Mist on the Meadow (28 page)

“So what did she do?”

“We can talk about that next time I see you,”
Wolf told him, hoping Ralph would forget by that time.

Marissa put a hand to her stomach to ease the
queasiness. Morning sickness shouldn’t happen this early—should
it?—if she indeed was pregnant, and yet the smell of yeast
definitely disagreed with her.

“You look a little green around the gills,”
Max said.

Marissa managed a smile. “Probably a touch of
the flu.”

“I’d tell you to go home, but I don’t know
how to run this place. Who else can bake when Angela’s gone?”

Marissa shook her head. She’d have to power
through as long as the customers were still lining up. And they
were. “Can you help make the bread Mrs. Datsun ordered? The smell
is getting to me.”

Max nodded. “Maybe I should call Mom.”

Marissa shook her head. “Give me a couple of
minutes.” She wiped her hands on her apron and left the kitchen for
a seat out front. Noah appeared a few minutes later with a cup of
tea.

“Max said you might want this,” he said.

“Thanks.” She cupped the mug and let the
steam warm her face.
Cinnamon.
“What kind of tea is
this?”

“Blueberry. Isn’t that what you usually
drink?”

Marissa’s heart skipped a beat. No cinnamon
in blueberry tea. “Yeah.”

“You look pale.”

“I’m okay.”

Noah nodded and walked away.

But the cinnamon persisted. Marissa closed
her eyes and held the mug under her nose. Blueberry. She took a sip
and lowered the mug. The rest of the world smelled like cinnamon.
Like Wolf.

She’d have to face him eventually. After
work, she’d check out of the extended stay and return to her
apartment. Today she would face her demons. Marissa would take a
pregnancy test. Then she’d go to Harper Manor if the test was
positive. Wolf would want to know if she was pregnant, wouldn’t
he?

But what if the test was negative?
How
could she be pregnant?
The chances were two percent.

Protect the child
, the voice had
said.

Wolf seemed to be able to see inside her.
They’d already proven that they could communicate far more
effectively without words. He’d see the baby, or whatever was
growing inside her.

Marissa had gotten carried away with his
hopes for the future. They’d used protection or, rather, he had. He
couldn’t possibly want children so soon. They hardly knew each
other.
But they knew all that they needed to
.

“Marissa?”

Max appeared beside the table. His brow was
furrowed and he held a newspaper in his hand. A quick glance around
the café showed the crowd had thinned. She waved at the seat across
from her. “Want a break?”

He curled his free hand into a fist and
looked at the floor, then shuffled from one foot to the other.

Marissa narrowed her eyes on her brother.
“What?” she asked.

Max tilted his head to one side. “I don’t
know what your deal is with Wolf,” he said. His Adam’s apple
bobbed. “I’m worried about you. With him.”

Marissa rolled a hand, inviting him to
continue.

He shrugged and handed her the newspaper.
“Noah said he’d already told you the kind of women Wolf goes out
with. It isn’t as if you
couldn’t
attract someone like him.”
Max swallowed again and looked away.

Marissa unfolded the newspaper. Staring back
at her from the photo on the front page was none other than Wolf
Harper, and Trish Mayfair, according to the caption, at a New
Year’s Eve party at Navy Pier. A skinny model type in a skimpy
evening gown, with her hands all over Wolf, and his arm around her
waist.

What did she expect? That Wolf would pine
over her after she snuck out of his bed and refused to return his
calls?

I love you
. Easy to say. Three days
later he had a new woman on his arm. That would explain why he’d
stopped watchdogging outside the café.

Marissa laid a hand on her belly and closed
her eyes against the tears that threatened. Something was
growing—continued to grow—deep beneath her fingers.

He’s messed up
. How many people had
told her that? Wolf wasn’t ready for a real relationship, let alone
children. And yet she had been the one to walk away. Maybe he
was
ready, and she had blown her chance. A sob bubbled its
way up and Max slipped into the chair across from her.

“I’m sorry. I thought you should see for
yourself.”

Marissa nodded. She looked up and Noah and
Becky turned away, suddenly busy with other things. Obviously they
wanted to see how she reacted to the news, but because Max was
family, he’d drawn the short stick.

“Don’t cry. Crap, I don’t know what to do. Do
you want me to call Mom?” Max asked.

Marissa shook her head and looked around the
café through tear-filled eyes. Only a handful of people remained. A
glance at the parking lot showed no dark green Mercedes.

Marissa tried to smile. “Don’t worry about
the picture. This flu is messing me up.” She pressed her hand
tighter to her abdomen. What kind of an idiot believed she was
pregnant before she ever missed a period? And then she did the
mental calculations. “That time of the month” was due, but the
stress might interfere with the normal course of events. It had
only been a week since she’d opened the café early for Wolf.
One
more week
, she told herself.
Wait one more week before you
get all crazy about this.

Becky walked out of the kitchen with
Marissa’s coat. “I think we can get by without you. Go home.”

Mrs. Datsun’s bread was the last of the
special orders, at least until tomorrow. “Okay.” Marissa slipped
into her coat and smiled. “Thanks.”

“I didn’t see your car outside,” Max
said.

“I’ve been walking since the weather has been
milder.”

Becky nodded to Max. “Drive her, but you have
to come back.”

Marissa shook her head. “No. I need the fresh
air.” She collected her purse and stepped out.

Melting snow overflowed the frozen downspouts
at the corners of the building. Wet slush lined the edges of the
street. By the time she reached the extended stay, the athletic
shoes she’d worn to work were soaked through.

Three police cars lined the check-in circle,
lights flashing. Apparently the extended stay wasn’t as safe as
she’d hoped. Marissa hunched deeper into her coat and reached for
the front door right before she heard Wolf call her name. She
turned in time to see him slide across a patch of ice and land on
his backside. How had he found her?

Marissa’s heart pounded in her chest. She
wasn’t ready to see Wolf after all. She hurried into the elevator,
pressed the third floor button and then the “close door”
button.

When the doors opened again, she took long
strides to her room and didn’t stop until she was safely inside.
The scent of cinnamon surrounded her, making her mouth water,
stronger than the scent that clung to her clothing from the rolls
she’d made that morning.

Marissa shrugged out of her coat, draped it
over a chair, and raised an arm to her nose. The aroma was there,
as she knew it would be, distinctly separate from the smell that
pervaded the room.

Hex leapt to her shoulders and rubbed his
head against hers, but he didn’t purr.

Wolf had found her. Whoever had broken into
her apartment could probably find her, too. She had to face Wolf
eventually. It was time to check out of the extended stay.

The newspaper photo danced behind her eyes
and Marissa’s stomach lurched again. Hex dug his claws into her
shoulders for traction and jumped to the loveseat. Marissa dashed
to the bathroom, unable to hold back any longer.

Hex watched from the bathroom doorway until
she’d finished emptying the contents of her stomach. Marissa
settled on the cool tile floor, closed her eyes and held her head.
Hex curled his tail around her arms while he circled. Marissa
stroked his silky fur.

“First things first,” she murmured.

Smooth, Harper.
That’s what happened
when you chased after a girl. You got knocked to your keister.

Wolf brushed the back of his pants, wet from
the melting snow.

Did Marissa know that Elliot was at the
Extended Stay? Elliot might have followed her. Wolf could
understand how she wouldn’t want to return to her apartment, but he
would have expected that she’d go to her parents rather than check
into a hotel. Assuming there wasn’t another reason that she was
here.

Wolf spotted Don Walker, somewhat removed
from the police activity, but there nonetheless. He picked his
steps more carefully and walked across the parking lot.

Chuck had texted Wolf to tell him that
DockGhost had logged on and they’d caught a break. Not only was the
IP address local, it was assigned to the Cooper Village Extended
Stay. Wolf relayed the information to Don before he got into his
own car to join the “let’s get Elliot” party.

“Did you get him?” Wolf asked.

“Not yet, but you were right. He was here,”
Don replied.

“Was here?” Wolf asked.

“His stuff is in there, but he’s not. He
probably intended to come back, likely will if he doesn’t see that
he’s been found out. How’d you know where to find him?”

Wolf grinned. “My cousin left him a message.
Technology is a wonderful thing.” He glanced toward Marissa’s
car.

“Isn’t that her car?” Don asked.

“Huh?”

Don pointed. “Marissa Maitland. Isn’t that
her car?”

“Yeah.”

Don cocked an eyebrow and Wolf shrugged.

“Want me to check on her?” Don asked. “Since
I’m here.”

Wolf shook his head. “She saw me when I got
here and ran the other direction. Probably thinks I’m stalking her,
as it is.”

Don gave him a crooked smile. “We could do a
door-to-door to make sure Elliot isn’t hiding in someone else’s
room. Of course if one of those rooms we check is hers, at least
we’ll know she’s safe.” He tapped another policeman on the
shoulder. “Door-to-door.”

The other cop nodded and Don walked inside
the hotel.

Wolf fought the urge to follow, desperate to
know if Elliot knew Marissa was in the same hotel and what his
intent was if he did.

Did Marissa know? Wolf rolled his eyes. She
couldn’t know everything. Certainly there were still surprises to
be had. Like when she’d seen him in the parking lot. Even from a
distance, Wolf had seen the shock on her face.

Wolf shoved his hands in his pockets and
remained outside the hotel, beside Don’s cruiser while he waited
for Don to confirm Marissa was okay. That would have to be enough.
He stamped his feet to ward off the cold.

One by one, the other squad cars left. A team
of detectives remained behind, detectives who weren’t quite as
inconspicuous as they probably meant to be. Then again, Wolf knew
they were there. Elliot might not pay attention.

Thirty minutes went by and Wolf worried that
Don had been taken hostage as well, until Don passed through the
hotel foyer. When he saw Wolf, he stuck his head out and gave Wolf
the thumbs up.

Marissa was okay.

Wolf raised his hand to acknowledge. Marissa
had seen him and obviously wasn’t interested in talking to him. He
got back into his car and drove back to Harper Manor.

He took the stairs to Chuck’s room two at a
time and sat down behind the computer. DockGhost was no longer
logged on.

“Did they get Elliot?” Chuck asked from the
doorway.

Wolf turned in his chair. “No. But he was
there.” He managed a smile. “You did good.” Wolf studied the code
on the second monitor, willing Dock Ghost to log back on.

“I can’t go back home,” Chuck said.

“You can’t stay here forever.” Wolf raised
his eyes to his older cousin once more. “It’s time to grow up,
Chuck.”

“You don’t know what it’s like,” Chuck
started, and then he turned away, his face ruddy.

Was he about to say something stupid about
his father? A father who hadn’t been run off the road by a teenage
hothead? Wolf struggled to keep his temper in check.

Chuck heaved a sigh. “He’s a drunk,
Wolf.”

“There’s nothing that says you have to live
there.”

“What am I going to do?” Chuck held out his
arms. “I don’t have experience at anything. If Harper Electronics
goes down, I’ve got nothing.”

“You’ve got nothing now. No more ghost
employees. As of the first of the year, you don’t get a paycheck
unless you actually earn it.”

“But my dad . . .”

“The Board asked for his resignation. He
can’t help you anymore.”

Chuck’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

“Sell your game.” Wolf waved at the
side-by-side computer screens. “Or go into surveillance. Use your
skills.”

“Do you think I could?” Chuck threaded his
hands into his uncombed hair and sat on the edge of his bed.

Wolf managed a smile. “Yeah. I think you
could.”

“What about you? How long are you staying
here, at the Manor?”

“Until it sells.” Chuck didn’t need to know
Wolf intended to buy Harper Manor.

Chuck nodded. “Yeah. Okay.” He raised clear
blue eyes to Wolf. “I know you’re right, Wolf.” He shook his head.
“Things could have been so different if I hadn’t been in that
car.”

“Your life is what you make of it,” Wolf
said. “You can’t blame who you are based on any one point in time.”
He clenched his jaw and flared his nostrils while he fought the
residual urge to throw Chuck against a wall for keeping the secret
for eleven years. “You could have said something, no matter what
Elliot told you to do.”

“I’m not like you,” Chuck said, and then he
bowed his head. “Look at me. I’m a coward.”

Chuck made a valid point, and Wolf’s patience
was stretched thin. He turned his back on Chuck and stared at the
computer screen, where the gamers continued to log in and out.