorrow and obsession would relax around her eyes, between her brows. Then I got older, and I realized she was running from a truth she couldn’t face. Then my nightmares started.

  “Don’t be too hard on your mother. Perhaps you’ve never experienced the kind of love she had for your father.” Gran’s muscadine eyes fix on me. “Or perhaps you’re getting close to it. Either way, until you have it, you can’t possibly understand losing it. Lars was everything to her.”

  “But after all this time…” I don’t finish my sentence.

  I was about to say after all this time, she needs to put my father’s death behind her, accept the truth, and move on with her life. But neither my grandmother nor I will ever say those words to her.

  Even after I broke ties and swore I wouldn’t get sucked into it again, here I am, enabling her. Clearly, I’ll give her whatever she asks to pursue her obsession.

  “I need to take Edward for a walk.” I put my grandmother’s pen on the desk, frustration burning in my stomach. “I think I’ll walk over and check on her while I’m at it.”

  “It’s so good to have you home.” She stands, rounding the desk and pulling me into a hug. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “I’ve missed you too, Gran.” I hug her before leaving.

  Edward is waiting at the door when I enter my small apartment. I don’t waste time, grabbing his leash and slipping tennis shoes on my feet. I’m frustrated and adrenalized, and I can’t believe I came back after all this time and fell right into the same old pattern with my mother. I even stood by and watched while she did a reading—and I believed it.

  “Ugh!” I growl, following behind my dog, whose nose is to the ground the whole way. “I actually believed it!”

  Walking has a double benefit. I can burn off my irritation and get a little exercise at the same time. It takes about ten minutes to walk from town to the old neighborhood, to the house where I grew up.

  My parents bought the farm-style home as newlyweds and slowly fixed it up, adding features. It’s white with wood siding and a chimney on each side. Most of the houses in this neighborhood are similar, but in different colors.

  Mom’s is unique because it has an imposing front porch with reclaimed wooden beams and a tin roof. She was so proud when that addition was finished.

  We’ve just gotten close, when Edward jerks the leash with a loud bark. My heart jumps with surprise. He’s typically laid-back and docile, until he comes across a scent he’s tracking.

  “Easy, big guy!” My voice is calming, but he’s pulling so hard, my arm feels like it’ll pop out of the socket. “What are you smelling?”

  I’m practically jogging, doing my best to hold him as he leads me straight through the yard and around the side to where the sweet olive bushes grow. As we get closer, I look up and see a window shattered, and my heart plunges.

  “Mom?” I drop Edward’s leash as I run for the door, my heart beating out of my chest. “Mom, are you okay?”

  I charge up the back steps, bursting through the door, yelling her name as I go through room after room to the one where the window is located. Fear tightens my lungs as I take in the scene. In every room, books are on the floor, and a table is overturned in the hall.

  Dashing into the broken-window room, it’s even more of a wreck. The sofa is on its back, and a desk in the corner has been broken apart. Papers are on the floor, drawers are open and ransacked. Someone was searching for something, and they left in a hurry.

  “Mom!” I shuffle to a stop when I see her on the floor with a hand broom and a dustpan, sweeping up the shards of glass. “Mom, are you okay?”

  I rush to her, wanting to hug her, but she stands, walking past me as if nothing is wrong. “Hello, darling, I didn’t know you were coming for a visit.”

  My eyes widen, and I grab her arms, turning her to face me. “What happened?”

  “It’s nothing.” She laughs, waving her hands to loosen my hold, but a tremor is in her voice. “Just a broken window.”

  “It’s more than a broken window!” My mother never has a tremor in her voice, and I’m on edge. “Who did this? Was it our suspect?”

  Edward is sniffing all around outside the window, lifting his head, and Rooo-ing like he’s found buried treasure—which means he’s identified the scent we’ve been tracking, and we’ve only been tracking one scent.

  Mom doesn’t answer, so I catch her arm again, forcing her to look me in the eye. “He was here. The man with the prosthetic leg was here at your house.”

  “I don’t know who was here, Birgitte. I just got home a few minutes ago, and I found all of this like it is. Your guess is as good as mine.”

  I don’t believe her, and I don’t have to guess. I have Edward.

  “Were you going to report it?”

  “To Aiden Stone?” She rolls her eyes like I’m the crazy one. “I have a gun and my protection spells. I don’t need the Stones here meddling in my business and lying about what they find.”

  “Gran and I are also here. You have us.” She tries to walk away, but I stop her, making her listen to me. “I have to report this to Aiden now. It’s gone too far. The man broke into your house. What if you’d been home? He might have hurt you.”

  Her eyes narrow with impatience. “He’s not going to hurt me.”

  “Who is he, Mom? You can’t say he won’t hurt you if you don’t know who he is.”

  “We agreed you would give me until Sunday. Then I’ll put him right in your hands.”

  My throat knots, and I like this even less than before. “You’re jeopardizing my position.” Not to mention my relationship.

  “It’s for your dad, Birgitte. You can wait two more days for him.” She lowers her eyes to mine, and I want to scream No. No more days.

  Instead, I do something I feel in my bones I’m going to regret. If I inherited anything from my loony-tunes family, it’s an impending sense of doom that always turns out to be true.

  “On Sunday I’m telling Aiden everything.”

  CHAPTER 19

  AIDEN

  “He’s sniffing me!” Owen stands beside the table in the break room with his eyes closed, laughing as Edward sniffs and licks his cheeks. “He’s trying to learn my scent!”

  “More like he’s getting all the Krispy Kreme off your cheeks.” I chuckle, walking over to where Britt is holding the leash while the two become besties.

  “Did you know bloodhounds can track things for more than 130 miles?” Owen’s voice is loud, which means he’s excited, and he holds Zander for Edward to sniff vigorously. “He could find my buddy if I ever lose him!”

  “It’s true.” Britt grins, watching the love fest.

  I slide my finger along the soft skin of her upper arm, considering how easy it is for her to make my son happy. How easily she makes me happy.

  She leans back subtly, placing her back against my chest, and I have to fight to keep from sliding my arms around her.

  “He can track scents as old as two weeks,” she adds.

  “Does he protect you from bad guys?”

  Her pretty face scrunches, and she shakes her head. “He’s not the best guard dog in the world. He thinks everybody is a friend, so he’s not very aggressive.”

  I don’t like the sound of that.

  “Can he run real fast?”

  “He’s not like a greyhound or a Doberman, but he’ll do in a pinch.” She glances up, meeting my gaze. “All done for the day?”

  “Finally.” This week is finally over, and we’re finally in the same room for longer than five minutes.

  Preparing for Founder’s Day is always hectic, but with all the unsolved shit hanging over our heads and Owen starting lacrosse, this week was damn insane.

  I want to cup her cheeks and kiss her. It feels like forever ago I had her on my lap in the cab of my pickup truck, a sight that fueled my fantasies more than once this week. Not to mention the dirty texting that had my dick so hard I had to take a minute before I entered the courthouse this morning.

  “We need to put him in the Doggy Dash!” Owen shouts.

  Britt’s brow wrinkles. “I don’t know if Edward’s ready for racing.”

  “Sure he is! You can come over for dinner tonight, and we can practice at our house. We can teach him how to run when the whistle blows, and he’ll be the winningest dog at the fair! That’s okay, Dad, isn’t it?”

  My son is standing beside Edward, repeatedly stroking his head with every sentence, and I glance at Britt. Her lips part, and she looks like she’s searching for a way to say no.