Exposed (41 page)

Maddie walked up to the beveled-glass door and surveyed the cheerful pots of marigolds decorating the porch. She spotted the bell, but the door swung back before she could ring it.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” She smiled at Mitch, who was clearly surprised to see her. Actually, he seemed dumbstruck. She’d never been to his house before.

He glanced over his shoulder. “The baby’s sleeping, so we’re trying not to let people ring . . .” His voice trailed off as he looked her over. She looked him over, too, taking in his bloodshot eyes and food-stained T-shirt. He looked like a man on paternity leave.

A brown-eyed child peeked out from behind his leg. “Who are you?”

Maddie’s breath caught. She opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out.

“This is a friend of Daddy’s. Go finish your show, sport.”

Mitch mussed the boy’s hair, and he scampered away.

Maddie recovered her voice. “He looks like Emma.”

Mitch stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind him. He smiled and tucked his hands into his pockets. “I think it might be more accurate to say he looks like me.” His gaze traveled over her and landed on the yellow bag in her hand.

“I brought you something.” She held it up. “Actually, it’s for Conner.”

Maddie hadn’t received a birth announcement, but she’d heard the details from one of their mutual friends.

Mitch gave her a quizzical look now as he took the bag and dug through the tissue paper. He pulled out a polished brown box made of inlaid wood. A look of recognition came to his face.

“Where’d you get this?” He opened the lid, and twangy notes of “You Are My Sunshine” drifted out. “This was mine as a kid.”

“Your mom gave it to us.” She smiled. “Don’t you remember?”

“No.”

“God, Mitch.” She shook her head. Some things never changed.

He stared down at the box. Then he looked up, and she saw tears welling in his eyes.

“It was in Emma’s room,” he said. “I remember now.”

Maddie cleared her throat. “It’s your family heirloom. I thought Conner should have it.”

He looked at her, and a timeworn understanding passed between them. He knew the effort it was for her to stand here and not run away. A lump rose in her throat, but she forced it down. This was harder than she’d thought.

“Thank you.” He tucked the box back into the bag and set it down at his feet. When he looked at her again, she could see the questions percolating.

And she didn’t want to answer them. Once upon a time, they’d been on the same journey. Together. They’d shared everything. But that was over now, and she didn’t want it back.

He took a small step forward. She stepped back.

“Give my best to Danielle.” She smiled. “And congratulations.”

Brian had the hedge clippers out when she pulled into the driveway. Maddie sat for a moment in the car, just watching him as he hacked away at her overgrown holly bushes.

She got out. “I brought lunch.”

He glanced at her and wiped his forehead on his bare arm. “I’m starving.”

“You’re always starving.” She walked across the lawn to kiss him and got sweat on the tip of her nose.

“You smell like grass clippings.” She said it with a scowl, but she secretly loved it. It was one of the many things she’d learned to love lately, along with the sneakers in her living room and the overnight bag that had become a permanent fixture on the floor of her closet. He never seemed to unpack it, even though weeks ago, she’d started throwing his wash in with hers and putting his clothes away in one of her dresser drawers.

She sat down on the top porch step. He tossed the clippers onto the lawn and sank onto the step beside her.

“No shoes, no shirt, no service.”

“Too bad.” He kissed her again. “This is the price you pay for getting your hedges trimmed.”

She handed him a lemonade. “Yeah, I’ve noticed you’re kind of manic about those. Must be your farming roots.”

“Safety.” He took a big slurp, and she admired his slick chest as he heaved a sigh. “Don’t want burglars coming around.”

“Well, in that case, thank you.”

He rested the drink on his knee and leaned back against the wooden post. “So where were you all morning?”

“Had some errands to run. I went to see Mitch.”

His gaze darkened.

“I took him a baby present.”

He leaned forward, and the look of concern on his face made her heart squeeze. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You all right?”

“Yeah.” She let out a sigh. “I am.”

He looked at her for a long moment, and she shifted her gaze to the yard. Locusts hummed in the distance, and she watched the dragonflies hover over the lantana.

She didn’t say anything. He didn’t push. Maybe he’d become accustomed to her silences, or maybe he felt secure enough not to need a lot of reassurance.

For a man who claimed he didn’t have much patience, he’d given her oceans of it.

He squeezed her hand. “How about after I finish up the back, we go hit some baseballs?”

She looked at him. “I love you.”

His eyebrows shot up, and she felt a twinge of panic,
because he looked so surprised. Her heart began to thump against her ribs.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now. I just—” She stopped. Swallowed hard.

She probably shouldn’t tell him how she’d tried to say it before but nearly choked on the words. The three simple syllables had paralyzed her.

“I love you,” she repeated, and this time, it felt liberating, especially when a smile spread slowly across his face.

He pulled her against his chest and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

“That’s all I get?” she asked. “A sweaty kiss?” Her heart was still pounding, but she could hear his pounding, too, and she knew it was okay. She picked up his hand and laced their fingers together.

“I love you, too, you know. Why’d it take you so long to tell me?”

She smiled. “I guess maybe I was scared . . . like you said.”

“Scared of what?” He squeezed her. “That I’d show up with my U-Haul? That I’d march you down the aisle?”

“Maybe a little.”

He laughed. “You haven’t even met my family yet. Or come on vacation with me. You’ve never even ridden on my bike.”

Her heart pounded even harder, because despite the joking tone, she knew he was serious. He was going to take her to meet his family. And take her on his bike. And maybe ask her to marry him someday.

They weren’t there yet, but it was out on the
horizon—a shiny possibility. Thinking about it made her happy and sad and hopeful, all at the same time. She looked up at him and felt overcome with love.

“Let’s start with your bike,” she said, and pulled him down to kiss her.

Enjoy this sneak peek of Laura Griffin’s next gripping novel of suspense

Available from Gallery Books
Spring 2014

Andrea Finch had never been dumped at a barbecue joint, but there was a first time for everything.

She watched her date, who looked out of place sitting at the scarred wooden booth in his charcoal-gray suit. He’d come straight from work, as she had. He’d ditched the tie but still seemed overly formal in a restaurant that had paper-towel rolls on every table and classic country drifting from the jukebox.

“So.” Nick Mays took a swig of beer. “How was your day?”

Andrea smiled. He sounded like a tired husband, and they’d only been dating a month.

“Fine,” she said. “Yours?”

“Fine.”

For the dozenth time since she’d sat down, his gaze
darted over her shoulder. When his blue eyes met hers again, she felt a twinge of regret. He really
was
a nice-looking man. His main problem was his oversize ego. But Andrea was used to men with big egos. She’d been surrounded by them since she’d first entered the police academy, and they’d only multiplied when she earned her detective’s badge.

“Listen, Andrea”—he glanced over her shoulder, and she braced for the speech—“these last few weeks, they’ve really been great.”

He opened his mouth to continue just as a waitress stepped up and beamed a smile at him.

“Y’all ready to order?”

Nick looked pained. But to his credit, he nodded in Andrea’s direction. “Andie?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

He glanced at the waitress. “Me, too.”

“So . . . y’all
won’t
be having dinner with us?” Her overly made-up eyes shifted to Andrea. She tucked a lock of blond hair behind her ear and looked impatient.

“Just the drinks for now.” Nick gave her one of his smiles, which seemed to lessen her annoyance as she hustled off. The smile faded as he turned back to Andrea.

“So I was saying. These past few weeks. It’s been a good time, Andie. You’re an interesting girl.”

She gritted her teeth. If he was going to use frat-boy speak, she was going to make this
way
harder for him. She folded her arms over her chest and cast her gaze around the restaurant, letting his comment dangle awkwardly.

Tonight’s crowd was thin, even for a Monday. Maybe the weather was keeping people away. Austin was set to get sleet tonight and her lieutenant had called in extra officers, expecting the roads to be a mess.

“Andrea?”

She looked at him.

“I said, wouldn’t you agree with that?”

A skinny young man stepped through the entrance. He wore a black trench coat and clunky boots. His too-big ears reminded Andrea of her brother.

She looked again at Nick. “Agree with what?”

His mouth tightened. “I said, it seems like neither of us is looking for something serious right now. So maybe we should cool things down a little.”

She glanced across the room as the kid walked toward the double doors leading to the kitchen. She studied the line of his coat, frowning.

“Andrea.”

“What?”
Her attention snapped back to Nick.

“Christ, you’re not even listening. Have you heard a word I said?”

She glanced at the kitchen, where the clatter of pots and pans had suddenly gone silent.